Williamson argues that the success of the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer can be credited, in part, to a change in the television industry in the mid-1990s and the move to so-called “niche” programming that targeted a specific demographic of potentially loyal fans rather than a large, general viewing audience. Describe some of the ways that Buffy was a “niche” show and how it capitalized on the concept of fandom. And offer an example of a similar supernatural-themed show that followed (or is following) the same model and explain why you think that show was/is successful in attracting fans.
Ashley Heiberger
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I agree with Williamson that “the success of the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer can be credited to a change in the television industry in the mid- 1990s and the move to so-called ‘niche’ programming that targeted a specific demographic of potentially loyal fans rather than a large, general viewing audience” (Dr. Burns). There are countless reasons to back up this theory. The first affect on the success of the show is that the show was created during an era of “shifting gender relations, the opening up of opportunities for women and at a time which denies that there are limits to feminine freedom even though it produces them” (Williamson 88). Buffy has an extremely feministic point-of-view towards the show. Joss Whedon, the creator of the show, purposefully targeted it to have feminist views. His reasoning was that, “the idea for the film came from seeing too many blondes walking into dark alleyways and being killed. I wanted, just once, for her to fight back when the monster attacked, and kick his ass” (Williamson 76). I take it brunettes do not get killed while walking into dark alleyways, just blondes? Interesting perspective...
According to Williamson on page 91 “Buffy came at a time when networks were looking for lucrative niche markets through programming intended to appeal to young, affluent and ‘highly educated consumers who value the literary qualities of ‘quality’ television.” With that being said, the main goal for this program was to get as many fans as they could because fans are devoted spectators that may “help a show avoid cancellation in its’ vulnerable early days” (Williamson 92). Also, without the use of Internet word would not get around; fans would not be able to make YouTube clips that we had watched in class on September 28th (Williamson 92). The cultural legitimacy played a pivotal role in helping Buffy gain fandom during the mid-1990s as well (Williamson 92).
Buffy started out with a “schedule heavily on African-American stars, built an instant following among minority audiences, then largely spurned them with new programming that went after young white viewers” (Williamson 91). They had a plan to go about small groups instead of other shows who seem to “go big or go home” and it looks like it has worked for them. Buffy ran for seven years with only “4.5 million viewers per episode compared to the show Friends with 24 million” but the fact that it is a niche show and fans construct online fan pages/blogs (Williamson 96).
Ashley Heiberger
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The main target audience was “affluent, educated, female and mostly white consumers” (Williamson 77). Personally, I think the audience was addicted to this show because it is unique. It showed female energy/strength and Buffy’s body signified “toughness, strength, power, and assertiveness which destabilized the traditional masculinist power” (Williamson 85). With a combination of intelligence and power, Buffy is pushed outside of the “normal” super-hero fad (Williamson 91). “Her intertextual narrative was designed to attract a large, literate and educated fandom” (Williamson 91). Overall, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s success is definitely credited to a number of reasons.
A television show that reminds me of some of those reason’s of success is, I Dream of Jeannie. I believe it followed the same concepts of attracting fans as Buffy had. It had a main character as a woman, who had supernatural powers. However, she follows the rules of her “master” which shies away from the feminist movement. However, she eventually talks her master into giving her a life of her own and lives outside of her bottle. Back when the show was made, it was not right to have a man and woman live together if they were not married. The show challenged the audience with that and the fact Jeannie would kiss her master. This show had a specific target audience of women because during that time frame, change was wanted in the world between woman’s rights. Overall, both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I Dream of Jeannie are television series that have impacted their fans.
RANDOM YOUTUBE CLIP→
About Dracula and Buffy (funny!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-P7pXLhC8U
Part 1
ReplyDelete“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was a niche show because of the targeted audience and the messages delivered. “Buffy” attracted the 18-34 year-old (Williamson 90) segment of the audience. This segment relates to what is referred to as “management from below” (Williamson 80), where a certain community does not want to follow the authority. Adults in the show are seldom seen, suggesting the power Buffy’s group has and how they are the true protectors of society. Williamson even notes how these adults are “blind” (Williamson 79) to the demonic dangers around them while the youth clearly see these dangers and avert them. This can be further interpreted as how adults in the real world can also be blind to the important issues in the world while the youth can see these issues and help fix them.
This idea is continuously developed throughout the series. Many of the main characters come from “incomplete families” (Williamson 81) and form a new, understanding family who sees the dangers in the world. Adults were either missing from their lives or refused to listen to the youth voice. Principal Synder is the perfect example. He never listened to the students and often viewed them as pests. He probably wished he listened to them when he was eaten by a demon. This further shows the failure of adults to see danger for during Synder’s death (“Graduation Day”) the youth band together and fight the demon.
“Buffy” was also a niche show because it “embraces socially marginal identities” (Williamson 83) and addresses issues not often acknowledged. It looks at students seeking to take their own lives or students so shunned they turn invisible. The idea of the slayer herself relates how “one is not going to be allowed to live the life one chooses” (Williamson 89) and its not until the final season that Buffy is able to break away from her destiny. This suggests there is hope for the marginalized groups who struggle. The show is talking to them and sends the message, as said by Buffy in “The Gift,” “The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live for me” (Williamson 85). People who think they may not belong are sent a powerful message to live and strive for the future they want.
Part 2
ReplyDeleteWhat also made “Buffy” successful was its attention to the fans. They were not ignored. Spike was kept in the show because fan reaction was so positive and “Buffy” now lives on in graphic novels because the fans did not want the show to end. The fans are respected and many of the actors acknowledge their importance, especially in the Internet age. These actors still travel to various comic-cons around the country to greet the fans and are grateful fan support was so strong that the show ran for seven seasons. Even now the show continues to live through the graphic novels and of course, merchandise.
A show currently similar to “Buffy” is “Supernatural.” This show deals with two monster hunter brothers who sacrificed almost everything in their line of work. They are all that remains of a broken family and have to fight to keep it together. They show the incomplete family, as seen in Buffy, and the idea that life is out of your control but you still have to fight and live. In the episode “What is and What Should Never Be,” Dean asks, “Why is it my job to save these people?. . .Why do we have to sacrifice everything, Dad?” and comes to the realization if he doesn’t do the job his dad forced on him then countless people will die, that if he wasn’t a hunter all the people he saved would now be dead. The idea of destiny is further explored throughout the show and how the brothers fight it and ultimately succeed against it, just like Buffy.
“Supernatural” has a small but very loyal fan base, because of the writing, the message of family, and the struggles the Winchester brothers go through. These fans are truly loyal. “Supernatural” only averages about 2.5 million viewers a week and yet, the fans were able to vote “Supernatural” the number one show on television for a special edition of TV Guide. The show has even been adapted into an anime, with some original stories as ‘treats’ for the fans. The show also responded to the fans very much like “Buffy” did with Spike. The character Castiel was only supposed to be in a few episodes but was eventually upgraded to a series regular because he was popular with fans.
“Buffy” is the show it is because it speaks to a specific audience and listens to the fans, which “Supernatural” is also doing and why it is now in its seventh season.
Samantha Howard
ReplyDeleteWilliamson opens by stating how Joss Whedon created the Buffy series as a result of the horror industry being inundated with pretty young girls alone, taken advantage of and then killed. Although Buffy is still featured to be a pretty feminine blonde girl, she is not depicted as the “typical” submissive, powerless girl shown so often before; she actually fights back. Buffy not only faces the evils of the world including vampires and demons, she sometimes finds herself feeling sympathetic for the remorseful vampires. On top of these emotions, the show conveys tensions in society in relation to equality of the races, the sexes and supernatural beings. Because of its melodramatic nature and the emotions the show provokes, one could argue that it is closer to a soap opera rather than the typical television series of its time.
Whedon and the writers of Buffy created a parallel world that teenagers related to on many levels. The show touched upon “shifting gender scripts, sexual maturation, sexual violence, drug use, the numbing banality of educational systems, the fragmented heterosexual, middle-class family unit” (Williamson 78). A literal monster in the show emulated every single one of these problems that the average teenager faces. This method of solely targeting teenagers and their issues created much more loyal fans, because they identified and sympathized with the shows characters on a very deep level. Because the emotions brought about by the show are real emotions, the viewers become attached to these characters as if they were real people.
Buffy’s fans are so loyal also because it was the first successful show to depict kids from atypical family structures and social roles as strong. Buffy and her friends don’t come from homes with the normal nuclear family; they come from broken homes. These adolescents are shown dealing with problems that to them is apocalyptic whereas the adult world sees them as no big deal, or in Buffy’s case, the adult world refuses to see these problems at all. Prior to this show, much of the focus was on males entering adulthood, defying authority and in the end becoming powerful enough to overcome the evils presented to them. This show challenges that formula by making this empowered protagonist character a woman.
In comparison to big-time networks Buffy’s 4 million viewers was next to nothing, but according to smaller more concentrated networks it was a goldmine. “Buffy had a high concentration of the Warner Bros.’s target audience—18-34-year-old, educated, white and affluent viewers—a demographic that advertisers are keen to reach” (Williamson 90). With television shows appealing to a niche audience this created an unheard of opportunity for advertisers to target that specific audience as well. This also created a whole new outlet of merchandising that is so prominent today with popular TV shows and movies. With cult followings, these fans are more apt to buy anything and everything associated with their favorite show. Buffy targeting a specific audience, advertising to them and creating merchandise that appealed to them created the formula that exists today for successful supernatural television.
A television show that is similar to Buffy is The Secret Circle. It is a new TV series to the CW, but like Buffy, Cassie is the powerful leading girl whose mother died in a freak fire and her group of newfound friends sympathizes with her because they lost one of their parents in the same accident. They are a group of witches, but on top of their magical problems, they, like the cast of Buffy are also dealing with the normal teenage problems. It is too soon to tell whether the show will be successful in reaching their niche audience of teens, but its story and characters contain many of the inverted conventions that appear in Buffy.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a show that capitalized on the concept of fandom. Rather then trying to get a large, general viewing audience, Buffy targeted a specific demographic of potentially loyal fans. Movies and television shows in the past were made to play off the fears that everyone may have of supernatural creatures, such as vampires. Well Buffy the Vampire Slayer brought about a whole new idea that led to the appeal of mostly women fans. Females have always loved vampire shows because the vampire is always portrayed as sexy but reluctant in being a vampire or supernatural character. With soap operas being popular at the time as well, television shows focused on appealing female fans were all over TV. Since Buffy was kind of like a soap opera due to this Williamson said, “Buffy’s prospects were instead situated in the increasingly vertically integrated, niche-marketed television industry in the US, aimed at affluent, educated, female and mostly white consumers. (Williamson 77)” The show stared a white female that was mostly normal but had supernatural characteristics to help fight demons. This helped give their audience confidence that they can be tough. This show came about when other shows had females in the star role. Joss Whedon, the series creator of Buffy, decided to have a series where the female character would stop being killed by the monster and finally attack back. Its viewers loved this because it was different from all the vampire movies and shows that negatively portrayed female characters because they were usually killed by vampires and were not shown as being very smart. It was finally a show that women could look at and relate to. Buffy was a different kind of likeable character that we are used to seeing in vampire media, as she is a dominant sexy female that had friends that almost everyone else could relate to and like just as much. Buffy had friends that were supernatural and very loyal to each other. The fan base for Buffy the Vampire Slayer was so loyal because it was a drama and soap opera that almost forced the female viewers to come back and kept them interested. Williamson summed up Buffy’s success as, “Given the themes of female empowerment, anti-authoritarian collective activity, and in the later seasons, an exploration of sexuality, it is not surprising that Buffy has generated as much academic interest as it has fannish interest. (Williamson 85)” Buffy change the landscape of how shows were created and how to really get in touch with a certain kind of audience. Even the channels that Buffy was aired on explain they were going after a demographic rather then a general audience to make its self a “niche” program.
ReplyDeleteThere are a bunch of shows that followed the same model as Buffy the Vampire Slayer over the years. A show very similar to Buffy is Angel, which happened to be a spin off that was created by the same producer. Angel was able to capitalize on Buffy’s success but having many of the viewers carry over from Buffy to Angel. For the most part, it followed the same model as Buffy but likeability was formed with Angel because he was a vampire that did not want to be a vampire. Female viewers felt bad for Angel and it was almost as if they were cheering for him to beat up the evil monsters while trying to find his way out of being a vampire. It was this melodrama idea that was taken from soap operas that really helped viewers to become attached to characters and be their fan support. Vampire shows are constantly getting loyal fans of specific demographics because it is a proven formula that has had much success on the television, as well as the big screen as we are seeing with the Twilight series.
Knowing little about Buffy, other than the fact that my older brother was obsessed with Sarah Michelle Geller, and this popular television show throughout my childhood, I would have to agree with Williamson after reading her point of view. Buffy was definitely a ‘niche’ show, looking to target the teen/young adult audience, rather than to satisfy those who see the supernatural aspects more crucial to their viewing pleasure.
ReplyDeleteWilliamson notes the argument that Buffy “has much in common with other ‘popular dramatic teen series such as Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, and Party of Five.’ It goes on to describe Buffy as showing the problems of your average American, white female teenager who is growing up with the pressures of boys, sex, the Internet and a world she must be afraid of, so to speak. Additionally it is quoted that “the problems teenagers face become literal monsters” (78). This stood out to me in particular because it only uses the supernatural to play on the fear and danger of the real world. It is interesting that producers were able to make such a successful series for their target audience while using vampires, vampire hunters, and other supernatural elements as their basis.
The mix of a ‘normal’ teenage girl tied in to the supernatural was what truly created the fandom. Buffy Summers was a pretty girl who got wrapped up in all the drama of the vampires and demons that she found herself fighting off because she was ‘the chosen one.’ It was not something she chose for herself, yet was left to deal with. This speaks to teen viewers who may be feeling the ‘emotional realism” (80) that Williamson mentions Buffy feeling trapped in. Clearly they are not fending off evil from demons, but it is relateable in the sense that they may be feeling general pressures in their everyday lives and can relate to what Buffy is enduring in that sense.
Lastly, Buffy is a heroine and someone for young girls to admire. The series speaks to female empowerment as the lead actress and focus of the show is a girl who defends herself and fights against evil (85). Williamson also touches on the fact that in later seasons Buffy is also confronted with sexual maturation. All of these topics and ideas are ones that easily draw in the fan base and provide a market for a niche audience and Buffy fandom.
Though I am sure there is no following within this class, from all of my experience with children at this time, Witches of Waverly Place seems to attract a niche audience and use the supernatural in a way to frame the show, not necessarily be the main focus. Lead actress Selena Gomez plays Alex Russo – a teen wizard living in present-day New York City. The show is a comedy that attracts the general Disney Channel fan base and most likely young girls that can relate to Alex. She attends a regular school, her best friend is not a wizard, and it just shows her going through every day life being a wizard in the normal world.
Each episode has much to do with their family having supernatural powers, but it doesn’t take away from the basic concept of a teen girl experiencing heart- break, problems in friendships, and other ‘normal’ happenings. I think that this show is quite different from Buffy on screen, but when taking a closer look at the stripped basics it seems to be playing on the same idea.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer targeted a niche audience that would ultimately become the backbone of the show’s support and fandom. I agree with Williamson’s claim that the success of Buffy is in part due to niche programming that the show took full advantage of. Creating a television series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the WB network allowed the show to precisely grab the attention of a specific media audience as oppose to a general one. In fact, Williamson argues that “Buffy came at a time when networks were looking for lucrative niche markets through programming intended to appeal to young, affluent and ‘highly educated consumers (91). Two decades past the niche programming transition, networks like the WB, FX, Fox and MTV are typically known for their loyal viewers that stick with the old and new shows that appear on the network. Therefore, it is unsurprising that Buffy turned into a cultural phenomenon when it was introduced to a popular network in the form of a television series.
ReplyDeleteWhether it was the vampire-slaying cheerleader, its the quirky humor, or the relevance of its storylines, there was something about the show that allowed it to gather a cult-like following. Indeed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has definitely benefited from its fandom, which is arguably more essential to the show’s success than any other element of its production. Like other media products, Buffy owes part of its success to the following of its targeted audience. Then again, the viewers would not have admired the show if there wasn’t anything to obsess about. In fact, “Buffy is considered by the academic and the television world alike to be ‘quality’ television” (Williamson 91).
According to Williamson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was an example of “shifting gender relations, the opening up of opportunities for women and at a time which denies that there are limits to feminine freedom even though it produces them” (Williamson 88). Indeed, Buffy has underlying messages about feminism and gender roles, as the unassuming lead character is a popular, girly cheerleader with a butt-kicking, vampire slaying hobby. Therefore, it is unsurprising that Williamson believes the target audience was meant to be “affluent, educated, female and mostly white consumers” (Williamson 77). Most significantly, is how Buffy puts a clever spin on the vampire genre, as issues of modern society are worked into the plot. Perhaps what makes Buffy the Vampire Slayer a cultural phenomenon is the violence, the humor and the yet the very real issues it presents to a young, impressionable audience.
The Vampire Diaries is a similar show within the tv-vampire genre that is closely modeled after Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Interestingly, the show is currently running on the CW, which is the network that replaced the WB that once aired Buffy. The Vampire Diaries has almost every element used in Buffy, including a strong female role, violence, humor and the high school setting. The pilot episode of season one had the most viewers of any series premiere on the CW and critics agree that the show is getting better over time. Therefore, The Vampire Diaries, which is inspired by a book, may enjoy the same success as Buffy, if not more, in a media world where anything is possible.
Just from growing up with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I can say that the show had a huge fan following that took the context of the show into our everyday culture and society. Many people had doubts over the success of the show when it first aired in 1997 because of its context (and content for that matter), but it quickly became the show that defined the WB by triggering a spree of teen dramadies. The show officials crafted the show to target a set female, younger demographic, through pulling in two forms of melodrama. “The programme actually blends two forms of melodrama. The Manichaean-syle melodrama, in which good and evil are easily-named characters that battle it out, is the outer skin of the programme, its action orientation. But the inner skin is the morally ambiguous melodrama; the continual serial and soap opera.” (Williamson 78-79) The latter form is built around emotional attachment and realism, which pulls in a large audience in itself. “Emotions are at the heart of the series and that emotional investment with the characters forms the centre of the program.” (79) The former form of melodrama pulls in a subgroup of demographics as it focuses on the thrill of the chase. Both forms work together to keep viewers tuning in week after week, as they have become so emotionally invested in the show and the well-being of the characters that it’s imperative for them to follow up on their dramatic life stories. “In this sense Buffy shares a great deal with the melodramatic structure and quotidian concerns more usually associated with soap opera, but set in the realm of the supernatural.” (78) The story line around “Buffy” deals with adolescent problems that fans identify with, and brings out “emotional realism” , “the depiction of the unacknowledged suffering in everyday life” (80). What distinguishes “Buffy” from other teen melodramas is how Buffy connects her suffering with her occurrences with the supernatural, something that audiences and fan demographics have not seen in any other program.
ReplyDeleteAnother show that comes to mind when discussing niche programming of the 90s is the supernatural television series, “Charmed”. Aired in 1998 on the niche-developed network The WB, Chamed follows three sisters who happen to be at the end of the most powerful line of good witches in history. The sisters use their witchcraft powers for good as they attempt to destroy demons and warlocks while attempting to maintain a sense of normalcy in the mortal world. The show. The show combines the two forms of melodrama that Williamson described in his article, as, as the show features the sisters’ struggle for normalcy while having a superhero-“Charlie’s Angels”-tone to the show. Although the show didn't have such a strong following as Buffy, something about the charm of the “charmed ones” brought viewers and a cult followings to tune in each week to watch the sisters fight against evil for eight seasons.
Williamson argues that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was successful because it targeted a niche audience. I believe that this is true, but I don’t think that this only worked for Buffy. Most teen-dramas we have seen since the 1990’s all target niche audiences. These dramas aren’t trying to gain the attention of everyone, but just key people that they feel will follow the show. Williamson states that “niche marketed television industry in the US, aimed at affluent, educated, female and mostly white consumers.”( Williamson 77) The television industry knew who the majority of the niche audiences were and used that to break Buffy into its own niche show.
ReplyDeleteBuffy can be classified as a niche show because it wasn’t like every other show out there at the time. Buffy wasn’t about your typical high school teen, but one who conquered both the high school world and the supernatural world. Williamson states that the creator of Buffy got his idea from the fact that a lot of horror movies show blondes walking into dark alleys and being killed. Buffy’s creator, Joss Whedon wanted to showcase a blonde high school cheerleader as someone who could take on evil and beat the bad guy. Since this idea was so new to the TV and film industry it needed to have to right audience which is why it was a good idea for Buffy to be targeted to niche audience.
Buffy’s main plot was so unique and different that it attracted audiences. These audiences watched every week as “the problems teenagers face become literal monsters.”(Williamson 78) Every week Buffy had to take on these monsters which were just metaphors for normal teenage problems. Because of this the audience was able to relate to the show. The fact that Buffy used monsters as a metaphor for problems also shows how Buffy was a niche show because only certain audiences would be able to accept and relate to that.
With its niche audience tuned in every week Buffy started to generate a large amount of fans. The networks knew that having fans was important because “fans generate a loyal audience base that might help a show avoid cancellation in its vulnerable early days”. (Williamson 92) Obviously this strategy worked for Buffy because it didn’t get cancelled and gained a large audience. Buffy was able to capitalize on the concept of fandom in large part to the Internet. The show’s star Sarah Michelle Geller commented that “It was the Internet that really kicked us off, because that’s where this loyal fan base could get together and spread the word” (Williamson 92). The Internet was and still is a great place for fans to come together and talk about the show. “Buffy fans construct web pages and engage in Internet discussions about character and story arcs, they debate the politics of the show, and interpret subtexts” (Williamson 95). All these different activities help other fans express their own fandom. As Williamson states fans were no longer oddities or nuisances. They have a place to talk about Buffy without having the rest of the work judge or outcast them. Even though Buffy didn’t have to most fans in the world the fact that they showed a lot of Internet and consumer interest shows that the fans were definitely loyal ones
Another show that I believe fits into the niche genre is The Vampire Diaries. This show has such a large fan base, but like Buffy most of the fans are white females. Also like Buffy this show isn’t about your average high school girl, Elena has so many supernatural beings surrounding her. What makes Vampire Diaries a niche shows is that not everyone likes the concept. Not everyone in the target market wants to watch a show about vampires, or a show where they show a lot of gore. Also, not many people are into the supernatural thing. The producers of this show weren’t targeting everyone. They like Buffy targeted the same niche group and they both turned out to be very successful. A show is nothing without its fans and these two shows were able to generate a large niche fan base which made them successful.
A “niche” is defined as a place or position suitable or appropriate for a person or thing. A niche is a target. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a prime example of niche programming. In the mid-1990s, television began to move to “niche” programming which targeted a specific demographic of potentially loyal fans rather than a large, general viewing audience. The show’s “niche” would be loyal fans to the WB network and teenage/young adult females who have an interest in vampires and the supernatural.
ReplyDeleteBuffy the Vampire Slayer was put on the air by the WB Network in 1997 and was geared for the teenage viewer and/or person who were interested in supernatural/vampire media. Buffy the Vampire Slayer fit the WB’s demographic market of 12-34 year olds. The WB Network line-up had many shows that targeted teens, specifically, female. The WB tends to reach out to their familiar audience and finds shows that their niche would like rather than what the overall television viewer population might like on CBS, NBC, and ABC. The WB network targets THEIR fans, which is probably why Buffy the Vampire Slayer did so well.
Young females are attracted to the show because although Buffy is a vampire slayer, she is relatable and more importantly, she kicks ass! Women like to see other women being in power and taking charge. It gives the female viewer a sense of women empowerment. Women like to see other women fighting their battles and being strong and independent. Women see Buffy as a role model not because she fights vampires but because she is a woman who does not appear weak or fall behind because of a man. Female audiences, especially teenagers, go through tough times during high school and look to women, like Buffy, to show them how to take charge of their life. Could the supernatural element of Buffy be a metaphor for being different? An outsider? Could the supernatural element to the show be about teen angst and learning to face our fears by fighting our own battles? Could these shows be about teaching us to be independent and take charge of our lives?
CW’s current series The Vampire Diaries follows the same WB format as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Vampire Diaries is targeted toward the same “niche” audience as Buffy --- loyal fans of the CW network and women who have an interest in the supernatural. CW, the successor network to the WB also has the same demographic of young adult audiences. The show follows the same model as Buffy as it interweaves the everyday life of a teenage girl with the supernatural. Williamson suggests that the show was targeted towards female fans as well as vampire fans. He states, “However, vampire fandom has a history that spans the twentieth century, at last, Bela Lugosi as Dracula received enormous amounts of fan mail- mostly from women-revealing a great deal of sympathy with Lugosi’s portrayal of the vampire.” (Williamson 53) Women have been drawn to and had a special interest in vampires since Dracula and the popularity has grown ever since. Women are a specific demographic as well as vampire fans.
Women like seeing a vampire who is so human on the inside, like Stefan from The Vampire Diaries, but has inhuman qualities that he cannot control. As a teenager and young adult, many of us could not control our feelings and want to lash out. The
characters in the show fight their moral dilemmas, making viewers think about what they would do if ever placed in these situations. These shows have the viewer rooting for the relationships to succeed and for the good guys to always win. Therefore, we see characters as relatable to our teenage/young adult years even though they are immortal beings.
ReplyDeleteBuffy the Vampire Slayer along with many other supernatural shows (including The Vampire Diaries) and films, generated a large fan base of people, specifically women, who loved the concept of supernatural beings being in the real world. Fans loved the mixture of teenage angst, romance, horror, and humor. Websites, conventions, video games, and merchandise resulted as an extension of the show. All of this “fandom” created more devoted fans. The more devoted the fan base became, the more power there was behind the show. This created increased marketing for the show resulting in more viewers.
A “niche” is a target. A bull’s eye. Creators and producers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Vampire Diaries, grabbed an arrow, took a shot, and landed a bull’s eye. They won. These shows are successful because they are relatable to their target audience: young women, drawn to the supernatural. The characters are relatable and face the same moral dilemmas as their teenage viewers. They have us rooting for them to beat the odds.
When I was younger I had always heard about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Many of my friends talked about the show and how much they liked it, yet still to this day I have not watched a single episode. After reading Williamson’s argument about the success of the show being due to the use of a “niche” audience I would have to agree with her. “Buffy had a high concentration of the Warner Bros.’s target audience—18-34-year-old, educated, white and affluent viewers—a demographic that advertisers are keen to reach” (Williamson 90). This is exactly the audience that advertisers are trying to reach so for Warner Bro’s it was only beneficial to target this “niche” audience.
ReplyDeleteThis series depicts adolescence issues by reconstructing these issues such as sexual violence, drug usage, shifting gender scripts, and more issues experienced during adolescence like other teen dramas that are similar like Dawson’s Creek. Buffy like these other series does exactly the same thing in showing these social situations that occur during adolescence, yet it takes a different take on it by making “…the problems teenagers face become literal monsters. Internet predators are demons; drink-doctoring frat-boys have sold their souls for success in the business world; a girl who has sex with even the nicest-seeming boy discovers that he afterwards becomes a monster (Williamson 78).” This clearly attracts the “niche” audience because it gives them an escape from reality while being in reality at the same time indirectly.
The character of Buffy Summers is in a way a role model for young girls. “Bill Osgerby suggests that Buffy is not an abrupt “quantum shift” in popular representations of teenage femininity, but developed out of a longer “teen-girl” TV tradition that did not simply construct young women as passive and submissive. However, the combination of pathos and strength found in Buffy’s character and the depicton of sympathetic vampires to whom Buffy is persistently drawn, marks a shift from a more playful and hedonistic depictions of female figures…( Williamson 76)” This series shows young girls that they can be in control. The idea of female empowerment can easily draw a fandom and create a niche audience. Although she does have this tie to supernatural world she is still relatable to with the fans because she is a mix of a normal teenage girl and a vampire hunter. This also creates a strong fan base.
Buffy is not the only series to gain commercial success based on a niche audience. The HBO original series True Blood is also based on a niche audience like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Since a large portion of the fans of True Blood are members of the gay community it does specifically target them. Like we saw in the story line of Buffy using adolescence social issues and relating it to a monster we see a similar method in True Blood. What is done in True Blood is paralleled with the gay community and vampires in comparison to adolescence and monsters. The vampires in True Blood represent the gay community and the discrimination that is being bestowed upon them. This show has been so successful in attracting fans because of the parallelism to society, like we see in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We also see in True Blood the mix of the supernatural and humans living together. We also see Sookie Stackhouse as a heroine at time like Buffy is. She is always looking for ways to help solve dilemmas. Even though most of the time she needs to be saved, she still has the ability to protect herself and the people around her with her supernatural powers. Although the target audience is extremely different than the audience of Buffy the Vampire Slayer it still involves the same basic concepts.
ReplyDeletePart 1- Buffy will probably be remembered as one of the greatest television shows of the nineties. Although this is quite a bold statement, I wholeheartedly believe there is sufficient evidence to support this claim. Even though Buffy did not attract a “mass audience” as Williamson claims, it still left an indelible mark on the American television landscape and western vampire culture.
ReplyDeleteOne reason it will be remembered is that is virtually launched the television career of Joss Weaton. Weaton himself has come to be a cult hero over the past decade or so; making shows that, despite their short lifetimes (Firefly and Dollhouse) have accumulated strong cult followings. Buffy, his first and most successful show is no exception to the rule. So this begs the question: Does Weaton write his shows to cater to niche audience, or are nice audiences simply attracted to Weaton’s shows.
Although it is never the goal of any television writer to limit the audience of their show, the nineties ushered in a new school of thought. According to Williamson, “niche” programming became king. Weaton may have capitalized on this with some of the themes he chose to explore in Buffy.
According to Williamson, Weaton “claimed feminist intentions” when creating Buffy. This mentality almost automatically excludes most men from the intended audience. Although I’m sure many had their interest piqued when they saw Sarah Michelle Gellar was playing the lead in a series about bubbly high school cheerleader turned demon slayer, they were probably turned away by the feminist overtones and the lack of hyper sexualization they may have been expecting. Also, “Buffy shares a great deal with the melodramatic structures and quotidian concerns more usually more usually associated with soap opera”, a trait which probably turned away male viewership as well.
Furthermore, although vampires have, in one form or another, always been present in America media, the genre of Vampire fiction does open itself to only a niche audience. Unlike Friends or NYPD Blue, the supernatural subject matter in Buffy does draw a certain fringe group with specialized interests. However, rather than the media environment placing them excluding them from “mainstream”, when it comes to Vampire buffs, it is the fans themselves that alienate themselves (as suggested by Williamson in Ch. 3).
However, Buffy was able to capitalize on fandom in a way that no other show was able to do at the time. Williamson suggests that when television began to attract niche audiences it achieved greater cultural legitimacy. Because it was considered “quality” television it opened itself up to being readily accepted by middle class white America and then further discussed, analyzed, and written by both the academic and fan community.
Another show that appears to be following a similar pattern to Buffy is The Walking Dead on AMC. This show, which aired last fall, opened to the largest ratings of any premier on AMC (http://www.aoltv.com/2010/11/01/the-walking-dead-ratings-amc/)Throughout the season viewership remained strong and the season finale drew 6 million viewers.
Part 2- This show, which was based on a comic series of the same name, follows Frank Grimes, a Sheriff who wakes up in the hospital after zombies have taken over the world. The Walking Dead draws a niche audience in several ways. First, using a comic (or “graphic novel” as purists will call it) as source material draws a very unique viewership (the type of people who call “comics” “graphic novels” and go to conventions like Comic-Con dressed up like their favorite characters). The comic book set is a very dedicated audience who is very active in engaging in whatever text they enjoy or find legitimate. Also, by airing on AMC, TWD also finds a niche audience. The network that airs classic American movies and such shows as Mad Men certainly draws a particular type of viewer. The AMC viewer is also more engaged in the media text, but they also demand a higher quality of programming that one would come to expect from watching any of AMC’s other series. There is also the horror factor. The sheer fact that the entire show is about reanimated corpses who’s only function its to consume the flesh of the living and are only interrupted by the said “living” blowing their heads to little, tiny pieces is bound to turn away the weak of hear and those looking for more lighthearted programming.
ReplyDeleteThe thing to note about “Buffy” wasn’t that it was a niche show, but that it embraced the idea of being a niche show: star Sarah Michelle Gellar credited her fans and the internet for creating “a loyal fan base [that] could get together and spread the word” (Williamson 92) while Joss Whedon openly acknowledged he was a fan of the show along with the viewers, and even changed elements of the show to their whim (most notably keeping on actor James Marster in the role of the vampire Spike, despite initially writing him in for a few episodes). The show itself was a staple of the WB and UPN networks – television channels run by large media enterprises but dedicated to tiny viewership markets: the WB targeted affluent, middle-class, white Americans (according to Williamson) while the UPN was famous for having a slew of shows that either had a genre following (the first show on the network was “Star Trek: Voyager”) or were perceived to be African-American comedies (with “Moesha”, starring the pop singer Brandy, being one of the first and most famous shows on the network). Neither network was large enough to garner massive audiences, and the production team of “Buffy” seemed OK with that. According to Williamson’s chapter, the show routinely averaged around 4 million viewers, which was then compared to the viewership numbers of popular shows like “ER” and “Friends”: 22.5 and 24 million, respectively. While 4 million viewers will keep a show in contention on major networks today, it was considered an abysmally small number when “Buffy” aired from 1997-2003 and yet it seems no efforts were made by the creative team or the production team of moving the show from the smaller networks to a larger network with a massive audience base. With a massive audience base comes a higher sense of expectation, and “Buffy” seemed to thrive without it.
ReplyDeleteAnother way “Buffy” can be seen as a niche show is through its use of post-cancellation storytelling. Just because the show ended in 2003 did not mean the story ended with it. Instead, creator Whedon commissioned a continuation of the series in the form of comics and graphic novels (with titles such as “Buffy: Season Eight”, meant to imply that the story was canon and really a continuation, not a spin-off). The storylines presented in the post-television era are meant to cater to the loyal fans of the show who did not wish to see the story die, thus another way in which “Buffy” caters to fandom.
ReplyDeleteThe best example of a supernatural-themed show with an avid fanbase is definitely “Supernatural”, which Lisa already talked about. I think a more far-out example might be the breakout BBC3 hit “Being Human”, which was only picked up as a show because the pilot – featuring a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost sharing an apartment together – spurred an online petition with 3000 signatures to turn it into a series. The show quickly made a web-only spinoff, “Becoming Human”, starring a teenage vampire, werewolf and ghost and also had three novels commissioned. And, in a testament to show popularity, SyFy even optioned a North American remake of the series. While not necessarily playing host to rabid fanbases like those of other shows, it was the fanbase that got the show its wings – a contrast to where fanbases usually end up trying to save shows from cancellation instead.
Buffy the vampire slayer, a show that empowered the teenage girl to fight for what she believes is right, to fight the social and internal evils that attack her. But it was not just a show for the girls, the boys loved to watch a heroine kick some demonic undead ass. Buffy the vampire slayer was never a show I got into. I may watch it now just because after reading Williamson’s article I see that Joss Whedon completed something that every person in the entertainment industry strives for, the attraction and constant relationship with the niche audience, and an incredible fanbase. “Buffy had a high concentration of the Warner Bros.’s target audience—18-34-year-old, educated, white and affluent viewers—a demographic that advertisers are keen to reach” (Williamson 90).
ReplyDeleteI strive to create a product that is this successful. There are numerous reasons why this show was so successful. It had the aspects of an action show as well as those of a soap opera.
“The programme actually blends two forms of melodrama. The Manichacan-style melodrama (usually found in action films), in which good and evil are easily-named characters that battle it out, is the outer skin of the programme, its action orientation. But the inner skin is the morally ambigious melodrama discussed in chapter two, which is usually associated with women’s fiction, the continual serial and soap opera. This form of melodrama, as many feminists have argued, is built around the emotional attachment and the emotional realism. Joss Whedon himself remarks that the emotions are at the heart of the series and that emotional investment with the characters forms the centre of the programme; he stresses the importance of the developing character arcs for the protagonists. Buffy’s melodrama is gothic, not only in its use of the supernatural as a metaphor for the problems the protagonists encounter, but also...it presents vampirism as misrecognized innocence in the figure of two sympathetic vampires with souls—Angel and Spike. Indeed, all of the core characters suffer the pathos of their predicament, the human and the demons, and this links the suffering of the ‘self’ to the suffering of the ‘other’. Also, the youthful world of adolescent humans and sympathetic monsters is contrasted to the monstrousness of the adult world” (Williamson 70).
There was no better way to say that other than the way Williamson did. Buffy attracts the niche because of the underlying metaphors, the sexy action scenes and the emotional ties we get not only with the situation, but with the characters and their inner issues as well. The reason this program lasted so long and was such a success was because the viewer could relate so well to every aspect. Yes we do not actually have demonic monsters roaming the streets trying to suck our blood or whatnot, but we do have monsters that try to harm us. It is all metaphoric, but on a deeper level we do feel for the monsters with their souls. If we did not relate to spike and angel this show would not have been such a success. And then they would not have made two other spin off series with those title characters.
A supernatural show that I would say captured the audience as much as Buffy would have to be Smallville. Smallville lasted for 10 seasons, yes the later seasons were not the best and the earlier seasons are more related to the buffy idea. We like having a lovable character that is kind of awkward, or someone who is just so empowered and confident (like Buffy and the older Clark Kent). Clark Kent was not always the Superman that we saw with Christopher Reeves. He was a teenager with all the problems and issues we all faced. So the reason the niche attracted so much to that program was because it was again relatable. It was good to see the man of steel in a compromising position to make him just like everyone else. There was also deep metaphors how his powers were what made him different, and there is something in all of us that makes us a bit different as well. Everyone has felt like an outsider at one or more points in their lives, and if you haven’t well you are the 2 percent that is just awesome. But the niche audience attracts to, in my opinion, the action and relatable aspects of the show. You can’t get entranced by a character that you do not have something in common with. There always has to be some aspect that makes them loveable or able to be associated with.
ReplyDeleteElisabeth Keasler said...
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think that television landscape was still trying to format itself into something of “pop culture comedy” in the 90’s I believe Joss Whedon’s idea of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer did something a little more… and left a mark. “The first mission statement of the show was the joy of the female power: having it, using it, & sharing it” This was it! Supernatural! This show was the essential story of High school horror and what people think about vampires.
Lets face it: Buffy gave feminism a whole new spin. All of a sudden there was a since of “girl power” on the big screen in a time where there hadn’t been. “Shifting gender relations, the opening up of opportunities for women and at a time which denies that there are limits to feminine freedom even thought it produces them” With that said, this time is was THAT BLOND GIRL, the vampire-slaying one, kicking butt, some humor some scariness. With the added metaphors of that stories working to accentuate the qualities of young adulthood, this became a relevant storyline for the modern day. PEOPLE COULD RELATE. It wasn’t just a show. It gave the audience a chance to be reeled in.
So is this what allowed the show to perhaps own the cult following that it did? I mean for cryin’ out loud it was aired on the WB. Isn’t the WB, CW and networks like that, the ones where people get “religious” with their show watching. “Buffy came at a time when networks were looking for lucrative niche markets through programming intended to appeal to young, affluent and highly educated consumers. (91) Williamson even said in his article that he wasn’t surprised that the target audience was meant to reach the affluent, educated white female and consumers. For what its worth, I agree with Paige above that boys probably got some thrill out of Buffy as well. Doesn’t that turn boys on? Seeing a blond teenage girl kick some butt with her powers?
Like Williamson said, this show portrayed two different blends of a melodrama and I think that is what is important here. It allowed for feminism to play a role, but also gave an evil draw to it as well. As far as an example to a show that I feel might attract the same “niche” that is running today I would have to say “Vampire Diaries” or Twilight”. Honestly, besides Twlight, Moonlight was the only other vampire series I had watched. Twilight I would definitely say attracted a similar audience to Buffy because in reality who is watching the highschool drama? Ok well maybe not… I forgot about the moms. Because my group is doing the Vampire Diaries I would have to say those. They are also being aired on the CW and are closely modeled after Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hopefully once I watch a little bit more of them, I will be able to really dig into the story and decide if the “niche” audience was as extreme as Buffy. I will say, I’m pretty sure the VD’s left a decent mark on the television landscape!