Explore the extent to which fandoms influence the progression of the television show they are associated with. The show "Doctor Who" comes to mind particularly, especially in terms of the episodes that feature more than one incarnation of the Doctor working together. This can be seen as an appeal to what the fan base would want to see, though the producers are able to fold it into the internal logic of the "Doctor Who" Universe. This article might also explore the motivation for shows like "Doctor Who" to incorporate popular aspects of their fandoms into the show.
This seems like it could be a really interesting topic to discuss. There's definitely merits and pitfalls to incorporating a ton of fan feedback into the show, in that it can often satisfy people through "fanservice" but may come at the expense of the overall structure or vision of the creators. Doctor Who is a great example, and definitely has a major place in the discussion. – Null9 years ago
I can think of several instances where a few friends were turned off from a show because of its fandom (ex. the aforementioned Doctor Who, Steven Universe, and the Sherlock BBC series). While it is nice to see a writer take inspiration from fans, it comes with the sacrifice of appealing to those who are new to the show and aren't part of the fandom. I would be interested to see the complications that new viewers would experience when particularly "odd" fan-catering moments appear in a series. – Filippo9 years ago
As some folks have already said, this is a very real occurrence, one worth discussing. In many shows, one can see the influence of the fans creeping in. The writers don't always take the bait, and especially recently, many shows like Breaking Bad have chosen to make compelling stories instead the easy route (Skyler learns to love Walt, they work together and live happily ever after.) Decent shows know that the easy, disney-like scenario is not the way it is in real life. I remember when House, M.D. was on (full disclaimer: that was my favorite show) the fans wishes definitely crept in sometimes. The folks wishing for Cuddy and House to have a relationship did indeed get their wish, but to the writers credit, it didn't last. That may not have been what the shippers wanted but it was the right way to go. It would've been completely against type for House to suddenly become dependable and a rock. Also, it wouldn't have made sense for Cuddy to say fuck it and be with House as he was. It just doesn't work. Other shows demonstrate a little more influence from the fans and it's worth discussing. Just the debate that exists over whether this influence helps or hurts TV would be amazing to read! – mss409 years ago
Fandoms play a HUGE roles. Many shows have been saved from being cancelled based solely on their fan bases. For example, Chuck. It was on NBC and never really did well in the ratings department. And just about every season they were in danger of being cancelled, but the fans (and Subway) helped to rescue it. Another instance of Fandoms having an influence over a TV series is Veronica Mars. They raised enough money to make a movie. Fandoms could ultimately decide the fate of a show. Having a small yet powerful fandom, I think, is incredibly powerful. – diehlsam9 years ago