Comments on: What Do You Think? Most Important TV Shows of the Decade

By: Bragah Zqular

Bragah Zqular — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 09:41:39 +0000

I think the TV shows industry exploded lately and its going to take a harder decision to make in order to decide the next “Most Important TV Shows of the Decade”

By: Kelli Marshall

Kelli Marshall — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:37:41 +0000

I was scrolling through the comments hoping no one had mentioned THE DAILY SHOW, but, alas, you beat me to it.

Nonetheless, you’re right: TDS is arguably one of the MOST important shows of the decade. It entertains, provokes, reveals, and most significant, it challenges its audience as well as the (virtually ridiculous) 24-hour news media. As Brian Williams stated last week on NPR, the satirical program

“has gone from optional to indispensable. [Stewart and the show’s writers] hold people to account, for errors and sloppiness. … It’s usually delivered with a smile — sometimes not. It’s not who we do it for, it’s not our only check and balance, but it’s healthy — and it helps us that he’s out there.” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122375199

By: Lindsay H. Garrison

Lindsay H. Garrison — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:51:48 +0000

Yes, totally agree that it does seem like a somewhat repressive move in many ways. It IS weird to see guys in their early 20s (one of whom is now married) playing goofy high school kids living with their parents and dealing with crushes in silly Disney-style physical comedy. BUt I might say that’s entirely the point – for Disney to perhaps infantilize them in an attempt to maintain their success among their most lucrative market? To be honest, I’m not sure why the Jo Bros would agree to such a project instead of trying to get further away from Disney, which would seemingly be in their better interest for the long term. Maybe the comfort and support of the mothership is just that good…or Rich Ross is that convincing.

By: Myles McNutt

Myles McNutt — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:31:49 +0000

You’re right, Lindsay, that the show wasn’t a failure (what you explained was what was implied in “qualified,” in my brain at least). However, I wonder if the show is actually standing in the way of any further success. There came a point where Duff outgrew Disney, and Miley Cyrus will likely reach the same point, but the Jonas seemed like they had gone beyond Disney only to be tethered back to the mothership with the sitcom. I understand the value of having a regular location to maintain their cultural relevancy, but Disney needs to be very careful about not “using” its stars too blatantly. The (arguably) regressive JONAS sitcom was a sign that we could be reaching this point in their life cycle.

By: Lindsay H. Garrison

Lindsay H. Garrison — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:17:22 +0000

Yeah, the TV series, JONAS, isn’t so much a ratings beast, if that’s how we’re measuring success. But I don’t think that means the TV component is now irrelevant – it’s just a different stage in the franchise life cycle. While TV is central to launching Disney Channel stars (the Jonas Bros guest starred on Hannah Montana, starred in Camp Rock, and most of their music videos premiered on the Disney Channel), I think JONAS (developed after they became uber popular) serves as an interesting component to keep the Jo Bros front and center by regularly airing new content. Unlike a movie like Camp Rock, a series like JONAS offers regular, weekly engagement with the band and their music, not to mention a product Disney can continue to utilize in syndication, plus a proven franchise that can help seed and launch the next one (Bridgit Mendler?)

I like your point about considering just who is making the Jonas Brothers popular; there are certainly people listening to the Jo Bros who don’t (or won’t) watch the Disney Channel. But I still think JONAS wasn’t necessarily engineered to be a huge ratings draw, but rather a maintenance vehicle for the band among Disney’s young audience and a place to try out and grow new talent.

By: Ky boyd

Ky boyd — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:26:07 +0000

Thank you for mentioning Queer As Folk. It was and is a landmark show for its portrayal of gay and lesbian characters as sexual beings. Both QAF and SATC had profound influences on both the culture and the industry of television beyond their core audiences. Id also like to mention the excellent but short-lived Eli Stone as a show that played in interesting ways with the challenge of integrating musical-style moments into a dramatic series far more successfully than is usually done.

By: Jason Mittell

Jason Mittell — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:02:01 +0000

I don’t want to repeat previous entries, although I’d certainly support claims from Lost, The Sopranos, Daily Show, and The Office. But here are three more that deserve consideration:

Survivor – obviously hugely influential in launching the primetime reality trend in the US, it also was arguably the last mass audience show (the s1 finale was the second most watched episode in the decade, behind only the Friends finale).

The West Wing – not really influential, but a show that really captured a political and cultural moment at the beginning of the decade, and amazingly foreshadowed the Obama presidency at the end of its run.

The Shield – less for its gritty content and genre revisionism, but because it showed that a basic cable channel could sustain a premium-style dramatic series, and thus laid the groundwork for all of the other great FX, AMC, etc. shows.

By: Myles McNutt

Myles McNutt — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:50:18 +0000

Or, you know, the OPPOSITE of antecedents. Le sigh.

By: Myles McNutt

Myles McNutt — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:13:01 +0000

You could even throw Glee in there in terms of antecedents of that type of series.

It’s interesting to note, though, that Disney’s attempt to turn the Jonas Brothers into a T.V. show was actually a qualified failure – although their fame was created by the marketing machine surrounding Hannah Montana et al., fans weren’t willing to follow them back to a sitcom in the same numbers. Is this a sign that the brand has grown to the point where the television component is now irrelevant, or just a sign that the Jonas Brothers’ popularity is being fuelled by people who refuse to acknowledge their fandom to the point of watching the Disney channel?

By: Lindsay H. Garrison

Lindsay H. Garrison — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 02:47:59 +0000

I’m not sure I would argue it’s the most important show for television as a whole during the last 10 years, but Lizzie McGuire is one that has certainly made a huge impact on youth media culture. It was one of the Disney Channel’s first original sitcoms to become a major hit and really helped to map out the backstage musical-esque Disney Channel cross-platform formula. It only ran for two years, but with the TV movies, feature film, various soundtracks, Hillary Duff’s albums, and merchandise/licensing, Gary Marsh and Rich Ross figured out just how well notions of tween celebrity could work in constructing a franchise. The successes and failures of Lizzie McGuire laid the foundation for That’s So Raven, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, and the Jonas Brothers, to name a few.