Dreadful Nonsense

Giddy man about town JC emailed me following this morning's post, spouting the following utter, utter madness:

"It's not happening."

The munchkin faced pub quiz addict went on to say:

"...it's pretty much officially dead in the water. There was a glimmer of hope a few weeks ago when it looked like another network (UPN) might pick up the show but after initial talks it was agreed that it would be too expensive to produce and the idea was dropped."

Well, yes. Quite. And also, mm hm. But what, do you think, would have happened if Mr Jesus Christ had given up the first time he fell over while carrying that heavy wooden cross? What do you think might have happened if he'd just told them to kill him, right there, where he lay? Hm? Christian iconography would have been very different, for one thing.

But I'm digressing. When rumours started at the end of Season 4 that Angel was to come to an end the same time as Buffy, www.renewangel.com was born. And, maybe it was a ratings hike, maybe it was fan pressure, maybe a touch of both, but Angel came back for a 5th season. It might work again. It's certainly worth a try.

And even if this all comes to nothing, which is more than likely, so what? Even if the show stays cancelled, and we only have our DVDs to fall back on and old Buffy episodes to pore over for hidden meaning and never leave the house again? Even so. Campaigns like Saving Angel help television executives to understand that, for the most part, we enjoy intelligent programming. We like tv shows that challenge us, that stimulate us, that involve us and don't patronise us, that set new standards in terms of style and content, that run ideas and story arcs across seasons, across time lines, across different shows. We enjoy complications and we gag at being spoon fed. Even if this campaign does nothing but irritate the hell out of some executives, it still gives us something to do, and sends a message to the creators, the cast and the crew of Angel that their sterling efforts have been truly appreciated.

And anyway, young JC finishes his email epistle with the terrible request that I "go and watch some Doctor Who". How, do you think, did Dr Who come back after all these years, after that terrible television movie, after all the long-held cliches that it appeals to no one more than geeky teenage boys and pathetic men/child hybrids who obsess about whether or not daleks can climb stairs? I'll tell you how. Through continued and continuing fan campaigns, through both sophisticated efforts and the most simplistic methods of just damn well keeping the name in the public consciousness for long enough to get the programme back on the air.

This entry was posted on 29 March 2004 at 7:33 pm. 0 comments

Dreadful Nonsense

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