The accused: Lost, "Stranger in a Strange Land" (Season 3, Episode 9) The crime: Proving that the Lost creative team had no "real plan" to tell their story. Television’s failures are supposed to be obvious. From the overhyped non-starters that flop from the very beginning (hello, FlashForward, Lone Star) to the much-discussed clumsy conclusions of … Continue reading #TVFail Entry 1: Lost, “Stranger in a Strange Land”
Tag: Active Audiences
Emotion over “answers” — Discussing storytelling approaches in the finales of Lost and Supernatural
With the round of season finales out of the way for all the major broadcast television series, I've been thinking about which finales were the most effective and why. You know, because I have absolutely nothing to do with my life during the summer -- or any time for that matter. Anyway, what is most … Continue reading Emotion over “answers” — Discussing storytelling approaches in the finales of Lost and Supernatural
The new “cult”: Evaluating changes in cult television through Supernatural
Ed Note: I'm simply trying to post various academic pieces I've written over the past few years in case anyone wants to check them out. The following was completed in the spring of 2009, so certain portions might be out of date a little. I'm in the process of updating it. Television programs with “cult … Continue reading The new “cult”: Evaluating changes in cult television through Supernatural
What is the legacy of Heroes?
Just like FlashForward, it should surprise no one that NBC has finally canceled Heroes. In four years, the sci-fi drama had a meteoric rise and fall and it's been lambasted mightily ever since its season one finale. But what will we really remember about Heroes?Why don't we start off with a word about the series … Continue reading What is the legacy of Heroes?
Shippers and anti-fan fans in Smallville fandom
Ed note: This is paper/project about Smallville fans that I recently completed for a media audiences course at Indiana University. “[C]learly anti-fans construct an image of the text – and, what is more, an image they feel is accurate – sufficiently enough that they can react to and against it.” – Jonathan Gray[1] Most texts … Continue reading Shippers and anti-fan fans in Smallville fandom
In which I worry about ‘Glee’
I think Glee is in trouble. Not to offend all you Gleeks out there, because I consider myself a major fan of the series, but something is just...off about the first two episodes back. I cannot put my finger on it. Is it the long lay-off between the first 13 episodes and the back nine? … Continue reading In which I worry about ‘Glee’
What’s the future of serialization on broadcast TV?
I've talked a lot about serialization here on the blog, and it's just as popular elsewhere (check out a nice post from Myles McNutt on Justified), partially because it's the end of two major serial powerhouses in Lost and 24 and also because I think people just love talking about it. So why not continue … Continue reading What’s the future of serialization on broadcast TV?
Innovations, er, “Innovations” from broadcast networks — ABC
Curious as to what this all means? Read my introduction to this multi-post series. Of all the networks I researched for this project, I think ABC's results surprised me the most. And that's not a good thing. So what is the format of these posts? I'm not exactly sure. I'll play ABC this way and … Continue reading Innovations, er, “Innovations” from broadcast networks — ABC
Twitter and TV viewing: Pay attention to me!
In the last week, a couple of stories have been written about the growing use of Twitter during live television events and the interactive culture created by it. So obviously, people have taken to Twitter to talking about, which allowed me to find the articles. The NY Times' Brian Stelter wrote on Tuesday about the … Continue reading Twitter and TV viewing: Pay attention to me!
Just end it already! Genre television and end dates
As we've all seen over the past month, the end of Lost has sparked a slew of different conversations about the future of television, formats, serialization, etc. One move that Lost proponents always cite as the turning point in the series was the agreement to end it all back in 2007. And now, that idea … Continue reading Just end it already! Genre television and end dates
The dead-end “dead” serial discussion: It’s not happening
I've talked a lot about serialized television lately, and it seems like a lot of TV critics and scholars have the same thing on their mind with Lost coming to an end. In the past few weeks, a slew of articles and columns have hit the web about the topic, with some writing the serials eulogy. … Continue reading The dead-end “dead” serial discussion: It’s not happening
‘Chuck’ versus the Ridiculous Fan Reaction
FACT: NBC series Chuck has a ridiculously active fanbase. For anyone who doesn't know, the fans -- which included critics like Alan Sepinwall and Mo Ryan -- of the series helped organize a slew of "Save Chuck" campaigns last spring, including pilgrimages to Subway, a sponsor of the show, and a number of social media-related outputs. For … Continue reading ‘Chuck’ versus the Ridiculous Fan Reaction
‘Lost’ signifies the end of an era
Today, the publication that I edit WEEKEND ran a Lost-centric issue, most of which I penned. You can check out everything here, but I wanted to re-post the piece I thought was most important to a discussion about television formats and genres moving forward. Here it is. With Lost at the beginning of the end, … Continue reading ‘Lost’ signifies the end of an era
