What role does Hills (2004) suggest the fans play in the construction of cult TV? How is new media central to this?
Cult is defined in the dictionary as “a person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society” (Dictionary). In television, cult shows are ones that are followed by a specific group of audience who are devoted. Doctor Who, Star Trek, True Blood or Buffy the Vampire Slayer are a few prominent examples of cult TV. As stated by Bruce Campbell (Heisler, 2009), a “mainstream movie” is one that would be seen once by 100,000 people, while a “cult movie” is one that would be seen a 100,000 times by one person. Hills (2004) also touched on the subject of how cult TV fans are often loyal to the shows. According to Hills (2004), cult TV can be defined by the primary text, the intertext, and fan practice & activities. Many sources have stated the importance of fans to the existence and staying alive of cult television shows, termed the “grassroots” phenomenon by Hills. Since cult TV often deals with unpopular subjects and worlds the audience would be unlikely to encounter in real life. Hills (2004) called this “hyperdiegesis”. Hills stated that the devotion of fans plays a much bigger part in promoting cult television comparing to the involvement of the media industry. However, it can be argued that the producers of such shows also consciously keep the shows true to their cult status to further boost fan’s passion. Since the producers were aware of the impact cult TV fans could make, cult shows often - paralleling the hyperdiegetic fantastic world - have a homely, mundane plotline that deals with relationships or issues that hit close to home for a vast number of audience, thus creating a sense of familiarity with them, enhancing their devotion to the show. Because of this, it can be said that the fans do indeed contribute to the construction of the show in terms of content. Also discussed in Hills’ text (2004) is how cult fans define themselves against the term “consumer”, and that they organized shows into “an ‘intertextual network’ that is not recognisable as an industry-led, generic grouping”, thus denying the influence of the media on their television preference.
Hills (2004) cited Grisprud (2002) stating “proper fandom exists when an enthusiasm for some cultural object or others take on… a totalizing, defining role in people’s lifestyle and identities. The term ‘cult’ is also related to such instance”. Cult television fans often organized themselves into Appreciation Societies (Hills, 2004): groups of devoted fans who play a significant role in keeping a cult show alive long after it was aired. Another platform for fans to share their interests for cult TV besides Appreciation Societies are conventions. Fan’s production such as commentaries, fan fiction, etc. also contributes to keeping the shows alive long after they ended. Fans of cult TV also create a market for memorabilia or merchandise from shows they love. In this age of new media, with the ready existence of the Internet, these fans’ activities can occur much more easily and instantly. The internet opens up the boundaries of fandom, giving them easier access to each other’s expression of appreciation to loved shows, thus tightening the bond in fandoms and gaining them much more power to promote cult TV.
Hills (2004) cited Grisprud (2002) stating “proper fandom exists when an enthusiasm for some cultural object or others take on… a totalizing, defining role in people’s lifestyle and identities. The term ‘cult’ is also related to such instance”. Cult television fans often organized themselves into Appreciation Societies (Hills, 2004): groups of devoted fans who play a significant role in keeping a cult show alive long after it was aired. Another platform for fans to share their interests for cult TV besides Appreciation Societies are conventions. Fan’s production such as commentaries, fan fiction, etc. also contributes to keeping the shows alive long after they ended. Fans of cult TV also create a market for memorabilia or merchandise from shows they love. In this age of new media, with the ready existence of the Internet, these fans’ activities can occur much more easily and instantly. The internet opens up the boundaries of fandom, giving them easier access to each other’s expression of appreciation to loved shows, thus tightening the bond in fandoms and gaining them much more power to promote cult TV.
Reference
Heisler, S. (2009). Bruce Campbell. Retrieved from http://www.avclub.com/article/bruce-campbell-23651
Hills, M. (2004). Defining Cult TV; Texts, Inter-texts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies Reader, in R. C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge
Hi Eleanor, great post! Interesting how people have such different aspects of the questions that they focus on. I particularly like the way in which you brought the story lines and how they often mirror the mundane lives of the audience members watching the show but in the same vain is so far fetched and fantastical in their circumstances like Buffy... classic love story and high school dramas which we can relate to... but then throw in some vampires and it changes it all! Lovely insight and clear trains of thought. Thanks for the definition at the top of the article!
ReplyDeleteHey Elanor, I love that definition you included about cult TV at the beginning. It really makes sense to someone who doesn't know a lot about the subject! I also really like the fact that you mentioned a bit about how the show will always relate to the audience in some way, even though most of the time the world that it is set in is completely different and unrelatable to most people. Good work, this post was clear and easy to read and understand :)
ReplyDeleteHi Eleanor, good post. I liked how you defined cult TV. I myself usually never know what genres I'm watching, I just enjoy watching them, so it was really nice to know what cult TV actually is. I agree that it is easier to promote shows now because of social media, you come across so many fandom pages on tumblr it's shocking! This post was very clear and easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteThanks Eleanor, Good post. Yes, the blending of the everyday with the extraordinary is a mainstay of many shows which seem to have gained cult status.
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