Dec 26, 2015
Science Fiction & Genre TV Trends I Want To See Continue In 2016
2015 was a banner year for those of us who enjoy watching tv — especially science fiction and genre programming.
In fact, many media critics are proclaiming we are living in the era of “peak tv,” a term coined by FX Networks president John Landgraf to describe the overabundance of great original programming spread across cable, traditional broadcast networks, streaming services, and the web.
At last count, there were over 400 original scripted tv programs in 2015, with that number predicted to balloon even further in 2016!
Those of us who watch more niche genres, like science fiction and fantasy, can attest to the struggle of keeping up with so many terrific scripted shows on air.
However, a major upside to our golden glut of exceptional sci-fi tv is a few trends I would like to see continue in the coming year.
The Rise of Women
2015 saw the rise in the number of science fiction series featuring complex, compelling, intelligent women who also excel in the kicking ass department.
Shows like Orphan Black, Supergirl, Marvel’s Agents Of Shield, Marvel’s Agent Carter, Jessica Jones, Dark Matter, and Killjoys are prime examples of recent series in which women are the lead protagonists, the main drivers of the narrative.
Though the overall industry numbers for women working in Hollywood are still ridiculously low, women are continuing to take on important roles in front of and behind the camera.
The creator, showrunner and executive producer behind the SyFy Channel’s summer hit Killjoys is Michelle Lovretta. Lexi Alexander is a well respected young filmmaker, who has directed episodes of Arrow and Supergirl.
Acclaimed director Ava DuVernay is helming the OWN network series Queen Sugar, which will employ an all-woman directorial staff.
My hope is the coming year sees more women continuing to take on more prominent roles in the process of creating genre tv.
More Representative Casting
“I really hate the word ‘diversity.’ It suggests something…other. As if it is something special, or rare. Diversity! As if there is something unusual about telling stories involving women and people of color and LGBTQ characters on TV. I have a different word: normalizing. I’m normalizing TV. I am making TV look like the world looks. Women, people of color, LGBTQ people equal way more than 50 percent of the population. Which means it ain’t out of the ordinary.” — Shonda Rhimes
Here’s the bottom line: the world is not completely lily white and heterosexual.
It’s filled with people from various ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identifications, religious faiths, etc.
So when I see a show with an all white cast — or with only a token minority with the agency of a light bulb — I call serious bullshit.
Fortunately, strides were made in genre tv programming in regards to creating shows with casts that include more representations of various marginalized audiences.
Prime examples include the short-lived Minority Report. Actress Meagan Good lead an ensemble of actors, all representing different ethnicities. There were no tokens to be found.
Each supporting character made important contributions to the show’s plots.
The aforementioned shows Killjoys and Dark Matter boast women of color (Hannah John-Kamen and Melissa O’Neil respectively) as series leads.
AMC’s Into The Badlands stars Daniel Wu, an Asian-American actor, producer, and director. His love interest in the series is a Black woman portrayed by Madeleine Mantock.
The SyFy Channel’s recent adaptation of the classic Arthur C. Clarke novel Childhood’s End, remained true to the source material by keeping the main protagonist/narrator an African-American man, portrayed by Osy Ikhile.
Netflix’s Sense8 featured a cast of actors literally from across the globe, including transgender actress Jamie Clayton.
I agree with Shonda Rhimes, having tv shows with diverse casts is normal, not vice versa. We need to continue to see rich representations of marginalized groups in sci-fi series, including roles for those with physical disabilities, a still woefully underserved segment of our population.
Adaptations Of Modern And Classic Sci-fi Novels
Labeled by many as “Game Of Thrones set in space,” The Expanse is a sprawling, ambitious space saga based on the popular and critically acclaimed novels by James S.A. Corey.
The Magicians is based on the novels by Lev Grossman. Set at a magical college where students drink, party, take drugs, and have sex — like in the real world — the main protagonist struggles with his magical heritage. Like its source material, this show promises to deconstruct popular fantasy tropes.
There is a vast ocean of intriguing sci-fi novels that would make ideal candidates for skillful adaptation into electrifying tv shows or mini-series.
For instance, there are the works of the brilliant Octavia Butler. Her novels pose challenging questions about gender roles, race, sexuality, power, and self-determination that would make for deeply compelling tv.
Novels are a medium particularly well-suited for adaptation, because tv allows time for more detailed, encompassing depictions of a book’s narrative films can’t accommodate.
From lavish adaptations of popular novels, to the increase in onscreen representations of marginalized groups, it’s safe to say 2015 has been an embarrassment of riches for sci-fi tv fans.
I have my fingers crossed that these positive creative trends will continue to gain momentum into 2016 — and long after.
Hi, I’m Rod T. Faulkner. I’m a HUGE sci-fi fan and write a lot about it. I also wrote 200 Best Online Sci-Fi Short Films — a compilation of terrific science fiction and genre short films available for viewing online.
