Genre-Curious

[major_clanger]

From this discussion thread on io9 regarding True Detective - a US crime drama that makes references to [spoiler redacted, but it's widely seen as a Lovecraftian piece of literature] - comes a very handy phrase: 'Genre-curious'.

A genre-curious show would be one that isn't overtly or explicitly sf/fantasy, but which includes references to the genre or makes use of its tropes. Although I've yet to see it, it sounds as if True Detective qualifies in the first of those categories, while Hannibal might fall into the second; it has no supernatural elements*, but draws heavily on favourite genre themes such as psychological alienation and horror.

(*Although that depends how you interpret aspects of S1E05 "Coquilles".)

I'm just wondering what other shows might count? The League of Gentlemen and Sherlock come to mind, although that's hardly surprising given Mark Gatiss' involvement in them. Any others?

Comments

[dalmeny]

Castle. Huge number of sff and fannish references set within a contemporary realish New York.

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Not to mention the fun they had with the episode set at an SF con, riffing off Nathan Fillion's most previously famous role.

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, I'd suggest.

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

And of course I'm forgetting the CSI episode "A Space Oddity", where the plot was driven by negative fan reaction to the proposed dark-and-gritty reboot of a much-loved sf show - said episode begin written by two New Battlestar Galactica writers and featuring three cast members and the show-runner!

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

Oh yes - although I'd say Life on Mars was genre-curious, whereas Ashes to Ashes started that way but ended up as an outright genre show, given the explanation for the whole scenario of both shows it ended up with. But most of the way there, yes, very much a genre-curious show.

[gaspode.livejournal.com]

I was about to say Castle without a doubt as well. You can also put CSI in that list - the original and Vegas one that is (and the only one still running) which has often (mainly via Hodges but also with Greg and previously Wendy) thrown in references and also have a legendary SF convention episode with more references than you can shake a stick at not to mention Ron Moore, Grace Park and several other BSG alumni playing small roles.

[gaspode.livejournal.com]

Also I'd count Person Of Interest in there as it definitely started out a genre curious Bad Guy of the Week then morphed fairly rapidly into something else and become out and out SF by Season 2 (The Season 2 finale being arguably the best bit of true SF in its use of an AI on the screen last year) ...

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Ivor the Engine. Starts out as a programme about a simple steam railway in North Wales, then suddenly introduces dragons!

[inamac.livejournal.com]

I've just learned that the forthcoming episode of Jonathan Creek includes a Sherlock pastiche - complete with flashy camera close ups and faux-detection.

It's a send-up, but I really really would like to be able to turn on the TV once in a while and not have to watch another Sherlock reference.

[gaspode.livejournal.com]

This crossed with my post it seems ...

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

Amazingly, Google shows no sign that anyone has crossed over Ivor the Engine with Game of Thrones.

[calatrice.livejournal.com]

I'd nominate The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Avengers, both of which had a lot of fun with various SF and horror themes. Although they did cross the genre boundary altogether a few times (Cybernauts for example).

Chuck is a more recent show that played at the very edge of SF, without ever really crossing into it. The central idea (man becomes super secret agent by downloading a huge US Intelligence database into his brain) is clearly SF, but the actual episodes are escapist spy dramas.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

YET.

[pauldormer.livejournal.com]

I'd suggest Psych. The main characters are fans of many genre shows and films. One episode was an extended spoof of Twin Peaks, including many of the actors from that. Another seemed to involve a vampire and several of the cast had been in vampire films, including Kristy Swanson, the original Buffy. A recent episode involved hunting bigfoot, by way of The Blair Witch Project.

Actually, the hero has no psychic powers, just very good powers of observation. But the people at Syfy in the UK obviously didn't get this, because they showed a couple of seasons of it a few years back.