Hercules and Xena |
There I Was, Surrounded By Amazons... | Hercules and Xena essays |
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Hercules and Xena |
There I Was, Surrounded By Amazons... | Hercules and Xena essays |
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There I Was, Surrounded By Amazons...
I know where I was when I first saw Kevin Sorbo's Hercules, and I'm pretty sure I know where I was when I saw Xena for the first time. I sort of wonder if people are going to treat their first exposure to these shows in some fashion similar to the way we remember where we were when Jack Kennedy was shot (well, those of us old enough to remember that day). I don't mean the first viewing of Hercules and Xena will have that kind of effect on people, but there was a moment for each of us when we stepped into the fold and settled down to hear the story. When I recently asked Steve Sears what he thought of the prospect of Xena being revived in twenty years, he replied that he couldn't predict (or guess) how the show would be done. Xena, and Hercules, appeal to today's audience because they address themes that are important to today's audience. Will the same issues be important to people twenty years from now? It's hard to say, but if we suppose that Renaissance Pictures (or someone) revives either show for the next generation, then it is fair to suggest that -- assuming the revival enjoys some sort of success -- there will be a new and perhaps largely different fandom from today's fandom. Maybe some of the "old timers" will still be around, recalling the Subtext Wars, the Joxer Imbroglia, the great conventions with Kevin and Lucy. Fandom today enjoys the Internet. Fandom yesterday had to make do with expensive telephone calls, mimeograph machines, and a network of informal fan clubs and groups. Some of those groups still exist today, and they may even be thriving, reading or watching their favorite stories and characters. The Internet will undoubtedly be here in twenty years but new technologies will also provide us with new media in which to express our fannish interests. Maybe we'll each have the ability to contribute to a global multmedia feed that won't require bulky PCs. I can well imagine someone interviewing "old fans" of the orginal Xena and Hercules to get their perspective on the new shows, but will people remember today's fandom accurately? Maybe the Meow Mix bar will grow into a palacial suburban night club. Maybe not. I have the sneaking suspicion that Hercules fandom will soon begin to wither away. Not because people have lost interest in the show, but because Kevin Sorbo's fandom is strong and loyal. When his new series begins I think a lot of old Herc sites will either come down or be relegated to secondary page status by their Webmasters as new screen captures and fan fiction emerge. Xena fandom still has some time left to grow, and there is every reason to believe it will continue to thrive on its own after X:WP finally ends. The fan fiction for X:WP is huge and has given birth to new trends and even new characters. But more importantly, there seems little prospect for Lucy Lawless fans to enjoy her many talents in a new show after X:WP finishes production. Whereas the Kevin Sorbo fans will be able to look to the new series, Lucy's fandom will have to continue on their own momentum. The divergence in the two fan bases really began years ago. Some hardcore nutballs started out as Herc fans but for whatever reasons became addicted to Xena and left Herc behind. Some of us still enjoy both shows equally or near equally, but our ranks seem to be thinning. I meet many Xena fans who continue to watch Hercules but they seem less passionate about the older show. The passionate Herc fans I meet don't seem to have much interest in Xena, although many watch both shows. So I'm predicting two paths of evolution. One path, for Xenites, will perhaps be similar to the path taken by the original Trekkers in the 1970s. They will keep the fire alive and may eventually build up enough support for a revival or spinoff series. But the Hercules fans will be able to move on with Kevin Sorbo, and if they do so his next series is almost virtually assured of success. The cost of that success, however, may be that an insufficient Herc fandom will survive to call for a new series. Is it important to look forward to a remake of either show? Not really. Twenty years is a long way (or even just fifteen years). But as I've said many times before, I think we're watching something unusual develop here. Maybe there will never again be a television phenomenon like Hercules and Xena. Trekkers may disagree. Their fandom is still going strong and growing. But there have been four STAR TREK series since 1966 and at least one more will probably be made. The nine theatrical movies released so far have also produced a tremendous effect on fans. Although the marketing machine has not yet finished turning out Hercules and Xena novels, they may not ever develop into the massive industry that STAR TREK books have become. Not without a continuing series or movie to help revive interest. A legitimate question to ask is whether the boom in fanfiction isn't ultimately going to depress interest in "official" novels. If it does, online fandom will eventually probably find itself at odds with the studios. Some studios have already come down hard on other groups in fandom. Herkuleans and Xenites have been fortunate, so far, in that they have been allowed the freedom to express their devotion through fan fiction. So, if Herc fandom eventually migrates to another show, they will not face a major crisis. But Xena fandom may eventually have to change its habits, if for no other reason than they'll be outproducing the revenue-making products and panic could set in with Studio Heads (tm). If that day ever comes, fans may find some truly interesting stories to tell their grandchildren. |
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