Niche’s Fandoms and Revivals
The Uphill History of Genre Programming
It seems an odd thing to say but programming for niche genres has a long, hard history on television airwaves. Prior to the wildly successful Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, it was rare to find fantasy or science fiction programming on network television. Besides HBO, AMC and Sci-Fi networks, the biggest television players were unwilling to take risky bets their programming. For every Star Trek and Xenia, we saw HEAPS of cancelled programs, long before their time. Often, the reasoning was that a network was dropping a program, due to failing viewership ratings. But, in the bulk of cases, the networks themselves set programs up for failure. We’ll review some examples below.
Firefly: Averaging 4.8 million viewers per episode, the show had a hard time gaining a following from the general public. In addition, Fox aired episodes out of order. It was also reported creative differences existed behind the camera. Joss Whedon wanted a darker tone, while Fox was pushing for a lighter comedy. Shifting airing times for each episode led to a greater ratings drop before the show was cancelled.
Futurama: Another victim of changing the show’s airing days and times was problematic Futurama eventually was saddled with the dreaded “post game” airtime. Any time a sports game went overtime, it cut into Futurama’s air time. Consequently Fox stopped buying episodes, because fans didn’t stick around due to the inconsistency of the new content.
Family Guy: Again, shifting time slots whittled down the viewing audience that one peaked at 12.8 million weekly viewers.
Young Justice: It was successful in terms of both viewership and critical response. Later, it was revealed funding for the show was tied through Mattel, based on toy sales numbers. Toy sales missed forecast targets and Mattel pulled funding.
This may make sense from a business standpoint. Genre programming focuses on a niche base. While programs like the examples mentioned above do attract a dedicated audience, they rarely appeal to the general public. Mainstream audiences often connect relatable and shared character experiences shows like Friends. A mainstream audience has less affinity for a show like Almost Human, which explores what makes us human through the example of a non-human entity. Typically, advertisers throw their budget towards larger potential audiences rather than dedicated, loyal smaller niche audiences and hardcore fans.
The Exceptions
That isn’t to say we lived in a desert bereft of these sorts of programs. Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xena, Stargate, and Babylon 5 are all examples similar niche genre programming that were successful at a time when other shows failed. I believe this is because the shows actively moved away from some of the concepts of high fantasy and science fiction whereas other shows didn’t.
Example mentioned above balanced most of their narrative weight upon following and developing human character arcs. Star Trek was an exploration of modern day relatable problems and inner humanity that people felt. Buffy was about school drama and relationships alongside a greater calling. Xena, was about a quest for personal redemption, while both Stargate and the original Babylon 5 were fun action shows.
Historically, it is better to produce a show that appeals to the largest audience group that watches television of people. One explanation for the popularity of classic fantasy and sci-fi programs is they had more in common with down to earth sitcoms than they had differences.
The Game Changer
he predictable path to television programming continues in most genres until the arrival of landmark show, Game of Thrones. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Game of Thrones averages 25 million viewers, which transcends every measurable demographic. Everyone is watching it and its impact on the television landscape cannot be understated. The family and political drama is the driving force behind the show coupled with epic battles and strong, effective characters. More importantly, its example opened the door to various networks to develop genre based programming. Shows like The Expanse, American Gods, and The Magicians et al have Game of Thrones to thank for the current faith that networks seem to have with these shows. It has also opened the door to niche shows that maintain a strong core following after their cancellation to return.
Shows that Returned and Why
More recently, several shows have returned to the airwaves because of fan behavior. Family Guy is still on air after strong DVD and film sales brought the show back into production. Futurama was picked up by Comedy Network for a 7th and final season after the 4 animated films and season DVD’s provided strong sales. While it only lasted a single season on the Comedy Network, the show was picked up for an additional three seasons, which aired on Netflix. Even Young Justice is making a comeback after Netflix bought the first two seasons from Cartoon Network and a viral campaign to drive up the viewership for the show successfully pulled in a wider audience than the original run.
The Takeaway
There will always be friction between audiences and TV and film executives. Audiences always want what they love to continue, so they can be entertained. Executives need more viewers to make money. These different goals do not always align between the two groups. Audiences need to understand this relationship when we try to keep shows on the air.
Genre shows are made to be marketed. The various DC and Marvel based shows have merchandising attached to them. DVD releases, comic books and graphic novels all support the financial targets for each show along with the advertising budgets that compete for audience viewership.
Binge watching may well be the preferred method of viewing today for many but it undercuts the traditional way TV networks have made money for a long time. It should be clear that a critically acclaimed show with great reviews may not be deemed successful if it doesn’t achieve a certain level of profitability. Low profit shows are cancelled.
The best thing fan can do for a show they love is to regularly watch it, share it and buy it. To be fair, fans are doing exactly this. For example, the wider nerd community made things like the Marvel Cinematic Universe possible by the sheer amount of money we spent not only watching the films but also inviting friend to watch. Additionally, hardcore fans watched the same film several times with different groups of friends. We also buy merchandise for ourselves and our our buddies and kids who love a particular character. This holds true for movies and television that captures our passion and imagination. Ultimately, the more we as fans can enjoy television shows, movies and other aspects of fans, the more likely these gems will last for a long time.
