The Proximity Effect
On Saturday I was talking to a friend about Veronica Mars. Her feelings about this season have been lukewarm at best. I found this moderately shocking as most people I’ve talked to have felt the past half-dozen or so episodes have been as good as any. Granted things started off slow. I blame the writers trying to figure out how to play the whole “college†angle, the misguided decision to have the preliminary arc deal with the pursuit of a serial rapist (haven’t we all ready done that?), and having a mostly neutered Logan moping around the first six episodes. Since the winter hiatus, however, the show has been nothing shy of tip-top. My friend didn’t really agree. In fact, she went as far as saying that she hopes the show ends this year so she doesn’t have to watch it anymore. Bold.
An interesting point was raised during our discussion. She said that perhaps one of the reasons Veronica Mars has been leaving her cold is because she’s watching it after she watches the increasingly disastrous Gilmore Girls. Can the bad taste of one show ruin one’s appreciation for another? I think it can. I’ll explain further after the break…
Prominent feature film makers always have the burden of living up to what they’ve all ready done. When Jackie Brown came out in 1997 its success seemed to hinge on being either as good, better, or not as good as Pulp Fiction, which Tarantino made three years earlier. The extreme example in filmmaking has to be Woody Allen who releases at least one movie every calendar year, and each one of those movies is immediately compared to the dozens of films that came before it.
Television follows this same trend only multiplied exponentially. Every episode of a television program is compared to not only the previous episodes in the series, but to whatever other television happened to air the same night. For example, last Wednesday’s episode of Friday Night Lights wasn’t as good as others in the series, but it was way better than Lost. The Office had a weaker episode this past Thursday and wasn’t nearly as funny as 30 Rock.
An aspect of this phenomenon that isn’t as widely discussed is the notion that a bad television lead-in actually sours the taste of the following program. I don’t watch Gilmore Girls, but I can imagine how its increased crapulence over this past season (the first and likely only season without the show’s creator at the helm) can make a Tuesday night CW viewer a little anxious while watching Veronica Mars. The converse is probably also true as Heroes’ sometimes brilliance really let one see just how bad Studio 60… was. Any of Heroes last-three-minute cliffhanging shockers makes the exploits of pretentious comedy writers seem downright boring (and pretentious).
Of course a lot of this has to do with the type of audience tuning in. Heroes key demo isn’t even remotely close to the type of audience Studio 60 was trying to attract (whatever audience that may be), which probably explains a lot of the hostility. Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars, on the other hand, fit perfectly together. Unfortunately, it also might make one’s poison spread more rapidly to the other.
Perhaps most curious is the recent love/hate battle amongst fans with Lost. How fitting is it that the shows current lead-in is itself?
February 26th, 2007 at 6:44 am
Interesting.. I don’t take such things into consideration as I just download all my shows, and watch them in my own order..
February 26th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Letterman might suffer by this theory, too. In the mid- to late-’90s, CBS specialized in old people shows (like Cosby), which didn’t really gel with Letterman’s cool. This led to a frustrated Letterman, who didn’t really hide his feelings on-air. He later rallied and so, kind of, did CBS.
(NBC’s always aimed squarely in the middle, which might explain why Leno’s the late-night show everyone tolerates and nobody loves.)
OK … back to work.
August 15th, 2007 at 10:30 am
While i agree with your theory, i argue that with new popular technology enables us to record shows and watch them on our own time. Personally, when i record shows, i rarely record two different shows back-to-back.
You also mentioned you did not watch Gilmore Girls in your article, and a few pragraphs away called it “increasingly disasterous”. Im many’s oppinion Gilmore Girls is a wonderful show that has brillaintly stayed on air for 7 seasons. My point is you should research before you write.
August 15th, 2007 at 10:52 am
I don’t disagree with your assessment that Gilmore Girls is a great show. I hope to watch it one day. Though the last season (the season I was referencing) was almost universally panned by fans and critics alike. My point was more about why my friend wasn’t enjoying Veronica Mars, which she was watching after Gilmore Girls… a show she was finding increasingly disappointing after years of excellence.
August 15th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
well, you should try to make those things clear. I know a few people that would hunt you down for that statement. It’s for your own safety. :)
August 16th, 2007 at 12:04 am
Kendall, I thank you for your comments and your warnings. I’ll try to be more clear in the future… thanks for reading, nonetheless…
August 25th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
I have been watching Gilmore Girls off and on over the last year or so and in defense I find it very fun, witty, and intresting to watch. Although, I do agree that it has had better days in screen writing. The newer episodes have not exactly been what I have expected in a bad way. I was extremely disapointed of the final episode and wished that there was more to the story. I also agree with Kendall that you should research before you write. Thanks for your time.
August 27th, 2007 at 11:34 am
i have been watching gilmore girls from the start.i remember it going on about a brand new show and it rocks to this day!
August 31st, 2007 at 12:01 am
Wow, Rick, I never thought Gilmore Girls would end up being the thorn in your side. Six months pass and suddenly this has been dredged up to become a hot topic. To be clear, I have NEVER seen an episode of Gilmore Girls in my life and NEVER plan to watch one. RIP
September 3rd, 2007 at 8:34 pm
I can only come to one conclusion: your blog has become required reading for a freshman TV/media class at Smith.
September 9th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
I find it slightly humourous at the debate that has started over this blog. It all comes down to a matter of oppinion. A lot of people only watch mind numbing, rediculous shows like ‘Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?’. Those people are not my problem. I choose to engage in entertainment that has a point and a meaning.
By the way- Jenna and I are best friends and we’re only 13 years old. We find it hillarious that a group of adults are arguing with us about ‘proximity effect’. hehe :)
September 9th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
I don’t think we’re arguing. Honestly, as far as television related debates in comment threads are concerned this might be one of the tamest. That being said, this conversation has far more to do with non-watching of Gilmore Girls than actually arguing with my original point that if two series with similar audiences are placed back to back by a network the success of the second series is proportional to the success of the first — an argument that even I see fault in (and I wrote it).
Either way, I appreciate the comments. MagneticMediaFed isn’t agist. Feel free to stop by and criticize me anytime! :-)
December 29th, 2007 at 2:24 am
WOW you should watch the show before you come out with it’s “increasingly disatrious”?? I’ve bought all the seasons and watch them over and over and over again on my lil 7″ t.v in my room. This show is veryy creative, outgoing and witty, and for me inspiring i have watched EVERY disk and episode at least 12+ times..no joke. I love this show.
so watch the show before you ruin everyone elses view point please.
December 29th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Wow, talk about beating this subject to death. I think Rick has already recognized and apologized for his minor oversight in this matter (read his comments above), so can we forgive and put this entry to bed already?