Cult TV

[Summers]

EWB, help me. Need some empirical research. Basically, can you all answer these questions in the thread for me?

- what they define cult tv as

- how they define themselves as cult tv viewers

- how do they view themselves in comparison to other tv viewers (whats different/similar)

- what are their tv viewing habits (what/when/how do they watch?

Be vague if you must, but if you can put some detail into it'd be amazing. Need it by Wednesday. So today & Tuesday.

Thanks guys, you're awesome.

[ROC]

I'd say cult TV is something akin to Firefly in the US or Spaced in the UK in a show that becomes more beloved over time by a certain fanbase (i.e. geeks) because of the quality of the show. While most TV watchers like shows sort of passively (which explains why in the US, simple sitcoms and one-and-done procedurals like NCIS are the most popular), those who love cult TV are devout about its story arc, characters, plotlines, and things of that soert. They are also pretty devout about talking about the terms of why it is off the air (just ask most cultish fans about Arrested Development and immediately be told that the show didn't deserve to be cancelled), why it is so good, etc.

Things of that sort.

[Summers]

Thanks ROC. Some more would be awesome, come on guys.

[y2gudge08]

I would classify Cult TV fans as usually teens-mid twenties who are very passionate about a TV show - usually a smaller show - and I also think, a lot like music, they sometimes like the fact that they are one of only a few who are 'on board' with the show. I also think that they feel a close connection to the show (knowing a vast amount of lines to the shows, owning lots of memorabilia, etc) and as is often when the show becomes huge, they will either boast that they were "there from the start" or turn on the programme.

Before anyone calls me out I am defintely a Cult TV fan so I am talking about myself slightly, but it's more people that I have encountered.

Hope I have helped a little...

[Damian WayLNKe]

I would just define it as a show with a dedicated fan base. They will create websites and and message boards to analyze what goes on or they will start petitions when the show gets canceled. I wouldn't really take into consideration the size of the audience, just the dedication of the audience to the show. Some of the best examples from American television would include Lost, Star Trek, Arrested Development and Jericho.

[TKz]

The simple summary would be any TV show with a strong, dedicated following that continues to be discussed, talked about and watched years after the show has been cancelled. I don't think it's really ALL about show's that weren't very well known, certainly a lot of shows with a Cult following fall under that category, but there are plenty of show's I'd classify as "Cult TV Shows" that have a dedicated following but were also very well known and popular when they were out.

The X-Files, Buffy & Angel, The Twilight Zone are some examples. I'd say that it's really not HOW popular the show was that defines it as a Cult TV Show, more so the dedication of it's viewers. For example, Firefly went for only 1 season of 14 episodes back in 2002/3 and thanks to the dedication of the fans, not only did their love of the show eventually result in a Sequel Film, but there's even still petitions and communities full of people that are still trying to get the show to return, despite the fact that most of the actors have gone on to bigger things now. (Nathan Fillion has his own show, Castle, Summer Glau has become the latest Nerd Goddess (she'll never beat SMG though >_>), Adam Baldwin stars in Chuck, Alan Tudyk has been getting a fair few big gigs lately, though mostly cameo roles. Morena Baccarin is pretty much the main villain on V which has been a huge hit after just one episode.)

I also think it's fair to say that you can't really consider it a "Cult" series until the show has finished, though certainly shows like Lost, Supernatural, Smallville and True Blood already meet a lot of the prerequisite's that most would consider needed to be considered a Cult TV Series.

There's also the fact that quite a lot of "Cult" TV Shows deal with the Supernatural in some way, though it's not like a show needs to have something to do with it to be considered a Cult show, it just seems like a lot of them do. For example, Veronica Mars, Freaks & Geeks and Undeclared could all easily be considered a Cult TV Series. This is all most likely due to all us nerds out there who keep up to date with shows like these on the net and get boners for all the things that go bump in the night. >_>

Another thing that's common in most Cult TV Show's is they generally have well developed characters with in depth relationships and histories etc. that usually the audience the show is aimed at will be able to relate in some way to.

If you need some examples, as I said, The X-Files, Buffy & Angel, The Twilight Zone, Firefly, Veronica Mars, Freaks & Geeks and Undeclared are all good ones. There's also shows like Black Books, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Arrested Development and probably a few more that I can't remember right now.

EDIT: It also probably might help to throw in a bit of a mention of Joss Whedon on there, because other than Trekkies and Star Wars fans, Whedon fans (or Browncoats if you're talking about Firefly >_>) are pretty much the definition of dedicated fans.