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By Chris Snellgrove
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Since Agatha All Long broke the curse of the Marvel TV series by giving the best show since WandaVisionEveryone tried to get to the bottom of why this spell worked so effectively. Appropriately enough, it seems that lead star Kathryn Hahn has it figured out: at a recent PowerWomen summit, she discussed the “emotional safety” of working primarily with women on the show and how to “encourage complexity” and give it real meaning. . “coven” of life that was “vibing and buzzing” throughout the production. Considering Agatha All LongThe exceptional appeal of female viewers, it seems that this show has managed to adapt to a very specific demographic.
Witches Get It Done
Among Internet users most likely to order brain pills, there is a popular idea that when you show them “go awake” in correspondence “they go broke”, paying the perceived price for adapting to a different demographic from the old white Agatha All Long Becoming a smash hit thanks to its overt appeal to women seemingly flies in the face of this idea, but the show's success has mercifully gone beyond the bounds of the internet's endless culture wars. AgateThe success of Doctor Who doesn't mean that every Disney+ show needs to embrace its inner girl boss. Instead, it proves that the House of Mouse needs to stop trying to appeal to everyone with every show.
Consider some of the Marvel shows on Disney+, including The falcon and the winter soldier, Lokiand She-Hulk. All these very different shows have one thing in common: Marvel wants them to appeal to as many people as possible, ultimately damaging the overall quality of the series.
For example, The falcon and the winter soldier he wanted the public to sympathize with his villains and his desire to fight the corrupt world governments that had abandoned millions of people. But not too nice, which is why the Flag Smashers suddenly bombed a supply warehouse full of innocent people. Disney tried to appeal to those who applaud social activism and those who like to see terrorists punished, but the result was a confused villain whose motivations made less sense as time went on.
Up to Agatha All Long, Loki has been considered the best MCU Disney+ show ever WandaVision. But despite its insanely charismatic lead actor, that show also suffered from trying to appeal to everyone… the show tries to appeal to lore nerds with its Variants and endless easter eggs, but it also tries to appeal to those who love mysterious boxes with their whole. “Who started the VAT?” subplot. Also, it tried to appeal to romantics with its strange Loki/Sylvie pairing, even as it laid the groundwork for future Marvel shows and movies; the result was a show that could only be brilliant by being good.
Some fans may be tempted to compare She-Hulk to Agatha All Long because this legal comedy was also apparently aimed at women, until the main villain was a weird misogynist. However, I would argue that the show is more about raising awareness of feminist principles and the struggles that women face (from being catcalled to being murdered) than actually saying much beyond the obvious “patriarchy is bad”, which is why that most fans remember stupid things. like the titular character twerking rather than any kind of serious message. This was basically Tumblr activism: the show, making it not as meaningful as anyone hoped.
Agatha All Long: By Women, For Women
All of this brings us back Agatha All Longa show that was made both by women. That doesn't mean men can't enjoy it (hell, I loved it!), but the show particularly resonated with its target demographic by centering the narrative on female agency and the magical power of sisterhood. We also see our title character lock lips with Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza) in a celebration of female sexuality, which felt especially notable because Disney often seems to downplay such representation for fear of upsetting other markets (mainly China).
Again, the lesson Disney should learn Agatha All Long It's not that every show needs girl power, but instead that 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's forgotten who he really is. The point is that the show should be written around that focus rather than trying to appeal to everyone at once.
This flies in the face of conventional wisdom that a show must appeal to as many people as possible to become popular. Ma Agatha All Long it teaches us that going all-in on a specific demographic helps shows develop some much-needed word-of-mouth buzz. And the fact that Hahn's show has only become more popular over time is proof of the old adage: if you build it (in this case, an ambitious show about a charismatic lead written and directed by passionate fans), they will stream.
Only time will tell if Disney learns the right lessons Agatha All Long. I have high hopes that shows like Daredevil: Born again and Wonder Man It will also be half as fiery, creative, or downright clever as this wonderfully witchy show. But the key is for the House of Mouse to stop casting the widest possible net and instead close in a target audience with its cast, creative and script. Otherwise, the Marvel curse will return and remain in place until executives learn that fans want a luxurious personalized meal and not another bowl of generic slop.
