Howard Beale (Peter Finch) in Network - image from wikipedia
To coin a phrase from the classic 1976 film Network, fans of soon-to-be-cut TV shows are 'mad as hell, and they're not going to take this anymore!' Just as fictional TV presenter Howard Beale galvanised audiences to voice their frustrations in Network, online agitators are persuading fans of shows with dwindling ratings to make their voices heard.
While Beale's followers resorted to shouting out of windows, thanks to Web 2.0, today's protesters have more outlets to disseminate disapproval, although they're also going old-school, sending TV executives stuff in the mail!
In the US, followers of the high school football drama Friday Night Lights have clubbed together to save their show. They've been sending NBC executive Ben Silverman lightbulbs, marked with the message 'LIGHTS ON'. An exuberant prank, notwithstanding the danger of broken glass and mutilation.
Viewers have been egged on by entertainment website Best Week Ever, which has drawn up an online petition.
Meanwhile, Cavemen fans are engaged in mass action to Save Cavemen, the sitcom about Cro-Magnon men adrift in the modern world. Whipped into a frenzy by New York Entertainment's Vulture, viewers are shaving their heads and sending in their locks to ABC.
The US writers' strike means that fans' patience has been wearing thin. After weeks of anticipation, the news that their favourite shows are not long for this world is clearly too much to bear.
No comments:
Post a Comment