Dragon*Con Pt. 3: How To Turn Off A Show’s Fanbase

by Dana Franks on September 6th, 2008

In the weeks before Dragon*Con, there was a big buzz when cast members of “Heroes” were added to the guest list. Namely, Hayden Panettiere and James Kyson Lee. At the time of the posting, I joked on Twitter that I now knew where every man in the Southeast would be the day of Panettiere’s first panel.

However, the con came and went and VERY few people were talking about “Heroes” in the process. Yes, a James Marsters fan asked him when he’d be joining that cast (because he’s been in every other science fiction fandom imaginable, and it means something when you cross an ocean to do so.) But since I was in the process of being sucked into “Torchwood”, “Firefly” and “Battlestar Galactica” panels I didn’t think so much about it.

Until now, when another blogger reminded me of a rumor I heard as the con was ending by confirming it — that the “Heroes” cast members were not allowed by NBC Universal to participate in any D*C panels.

“We are happy to have our artists make personal appearances at conventions, but panels must be orchestrated by the studio, network and producers of the show,” an NBCU representative said in a statement to CultureGeek. “In this case, a panel discussion with multiple cast members wasn’t possible for a variety of reasons.”

Oh, really. Sorry to sound completely disbelieving, but I’d like to hear those reasons. I wonder if those are shared by the Sci-Fi Channel, who makes BSG and had multiple cast members who not only appeared on multiple panels but came to the big D*C party for the show’s fans. Heck, Edward James Olmos led the attendees in a battle cry.

Also, all the Joss Whedon fans might be interested, because four of the “Firefly” cast celebrated their fourth year at D*C at panels that circled convention hotels and were broadcast live in hotel rooms. And I wonder who at the BBC (who allowed a “Torchwood” cast member to come to Atlanta in the middle of filming a season despite the obvious risks of jetlag and “con crud”) might need of education by NBCU. After all, their flagship sci-fi show has only been around over 40 years.

If you want to have a hit sci-fi show, you need to have a deeply rooted fan base. Yes, BSG is on its way out and “Firefly” had an early death, and some “Doctor Who” fans harbor deeply conflicted feelings about “Torchwood” because it’s so slashy and angsty. But neither BSG or “Firefly” would have been around for very long if it weren’t for the fans who screamed and kicked at network ambivalence, and eventually movies and spinoff shows were their reward. “Torchwood” can make a similar case after an uneven first series, and it’s now got radio plays and action figures. There’s no market for licensing an unpopular show.

I have no idea who wanted what from D*C organizers in exchange for allowing “Heroes” stars to be panelists. The first ep of the next season of the show was shown at ComicCon, so there must have been something different. And since the second series of the show was not a critic fave overall, they’re not looking for bad publicity.

Plus there’s a risk of spoiler leakage — it’s been rumored that the reason David Tennant hasn’t been to the US for “Doctor Who” is because he said a little too much at a UK con. Once again, have no idea if that’s accurate, but even if it’s not, the rumor highlights a natural concern.

But the worst thing a network can do is sound like they want fan conventions to turn into their own forum. The fact that fans are willing to shell out hundreds of dollars on plane fare, holiday rates on hotels, autographs, merchandise, special events, etc. should be proof that not only are people interested in going out of their way for their favorite shows, but that they would be the kind of fans who would go home and tell everyone how awesome those shows are right before a new season starts. There’s no amount of network money or promotion that matches that, and NBCU seems to have lost a prime opportunity there.

Tags: bbc, doctor who, dragon-con, firefly, heroes, nbc universal, sci-fi channel, torchwood

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