a question of genre

[deird_lj]

So, pressing question of the day: is Veronica Mars genre television, or not?

What the hell is ‘genre television’, anyway?

It’s an interesting one, because it’s one of the few times Wikipedia has failed me. And so has the Google ‘define’ search. They both go on about ‘different genres of television’ (such as soap operas, sitcoms, and game shows) – which is not what I’m looking for at all.
The term seems to appear purely in geeky circles – and so far no-one in the more normal circles of the world seems to have picked up on the fact that we’re using it. So they haven’t done any nice summaries for me.

But the thing is, most people who talk about ‘genre television’ know exactly what they mean. Lost, for example? Genre television. So is Tru Calling. And Days Of Our Lives? Definitely isn’t.

Back to my original question: is Veronica Mars ‘genre television’?
It really depends on how you define it.

For example:
“Genre television means the show is set in a spaceship.”
This would include Farscape, Battlestar Galactica, and Doctor Who – which most people tend to agree fall in the ‘genre television’ category. It would also include Star Trek (which a lot of people aren’t sure should qualify), and it wouldn’t include Lost or Tru Calling (which were, after all, my original examples – they should probably make it into the final group).

“Genre television means the show has aliens, vampires, or some other non-human race.”
This lets us include The X-Files, Angel, and Lost. If the cylons count as a race, Battlestar Galactica makes the cut, too. Tru Calling, on the other hand, is still out. And so is Wonderfalls – no aliens there. Talking plastic flamingos, maybe – but no aliens.

“Genre television means something abnormal and weird is going on.”
Tru Calling gets in on this one. As does Quantum Leap. And Heroes. And Desperate Housewives. And Big Brother. And Grey’s Anatomy (unless you’re going to claim it’s normal for an entire team of surgeons to be sleeping with each other, stopping only so that bits of the hospital can blow up, ferries can crash, and brides can be left at the altar…).
Actually, for that matter – is something considered “abnormal and weird” if the characters think it’s perfectly normal? I mean, Moya’s crew think that racing across the galaxy evading Peacekeepers and blowing up random planets is just… what you do…

Now, under the first two definitions, Veronica Mars wouldn’t qualify – unless there’s something about the later seasons you guys haven’t told me…
Under the third, it might. But so would almost all tv, ever. After all: people don’t usually make shows about ‘ordinariness’. It’d be kinda boring.
Moving on…

“Genre television means the show is science-fiction.”
Well, fine. But it sorts of begs the question: what is sci-fi? What counts? …and we’re right back where we started.

“Genre television means it’s a show that people who like genre television will like.”
This is a more useful definition than it sounds. After all, the term ‘genre television’ is mostly being used by geeky people, usually as short-hand for ‘shows I like to watch’. And, as a general rule, if something qualifies as genre television, it’ll be liked by the people who liked all the others.
On the other hand, an awful lot of ‘genre’ watchers also love House and NCIS. Which are great shows, but probably not genre television.

“Genre television means it’s a show written by genre television writers.”
Also helpful.
Just going from the Mutant Enemy staff, that gives us The X-Files, Alias, The Shield, Dollhouse, Smallville, The Tick, Point Pleasant, Supernatural, Women’s Murder Club, Star Trek, The OC, Tru Calling, Battlestar Galactica, Gilmore Girls, The Inside, Pinky and The Brain, Lost, Freaks & Geeks, Las Vegas, Lois & Clark, Wonderfalls, Drive, Strange World, Brothers And Sisters, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, CSI, Rome, Burn Notice, and of course Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly.
Most of these are probably genre television. Some of them definitely aren’t.

How about this:
“Genre television means that something abnormal or weird is going on, and people are reacting to it in a ‘genre television’ish sort of way.”
In Desperate Housewives, there is plenty of weird stuff going on. But the characters react to it like they’re in a soap opera.
Whereas Doctor Who sometimes is a soap opera – plot-wise, anyway. Discovering that you will forever be separated from your One True Love, weeping piteously, having one chance to say goodbye forever, saying “I love you”, and then getting the phone line (or whatever) cut off before he can say it back? Pure soap. But the characters don’t think they’re in a soap opera. They react as if they’re in a genre show – and they’re right.

For that matter, the “weird things happening” bit really doesn’t matter that much. Let’s change it, so that we end up with this:
“Genre television means that people are reacting to events in a ‘genre television’ish sort of way.”
Whether they’re fighting an intergalactic war, or just buying milk, Farscape characters will always act in the same nutty space-opera way. As will Tru Davies – even if she’s just dealing with some nasty weather. Lois will still get captured by every crime lord in Metropolis – even if they’re just non-superpowered bank robbers. George Lass will still snark her way through life (or death, as the case may be), Angel will brood even if he’s just watching hockey, and Peter Petrelli will still be insisting that his dreams mean something.

And going by that last definition? I think Veronica Mars probably qualifies.
She’s not in a science-fiction show. She’s not going to encounter aliens, or alternate realities, or invisibility rays, or portals, or spaceships that are bigger on the inside. But she acts sort of like she will. She acts in a way that I instantly identify as being ‘the way I’d expect people on my kind of shows to act’. And that’s pure genre television.

Comments

From Laney

[(Anonymous)]

Hang on.

I mean, I like this post. But I'd love you to define it some more...

Can we have an essay discussing 'the genre-televisionish way to react to events' (as opposed to 'the soap-opera-esque way to react to events', for example)?

[filmtx.livejournal.com]

VM is most definitely genre television. Noir, SoCal style, with a side of teen drama.