Week 9

What role does Hills (2004) suggest the fans play in the construction of cult TV?

Hills (2004) states: "It is created by fans rather than media producers. Such a view emphasises and celebrates fan audience power, claiming that cult TV can be neither made nor promoted as such by the media industry, but instead hinges vitally on audience take-up and devotion." Producers rely on the fans to acquire an interest for the cult TV shows because the term ‘cult TV’ is obtained mainly through the audiences’ passion for that certain TV show. If the audience do so for the original cult programs then they will generally follow the new shows that are aired with the same frame of mind which is what the producers aim for.

These fans aren’t just people who enthusiastically sit down and watch the TV shows weekly, they take it further by interacting with other cult TV fanatics, mainly online. Cult TV gives fans freedom to write numerous fan fiction stories based on their favourite episodes where they can change the plot, characters or just the start and ending. True fans also analyse and appreciate each text and defend all negative portrayals and views of common fan cultures. The fans let cult TV alter their lifestyle and identity as they become “so keen to legitimate, defend and analyse their own consumption of cult TV,” Hills (2004, pg.517).
The fact that "Fans of cult TV create a market of memorabilia, merchandise and props that relate to their much loved tv shows, even along after cancellation and mass-merchandising of these shows." supports Hills statement that “fans arguably create cult status in a number of ways,” (2004, pg 518)

How is new media central to this?

The media also plays a significant role in the construction of ‘cult TV’. Like everything, the media attempts to convince us (audience) to believe what it wants us to believe when viewing TV shows. The internet is the main place that cult TV fans go to, to find other fans and discuss their ideas and devotion to cult TV. Although, there are also “Appreciation societies” and yearly conventions that fans can also attend to share their interests which gives the fans their own culture and as Hills (2004, pg 519) states, “ Appreciation societies and conventions both give fandom a spectacular visibility, meaning that it can be stereotyped and represented in media coverage”

The internet has opened up the boundaries of fandom and allows more people to participate and engage in fan activity and fan culture. As the fandom on the internet increases, a wider variety of TV shows are emerging for fans to discuss and appreciate with each other.

References:
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.