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by Chris Snelgrove
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since Agatha all the way broke the curse of the Marvel TV series by giving us the best show since WandaVisionEveryone was trying to get to the bottom of why this spell worked so effectively. Fittingly, it seems Headline star Kathryn Hahn may have figured it out: At the recent PowerWomen Summit, she discussed the “emotional safety” of working mostly with women on the show and how it “encouraged complexity” and gave her a literally “Cuban” life that “vibrates and hums.” throughout the production. weighs Agatha all the wayThe big appeal of female viewers, this show seems to have succeeded by tailoring itself to a very specific demographic.
Witches do it
Among internet users most likely to order brain pills, there is a popular notion that when shows “woke up” they “go broke” accordingly, paying the perceived price for catering to a different demographic than old white guys. Agatha all the way Becoming an over-the-top hit thanks to her overt attraction to women would seem to fly in the face of this idea, but the show’s success Mercifully transcends the bounds of the internet’s endless culture wars. AgathaIts success doesn’t mean every Disney+ show should embrace its inner girl boss. Instead, it proves that House of Mouse should stop trying to appeal to everyone at every show.
Think back to some of Marvel’s shows on Disney+, incl The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Lokiand She is the Hulk. All of these very different shows have one thing in common: Marvel wants them to appeal to as many people as possible, ultimately hurting the overall quality of the series.
for example, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier He wanted the audience to be sympathetic to his villains and their desire to fight corrupt world governments that have abandoned millions of people. But not too sympathetic, which is why the flag bombers suddenly bombed a supply depot full of innocent people. Disney tried to appeal to those who espouse social activism and those who like to see terrorists punished, but the result was a confusing villain whose motivations made less sense as time went on.
to Agatha all the way, Loki Considered the best MCU Disney+ show since WandaVision. But despite its insanely charismatic lead actor, this show also suffered from trying to appeal to everyone…the show tries to appeal to smart geeks with its variations and endless easter eggs, but it also tries to appeal to those who like mystery boxes with its whole “who started the TVA?” Subplot. Additionally, he tried to appeal to romantics with his odd will-they-won’t-they Loki/Sylvie pairing even as it laid the groundwork for future Marvel shows and movies; The result was a performance that could have been brilliant simply by being good.
Some fans may be tempted to compare She is the Hulk to Agatha all the way Because this legal comedy is apparently aimed at women as well, until the main bad guy is a weird misogynist. However, I’d argue that the show is more about raising awareness of feminist principles and the struggles women face (from catcalling to being murdered) than actually saying much beyond the obvious “patriarchy is bad”, which is why most fans remember stupid stuff. Like the titular character’s twerking rather than any kind of serious message. It was actually Tumblr activism: the show, which made it not nearly as significant as anyone hoped it would be.
Agatha all the way: by women, for women
All this brings us back Agatha all the wayA show made both by women and for women. That’s not to say men can’t enjoy it (hell, I loved it!), but the show especially resonated with its target demographic by centering the story on female agency and the magical power of sisters. We also see our title character locking lips with Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza) in a celebration of female sexuality, which felt particularly salient because Disney often seems to minimize such representation for fear of upsetting other markets (mainly China).
Again, the lesson that Disney needs to learn from Agatha all the way It’s not that every show needs girl power, but every show needs to be built from the ground up for a very specific audience. There’s nothing wrong with explicitly appealing to bros with a show about Rocket Raccoon’s drunken galactic adventures or appealing to arthouse nerds with a series about a Skrull who forgot who he really is. The point is that the program 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 appeal to as many people as possible to become popular. but Agatha all the way It teaches us that getting everything about a specific demographic helps shows develop some much-needed word-of-mouth buzz. And the fact that Hahn’s show has only grown over time is proof of the old adage: if you build it (in this case, an ambitious show about a charismatic leader written and directed by passionate fans), they will flow.
Only time will tell if Disney will learn the right lessons about Agatha all the way. I have high hopes that looks like daring: born again and the wonder man will be even half as focused, creative or clever as this incredibly enchanting show. But the key is for House of Mouse to stop casting the widest possible net and instead lock in on a target audience with its cast, creatives and scripts. Otherwise, the curse of Marvel will return and remain in place until the execs learn that fans want a fancy custom meal and not another bowl of generic garbage.
