November 26

So what makes a show a cult hit? What is it about some TV shows that garner a cult following – devoted fans, sometimes overly so, that convene on message boards, chat rooms, and even on conventions to share mutual interest and devotion about a particular media – as opposed to others that have a more mainstream appeal? I won’t really go into the psychology of that, although I must say that I find that fans of The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are among the smartest ones around and they’re demographically diverse, too (though you may think I’m only saying that because I’m a fan of both). Anyway, if anything, that is what make these shows good franchises. They may have been off the air for years now but they live on through DVDs, online fan discussions, comics, and even in movies. We haven’t even considered how any franchise can spawn related products – toys, action figures, costumes, books, etc. It spells big money for the entertainment big wigs who are deft enough to play the obsession of the most ardent fans to jump on any franchise opportunity. That’s why we know Twilight is now a huge movie franchise, as much as the Harry Potter movies are never forgotten.

Now if Fox will only give a nod to XF3 and Joss Whedon will seriously consider writing a fantastic script to a BtVS movie soon.

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