Opinion: Nerdy TV Requires Too Much Homework

[Oliviarfrias]

My favorite show on TV right now is Star Trek: Lower Decks. I literally have to press pause several times an episode because I'm laughing so hard. The best jokes are always obscure references that make you feel good for being a Trekkie, like when Captain Freeman gets possessed by the evil mask from the TNG episode aptly titled, "Masks" or when a new crew member shares a horror story about being trapped in the board game from Deep Space Nine's "Move Along Home". A part of the joke is that you feel like you're on the inside just for getting it. In fact, if I don't get a joke I'll pause and look it up on my phone immediately. Luckily, on Lower Decks, those moments are somewhat few and far between since I'm finishing up a years-long journey of watching every episode of Star Trek in stardate order. But what if those classic episodes weren't so fresh in my mind? Would I love the show as much then?

I got my answer when I tried to watch Ahsoka. Dave Filoni's latest live action Star Wars adventure follows Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker's former apprentice. Fans of Filoni's animated work will recognize Ahsoka from The Clone Wars and Rebels. As someone who watched those shows when they aired, I've been excited for Ahsoka to have her time in the live action spotlight. I also was excited to introduce her to my husband who only watches the live action movies and shows. Since Ahsoka made her live action debut in The Mandalorian, I had assumed that the show would be made accessible for people who had only watched that and The Book of Boba Fett. Boy, was I wrong. Not only could my husband not follow Ahsoka, but I couldn't either, given that I didn't rewatch Rebels right before the show aired and I don't remember every detail of what happened. If Ahsoka's ratings are any indication, I'm not the only Stars Wars fan who felt this way.

TV requiring "homework" isn't unique to franchises that start with "Star" either. Marvel now has shows tied into their increasingly bloated cinematic universe. Seemingly every show that aired in the 90s from Saved by the Bell to Frasier is being rebooted. What's a nerd to do when they can only follow one out of five new shows on TV without rewatching hours of old content first?

The phenomenon of interconnected media getting bogged down by its own weight is nothing new to comic book fans. Those who followed Batman in the days of The New 52 know that Robin died not in the main Batman comic, but in the side book Gotham Inc. That may have felt rewarding to Gotham Inc. readers…but for me it was annoying and made me quit reading superhero comics issue to issue. When comics get too hard to follow, usually what happens is the universe gets a reboot. Then everyone can start from scratch on the same page. 

Obviously not all TV can just reboot itself at once, and no one is going to be able to agree on which ones need it and which ones don't, but it might be time for some major franchises to consider a fresh new start before their viewership becomes so niche that they can no longer justify their existence. Or maybe I'm unique in feeling left out if I don't understand all the references? Feel free to discuss in the comments.