TV

Many adults nowadays like watching children’s TV shows. Sometimes this is due to the nostalgia factor associated with a beloved show from childhood, whereas other times, adults will start watching a show in adult age (as happened with both "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" and "Bluey," for example). Either way, it’s common for adults watching the show to attempt to put a more adult-themed spin on the plot or characters than was initially intended, by adding more violent, sexual, or all-around disturbing content. On the simplest level, this can take the form of disturbing fan theories or memes about children’s TV (such as the "Rugrats" theory that everyone is dead except for Angelica); but it can also be more extensive. For instance, the "My Little Pony" fanfic known as "Cupcakes" was a well-written story whose entire purpose was to make "My Little Pony" violent. This story was so successful it spawned an entire subgenre of "grimdark" fanfics, in which each of the main characters from "My Little Pony" took turns playing the role of a bloodthirsty villain.

The question is, why are adults so interested in making adult-themed versions of popular children’s shows, especially when there are so many gritty, adult-oriented TV shows out there? If the adults are watching the children’s shows because they like wholesome entertainment, then why post adult-themed fanfic or memes about them at all? Is there something about the union of children’s shows with dark themes that is exceptionally appealing, and, if so, are there certain characteristics that make particular shows most likely to be used in this way?

Although many stories have just one main character, many others have an ensemble of main characters, usually in sets of three to five. Although one character in these ensembles may be presented as more central to the story than the others, technically, all the characters in the ensemble could be considered main characters. For instance, a lot of classic superhero programs, especially on television, feature a team of five superheroes, often with one or two of that number being female. The children’s musical comedy "Fraggle Rock" also has five main characters (three male and two female), while "The Office" and its permutations have four (three male and one female). If there are three main characters, they’re often all of the same gender (e.g., Alvin and the Chipmunks), but an arrangement of two males and one female (as in the "Harry Potter" and "Twilight" series) also seems to be popular. Why are these particular configurations of main characters so common? Are there any stories that invert the usual gendered expectations about the makeup of the groups (two females to one male, for example)? Moreover, why does any story need more than one main character in the first place?

As we’ve seen in ‘Star Wars’ and, more recently, ‘The Lord of the Rings’, television adaptations are entering an age in which a story and its characters can be explored ad nauseam without the input of the original author/creator (whether the creator died or sold rights, or whether copyright expired). We can conceivably imagine, then, ‘Star Wars’ films coming out years, even decades from now, even though the mind of George Lucas is no longer involved. I guess I have a number of questions:
What are the pros and cons of such "content-creation" (i.e. franchises maintained by a company — whose primary goal is profit) versus "art" (or, the subjective, personal production of one or a small group of individuals, limited by their time commitments and lifespan). Is there an argument to be made that ‘Star Wars’ should finally be "completed", and left alone like a painting? Or is content the new art, for better or for worse?

One of the most controversial endings in television is the ending of The Sopranos.

A jarring cut to blackness and silence.

Much can be speculated about the life that Tony has leading to a sudden and violent end vs. the contrasting position of a secularized hell. The core premise is, that Tony is in a constant state of death and undeath as he awaits the ending. The unending pain before it ends is as much of a torture as any demon could imagine putting him through.

The writer should probably include a synopsis of the plot of The Sopranos along with other interpretations of the ending.

In the CW’s Arrow, before Oliver Queen got stuck on Trauma Island, he was a stereotypical Billionaire Playboy. When he got back, he spent a lot of time pretending he was still the same person, in order to cover up who he had really become: a vigilante on a quest for justice. Oliver pretended his five years of trauma hadn’t dramatically changed him.
This was part of Oliver’s strategy for recovering from his trauma. While he worked on becoming a healthier (less angry and murderous) person with the help of his trusted friends, he pretended he had already recovered.
An article on this topic could analyze the progress Oliver makes on his trauma recovery over the course of the show.

In 2020, during an appearance on BuzzFeeds "AM to DM" Julian Micheals (Personal Fitness Trainer) was criticized for comments she made about singer/rapper Lizzo. "Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter?…’Cause it isn’t gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes". At the time many accused Micheals of fat shaming, but Micheals went onto explain in future interviews that it wasn’t about what people found attractive. That she had a concern for what we as a culture were valuing. She had an issue with us being okay with a health problem that could lead to further health issues like "diabetes". This does not appear to be an isolated incident either. As there have been calls for more diverse body types appearing in media (whether it is video-games, movies, comics, television or advertisement) to help spread body positivity. We have seen comics like "Daughter of Starfire", "The ‘New’ New Warriors", featuring large bodied superheroes. And more recently we have seen the premiere of "Lizzo’s ‘Big Grrrls’ " a show about big bodied women competing to be backup dancers for Lizzo. A counter argument that is often brought up is how media (television, comics, games, etc.) will often overly promote physically fit bodies and how many believe it can be just as damaging. The problem with this argument is that both the hyper acceptance of large bodies and the need to fit what society deems “healthy” is believed to lead to unhealthily results. Making this counter arguement a logical fallacy known as tu quque. In both situations the hyper marketing of a certain body type is believed to lead to negative results, so it doesn’t invalidate Julian Micheals criticism of Lizzo, and vice versa. This once again brings us to the question: are producers of visual media (video-games, comics, television, or advertisement) responsible for their viewers, mental health, self-worth, and body image? Should those who work in visual media try to promote a healthy body image? Are they responsible for what becomes a cultural trend? Or is it on the individual to manage their mental health, self-worth, and body image?

HBO’s hit show Euphoria depicts the journeys of teenage characters as they navigate a complicated social landscape of sex, drugs, and overall delinquency. It follows the main character, Rue, as she becomes more and more entrenched in a drug addiction. Side plots depict such storylines as Rue’s friends becoming entangled in sexual affairs with adults, threatening each other with guns, and above all, sneaking around behind their parents’ backs.

Sexual and graphic content in regards to teenagers is nothing new in media. We’ve seen it in the past with shows such as Skins, DeGrassi, and Beverly Hills, 90201. However, Euphoria has stirred up a unique controversy in that it revolves almost entirely around drug usage as a plot point, as well as depicts teenage characters (portrayed by adult actors) in explicit sexual positions with full-frontal nudity. In certain scenes, drug addiction almost looks enjoyable: attractive, thin, and happy-looking teens are all too happy to be high at any moment they can.

This has been the topic of many an argument among viewers: is it dangerous to depict teenagers engaging in such behavior, as it may be read as inspiring or encouraging to a young audience? Conversely, is it important to depict the realities of these issues and not to shy away from tough topics, thus cementing their taboo within society? There certainly are teenagers today that deal with and engage in such activities. Should we be thinking of them and providing media with a representation of the struggles they face, or will such a show encourage straight-edged teens to move in a different direction?

It sometimes happens in TV shows, particularly comedies, that a childish character will show an inordinate interest in food. For instance, both Michael Scott from "The Office" and Liz Lemon from "30 Rock" are childish main characters who are obsessed with food, and many compilations of them eating exist on YouTube. Ernie, a character from the German comedy "Stromberg," is also obsessed with food and notably more childish than his English-speaking counterparts Gareth and Dwight (who show less interest in food but are instead obsessed with sex). The fact that childishness and food obsession show up together so often suggests that an interest in eating itself is meant to highlight the character’s childishness in some way. Why do you think this is? What are some other examples of shows that connect childishness with a love of eating?