An intimate Q&A with tvscholar (Part 2)
In defence of mid TV, on "networking" as a writer, and my dream interview subjects (your Instagram questions, answered).
In the “intimate Q&A with tvscholar” series, I respond to questions I get from putting out an AMA on Instagram. Keep an eye on my Instagram story for future AMAs. I’ve heard from some that I’ve been getting buried under their algorithm and they have to actively seek me out/heart my stories to pop up on their feeds, if you’ve been missing it. I’m resending this newsletter because it seems to have only been sent to paid subscribers when this was supposed to be for everyone! Grrr.
Are we in peak “mid TV,”— big shows with meh premises/executions?
Yes and no. James Poniewozik recently wrote about “the comfortable problem of mid TV” for the NYT. In his opening paragraphs, he contrasts Atlanta and Pen15’s achievements in nuanced, creative television with a handful of shows he calls “forgettably fun” like The Diplomat. I…honestly don’t agree that a show like Poker Face is mid. I do agree that we are in era of inflated budgets and over-produced shows with more money put towards big name stars while neglecting to tell any kind of nuanced or substantive stories (I’m talking specifically about Apple TV+). But television is in a transitionary phase. It’s a heavily capitalistic medium and executives follow the whims of profitability. There is less television being produced now than there have been in years, but do I think there is more “mid TV” now than there were in the early 2000s or 2010s? It’s not like Sigourney Weaver’s Political Animals or Geena Davis’ Commander in Chief drew huge life-altering acclaim, despite starring award-winning actresses. When we talk about the prestige TV canon of the 1990s and 2000s it’s like, barely a dozen shows that remain in critical consciousness. What was airing the rest of the time? You guessed it, mid TV.
We just didn’t use that word, mid. Forgettable is probably what was said. Back in the cable era, they would actually pull shows off the air a few episodes into the season if it didn’t hit certain viewership milestones. I recall that happening to Pan Am and Defying Gravity—shows I liked but Poniewozik would probably call mid if they aired today. “Mid TV” paves the groundwork, creates the status quo, maintains the balance, in order to allow other creators to keep reinventing the form. Is a new groundbreaking show supposed to come out every week? There’s never really been in era where that was the case.
That said, in the mess of reliance on intellectual property and budget cuts, producers like Issa Rae and Mark Duplass are trying to fund their own indie television. Internationally, mind-blowingly good shows like I Hate Suzie and Baby Reindeer and My Brilliant Friend are still coming out. To be in defence of mid TV is to defend the medium itself. Every artform is going to have a baseline mid—why don’t we pick on movies instead, a medium in which mid is still praised for breaking box office records. Trust me, no one is rooting for The Regime like that. I think we should be more concerned about wet flops like that one rather than picking on Poker Face and The Diplomat (leave my girls alone!). That’s just my take, though.
How long is the adaptation/reboot frenzy going to last?
Well, this is another side of the mid TV discussion. I think we’re in for a continuation of this for a while. It’s profitable, which is all executives care about. It has hooked the movie industry for decades. I mean, how many more Spider-Mans and Batmans do we need? On one hand, we're starting to see Marvel fatigue—perhaps a good sign. On the other, Max is pushing forward with their Harry Potter reboot—a bad sign. But I think we’re constantly reminded of how original programming can still capture viewers—like Severance and Baby Reindeer. Plus, Shōgun was a great remake, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is the best Trek we’ve had in years, and Andor blew away my expectations for what a Star Wars show could achieve. So…it’s not all bad!
Guilty pleasure TV picks?
Right now: The Real Housewives. I’m totally hooked. My friend calls it a “sacred gay text.” I’m trying to figure out which to watch after RHONY while I wait for RHOSLC to come back.
Do you have any idea when Severance is coming back?
They recently finished shooting the second season, so I’d say they’ll aim to have it out by this fall!
Dream interview?
I used to have more of a checklist but I try not to glorify potential interview subjects too much. I mean, Julianna Margulies used to be high on my list and look what happened there. I’m more interested in whatever the universe has in store for me. I never thought I’d speak to Allison Janney or Ruth Wilson but opportunities just sort of came up! Some day I’d like to try my hand at a profile or moving in that direction of more depth, but whenever/if ever it feels right.
What are the top 5 TV shows to watch right now?
Recently: Shōgun, The Sympathizer, Big Mood, Mary & George, and Girls5Eva.
How did you begin freelancing about TV?
It was a bit of a winding journey, but my first published work was for Ology.com, a now-defunct NYC-based news website I contributed to back in 2011-12 (writing from the library on my lunch break in senior year of high school). I wrote little news blurbs through a connection I made on Tumblr, and I think it paid like $25 USD per post.
I then wrote for student newspapers in undergrad, and eventually started pitching to publications. In the early days I thought I would actually end up writing about fashion, which I had blogged about and pursued academically (in high school I had a Blogspot called “teach me how to Vogue” which consisted of showcasing the vintage sweaters I found in thrift stores). A semester into my Master of Arts in fashion studies (at Toronto Metropolitan University), I started engaging in television studies and things clicked in a major way. I ended up writing my thesis about costume design on television and how it constructs identity, and leveraged that to pitch to places like Fashionista and TV Guide. I ended up withdrawing from my PhD, but at the time, I started this newsletter/my Instagram and editors connected with me through my Instagram.
What’s your dream job in entertainment/media?
I used to think it was a full-time TV critic position at a major publication like Vulture. But as a Canadian there are work visa barriers and I also need a much more expanded portfolio of work, I think. I also wonder if writing weekly reviews would take some of the fun out of TV for me. So the real answer to your question is: for like $100 million to drop out of the sky and into my hands, which I would leverage into hiring all the talented freelance writers I know to create a tvscholar media empire.
I’ve been trying not to sell-out to scarcity, though—the fact that I can afford life, work a stable remote day job that provides health insurance, get to write for The Cut and Harper’s Bazaar when I can, and write this newsletter (which I’m always genuinely surprised people ACTUALLY read despite it being mostly my personal musings lately) is pretty damn great. I just wish I had like, 50 more hours per week to watch television.
Which TV release model do you prefer?
Abolish the binge model! I’m over it. It doesn’t work for my schedule and it stresses me out, and I think it’s a disservice to the show. I also know so many of us have been overstretched, overworked, emotionally exhausted, and traumatized from livestreaming genocide that an episode a week is much more palatable than 8 hours of black and white television dropped into our lap (I still haven’t finished watching Ripley). I like having my little TV calendar organized by releases per day. Shōgun had the right idea.
How can the best queer shows (like Somebody Somewhere and Sort Of) survive the mainstream?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot in light of queer shows getting axed left and right. Baby Reindeer is an interesting case study in this: a queer show that Netflix dropped seemingly out of nowhere, reviewed by a very small handful of critics, and climbed to the top of the charts through word of mouth. I can’t say for certain, but it feels like Netflix had no idea it had such a big hit on its hands, the show isn’t flashy or expensive-looking, it’s just a very powerful, nuanced, and vulnerable story that clearly put its creative trust into its creator. I don’t even think Richard Gadd expected it to make such a splash.
I think there’s a lot that queer TV can’t control, like how a network or streamer promotes their show. So I guess the only way to “survive” is to keep making authentic and brave creative choices, to tell stories that we haven’t seen before, to cut deeply and aim for radical choices that defy heteronormativity and hegemonic ways of thinking, as opposed to trying to appeal to any kind of mass appeal—you could sand down the edges of queerness and still get cancelled after a season. If that results in one or two brilliant seasons of TV without blowing up in a mainstream way (like say, Work in Progress or This Close), that’s still “success” in my eyes. And who knows how that art will reverberate in the future or inspire other creators.
What’s a show you were surprised you ended up liking?
Yellowstone, probably? I was like oh this show involves storylines on Indigenous land sovereignty…and it was fun and melodramatic on top of that. Not quite the right wing nightmare I expected. When is that coming back, christ.
What’s the right way to network yourself in order to work as a writer?
I’m not even sure there’s a “right” way to do this anymore. There used to be more internships, fellowships, freelance opportunities, edgy publications hungry for new writers. Journalism school used to promise opportunity. You can try to reply to people on Twitter, email writers you like, start your own platform of some kind (I’ve done all of these things)—but the most important thing is probably just the writing itself. Pitch thoughtfully and try to find editors you like working with and who make you feel valued. Write for wherever you can. I wrote about Young Royals on a volunteer basis a few years ago, for example. Just know there’s no perfect answer to this!
Who is your favourite character from Barry?
Sally, played by Sarah Goldberg. A layered, massive slay of a performance that deserved all the awards. I interviewed her too and she was a delight, she was so excited to speak to someone from Vancouver, where she’s from.
When will you cover Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Hello SMG!
Omg, I need to! I’m working my way through a bunch of older shows on my list. I did watch Buffy as a kid, episodes were sporadically on television so I have a patchy memory of the overall arcs and characters. I used to play a 2000s Xbox video game of it at my cousin’s house as a kid which gave me nightmares. But sometime soon I will do a proper watch. The question is, do I watch the remastered version or the original?
Reservation Dogs is the best! What’s your favourite season?
The third and final! I feel like the show matured so well. By that last season, every episode feels like a thoughtful and meaningful gift.
Best millennial shows for those in their emerging 30s?
Off the top of my head: Better Things, Looking, Fleabag, Sex and the City, Somebody Somewhere, I Hate Suzie, Back to Life, Difficult People, Starstruck, The Dry, This Close, Six Feet Under, Big Mood, Work in Progress, Sort Of, Insecure.
Love hearing your thoughts on these questions :) And I also adored watching Sarah Goldberg in Barry!! Like, I need her in everything!!!