The (Non) Influence of the TV Critic

Everyone's a critic, right? With the rise of blogs, it seems everyone's a TV critic in particular. But for all that, the power of the professional is undeniable. When Bill Carter writes in the New York Times, his words carry a weight that, say, mine don't. Same with John Doyle in Canada's Globe and Mail. They, among many others — though fewer and fewer as the media conglomerate –- are the opinion shapers of record.

Or are they?

The recent Banff World Television Festival's sessions included Master Classes of show creators who have basked in critical glory or railed at critical neglect, as well as a panel on the "Power of the TV Critic," gathering Carter, Doyle, and others to discuss their influence on the industry.  "I've certainly seen borderline shows that have been saved by the critics over the years," said Eric Kohanik of TV Times and CanWest News Service, and examples like Friday Night Lights come to mind.

I had to sneak out of the panel half way through in order to interview Rob Thomas, creator of the recently deceased Veronica Mars –- and a man who believes his show benefited from the influence of TV critics.

"I think one of the reasons we existed for two years on UPN and survived for two years was we gave the network a bit of artistic cache that they didn't have before us. Critics particularly could say UPN is doing some quality television, look at this," Thomas explained, before pointing out that the benefit only went so far, neither increasing ratings nor guaranteeing eternal life. "It outweighed the numbers we were doing for them. But after three years it quit meaning so much."

Doyle rejected the premise that critics do or should have influence over the shows they cover. "I think that kind of self-flattery and self-aggrandization is a mistake. We're journalists, and our contract is with our newspaper and with our readers," he said. "I think one of the great traps that a critic or columnist covering any aspect of the arts is to think that they're a player in the area of the medium they're covering. Your job is to point your readers toward shows that you think they should be watching."

Article Author: Diane Kristine Wild

Diane writes about boring things by day, pop culture things by night. She also runs the TV, Eh? website, a compilation of news about Canadian television. Follow her on Twitter @deekayw for more random thoughts.

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