Recently, within the last season or so, Comedy Central's show South Park featured a 'guest appearance' by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. These are the two creative minds behind SyFy's smash hit reality show, Ghost Hunters. While the show managed to portray them as scared, and a bit illogical during their investigation (and I believe kept hinting at the show as the most-boring show on), South Park unofficially did one other thing far more important.
South Park is our cultural waste-basket. Anything the creators think that Americans need to laugh at, they put in their show, to be dissected in whatever manner they find best. However, unintentionally, their show is also a meter of profusion and acceptability within the American palette. After all, it wasn't Paranormal State that made it onto their show, it wasn't Discovery Channel's 'The Colony', or anything else. It was Ghost Hunters.
This points out the fact that, like it or not, Ghost Hunters, and the burgeoning Paranormal Reality genre, has gained some support and massive appeal. This new genre is important enough to poke fun at, if it wasn't, the creators would've never noticed it in the first place. Thus, taking the show's comments in stride isn't just about maintaining good PR; in actuality, it is a small award. Ghost Hunters made it onto South Park...Ghost Hunters was important enough to make it on South Park.
Ghost Hunters is, without much doubt, the most important and well-known show of the new Paranormal Reality Genre. But there are many more, across many different channels, with many different formats. SyFy channel is currently leading the proverbial band-wagon, as it has Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Ghost Hunters Academy, Destination Truth, and Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files. However, History Channel, Discovery, Biography, and A&E have also followed suit with similar shows.
The genre has its roots in various shows detailing Urban Legends from the 80s and 90s. These shows in turn, drew inspiration directly from the base they would be serving. Probably the most successful, and one of the earliest pioneers, of this new genre was the show Unsolved Mysteries. It enjoyed several very successful seasons, and drew inspiration from equal parts Twilight Zone and stories told around late-night campfires.
In the late 90s, another show came out that revolutionized the genre. Fact or Fiction: Beyond Belief, was the first serial-variety show that featured tales that were almost 100% paranormal in nature. They added a unique format twist, that was more interactive than anything at the time, and had good viewer-ship. However, it ended in 2002.
Finally, in 2004, Ghost Hunters came out, with a very simple, yet significant premise. Paranormal investigators travelling from one case to another, to historically significant locations where activity is supposed to be somewhat frequent. As the show has gone on, you can see a definite increase in the production quality, everything from the vehicles and gear employed during an investigation has improved, to the nature of the venues being investigated. All a testament to its growing viewer base.
South Park is our cultural waste-basket. Anything the creators think that Americans need to laugh at, they put in their show, to be dissected in whatever manner they find best. However, unintentionally, their show is also a meter of profusion and acceptability within the American palette. After all, it wasn't Paranormal State that made it onto their show, it wasn't Discovery Channel's 'The Colony', or anything else. It was Ghost Hunters.
This points out the fact that, like it or not, Ghost Hunters, and the burgeoning Paranormal Reality genre, has gained some support and massive appeal. This new genre is important enough to poke fun at, if it wasn't, the creators would've never noticed it in the first place. Thus, taking the show's comments in stride isn't just about maintaining good PR; in actuality, it is a small award. Ghost Hunters made it onto South Park...Ghost Hunters was important enough to make it on South Park.
Ghost Hunters is, without much doubt, the most important and well-known show of the new Paranormal Reality Genre. But there are many more, across many different channels, with many different formats. SyFy channel is currently leading the proverbial band-wagon, as it has Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Ghost Hunters Academy, Destination Truth, and Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files. However, History Channel, Discovery, Biography, and A&E have also followed suit with similar shows.
The genre has its roots in various shows detailing Urban Legends from the 80s and 90s. These shows in turn, drew inspiration directly from the base they would be serving. Probably the most successful, and one of the earliest pioneers, of this new genre was the show Unsolved Mysteries. It enjoyed several very successful seasons, and drew inspiration from equal parts Twilight Zone and stories told around late-night campfires.
In the late 90s, another show came out that revolutionized the genre. Fact or Fiction: Beyond Belief, was the first serial-variety show that featured tales that were almost 100% paranormal in nature. They added a unique format twist, that was more interactive than anything at the time, and had good viewer-ship. However, it ended in 2002.
Finally, in 2004, Ghost Hunters came out, with a very simple, yet significant premise. Paranormal investigators travelling from one case to another, to historically significant locations where activity is supposed to be somewhat frequent. As the show has gone on, you can see a definite increase in the production quality, everything from the vehicles and gear employed during an investigation has improved, to the nature of the venues being investigated. All a testament to its growing viewer base.
No comments:
Post a Comment