Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 12-10-2013 12:00 AM We’re on This Road Together: The Changing Fan/Producer Relationship in Television as Demonstrated by Supernatural Lisa Macklem The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Carole Farber The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Media Studies A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Master of Arts © Lisa Macklem 2013 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons, and the Television Commons Recommended Citation Macklem, Lisa, "We’re on This Road Together: The Changing Fan/Producer Relationship in Television as Demonstrated by Supernatural" (2013). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 1748. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/1748 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WE’RE ON THIS ROAD TOGETHER: THE CHANGING FAN/PRODUCER RELATIONSHIP IN TELEVISION AS DEMONSTRATED BY SUPERNATURAL Monograph by Lisa Macklem Graduate Program in Media Studies A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Lisa Macklem 2013 Abstract This thesis explores the changing relationship between fans and producers of television. The traditional hegemonic relationship between these two groups has changed in the digital age giving fans more access to the production process than ever before. Television is under some duress to remonetise itself in the changing landscape. The cultural, media, and communication theories of Bourdieu, Fairclough, D’Acci, and Jenkins, among others, can help to shed light on the dynamics of this relationship and help us to understand how it has changed in recent years. While many studies have examined fan communities and fan cultural production, this thesis will focus on how fan interaction has influenced the production of Supernatural through a close reading of the text of the show. As the television industry increasingly seeks to engage and retain audience members, an understanding of how this new relationship influences the very fabric of television becomes a timely one. Keywords Fan studies, Bourdieu, Fairclough, D’Acci, Hall, Supernatural , television production, genre, cultural discourse analysis, women in media, textual analysis. ii Epigraph “Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole.” Dean Winchester, “Pilot” (1.01) iii Dedication This thesis is dedicated to the two boys who watched the episodes with me: Dominick Grace and Othello. iv Acknowledgments This thesis would not have been possible without the help and guidance of Carole Farber, who stepped in at the last minute and was incredibly generous with her time, thoughtful with her advice, and kind with her criticism. I am also very grateful to Lynne McKechnie for coming on board at the very last minute to provide detailed and helpful advice on the proposal for the thesis and the theoretical framework and methodology chapter. I also have to thank Samuel Trosow for continuing support throughout this degree, my previous degree, and my future degree. In addition, I would like to thank GRAND-NCE for continuing financial support. Sasha Torres was instrumental in introducing me to D’Acci and acting as a catalyst in exploring the communication circuit in the context of fan/producer relations. She also provided invaluable feedback on an early version of my work on Supernatural and breaking the fourth wall. This journey began when I discovered the story of two brothers and through them the world of fandom. And finally, I have to thank my husband, Dominick Grace, for sitting through multiple viewings of episodes and always being willing to listen to one more paper or one more rant about the show or rabid fangirls. v Table of Contents Abstract............................................................................................................................... ii Epigraph.............................................................................................................................iii Dedication.......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... v Table of Contents............................................................................................................... vi List of Figures................................................................................................................... vii 1 Introduction.................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Literature Review.................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Framework .............................................................................................................. 9 1.3 Synopsis of Supernatural ...................................................................................... 11 2 Theoretical Framework, Methodology and the Television Landscape........................ 18 2.1 The Hegemonic Hierarchy of Television Production ........................................... 18 2.2 Theoretical Framework and Methodology............................................................ 26 3 In It For the Long Haul: Showrunning Supernatural .................................................. 33 4 Shockingly Funny: Supernatural Bridges the Gap Between Horror and Humour ...... 58 5 From Monstrous Mommies to Hunting Heroines: The Evolution of Women on Supernatural ................................................................................................................. 76 6 I See What You Did There: Supernatural and the Fourth Wall .................................. 92 7 Conclusion: The Road From Here ............................................................................. 114 Works Cited And Consulted ........................................................................................... 122 Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................ 133 vi List of Figures Figure 1: Comparison of Season Arcs: Mytharc and Standalone Episodes…………………52 vii viii 1 1 Introduction Like any dialog, we're in that conversation. It gives us an indication of what viewer expectation is and that helps us play tension against viewer expectation. We want to scare people and surprise them and make them worried, so it tells us where the zeitgeist is moving so we can do a counter-move or move along with it. 1 Ben Edlund, Writer, Executive Producer, seasons 2-8 – Supernatural We're so far down the line by the time something airs, we couldn't possibly shift courses based on the fact that unexpectedly, they don't like a certain twist or a certain character.... And, by the way, at this point in the life of the series, there's always going to be a divided opinion. That's part of the fun. 2 Sera Gamble, Writer, EP, Showrunner seasons 6 and 7 – Supernatural First of all, I love our fans. I love them to death. I love how passionate they are. But they tend to worry unnecessarily. They tend to get stressed before they have a chance to judge the finished product. We are so conscious and aware of our fans. We're making the show for the fans; we're not making the show for the network. We would never do anything to betray them. I'm not saying we're perfect. I'm not saying we don't make mistakes. But we're very conscious and aware. And when we do make mistakes, we course-correct. So if I can get any message to them, it's, 'Don't worry. We're making choices based on what's best creatively for the show.' 3 Eric Kripke, Creator, Writer, EP, Executive Consultant, Showrunner seasons 1-5 - Supernatural According to Cornel Sandvoss, “[t]he study of fans and fandom has formed one of the most proliferating areas of media and cultural studies in recent decades” (“One Dimensional” 832). How fans interact with their favorite television shows has also long been a focus of much attention. Studies have given weight to fannish practices and artifacts, such as pilgrimages, fan fiction, vidding 4, and cosplay. Communication theory 1 In conversation with Carina Adly MacKenzie at San Diego Comic Con 2011. Carina Adly MacKenzie. “’ Supernatural ’: Does fan reaction impact the writing? Sera Gamble and Ben Edlund weigh in.” Zap2It . July 25, 2011. Accessed August 5, 2013. http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/07/supernatural- does-fan-reaction-impact-the-writing-sera-gamble-and-ben-edlund-weigh-in.html 2 Ibid. 3 Eric Kripke in conversation with Michael Ausiello. Michael Ausiello. “ Supernatural Exec: ‘We Won’t be One Tree Hill with Monsters!’” TV Guide . July 21, 2007. Accessed August 5, 2013. http://www.tvguide.com/news/Supernatural-Exec-We-8522.aspx 4 Jeremy Butler defines “fan vidders, fan vids TV fans who edit together shots from their favorite programs and lay popular music over the images” (453). 2 and economic theory have also been applied in attempts to understand both how and why fans interact with the