These days, it seems like a television series has to be seen as progressive and unconventional before it's considered worthwhile. If you want people to respect your taste in TV shows, you'd better include at least one about gay lifestyles (The L Word, Queer as Folk) and one about the sensitive side of serial killers (Dexter, The Sopranos). TV shows are the new way to prove your openness to liberal or out-of-the-ordinary ideas. Arrested Development's fan following relies partially on its "non-appeal"-fans love arguing that the show was too quirky and far-out to be accepted by the mainstream. Lost fans love hearing people say that their favourite program is too complicated to be any good, because the lack of appeal to others is what makes their show even more desirable to them. Just like finding that tourist-free town off the beaten path when travelling, controversial TV shows are the ones to strive for when rounding out your list of favourite series.
Yet for some reason, the appeal of non-appeal doesn't work when it comes to science fiction shows. In fact, sci-fi seems to be the one television genre which is not made cool by its unpopularity. Friends are proud to tell me they watch Big Love, a "cutting-edge" program mostly because it's about the polygamist lifestyle, but also because not that many people watch it. Yet if I tell my friends I watch Battlestar Galactica, a show that is also cutting-edge in that it deals with relevant controversial political concerns such as abortion, torture, and the occupation of Iraq, and it's not watched by the majority, I get looks of disgust. Tell somebody you like a science fiction-based television show and words like "nerd" and "loser" start coming out of the other person's mouth, as if watching anything with spaceships is a thousand times worse than watching rich kids on scripted "reality" shows.
What is it about the sci-fi label that turns some of the best written television series into guilty pleasures, while American Idol can still be publicly praised? The sci-fi genre is made up of shows with a strong reliance on futuristic technology, usually involving spaceships, aliens, and robots. Why are these aspects open to ridicule when shows about vampires, superheroes, and ridiculous medical conditions are considered acceptable? People fly in Heroes, one of the most popular shows on TV, and that's easier to accept than a world where people live in space? Clearly the lack of realism is not what keeps sci-fi shunned by the real world. Bad writing or acting can't be the reason either, since Desperate Housewives manages to be popular while Battlestar and Stargate Atlantis, two of the highest rated TV shows by critics, are still seen by many as only worthy of the thick-rimmed glasses crowd who live in their mothers' basements. It seems that the un-coolness of sci-fi lies in the area that other shows gain their respect from: great reviews, obsessive fans, but low TV ratings. The original Star Trek series went through the same evolution Firefly did; cancelled due to low ratings, even though fans and entertainment critics alike said it was the one of the best shows on TV. Now there are conventions and gatherings for fans of both, as well as successful movies that catered to diehard fans and brought in new ones at the same time. Joss Whedon managed to get the cast of Firefly back together to make Serenity due to fan demand, two years after the show was cancelled. 43 years after Star Trek first aired, it still has the strength to warrant a new motion picture coming out this year.
How can intelligent shows with such strong fan bases be viewed as worthless? Fans of trashy shows seem to be more proud of their crap TV than sci-fi viewers, who have much more to be proud of. I say we break away from the negative bias towards sci-fi and be publicly proud of what we watch. Don't be embarrassed to say you watch a show set in outer space-others should be embarrassed that they're missing the best shows on TV. Next time somebody asks what my favourite shows are, I'll tell them I love Battlestar Galactica and I'll tell them with pride. And if they call me a loser, I'll tell them to frack off.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Morjana
posted 1/07/09 @ 5:53 PM EST
Right on, sister -- SciFi Pride!
Spock, Frodo, Darth Vader and Jack O'Neill!
:)
John
posted 1/08/09 @ 2:29 PM EST
Anyone who hates on Galactica is a frakkin' toaster, Laura. Anyways it's supposed to be the sci-fi show for people who hate sci-fi, right?
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