As a longtime enthusiast of both science fiction and television, I have to say that this year has been a bit of a letdown for me. Don’t get me wrong, there were some great shows out there, but the sheer abundance of franchise adaptations left me feeling like I was watching the same story over and over again, just with different characters and settings.
There’s no logical explanation as to why the series Dune: Prophecy might not succeed. Set in the intricate, richly detailed universe of Frank Herbert’s Dune, this show arrived on HBO following the triumphant box office performance, critical praise, and widespread cultural impact of two movies featuring some of the most prominent young actors at that time. While Dune: Prophecy is not a flawless series, shows like WandaVision, The Mandalorian, and the initial season of House of the Dragon have thrived despite their imperfections, generating memes, merchandise, substantial publicity investments, and a shared viewing experience that makes people feel as though they’re all watching the same TV show. Moreover, Dune: Prophecy is entertaining! It offers a world where a planet thrives on space-whale meat, and older women wear grand priestess robes that rustle against stone floors as they briskly walk through dim corridors. There are also scenes of young people engaging in drug-induced confessions they probably shouldn’t share. The last few years have shown us that viewers crave a large, immersive series that everyone can connect with, something rooted in a pre-existing fictional world to create shared cultural references. So, why not Dune: Prophecy?
Instead of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” or HBO’s “The Penguin” which somewhat resembles “Garfield” without Garfield, except for Batman, you could say “Why not consider shows like ‘The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power,’ HBO’s ‘The Penguin’ (a bit like ‘Garfield’ but featuring Batman), or Disney+’s recent ‘Star Wars’ series such as ‘The Acolyte’ and ‘Skeleton Crew?’
The Star Wars franchise, founded on the idea of limitless growth, incorporates all past events from the films, TV series, and novels deemed canonical. Each new Star Wars production can draw upon its rich history while expanding characters, settings, themes, and designs. This allows for a continuously growing audience that mirrors the ever-expanding internal logic of the fictional universe. However, the continuous release of new titles may not guarantee an infinite audience, as some viewers might find it overwhelming or choose to move on after each new release, leading to franchise fatigue. In other words, while the Star Wars world can theoretically expand forever, the audience’s capacity for consumption might have its limits.
One perspective is that the decreasing returns for franchise TV shows are not necessarily indicative of their inherent failure as concepts, but rather a reflection of a common trend affecting numerous streaming and premium cable series across all genres over the past five years. This phenomenon, often referred to as “Nichification,” has led to an increase in shows with smaller viewerships per production.
Dune: Prophecy serves as an unexpected demonstration of what contemporary TV giant fantasy series typically offer in terms of storytelling. The blend of novelty and familiarity is more challenging than it appears on the surface, and as audiences have grown accustomed to large-scale TV storytelling, each individual series’ execution becomes increasingly crucial. This was less of a concern when House of the Dragon made waves on HBO and even Obi-Wan earned five Emmy nominations. However, Dune: Prophecy‘s tone wavers between a deeply religious focus and a violent revenge narrative, making it hard to fully engage with any aspect of the series. Additionally, its immersion in the broader universe’s lore can be challenging for those who haven’t recently watched both Dune movies or delved into Frank Herbert’s somewhat eccentric book series. By attempting to encompass multiple genres, it falls short as a complete representation of any one of them. It feels more like the norm in today’s TV landscape where being part of a franchise is no longer a unique selling point due to the abundance of other shows and emerging cinematic universes.
In 2024, a standout illustration of this occurring situation isn’t necessarily a franchise series itself, but rather Armando Ianucci’s The Franchise, an HBO satirical comedy that delves into the life of a first assistant director (not the director), navigating the absurd and heartless world of producing a major franchise film. The character Daniel, portrayed by Himesh Patel, engages in a continuous struggle between practicality and creative inspiration. Every scene is a fight to maintain budget constraints, complete tasks without causing harm or offense, and preserve the story for screen adaptation without losing sanity or provoking the fiercely passionate, irrational fanbase. When successful, it offers a captivating, even biting critique of the inner workings of storytelling. A subplot involving the integration of product placement reaches its peak with the addition of footage of Chinese tractors to a movie about superheroes on an alien planet. Anxiety over gender representation escalates with an ambitious, poorly informed producer inadvertently creating a new in-universe weapon that contradicts the film’s logic. Simultaneously, another production within the same franchise is set up on an adjacent soundstage, clearly siphoning off resources.
A while ago, when “The Avengers” were still highly popular and “The Mandalorian” was just starting out, the timing would have been perfect for “The Franchise”. The distinction between the satire and its subject would’ve been clear. However, “The Franchise” arrived with minimal fuss and left behind a small cultural impact, as it was making fun of something that “The Franchise” itself no longer existed – the idea that franchise storytelling is an overwhelming, inescapable blockbuster trend on TV this year. Nowadays, even the giants are just ordinary, persistently large entities.
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2024-12-23 23:55