TV and The Paranormal

[Gene Steinberg]

As most of you know, more and more TV series are focusing on paranormal topics. We have, of course, Medium, based on a real-life character, the new vampire show, Moonlight, another time travel caper, Journeyman, and a whimsical turn with Pushing Daisies (where fabulous scripts and performances).

So with this proliferation of paranormal programming, do you see more of a tendency on the part of the public to embrace the strange and unknown as a part of their lives?

I'm curious -- and I'm curious about your reaction, fellow explorers of the unknown.

 

[fitzbew88]

As most of you know, more and more TV series are focusing on paranormal topics. We have, of course, Medium, based on a real-life character, the new vampire show, Moonlight, another time travel caper, Journeyman, and a whimsical turn with Pushing Daisies (where fabulous scripts and performances).

So with this proliferation of paranormal programming, do you see more of a tendency on the part of the public to embrace the strange and unknown as a part of their lives?

I'm curious -- and I'm curious about your reaction, fellow explorers of the unknown.

Speaking just from the perspective of my own life (not trying to draw any conclusions about society as a whole), I would say: definitely not.

My wife is a huge fan of science fiction/fantasy ("Buffy", "Angel", "Stargate-SG1", and all their spinoffs), but she will *not* discuss UFOs or Bigfoot, or Ghost Hunters or anything inexplicable that might intersect "real life". Period.

In my circle of friends and family, I only know of one person who is interested in this subject and he is so wildly misinformed there's no real joy in talking about it with him anyway.

These forums are really the only place for me to socialize within these topics.

 

[Kim323]

There is an article in either today's (or if not, within the last few days) New York Times (or now, darn it, I'm thinking it was an article off AP!) about this very topic. I must admit I watch about one minute (and I mean that literally) of TV per week, and just don't have the time (nothing judgmental meant there, just my circumstances). And then the minute I do watch it, invariably at that minute and I would imagine it's typical, I tune to CNN and there's Nancy Grace or some other vile and repulsive person making a mint stirring up much ado about nothing. But I wander far afield. I frankly find the "real world" paranormal (contradictory phrase) far more interesting than anything TV or Hollywood could come up with, though that's not to say I don't enjoy a good movie. But for me that's usually in the science fiction genre. I hate the horror films that put people in grotesque situations of peril and worse just for the sake of it, and "use" the paranormal as just another medium to depict cruelty. Kim

 

[Aaron LeClair]

There is an article in either today's (or if not, within the last few days) New York Times (or now, darn it, I'm thinking it was an article off AP!) about this very topic. I must admit I watch about one minute (and I mean that literally) of TV per week, and just don't have the time (nothing judgmental meant there, just my circumstances). And then the minute I do watch it, invariably at that minute and I would imagine it's typical, I tune to CNN and there's Nancy Grace or some other vile and repulsive person making a mint stirring up much ado about nothing. But I wander far afield. I frankly find the "real world" paranormal (contradictory phrase) far more interesting than anything TV or Hollywood could come up with, though that's not to say I don't enjoy a good movie. But for me that's usually in the science fiction genre. I hate the horror films that put people in grotesque situations of peril and worse just for the sake of it, and "use" the paranormal as just another medium to depict cruelty. Kim

Yeh, I rarely watch tv too. Internet is more interesting. I wasn't aware there has been a boom in paranormal based programs. Interesting.

I miss the tv shows Sightings and Encounters most.

 

[Goody]

I say bring back shows like 'The Extraordinary' & Unsolved Mysteries, not these fictional based paranormal Tv shows....

Although I don't host a website on these topics, I do my best to inform those around me that visit my bebo profile site as many people do; I have around 200 links or even more on my main page that consist of near every imaginable category regarding the paranormal. Also I have another profile exlusively for those who are interested in these topics, so that's my contribution.

Show's like those Gene mentioned I believe allow society to atleast sit for a minute and 'think' a little more outside the box, before they lock back into the matrix & get back to their finances etc...The only issue is that I feel many people see them as just shows & not what can & does happen in the so called 'real world'.

Goody.

 

[David Biedny]

Television is useless. The Internet has decreed it so.

Look at the documentaries page. Rocking. And the TV page has a lot of the good episodic stuff - Ritzmann turned me onto the show "Dead Like Me", it's all up there, as well as another fave, Weeds. Good stuff. The HELL with TV.

dB

 

[The Pair of Cats]

Gene. Nameste, brother, cool Avatar!!!

It does seem true, to me at least, that people are willing to embrace the "strange and unknown"as part of there lives.
The more i talk to people, the easier i find it to incorporate paranormal subjects into the conversation and while some people have a general disregard for "fringey" style subject matter most people seem eager to discuss them.

Since the demise of organized religion, in some ares of the world, possibly people are turning to other ares for the fulfillment of their spiritual matters and paranormal subjects, "the weird & wacky", are a way of doing this.

 

[Frootloop]

Yes, I do believe that paranormal issues have recently found their way into the realm of "entertainment" ... although, not in an effort to educate or inform, its purely in pursuit of "ratings".

For me, I believe that this was all kick-started by the success of the X-Files back in the day. While Mulder and Scully were running around investigating all kinds of phenomena (albeit with Mulder's obsession towards UFO's), newer shows appear to be capitalising on individual phenomena (Time Travel, Ghosts etc). Hopefully, such shows will encourage its viewers to look further into the subject and its place in reality, but I doubt it.....

Many of my friends are interested in the subject, but there is a huge difference between entertainment and reality. Its "cool" to immerse your brain in "tv", spending your evening watching Buffy etc...... now, tell your buddies that you spend any amount of your free time discussing paranormal issues on an internet forum and see the difference in their reaction

That said, would any of us be here on this forum or listening to The Paracast if it didnt hold at least some entertainment value?

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Yes, I do believe that paranormal issues have recently found their way into the realm of "entertainment" ... although, not in an effort to educate or inform, its purely in pursuit of "ratings"

For me, I believe that this was all kick-started by the success of the X-Files back in the day. While Mulder and Scully were running around investigating all kinds of phenomena (albeit with Mulder's obsession towards UFO's), newer shows appear to be capitalising on individual phenomena (Time Travel, Ghosts etc). Hopefully, such shows will encourage its viewers to look further into the subject and its place in reality, but I doubt it.....

Many of my friends are interested in the subject, but I have never really considered whether its purely entertainment to the majority or indeed an interest in the unexplained. That said, would any of us be here on this forum or listening to The Paracast if it didnt hold at least some entertainment value?

A lot of it comes down to whether the shows garner ratings. If they don't, the subject matter is irrelevant. They are simply canceled.

 

[CapnG]

My wife is a huge fan of science fiction/fantasy ("Buffy", "Angel", "Stargate-SG1", and all their spinoffs), but she will *not* discuss UFOs or Bigfoot, or Ghost Hunters or anything inexplicable that might intersect "real life". Period.

This is pretty much what I've seen happening. The current run of paranormal themed shows is simply hollywood's latest turn of the cycle, with no actual bearing on where people's interests lie in reality. In fact, I think shows like those Gene mentioned (and others) do more to keep the topic limited to a strictly fictional context in the general populace's mindset and actually detract from their consideration as real life phenomena in need of study.

 

[fitzbew88]

In fact, I think shows like those Gene mentioned (and others) do more to keep the topic limited to a strictly fictional context in the general populace's mindset and actually detract from their consideration as real life phenomena in need of study.

What a fascinating idea: that such fictional works have a negative impact on the public's willingness to embrace the paranormal.

That had never crossed my mind as a possiblity. (thanks for the post)

 

[Raevenskye]

I like the fact that there are more of these shows on, but I still get irritated by the way they use "scare" tactics to make their shows more interesting: quick flashes of something shadowy walking through the room...docu-drama type stuff. With shows like TAPS, the bait is always better than the show...all the screaming is usually at a spider, bat, or other crawly!

 

[Tony2013]

As most of you know, more and more TV series are focusing on paranormal topics. We have, of course, Medium, based on a real-life character, the new vampire show, Moonlight, another time travel caper, Journeyman, and a whimsical turn with Pushing Daisies (where fabulous scripts and performances).

So with this proliferation of paranormal programming, do you see more of a tendency on the part of the public to embrace the strange and unknown as a part of their lives?

I'm curious -- and I'm curious about your reaction, fellow explorers of the unknown.

I think these things come in shifts; for a long time 'The X-Files' was the "it" fringy paranormal/UFO show and did well, then when they went away the whole cop-drama genre seemed to explode, along with the reality TV-show. These shows are popular because of the basis they have in science (i.e. forensic investigation a la Cop Shows) and reality TV, which has less to do with reality than "Star Trek" BUT which offers an imitation of reality. Certainly reality-TV relies more heavily on people bickering and arguing with one another than anything else for ratings, which I don't understand. I grew up in a family where arguing was a day-to-day event, and I wouldn't want to relive any portion of that for one second.

The point - I think - is that there isn't a shred of the paranormal in any of these. It's all very pragmatic, easy to grasp, fun to watch, and makes "perfect" sense.

I think "Medium" is a special case because it is extremely well done, in my opinion. My fiancee, whom I have posted about before, loves the show. Another of her favorites was "Charmed" on WB (which I watched... dutifully). I think she likes these shows because they remind her of her own powers, to a certain degree.

I didn't know they were starting a new vampire show; might be interesting. I associate shows about vampires with "Buffy" and then that god-awful "Angel" spin-off. Hopefully it's done well, but I'm not going to be holding my breath.

Strangely enough, I have the feeling we'll be seeing more shows like these. It's too bad there wasn't anything to take up what "Taken" left off with. Apparently "4400" was good, but I never got aroudn to watching it (or downloading it). There was a movie released earlier this year called "The Last Mimzy" which dealt with a lot of UFO-related themes; things like advanced meditation, psychokinesis, human potential, etc etc. It was kid's movie, so it didn't get much attention, and it didn't do well at the box office, so who cares.

But I've heard more than one person say we're headed in this direction... that humanity is basically destined for a new beginning, and it's happening right now. Are these shows a part of that? Is a renewed interest in these things a sign? I would like to think so, but I would instantly be labeled a nutcase for proceeding with no hard evidence. However, some would argue, and I might agree, that the time for hard evidence is sort of... past? Doesn't seem like hard evidence is getting us anywhere, especially with the absence of it. I would think that because we don't have a lot of empirical data to go off of, that in itself would be a sign that our approach needs to be shifted a bit.

.....

I await the angry hoards' response.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

There are two trends you see in TV shows. One is the "follow the leader" game, where it seems new types of show come in waves, as producers seem to be imitating one another in devising formats for programming.

One year, for example, we had the alien invasion scenario, but the shows failed prematurely, so you never had a real resolution in the series arcs.

The other trend, of course, is due to a show's success, which may inspire imitations of one sort or another. Sometimes the two trends coalesce.

 

[Verum]

I think most people view these shows as simple platforms for a plot, not necessarily because of any connection to, or belief in, the paranormal. Most are, I think, simple 21st century conventions for story-lines. Instead of using a fat detective, a blind detective, a limping wise guy detective, a martial artist detective, ad nauseum, as the "gimmick" they use a more dynamic dramatic "paranormal" tool--one that opens up many more plot possibilities. At the end of the day characters and story matter, not the notional springboard. Fat detective, dead detective, bloodsucking detective...still a guy looking for the killer.

 

[Paul Kimball]

I did an interview today with another radio show where someone asked me this very question - how can I say that interest in UFOs and the paranormal is down (and I do) when they are so pervasive in the popular culture. My answer was simple: quality trumps quantity. If anything, I think shows like the X-Files (of which I was a fan) undermine serious research into the paranormal and UFOs.

Paul

 

[Gene Steinberg]

I did an interview today with another radio show where someone asked me this very question - how can I say that interest in UFOs and the paranormal is down (and I do) when they are so pervasive in the popular culture. My answer was simple: quality trumps quantity. If anything, I think shows like the X-Files (of which I was a fan) undermine serious research into the paranormal and UFOs.

Paul

How so?

Because people think all of it is fictional, same as those TV shows?

 

[Paul Kimball]

Because it inculcates a sense in people that none of it is real, because it's being presented as fiction, or worse, as advertising - i.e. when you see a Coke machine in Roswell with a big green alien on it holding a Coke bottle and smiling with a thumbs up.

 

[The Pair of Cats]

Yeah, i think some people (the non-thinking types) might get a sense of those things not being real but the majority are able sort out entertainment from fact.

 

[Goody]

Seeing a coke machine in Roswell with a big green alien on it holding a coke can with 2 thumbs up, is a sign that this field is too full of culture.

& THAT, is not making the situation any easier, period.

Goody.