Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012
Oh come on, you don't think the writers know exactly what they're doing when they choose the leads for a show, that it will generate shipper wars and get them lots of free publicity? You're not the type to participate in shipper wars, so maybe you're not seeing it, but believe me, that kind of stuff doesn't happen by accident.
Like I said, the bizarre fantasies shippers spin have very little to do with what the creators of a show actually intend. When a group actually doesn't seem to mind
incest, then you've crossed the line into crazyland.
Yes, of course shows choose leads who will be attractive, so that viewers will like to watch them. It doesn't automatically follow that those lead characters are obligated to be attracted to
each other. And frankly I think it's offensive and sexist to assume that the only possible relationship a man and woman can have is a romantic one. Some of the most fulfilling friendships I've had -- in fact, the majority of them -- have been with women. There are lots of perfectly valid platonic relationships between male and female characters in fiction, and I think it's shallow, blind, and foolish to try to impose something sexual on every one of them. And it's equally blind to try to force all onscreen relationships into a single mold rather than recognizing the diversity of them.
I mean, just to pull an example out of a hat, look at
Firefly. That show had a lot of male-female relationships and every one of them was different. Mal, for instance, had UST with Inara, but Zoe was his trusted second-in-command and partner (who was happily and faithfully married), Kaylee was kind of a kid sister to him (who was actively pursuing Simon), and River was both an innocent he felt protective toward and an enigma he was wary of having to deal with. That's an intriguingly rich assortment of different ways for one male character to relate to the various women in his life. I'm sure there are shippers out there who've written fanfic, explicit or otherwise, pairing Mal with all four of those women (possibly all at once), but that's just got nothing to do with who the characters actually were or what was interesting about them.
The real point here, SyFy is doing a lousy job of making shows that will interest me, and they better clean up their act.
Why? You're not the only viewer in the country. If you don't like the things they make, they're not obligated to change just for you. After all, you have other entertainment options, and they have plenty of other viewers. I for one think Syfy's scripted dramas in the 2011-12 season were the best they've ever been and some of the most enjoyable shows currently on television. I wouldn't have said that about
Warehouse 13 prior to this past year, or about
Eureka prior to the 2010 season, but they've both greatly improved. And
Alphas had a fantastic first season; it was easily one of the best and most distinctive genre shows of the year. Sure, I'd like to see more scripted dramas and more space/future shows, but I think they're actually doing a pretty terrific job right now.
So I'm chiefly interested to see what gets picked up.
