There has been a lot of ...
Question: There has been a lot of mention of some of the TV makers who garner a cult following (you've expressed your
J.J. Abrams love, while I am a card-carrying member of the Cult o'
Joss). With
Veronica Mars being lifted up for a second season off the backs of a couple of million people,
Firefly becoming a major motion picture, and Abrams being ABC's new golden boy (especially with some
major motion pictures of his own coming), which following has the most TV pull? Also, are networks starting to take such cult popularity more seriously with the continuation of shows like
Mars,
Arrested Development and
Scrubs, considering none of them is a ratings dynamo?
Answer: Given that J.J. Abrams has a monster hit with Lost, and is entrenched in the making of a potential movie blockbuster, he probably wins this particular sweepstakes as well. But the minute Joss Whedon decides to throw his hat back into the TV ring, I would imagine it would spark a bidding frenzy to get his next project (unless it's simply too off-the-charts bizarre). He may not yet have produced a show that went beyond a cult iconic status, but to address your larger point, the networks (with the possible exception of mass-appeal CBS, and we'll have to see how
Threshold fares) seem more inclined these days to take a chance on shows that might attract critical or cult buzz. The clutter on TV, both network and cable, is so extreme that any show that gets us talking has a certain value regardless of the bottom-line ratings: i.e.,
Alias,
Arrested,
Veronica. These are often shows that are favorites of advertisers as well, and that can't hurt.
