Open Access"Chuck" versus the ratings: Savvy fans and "save our show" campaigns
Author(s) -
Christina Savage
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
transformative works and cultures
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1941-2258
DOI - 10.3983/twc.2014.0497
Subject(s) - paraphernalia , advertising , consumption (sociology) , production (economics) , power (physics) , business , political science , art , law , aesthetics , economics , physics , quantum mechanics , macroeconomics
Fans rarely have the opportunity to affect the production of their favorite television shows, but sometimes they can save them. "Save our show" campaigns provide an example of fan labor that can influence the decision to renew or cancel a show. These campaigns have previously appeared as fans wrote to the networks en masse and sent in paraphernalia related to the show. The "Finale and a Footlong" "save our show" campaign for NBC's Chuck (2007–12) demonstrates a change in the way that fans understand their role in television consumption and production. By examining this campaign and situating it within a history of these types of campaigns, we can see how the "save our show" campaign for Chuck emphasizes the role of fan as both television viewer and advertisement consumer in a way that privileges the power of the fan as never before