Is fiction losing it's 'fictional' appeal?

[Fanfic_warper]

Now this could be just me and a misconception about the entertainment industry in general, but I feel like lately, all the good fiction has been dumped in favor of the more 'grounded' fiction, and by that, I mean more down to Earth....maybe it still doesn't make sense....hmmm...

I guess I would have to say the degree of 'fiction'.

Take a show like Stargate and Sons of Anarchy. Stargate is HEAVILLY reliant on the sci-fi aspect to maintain it's fictionality, while Sons of Anarchy is reliant on it's over the top action and gang drama both while still fictional, has more feasibility than sci-fi technology taking you to new planets lightyears away from us, battling super intelligent parasites and Gods. Both are 'fictional' but I feel like Stargate is MORE fictional but I feel like today's trends in the entertainment industry is to move fiction away from it's fiction....

I don't know if I can describe it any better than that, but I feel like it's not just in shows, but also books and movies.

I can count on two hands the worthwhile ficitonal shows and movies that came out this year that went really out there with the fiction(this may just be a matter of personal opinion though) and Novels seem to start favoring the angsty teenage romance drama and puberty trials as opposed to the developing fictional world and plot and character as a part of all that.

Again though, it may be just me, but I'd at least like to know other people's opinions on this?

Do you think I have any basis for this or am I just spewing shit?

 

[Odd Owl]

There does seem to be a trend in modern society, at least in terms of narrative preference, toward "realistic" depictions of events, interactions, and relationships. You can see this in the rise of "reality" television, for example. More realistic depictions are, in some ways, easier to relate to. Shows like CSI, Law & Order, 24, or (dare I say it?) Real Housewives of __________ create a greater sense of immediacy for a broader demographic. With that said, I'm not sure that this trend is really a brand new thing. Could be a society-wide phase. There are plenty of "realistic" narratives in history. Look at Hamlet or Oepidus Rex (from what little I remember of that tale, it would fit rather nicely into an episode of Real Housewives of ___________, a few mythological trappings aside).

If you're looking for new works of high fiction (for lack of a better word), I'd recommend the Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss, or the ongoing Game of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin if you haven't read that yet. The Game of Thrones also has an HBO miniseries out now, going into its second season. If science fiction is more to your liking, authors like Greg Bear and Iain M. Banks are still cranking out highly imaginative sci-fi epics (if you can get past Banks' sometimes-unnecessary fascination with slasher-style horror).

 

[CODE-D]

You need a balance of reality and fiction based on what show it is to be entertaining. Even "reality" shows aren't that real. Most realistic being game shows or channels where you buy things, reviews, etc.
If you explain too much of a fictional show or fictionalize more in reality shows they can lose their appeal.
Sons of anarchy has a real concept but is still fictional

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Well, that's one blinder of a false dichotomy. Yes, Stargate is less grounded than Sons of Anarchy because Stargate is about Wormhole hopping marines discovering and fighting aliens. Sons of Anarchy is about a Californian Motorcycle gang.

With just two examples you can say exactly the same thing about the opposite: Fiction has become less grounded because "Seinfeld" is old fiction, which is heavily realistic, whereas "Lost" was new fiction, and it had smoke monsters and time travel and polar bears and stuff.

Most TV series that come out are "Grounded" realistic series because that needs a far lower budget than sci fi series, and so the risk at making them is far less. Also there is less of an audience for sci fi shows, meaning that even successful Sci fi shows have been cancelled in the past because they were not making enough money (Firefly)
So it can seem like we are no longer producing quality sci fi fiction like Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica, when the truth is that these programmes just come around a lot less frequently than shows like Desperate Housewives and 18 and pregnant.

 

[UnknownGunslinger]

Now this could be just me and a misconception about the entertainment industry in general, but I feel like lately, all the good fiction has been dumped in favor of the more 'grounded' fiction, and by that, I mean more down to Earth....maybe it still doesn't make sense....hmmm...

I guess I would have to say the degree of 'fiction'.

Take a show like Stargate and Sons of Anarchy. Stargate is HEAVILLY reliant on the sci-fi aspect to maintain it's fictionality, while Sons of Anarchy is reliant on it's over the top action and gang drama both while still fictional, has more feasibility than sci-fi technology taking you to new planets lightyears away from us, battling super intelligent parasites and Gods. Both are 'fictional' but I feel like Stargate is MORE fictional but I feel like today's trends in the entertainment industry is to move fiction away from it's fiction....

I don't know if I can describe it any better than that, but I feel like it's not just in shows, but also books and movies.

I can count on two hands the worthwhile ficitonal shows and movies that came out this year that went really out there with the fiction(this may just be a matter of personal opinion though) and Novels seem to start favoring the angsty teenage romance drama and puberty trials as opposed to the developing fictional world and plot and character as a part of all that.

Again though, it may be just me, but I'd at least like to know other people's opinions on this?

Do you think I have any basis for this or am I just spewing shit?

Good question I refer you to the following:
<youtube=fIqABIcKIvs>
Kinda of points some interesting trends there, but I think it's not a complete theory yet.
I'm not sure if it's the response of the viewers that's most determinative for the types of shows we get, or the response of the TV executives, or perhaps both the viewer and the TV execs to a certain degree with one prevailing over the other or both standing at an equilibrium.

 

[Tratchet]

I think that more realistic fiction is more common, but, if less realistic fiction is usually either sci-fi or fantasy, I think that this has more or less always been the case. Through the history of television most programs have been more realistic fiction. Things like the original Star Trek and Stargate tend to be few and far in-between.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

What we're looking at is a re-distribution of fantasy as reality and vice versa.

Most "reality" programmes are increasingly choreographed for maximum idealism, while most "fantasy" programmes are dealing with realistic ideas.

But it's not a new phenomenom:
Star Trek was dealing with racism through aliens, Zombie films have been dealing with consumerism and alienation - while Dallas, Eastenders and Coronation Street talked about "real" people going through a lifetime of changes in a week.

The new thing has been selling one as the other. Dexter, while set in Miami, is as fantasy based as Guy Fawkes, Ned Kelly or Ronnie Biggs; but it's a "real" show now...

Look at the X Factor, Pop Idol, Next Top Model: It's about a plucky youngster slaying the dragons for the hand of the princess all over again.

BUT THIS IS FOR REAL PEOPLE WITH REAL CONSUQUENCES AND...is as fake as WWE. Moreso in fact.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

We need more Buck Rogers films. Or Flash Gordon Films. Or more Star Wars films not directed by George Lucas.


Savior of the Universe!