Being a television fan these days can open whole new worlds with the click of the mouse. And while sometimes it's comforting that they can be closed again with another click, the accessibility of like-minded viewers gathered around virtual watercoolers, the blogs, and the other behind-the-scenes glimpses can create a powerful sense of community.
Even with these virtual communities shrinking the distance between the creative forces and the audience, though, there's something unparalleled about a real world connection. PaleyFest – more formally known as the William S. Paley Television Festival – aims to create that. Each March, the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles hosts a two-week love-in honouring selected shows, where the audience can watch clips or an episode, hear a moderated panel discussion, and participate in a question and answer period.
For one lone show, House, I've been the kind of fan who delved into discussion forums and the online fan world. For others, my devotion lies only in never missing an episode. Since my first experience at PaleyFest was for the House session two years ago, attending as a casual fan of the honorees was an odd experience this time.
The timing of my trip narrowed down the choices of things to see, so I ended up with The Comedy World of Judd Apatow & Friends and Friday Night Lights. I was crushed to miss Pushing Daisies, mildly disappointed at being too early for The X-Files, but a little thankful the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion was sold out, even though it was clearly the place to be this year. Rabid fans scare me a little. Rabid fantasy/sci-fi fans scare me a lot, plus I'd never watched a complete episode. The panels also included the Elvis '68 Comeback Special, Dancing With The Stars, Chuck, Mad Men, Gossip Girl, Dirty Sexy Money, and Damages.
Friday Night Lights
If I were a rabid fan of the show, I might have been disappointed in the FNL panel turnout. Showrunner Jason Katims and producer/director Jeffrey Reiner were there, but not executive producer Peter Berg, who co-wrote and directed the feature film and had a memorable guest spot in the season finale. Of the cast, notable absences included the previously announced Kyle Chandler (Coach Eric Taylor) and Jesse Plemons (Landry), who had other filming obligations, but in attendance were Connie Britton (Tami Taylor), Aimee Teegarden (Julie Taylor), Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen), Scott Porter (Jason Street), Minka Kelly (Lyla Garrity), and Adrianne Palicki (Tyra Collette).
Starting with a joke about how much he appreciated the show's fans except for when they were complaining about the murder storyline, Jason Katims was largely unapologetic about the controversial subplot that derailed the show in its second season. Even a casual observer of the show couldn't help but hear the critical and fan outcry on that one. Katims shot down claims that the uncharacteristically melodramatic device had been dictated by a network looking to boost ratings and insisted it was a creative decision, and a worthwhile one in order to get two unlikely characters, Landry and Tyra, together. Not everyone in the audience seemed completely convinced, but all were ready to forgive and forget if only they'd be offered a season three to allow the show to return to form. Without confirming anything, an optimistic Katims hinted that an announcement should be coming soon.
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1 - Josh Lasser
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