csheehan

Creative Writer & Comparatist

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    Latest Topics

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    A Fandom's Influence over its Television Series

    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. – Null 9 years ago
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    • 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. – Filippo 9 years ago
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    • 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! – mss40 9 years ago
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    • 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. – diehlsam 9 years ago
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    Latest Comments

    Though it is a television show and not a film, I was contending with this idea while watching the show “Gotham,” which adapts the characters of Batman’s comic book universe for a television series. I was initially displeased with the show, because it was pulling a move that I typically have no desire to see. The characters are not only taken out of their specific contexts (as established by the comic books), but also presented as younger versions of the characters as we already know them. To me, this move feels contrived and quickly loses its novelty. I actually have a lot of criticisms of the show, but I no longer fault it for its infidelity to the show – mostly because, as you indicated at the end of your article, we don’t have to judge the success of an adaptation by its fidelity to the source text. In that sense, I’ve begun to appreciate the show for what it is.

    How 'By the Book' Should Literary Adaptations Be?

    I recently encountered the concept of The Shadow, and though i’m familiar with what an archetype is and what it represents, I realized that I’m not too familiar with the Jungian archetypes. I think your explanation and contextualizations of The Shadow, as well as the Animus/Anima, were thoughtful and helped to clarify these concepts for me.

    I also think that your exercise will make for some interesting fiction, which my own writing currently lacks. Thank you for sharing!

    Working with The Shadow: A Writer's Guide

    I’ve only recently begun to develop a distaste for supermarkets, and though I don’t have a particular reason why, I think some of the themes that you explore in this article probably reflect the foundation of my distaste to some extent.

    I also felt compelled to read this because I had been playing a text adventure game that takes place in a single aisle of a supermarket (thanks to an article by IRBurnett on text adventure games). In my opinion, there’s some interesting continuity.

    Thank you for sharing!

    Tears Spilled in Aisle Six: The Supermarket as a Conformist Hell

    I really enjoyed your article. It gave me a glimpse into an era of gaming that I never really experienced.

    I do tend to think that the argument about whether or not video games can be considered art addresses a foregone conclusion. I think most emerging mediums go through this same scrutiny before the argument simply loses steam, and then refocuses on a different emerging medium. At this point, video games are an established cultural medium, and only getting stronger as such – to briefly sing the praises of the argument’s effect – thanks to developers’ desire to make games that have artistic aims. For me, the conclusion of this argument is: of course video games can be art. I’d like to think that this is an obvious conclusion, but maybe this point of view comes with having grown up playing video games.

    In any case, I look forward to playing some (hopefully all) of the text adventures mentioned in the article. Thanks for sharing!

    The Text Adventure: Relic of Gaming History, or Timeless Medium?