zslane Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Joss Whedon both employed and subverted common chick-flick tropes on the Buffy tv series to good effect. He proved that you can have a perky, kick-ass female superhero who deals with relatable "girl" issues without also driving away 90% of your potential male audience. It remains to be seen if Supergirl has figured out how to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragitsu Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Catering to fans that equally like, or considerably prefer, Supergirl's butt-kicking side, is a no-no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Mhoram Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 One bit I thought was pretty interesting. Completely meta though. James Olsen. His placement in the show made it feel like Supergirl was the spinoff of a successful Superman Show, and he was the cast member that fans really liked, so he moved to Supergirl. I just got that kind of vibe* *no Flash jokes please. Christopher R Taylor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Joss Whedon both employed and subverted common chick-flick tropes on the Buffy tv series to good effect. He proved that you can have a perky, kick-ass female superhero who deals with relatable "girl" issues without also driving away 90% of your potential male audience. It remains to be seen if Supergirl has figured out how to do that. Its possible they're deliberately targeting women and girls with the show, which would be fine, just not my cup of tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranxerox Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Catering to fans that equally like, or considerably prefer, Supergirl's butt-kicking side, is a no-no? I don't think I understand your question. This is Supergirl so obviously she is going to do a fair amount of butt-kicking. Also, and just as obvious, action scences cost a lot more to do than scences of characters talking to each, so most of every episode will be people talking to each other. So since you already know that fans of butt-kicking will be catered to, and that ultimately butt-kicking won't be the true focus of the show, what is it that you want? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 So he is Worf One bit I thought was pretty interesting. Completely meta though. James Olsen. His placement in the show made it feel like Supergirl was the spinoff of a successful Superman Show, and he was the cast member that fans really liked, so he moved to Supergirl. I just got that kind of vibe* *no Flash jokes please. Lord Mhoram 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zslane Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Its possible they're deliberately targeting women and girls with the show... If so then I think they are making a serious strategic error. The same error that movie producers make when they take a movie that could easily appeal to all ages, and turn it into a kid's movie. For instance, the original Star Wars (i.e., A New Hope, prior to the special edition changes) was a movie that appealed to all ages. Every Star Wars movie after Empire progressively lost this quality, and increasingly leaned on elements too juvenile for adults to enjoy or relate to. The equivalent for Supergirl, I think, would be to "target" women and girls, almost to the exclusion of men (who would ordinarily tune into any superhero show you put on the air) rather than making it appeal to viewers of both genders. It seems that only a tiny handful of creators in Hollywood understand that you can make a show that women/girls will enjoy without having to pander to them. Ragitsu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Miles Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 If so then I think they are making a serious strategic error. The same error that movie producers make when they take a movie that could easily appeal to all ages, and turn it into a kid's movie. For instance, the original Star Wars (i.e., A New Hope, prior to the special edition changes) was a movie that appealed to all ages. Every Star Wars movie after Empire progressively lost this quality, and increasingly leaned on elements too juvenile for adults to enjoy or relate to. The equivalent for Supergirl, I think, would be to "target" women and girls, almost to the exclusion of men (who would ordinarily tune into any superhero show you put on the air) rather than making it appeal to viewers of both genders. It seems that only a tiny handful of creators in Hollywood understand that you can make a show that women/girls will enjoy without having to pander to them. As opposed to 90% of TV that panders to men? Sounds kind of sexist to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted May 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 Soap operas pander to men? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragitsu Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 I don't think I understand your question. This is Supergirl so obviously she is going to do a fair amount of butt-kicking. Also, and just as obvious, action scences cost a lot more to do than scences of characters talking to each, so most of every episode will be people talking to each other. So since you already know that fans of butt-kicking will be catered to, and that ultimately butt-kicking won't be the true focus of the show, what is it that you want? Thing of it is...I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ternaugh Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 Soap operas pander to men? Some of them, sure. Edge of Night was one of the first, and the various night time soaps like Dallas tried to attract male viewers. And really, what are the story lines for the various WWE performers, if not a form of soap opera? Here's the thing, though. It used to be the Male 18-35 demographic was everything for advertisers, but that's starting to change. They're starting to realize that there's a lot of money to be made by courting women, or older folks, or minorities. And that's really a good thing, as it means the possibility of different stories being told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted May 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 ...people actually watch WWE? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 ...people actually watch WWE? Some people believe it's all real. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iuz the Evil Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 19% of Americans believe the US government was behind the 9-11 attacks. People believe a lot of stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
薔薇語 Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 19% of Americans believe the US government was behind the 9-11 attacks. People believe a lot of stuff. Wow. That is actually good news. Some eight or so years ago it was closer to a quarter. Maybe over a quarter. La Rose. Vondy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted May 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 Some people believe it's all real. Some people believe "Reality TV" is real. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranxerox Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 Thing of it is...I don't know. You don't know? In the trailer, we see her stop a speeding semi-trailer like it is a bug and she is the windshield. How butt-kicking is that!?! She catches a falling passenger jet! No, there is going to be action and butt-kicking in this show. That is a given. Also, it has a star that is very easy on the eyes and spends a lot of time in a short skirt and form fitting top. That sort of thing guys tend to find appealing also. I'm just trying gauge how guys are going to respond if they in addition to the traditional stuff guys like they also included some story elements designed to appeal to women. Examples might include romance as seen from the female point of view or young woman trying to make it in the work place ala The Devil Wears Prada*. Should I expect a near zero tolerance for this sort of thing or is there a willingness to accept and possibly even enjoy some of this if done in moderation. *- Confession time, it's not an all time favorite for me but I did enjoy that movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zslane Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 As opposed to 90% of TV that panders to men? Sounds kind of sexist to me. If it sounds that way then either I failed to make my point clear, or you are not really making an effort to grasp it. For all the tv programming that wants a primarily male audience, pandering to men makes sense. For all the tv programming that wants a primarily female audience, pandering to women makes sense. But for any tv show that wants as broad an audience as possible, pandering to either sex too much is foolish as it almost guarantees it will lose a big chunk of that audience. If Supergirl's goal is to appeal primarily to women, then pandering to them makes sense, and alienating most of the potential male audience is of little consequence to its producers and advertisers. But if its goal is to appeal to everyone, then it would be a serious error in strategic judgment to pander to women, since that risks losing a significant portion of the male demographic they ostensibly want to hang on to. It isn't a question of fairness or chauvinism, it is simply a question of what kind of show Supergirl wants to be, or rather, what kind of audience it wants to attract (and maintain). My message to the networks is that they will make more money appealing to everyone than they will appealing to just women, so why not do that? Especially when the source material comes with tremendous potential to appeal to everyone right from the start. Christopher R Taylor and Ragitsu 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 I'm still doubtful that 90% of TV panders to men. I thought that had shifted long ago and that women were considered the biggest spenders and thus the major target for shows and their commercials? Maybe I read some bad info on that? Ragitsu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 I'm still doubtful that 90% of TV panders to men. I thought that had shifted long ago and that women were considered the biggest spenders and thus the major target for shows and their commercials? Maybe I read some bad info on that? My thought when I read that was "what decade was that statistic pulled from?" There has been a huge shift in marketing emphasis in the past 25 years. Christopher R Taylor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 My thought when I read that was "what decade was that statistic pulled from?" There has been a huge shift in marketing emphasis in the past 25 years. Oh good, it wasn't just me who did a double take. Don't get me wrong, thanks to some lady friends I have enjoyed the snark on Love it or List it (I Just accept it as incredibly scripted) and chuckled at Alton's evil on Cutthroat Kitchen , shows I would not have been introduced to without them. It just seems that "90%" of TV being for men struck me as really... well, outdated as you say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Soap operas pander to men? Don't judge me! Enforcer84 and Ragitsu 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 I don't know about pander, exactly, but they tend to feature lots of eye candy. Also lots of eye candy for women and gay men too, naturally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 I don't know about pander, exactly, but they tend to feature lots of eye candy. Also lots of eye candy for women and gay men too, naturally. That's equal opportunity pandering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragitsu Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Everyone forgets bisexuality exists . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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