tv lovers are suffering

aka cancelling RAP SHIT was my last straw

as a kid, i remember the first big series finale i ever experienced. I only had PBS in my room, no cable package. I had a schedule with my mom for when I needed to use her tv to watch my shows.

that faithful night of July 19, 2008 - i had my little dinner tray and worn-down Blues Clues blanket to watch ‘Sozin’s Comet’, the 2 hour finale of Avatar: the Last Airbender.

I remember the exact scene when I started crying my eyes out: when Zuko (the OG bad guy redemption arc) is about to be crowned Fire Lord, he and Avatar Aang share a hug that solidifies their friendship. Its a full circle moment that exemplifies their development by mirroring an earlier scene from S1.

My dad made fun of me a bit, my mom laughed but hugged me anyways. She understood me, having seen her tear up from the finale of her favorite show, Charmed. One of the earliest ways I think anyone bonds with friends or family is watching our favorite shows together, discussing characters or storylines we disliked, etc.

Now I’m not saying that streaming tv and limited series are not personal. There have been great limited series that have impacted me but there’s something about tuning into a show, going episode by episode and watching a character & world develop. Great Tv has always had the edge on movies of being able to develop a full-realized world SLOWLY, growing a fanbase over time.

Nowadays, streaming TV has normalized 1 hr long, 6-8 episodes. It has compacted the experience of a 12-22 episode, 5 seasons long show into 2 seasons maybe 3 if you’re lucky. Let’s be honest, you’re winning in this era if you actually get to end the show on your own terms without a cliffhanger or the arcs fully resolved.

As someone who loves the traditional TV experience, callbacks to past seasons, reoccurring bits and characters, holiday episodes, midseason finales…

It’s a rough time to be a tv fan.

But it’s not as simple as blaming streaming for this issue.

I can think of a lot of reasons for this but there’s really one I want to unpack today. However, I hope there is at least one thing you take away from this article above all else.

Streaming has put it on the consumers to show up for projects when they’re out immediately and not after. If you don’t hit those first weekend numbers, they’ll cancel you before the season even finishes.

I think studios think its enough to just put these projects on platforms and that the audience will just find it themselves, which for the hardcore cinephile and tv lover it might but it also just hinders the people who may also enjoy it just as much but won’t go out of there way to directly find new projects.

Most importantly, it’s time for us to start putting the pressure on studios to do better by creatives, what’s the point in hiring great talent if no one knows it was made.

(looking at you Apple TV)

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hollywood hates marketing

i find that diverse tv and film has the same issue as the publishing industry. When studios create media for mainstream audiences, they are not expected to find enjoyment or relate to diverse stories like minorities are.

white stories have been the default across all media. Therefore, us BIPOC have always been expected to just see ourselves in stories that don’t really see us.

however, the same is never done nor expected in reverse. BIPOC stories are often expected to either over explain and/or water down the culture in presentable formats in order to gain as wide as an audience as possible.

i find that projects made by us, made from our creators telling their stories authentically tend to be the ones that get cancelled the most because the authenticity makes it more ‘niche’ and not as accessible.

it has to be a ‘black’ sci-fi project, not just a sci-fi project with black leads. it has to be a ‘black’ historical project and not just depicting black history.

think about how most people acknowledge the differences between Harley Quinn in the original Suicide Squad vs Birds of Prey. We understand how the fetishization and sexualization of female characters within the comic book genre is reflected compared to how a female director was able to breathe new life into the character that actually make a great female led story feel real.

the very same is said for studio led projects that are based in what kind of blackness sells and appeals to a general (yt) audience.

there is also just the lack of faith and ability to grow in BIPOC projects. We are not able to let our audience grow with the show like white projects are. The way most streaming services view a show’s popularity is often by how many people watch on a first weekend or week. this part, which is already unfair, is further complicated by it being a BIPOC lead project and then DONT let it be animated either!

as someone who has a BASIC understanding of the entertainment industry, these studios now have a refusal to acknowledge the power of marketing? Imagine a great marketing team in charge of Rap Shit, the recently cancelled Issa Rae show that literally incorporates social media into its show. Why wasn’t the show marketed on TikTok? why did they not make profiles for the characters on IG? all of that just seems like a given if you’ve seen at least ONE episode of the show.

but these shows don’t get marketing. they get IG posts from the actors, maybe an official twitter OR IG page and they move on.

however, this gets into the real crux with these studios. They are out-of-touch, only care about their shareholders, and most importantly, its a key representation that these studios are pulling back from the diversity push of 2020 within the industry.

just think about all the book adaptations that were announced in 2020 that have since gone dead in development like Children of Blood and Bone and Legendborn but companies still have time to make a new Harry Potter series on HBO Max.

its frustrating and i understand all the BIPOC creatives who’ve become so frustrated with the state of the industry.

despite all of these issues, there lays hope.

Even now, more and more black creatives are making their own production companies and making impact behind the scenes. Just last week, the Emmys, for anyone who didn’t watched, made a lovely tribute to tv throughout the night with many cast reunions and older actors/actresses showing up throughout the night.

Award shows are the #1 showcase of how out of touch Hollywood execs can be. With cheap shot jokes and whining about long movies, it feels like no one in charge actually cares about the art form of film & tv itself.

However, 2024 Emmy night felt like a love letter to TV.

This welcomed attention to detail by the event was produced by a black team from Jesse Collins Entertainment. Shout out to all of them for their great work.

Another aspect that I want to highlight in this era is fandom & stan culture. For all its faults, i do admire the better side of stans. If they see someone or something failing to be promoted, they take it upon themselves to do so.

I’m not going to get into the ethics and questionable behavior but when it comes to diverse shows who lack this level of attention from studios I think we can be grateful for young stans and their edits.

For instance, Interview with the Vampire, a show in which launching on the obscurity that is AMC+, still managed to land itself a dedicated fanbase. The show wasn’t on my radar until the viral Twitter meme ‘What kind of interview is this’ started, that the fandom still jokes about now, really launched it into everyone’s minds.

Thankfully the show was put on other streaming platform with a smart & aptly timed campaign during Halloween 2023.

now is it sad that fans essentially work as unpaid interns to promote a show? Yes

but again if studios were SMART, they would have marketing teams full of former and current stan twitter and youtube editors paid fairly to help get their shows maintain their popularity.

Moments like IWTV should give us hope that diverse projects can excel well when give the chance and maybe as a sci-fi/fantasy girl its represents what I hope is a push for more black-led horror, fantasy, and sci-fi projects.

This high for me is only continued by the announcement of Ryan Coogler’s new film with MBJ, rumored to be a period piece vampire film.

Maybe one day I can finally see my dream Harlem Renaissance show come to life, whether someone else gets to it or I do.

We cross our fingers and hope that studios gives everyone the proper marketing they deserve.

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fin.

I really recommend everyone getting involved in their local tv/film industries if you can, its the best way to support indie & BIPOC creatives. Help fund crowdfunding if you can, volunteer if you have the time or even join a local film society!

And above all else, I really encourage everyone to give their money to the good streaming services supporting indie & BIPOC creatives even beyond the US globally like the Criterion Channel, Mubi, or even Kanopy & Hoopla (which you can get for free with a library card!)

I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this, especially anyone in the industry. As I try to maintain my optimism during this time,

Since this is more of an opinion, off the top of my head writing there’s no references or further reading today.

Please make sure to follow me on my socials and excited to be back posting!