by Chris Snellgrove
| Published
since then Agatha along He broke the curse of the Marvel TV series by giving us the best show since WandaVisionEveryone was trying to figure out why this spell worked so effectively. Fittingly enough, it seems that star Kathryn Hahn may have realized this: At a recent PowerWomen Summit, she discussed the “emotional safety” of working primarily with women on the show and how that “encourages complexity” and gives her real opportunity. The “witches” life was “lively and bustling” throughout the production. By looking Agatha alongGiven its huge appeal to female viewers, this show seems to have succeeded by tailoring itself to a very specific demographic.
Magicians get it done
Among the Internet users most likely to order brain pills, there's a common notion that when shows come on “woke” they in turn “go broke,” paying the perceived price of tailoring to a demographic other than old white men. Agatha along Being a smash hit thanks to its overt appeal to women seems to contradict that idea, but the show's success extends beyond the Internet's endless culture wars. AgathaOur success doesn't mean every Disney+ show needs to embrace its inner girl. Instead, it proves that the House of Mouse needs to stop trying to get everyone into every show.
Think back to some of the Marvel shows on Disney+, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Lokiand She-Hulk. All of these very different shows have one thing in common: Marvel wants to appeal to as many people as possible, which ultimately hurts the overall quality of the series.
For example, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier He wanted the audience to sympathize with the villains and their desire to fight the corrupt world governments that have abandoned millions of people. But not very sympathetic, which is why the Smashers are suddenly bombing a supply depot full of innocents. Disney tried to appeal to those who applaud social activism and those who like to see terrorists punished, but the result was a confusing villain whose motivations became less plausible over time.
until Agatha along, Loki It was considered the best MCU Disney+ show since WandaVision. But despite its insanely charismatic lead actor, this show also struggled with trying to appeal to everyone… The show tries to appeal to nerds with its variants and endless Easter eggs, but it also tries to appeal to those who love mystery boxes with all their details. “Who started TVA?” Subplot. Additionally, it attempted to appeal to romantics with the bizarre pairing of Loki and Sylvie, even laying the groundwork for future Marvel shows and films; The result was a show that could have been great simply for being good.
Some fans might be tempted to compare She-Hulk to Agatha along Because this legal comedy was also ostensibly aimed at women, right down to the main bad guy being a weirdo misogynist. However, I would argue that the show is more about raising awareness of feminist principles and the struggles women face (from being mocked to being killed) than just saying beyond the obvious “patriarchy is bad”, which is why most fans remember the goofy stuff. Like the titular character twerking rather than any kind of serious message. This was basically Tumblr activity: the show, which made it not as meaningful as anyone had hoped.
Agatha All Along: By women, for women
All this brings us back to Agatha alonga show made by and for women. That's not to say guys can't enjoy it (I loved it!), but the show particularly resonated with its target demographic by focusing its storytelling on female agency and the magical power of sisterhood. We also see our title character lock lips with Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza) in celebration of female sexuality, which seemed particularly notable because Disney often seems to downplay this representation due to concerns about upsetting other markets (mostly China).
Once again, a lesson for Disney to learn from Agatha along It's not that every show needs girl power but instead that every show needs to be built from the ground up for a very specific audience. There's nothing wrong with explicitly appealing to brotherhood with a show about Rocket Raccoon's drunken galactic adventures or appealing to art nerds with a series about a Skrull who's forgotten who he really is. The point is that the show should be written around that focus rather than trying to appeal to everyone at once.
This goes against the conventional wisdom that a show needs to attract as many people as possible in order to become popular. but Agatha along It teaches us that full participation in a particular demographic helps develop some much-needed word-of-mouth. And the fact that Hahn's show has become more popular over time is testament to the old adage: If you build it (in this case, an ambitious show around an engaging premise written and directed by passionate fans), it will air.
Only time will tell if Disney will learn the right lessons about it Agatha along. I have high hopes that it will appear like reckless: Born again and The miracle man He will be half as focused, creative, or intelligent as this wonderfully charming display. But the key is for the House of Mouse to stop casting as wide a net as possible and instead lock in its target audience with its cast, designs and scripts. Otherwise, the Marvel curse will return and stay in place until execs learn that fans want a personalized lavish meal and not another bowl of generic platters.
