Most people who grew up in the late 1980s through the 1990s fondly remember Nickelodeon. The shows produced in this era were part of the network's Golden Age, and fans' appreciation has led Nick to bring some of them back. Two popular Nick shows, Hey Arnold and Legend of the Hidden Temple, are coming back in the near future. However, Hey Arnold is coming back as a live-action film. Legends will take the form of a TV movie whose adventurous plot is somewhat loosely based on the original game show. Will these format changes wreck what fans loved about these shows, or will they bring fresh perspectives to the table? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these format changes.
I didn't even know these were happening! Remakes/reboots are such a big thing nowadays, so I like how this topic is very focused on a specific aspect of the nostalgia-movement. The emphasis on the formats would also create an easy way for the writer to stay analytical rather than it devolving into an opinion-based rant or hype train. – DrNinjaBaljeet7 years ago
Discuss the connection between events in Designated Survivor and the current political reality existing in the United States. Note how the writers of the show reference current events, and the ways in which they may be 'poking fun' at current events while dealing with them in a serious manner on the show. If possible, also compare things said and done by President Kirkman to those of President Trump.
Seems interesting. The problem with shows like Designated Survivor and House of Cards is that it can seem more subdued than the reality of the Trump presidency. Strange times. – Jeff MacLeod7 years ago
Would be interesting to pick out a real politician from Trump's administration in a similar role to Sutherland's character and propose what that would look like in real-world. – Marcus Dean7 years ago
Explain why you think (or may be not) that Tv shows or Sitcoms portraying a well sculpted world, with friends for support and effortless enjoyment can posses a serious threat to how people view reality and their life outcomes?
Another approach could be exploring the dependence people have on such television shows as a form of escapism. By illustrating an alternate sitcom reality to our own, creators are effectively entrapping people in a make belief society with different rules that follow the laws or comedy rather than reality. – ninaphillips277 years ago
i don't think those shows necessarily demonstrate consistent support, rather they should how friends often take the mick out of each other to keep them grounded. the characters in big bang theory are often mocked and ostracised my most members of society and find solace within their own little community. A common trope of sitcoms given its a common sensation in the human experience – Iliasbakalla7 years ago
I agree with Iliasbakalla and Munjeera. These series often extrapolate characters' quirks to the extreme for comic effect. It would be interesting to discuss why this results in a broadly enjoyable experience, e.g. perhaps we identify with characters' flaws etc. The cultural setting of the show and the assumed cultural setting of the viewer would be another interesting aspect to explore, e.g. What is the cultural setting that producers are assuming when they write and produce the show? Do viewers from other cultures have more or less difficulty enjoying these shows? Why/why not? – bethlauren7 years ago
Its definitely an interesting theory... do we change our own behaviours based on what we see as successful in a tv show? Do we try to become more sarcastic because me might find Chandler so incredibly funny and relatable? And then, is this notion of "what we should be living like" having a negative impact on our lives or a positive? – miaraszewski7 years ago
Could it be helping people in some way? As a child, watching shows like that helped me to develop communication skills and made me strive towards finding friends that would support me the same way. I really think the fabrication of such strong friendships is a good thing, it may seem unrealistic but it's also quite endearing. – pixiehabits7 years ago
I have to say that Friends in particular had me wondering what they did for a living. Constantly swanning around the coffee shop, and living it up in their expensive inner city apartments. Not exactly a deeply moral tale, but it's difficult to hypothesise about its effect. Also, why can't I have my own canned laughter!? – Dion7 years ago
Not if you're white suburban and lame. – Antonius8657 years ago
Since many original cast members are not returning for season 7 of Once Upon a Time, discuss the ways in which the new season could (or could not) be an exciting revival of the fairytales we once knew. Is the OUAT we know over, or do you think the rejuvenation of characters and tales will be enough to keep the fanbase and viewers satisfied?
Love the topic, and the show. I was a little leery of Season 7, but I'm excited for it now. As Henry says in one clip, there are literally thousands of fairytale versions, plus other stories that could be explored. (Season 5, with its trip to the Underworld, proved the show could do mythology, so why not other story types/genres)? I do think the series needs to wrap up eventually, but am rooting for about 8 seasons. In TV show world, that seems to be a good place to stop. Any more than that and you tend to get stale. – Stephanie M.7 years ago
I am a HUGE Once Upon a Time fan. I am nervous, for this new season, but I am giving it a chance because I don't believe Colin O'Donaghue or Robert Carlyle would have said yes to this season if they didn't have SOME faith in the new direction. – ivyskiss7 years ago
I would like to see an article written about the different ways that political power is wielded. Foucault understands all citizens as complicity in state power (in a democracy), since one individual has a sovereign rule over us and governs our liberty, however en mass the public hold tremendous amounts of power during elections. Recent political history in Australia shows the power of public opinion polls, as leaders there have been usurped by party members due to their failing public credibility. But power also requires tenacious maintenance in a political scope Francis Underwood from House of cards illustrates the amount of time and effort he has to appease and blackmail other members of congress to retain his position. This involves calling the bluff of many different international and domestic threats to his reign. Lord Baelish from game of thrones also shows how a character with little credentials can hold great amounts of power by dancing between leaders of different kingdoms. There could also be a discussion about the gender intersection of power in both these shows as Claire Underwood and Cersei Lannister are both excellent case studies.
I like this topic...I wonder who you would direct this to? The average Joe who doesn't understand politics would probably benefit from a comparison like this, because they might understand the analogies from these TV shows? Also the gender power side topic is great...Cersei needs someone to acknowledge all the hard work she does in maintaining her status! :) – AbbyMay7 years ago
I'd definitely be interested in reading this! Might be worth honing in on a particular season of each show to get a focussed analysis going. I think Claire v Cersei would be an excellent comparison! – Zujaja7 years ago
Pro-Wrestling has been around for decades and has tens of millions of fans, but is often misunderstood by those on the outside. Moreover, the complex and serialized nature of pro-wrestling story-telling makes entry as a new fan difficult. A complete overview of the sport up through present trends and story-lines would be interesting: formation and history of the sport, brief summation of the legal players and corporate/owner factions, explanation of terminology used in the sport, brief summation of story-line factions (faces/heels/teams), and an explanation of why ' it's scripted, not fake ' is essential to understanding the appeal of the sport.
I love this topic! It would be worth mentioning how many pro wrestlers later became actors such as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. – Cagney10 years ago
There is a lot to talk about with this topic besides the above mentioned. Another thing to look at would be themes used in wrestling story lines that are also used in other genres in the media. – lisa827 years ago
This is really interesting. But I am afraid there are already accounts (introductions and summaries) that address this questions. – T. Palomino1 year ago
Recent events in London and abroad raise questions of how we should be representing terrorist attacks and the victims of those attacks. The visualization of difference is crucial to our popular understanding of these events as they unfold and reverberate throughout the world. Discuss the way major news organizations like CNN, Fox and MSNBC visualize these events. What differences arise between these televised news sources? How can stations visualize the aftermath of these attacks and the victims in tasteful ways that don't compound the trauma?
It would also be interesting to explore the way the Manchester attack was reported by American sources (releasing information before the UK, reporting false information, etc). Also, the lack of reporting terrorist attacks in non-western countries. Could this be due to the fact these sources don't want the US sympathizing with the middle-east? They want us to view them only as the terrorist and not as the victim? – BreannaWaldrop7 years ago
An interesting spin-off on this topic would be to explore the way in which news outlets are manipulated for PR reasons by both terrorist organisations and celebrities to manage their public profile. For example, the controversial decision of Grande to "go home" to the US was quickly followed by an announcement of the One Love benefit concert and return to Manchester. The decision of Noel Gallagher not to attend also resulted in a PR issue, which he felt compelled to then "explain". – bethlauren7 years ago
There are not one, but three shows this coming fall about the deified seal team six, and homelands and such, in which I don’t think its redheaded step children had the GI Joes now are gunning down. Of course we have to do that, lest we ever hold a politico feet to the fire, ah where we get impeachment, as you can hate the Romans all you want, but…turns out there were war television stations for whom a money shot of Virgillian sadness for fallen men in an unmarked grave in an unmarked war would be something that might caste a lull in the coloreds usury drunks and lesbians who just love a good parade, and don’t you forget it. And why make a point about those soldiers dying in that mess, as marking the earth with your ruin always gets some suckers boiled into the muck. You shouldn’t have waved the flag so vociferously when that bag man was bombing hospital’s, because to be antiwar after that hag quoted Caesar, is just another reason people who just so hate Trump in that mausoleum of a senate are plunging away, with that bumbling old coot unraveling before us, looking like the evil eye of Mad comics. Maybe one too many 300’s for you to seem so sanctimonious now. Everything is plastic, and is fake, as maybe the Bushes weren’t the patricians those grave robbers tried to convince you they were. See if you couldn’t impeach that buffoon, who sat there and careened from one disaster to another, well, whats the point of La wanda and her studying the crime bill as if the digest of Roman law as I had to , but then, survived being Jesuit pre law. Oh, now you weep…?, as my namesake said, … – Antonius8657 years ago
TV opening credits obviously let viewers know who the main cast is as well as give everyone involved in the process their due. The aesthetics and artwork of each individual show's credits can also persuade the audience into participation. How do opening credits function depending on what shows one is watching? There are certain shows that begin with catchy themes, eye-catching graphics, or contain "easter egg"-like codes/foreshadowing. There are others which keep the visibility of opening credits to a minimum, perhaps to heighten the realism of the show's fictional world. How does the nature of certain shows determine the way opening credits are presented to the audience?
Approved this, but I was going to say would you be able to add some examples? One that always springs to mind for me is the minimalistic credits for Hannibal – Francesca Turauskis8 years ago
How about a little bit of comparison and contrast with the opening credits from previous decades? I've notice several old programs that have opening theme songs that the lyrics were actually displayed on the screen as they were sung. – NoDakJack8 years ago
This would be such a great prompt to expand on--once I get to the point where I can publish articles I may take this on myself! So many nuances and storytelling aspects can be found in a good opening credits sequence. There's so much to talk about! Context clues and interpretation of the cinematography and any song lyrics would be good points to discuss. – RachelHart8 years ago
Just going to leave this right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG_P_1JnfXI – ProtoCanon8 years ago
Wonder if there's much of a difference between opening credits and opening titles, but here's a fairly enlightening video by Cinefix i hope you find useful :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8twthdaqB8 – Matchbox8 years ago
Just a pet theory for filmic opening-credits, but there must be an evolution in length. Perhaps I'm pointing to the obvious, but Hollywood films produced pre-millennium seem much longer than productions after. Watching Kramer vs. Kramer, I realized it was an eon worth of attention span for the generation of viewers today. The opening for some production during earlier periods are an encased vignette telling an encapsulated story. Perhaps viewer patience have been eroded that opening credit structure is susceptible to such pressures. By the way, after watching the opening-credits for Dexter, does anyone crave ham and eggs with a splash of Tapatio? – minylee8 years ago
To expand on the comparison of opening credits now versus years ago, almost all older movies and tv shows (mid to late 20th century) feature the majority, if not all, credits at the beginning. Now, generally only the main characters are billed at the beginning, with everything else credited at the end. Perhaps you could examine what caused the switch, if anything, and how that has impacted the audience's viewing experience. – Noelle McNeill7 years ago
