Over the course of the last year Glee as emerged as one of the most popular network television shows of primetime while developing a strong fan base. Glee fans, or Gleeks, as they are popularly referred to participate in the show on a variety of levels ranging from weekly viewership to album purchases on iTunes or in stores. Also available are cast signings, tickets to a national tour, and various merchandise. At first glance it appears that Fox has successfully accepted and catered to Glee fandom, yet I argue that they may have created more problems for themselves in the future. I believe that the network has yet to fully grasp the consequences of fandom or how to properly use its power.
I feel that Fox has not yet mastered proper advertising for the program geared towards Gleeks. They seem unaware of exactly how much information to leak in anticipation for the upcoming episodes. During the week fans investigate spoilers to heighten their interest for the upcoming episode. Spoilers are a great way to keep viewers involved, yet Fox leaks too many spoilers and clips. On many occasions, I have been able to watch every musical performance for the upcoming week prior to the show airing. I find that the initial leak is exciting and does, in fact, get viewers interested in the upcoming episode, but after the show has aired people are disappointed in it. There is nothing unexpected left, and often, the dialogue does not carry itself.. Eventually, this lack of satisfaction will slowly cause viewers to lose interest in the following weeks. I believe this can be prevented by holding more back to keep the audience guessing and invested.
Another problem presented by the marketing and fandom of Glee is the Glee tours where the cast performs songs from the show. The tour offers a great way for Gleeks to remain involved while the show is on hiatus, but it is flawed in that during the performances the actors do not remain in character. The tour focuses the attention of the fans on to the actors. Therefore, interest surrounding Glee is slowly but surely becoming more oriented in the actor fandom, rather than the character fandom.. I predict that if this problem persists it will lead to an early cancelation of the show because viewers are no longer interested in the storyline of the actual characters.
Fox and the creators of Glee have tried to create episodes geared around one single musician ie Britney Spears and Madonna. In theory, this sounds like a great way to pull in both the Gleek fan base as well as fans of the original artists for that particular episode. The problem with this construction, however, is that once again the show fails to focus on the characters' storyline, but rather on an individual; a constructed celebrity persona. This leads to a decrease in the quality of storyline writing and dialogue which keeps a viewer interested.
Lastly, in the last few weeks, there has been controversy surrounding three members of the cast and a photo shoot they participated in for GQ. Glee is a show which is admired by a large audience, by the young and old alike. The photos in GQ were thought by many to be inappropriate and too suggestive. This choice allowed for many Gleeks to lose a portion of respect for these actors. These actors, however, are full grown adults, ranging in age from 23 to 28. They are able to make their own conscious decisions about displaying their sexuality as they see fit. However, many disgruntled Gleeks argued that these individuals portray high school characters and are admired by a strong high school fan base. The question is posed when is it okay for tv actors to step outside their characters to portray their own individuality and when do they have the responsibility to their fandom to remain publically in character?
2 comments:
I completely agree with your critique about Glee and the ways that the fandom is switching, because of its creators, from character driven to actor driven.
I am a fan of the show, though I must admit that in terms of my fan dedication I feel it is minor compared to other fandoms I am in. Much of this is because of the structuring of the show and the shift away from focusing on storylines and rather its push to the content the show is producing. For me, the characters and storylines a show or film constructs and thus in turn what the fandom does with this through fan labor, plays a huge role in my staying a fan of that text. When I say that I am not as big a fan of the show as compared to my other television shows, I mean that besides watching the show and listening to the songs after each episode I do not engage in or with any fan labor generated by Gleeks. I don’t read or write fan fiction, make or watch fan videos and I don’t comment or read fan posting. All the other fandoms I am involved in I do at least one of these things, and usually it is all of them.
While I was reading your post I was just realizing why I am not as connected to the show emotionally and it is because of this emphasis the show places.
In the beginning of semester I had a discussion with my close friend about the show. She, a very big fandom participator, is not a fan of the show and besides downloading a couple of the songs from a particular episode and hearing about the show on gossip sites, does not like the show and doesn’t consider herself a fan of it at all. I was trying to explain to her that while I watch it, I am not dedicated, explaining my very minimal to non-existent fandom participation. At the time I suppose I was trying to defend my watching the show at all to her, and I knew that saying I wasn’t reading fan fiction or going on forums would convince her that I wasn’t a huge fan, as she is familiar with fandom speak. Why I was trying to convince her has less to do with the fact I do not think it is a good show, and more just wanting to relate to her on a particular topic.
I have been seeing recently that a lot of the critics are less than impressed with the show’s second season, particularly its Britney Spears episode, and I can’t help but think it is for these same reasons: they are too focused on the products the show generates the music than the storylines. I am not sure though if this really matters that much to a lot of the fans though, especially with the way fandoms seem to be driven now a days. Fans will take what the creators are getting and run with it, so even if they aren’t focusing on a character’ storyline anymore fan will come up with storylines for them. I think mainly the show’s creators are afraid of the revenue from songs and concerts being lost, because I feel that FOX loves the show for those opportunities it has opened up, and not so much the storylines the show itself produces.
I would be curious to see how this estimation has changed in light of recent Glee episodes. Many critics have argued that with the past four (or so) episodes, Glee has "got its game back"--especially in light of the hazing/bullying storyline that seems to have created a tectonic shift of sorts in the structuring and casting of the show.
I am interested in Kayla-Jo's remark that she's not as invested in Glee as in other shows which she engages in outside fan labors for as well. This intrigues me, I supposed, because Glee offers a kind of cultish fan labor not available with most media products, and certainly not on mainstream television: sing-along TV.
Yeah, okay, so maybe you're not supposed to sing along (well, maybe you are)... and yes, Disney probably cornered that market at a younger age with its Mickey Mouse club... BUT, singing along, downloading the songs, and singing along with your friends is--arguably--a very typical Gleek behavior, and definitely not a kind of fan labor available to those of us who watch Weeds or Dexter. (If you want to smoke up (LEGALLY) with Mary Louise Parker, that's your business, but please refrain from slaughtering anyone for your weekly television habit.)
Honestly, I would hazard a guess that part of the fanaticism surrounding Glee stems from this very basic sense of participatory culture and fandom. (Speaking as a Gleek myself, who gets way too much enjoyment out of watching this, over and over and over again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2x_kujr7Do)
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