Is There Hope for Niche Television?
Among the numerous cancelled TV shows this year, one was overshadowed by the bunch. It’s amazing that ‘Lucifer’, ‘The Expanse’, and ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ got so much attention and were picked up by different (and better) studios, but one series was not so fortunate: ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’.
About this show.
People hear the lengthily name and are usually skeptic towards giving ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ a shot. Then they watch the trailer and immediately think ‘What the f*ck is this? And what the f*ck is Frodo doing in it!?’ And to some extent, people stand to reason. I myself am a huge media addict and usually open to anything and everything; but even after numerous people recommended ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’, I was still not completely sure of the show’s quality. It just didn’t seem like my cup of tea.
‘Oh, screw it,’ I told myself one Tuesday evening while procrastinating and streamed the series on Netflix.
‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ is absolutely brilliant. It’s absolutely beautiful and genuinly one of the best shows in recent years. And despite that it makes perfect sense that it was cancelled after two seasons.
But wait, that doesn’t add up? It’s ‘one of the best shows in recent years’ AND ‘it makes perfect sense that it was cancelled’? What?!
About niche television.
See, ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ is niche TV. What is that, you ask? A niche television series is a series that generally only suits a specific or small group of people.
Some examples:
- ‘The IT Crowd’ —> suits only people who appreciate a specific type of humor
- ‘Future Man’ —> suits only people who appreciate Seth Rogen humor and/or people who love experimental sci-fi shows
- ‘Snatch’ —> suits only people who love experimental mysteries and/or people who love heist stories and/or people to whom the show is nostalgic because of the original film
So what groups is ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ mainly for? Well.
- Those who love overly complicated stories.
- Those who love experimental and completely different science fiction and fantasy.
- People who watch everything of great quality and do not pick shows based on genres and/or premises.
It may sound like it, but believe me: I’m not trying to be condescending with that last one; there is nothing wrong with watching only one genre of TV or being picky as to what you like and watch. That’s exactly why we have so much series nowadays: everyone can pick and watch what they specifically like. There are some who, however, don’t have a preference and are just open to watching (mostly) everything of quality. And again: those are in no way superior to the first group.
So why was ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ cancelled?
‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ was cancelled because it didn’t have enough viewers. And it didn’t have enough viewers because:
A: Not that many people love overly complicated stories. ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ is brilliantly thought-out and it all does come together in the end (everything IS connected), but the majority of the story is seemingly random things randomly happening one after another. The viewer has no clue, for the most part, what the f*ck is happening and how the creators will manage to tie everything together.
B: Not that many people love experimental and completely different science fiction and fantasy. ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ is honestly like nothing you’ve seen before. The story is brilliant and unlike everything else. Perhaps it’s all a bit too much, though; different laws apply here, different ideas are explored, and an unfamiliar story takes place. The generic viewer likes the familiar; they feel comfortable and safe with the familiar and, for the most part, they don’t want to explore.
C: Not that many people like everything of quality. And again, this is completely normal and okay. Everyone has their taste and they should watch series that apply to that taste. Of course, stepping out of your comfort zone is usually okay and even encouraged, which ties into the previous point, but there’s still no judgement. Watching everything is also an extremity and, at the end of the day, television should be entertainment, not a chore.
So hopefully now it’s a bit clearer what niche TV is and why specifically ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ got cancelled. Time to touch upon the question of the day:
Is there hope for niche television?
Using ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ as an example, I think the short answer is ‘yes’. Don’t worry, there is also a longer answer.
Even a show as weird, complicated, different, and crazy as ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ managed to get not one, but two seasons. And after the official announcement that is was getting cancelled, fans got together to sign petitions, email, call, and fight with great effort to save their favorite show.
And exactly that is the beauty of niche television. Even though it’s not watched by many, those who do watch it absolutely adore it. I heard someone once say ‘A smaller fanbase is a stronger fanbase’ and that definitely applies here. ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ has some of the most committed viewers; and even though their efforts were not enough to save the show, their love will forever be appreciated by those who made it.
So?…
But let’s get to my main point, which is: there is hope for any quality show. ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’s main problem was not that it was niche, but rather the lack of good marketing and advertising. If more people knew about the show and its quality, more people would have watched it. Of course, many refused to give it a shot because of how niche it was, but many also simply didn’t know of its existence. If it had reached more, more would have given it a shot; if more would have given it a shot, more would have liked it and continued watching. Unlike the general consensus in media these days, people actually do appreciate quality television.
Take ‘Game of Thrones’ for example. It’s watched and loved by millions. Many of the people that watch it are probably not that into fantasy and/or it’s not their go-to genre. But because of the show’s popularity and quality, many tried it out and loved it.
So, yes: there is hope for niche television. Two things must apply though: that it’s quality and that it’s marketed well. ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ was definitely quality, but also definitely not marketed well.
So don’t be discouraged: if you have an idea for a killer script that may be a bit ‘different’ or ‘weird’, f*cking write it anyway. Make it good. If you make it good, someone may buy it. That someone may make it. Give it a shot. There is hope. Just, due to an unfortunate series of events, not for ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’.
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Have you seen ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’? What do you think about it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below! Don’t forget to LIKE and SHARE this article if you enjoyed it and also to SUBSCRIBE to Our Movie Life!
Also, guys, I need a favor. Can you let me know in the comments if you prefer this more casual way of writing or should I get back to my more ‘academic’ style? Let me know what you guys would prefer.
As always, thank you so much for reading,
Pouty Boy