Horror and fantasy shows – books, too – seem to be cyclic in their popularity. Cop shows? Popular ever since the dawn of television (and even radio). Ditto, unfortunately, for law dramas (and why don’t sharks ever attack lawyers? – professional courtesy, ha-ha, please don’t sue me). Comedy, fortunately, never goes out of style, either, but programs featuring the walking dead, alternate universes, and David Hasselhoff? They come and they go (and Mr. Hasselhoff, though you seem like a decent guy, Dusseldorf needs you more than we do – honest). Why is that?
Here’s why: It’s the economy, stupid (not you, dear reader, unless you dig Hasselhoff, just kidding though, and please don’t sue me).
You’d think melting stock markets, housing craters, human sacrifice, and dogs and cats living together – in other words, mass hysteria – would fill TV schedules with remakes of laff riots like Mr. Belvedere and Shasta McNasty (look it up if you don’t believe me). But they don’t. Instead, you get a list like this:
Pushing Daisies
Lost
Fringe
Medium
Life on Mars
Heroes
Knight Rider (now 100% ‘hoff-free!)
Ghost Whisperer
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The 2008 Presidential Debates
And that’s just the major broadcast networks (and I’ve probably forgotten a few shows, as well – please, please, don’t sue me). Along with Stephen King (who mentions, if I remember correctly, the same effect in his really excellent nonfiction book, Danse Macabre – and if I’m wrong about that, you know what not to do), I think this rise in the horrific and fantastic is directly correlated with the fall of the markets and our general regard for the outside world. We want to escape. We want to see someone who’s got it worse than us. And, apparently, we prefer the carnage that is America’s Got Talent to the bloodbath in the markets.
So, get ready for more of the same (and I’m down with that). When Shasta McNasty comes back, you’ll know it’s getting better out there.
