Consider what goes on in your brain when you, for instance, you watch an episode of Mad Men.
First, you have a reaction. "That's weird" is a reaction. So is "yuck." So is "wow." "This doesn't make sense" is a reaction, "that's a great dress" is a reaction, and "WHAT?" is a reaction.
TV is still a huge topic of conversation on and offline, according to recent research. In fact, conversation about TV is growing in the last few years. And face-to-face word of mouth still has tremendous power when it comes to attracting new viewers to a show. TV still seems to be the most influential medium when it comes to shaping American culture.
What happens when fans stop talking about a show that used to be their favorite? Take American Idol, for example. Last week's finale was way down from last year's finale. It was the first time a finale did not reach the 20-million mark.
The classic children's show Captain Kangaroo aired on TV for nearly 30 years, starting in 1955. After its creator and star, Bob Keeshan, died in 2004, his estate donated a few of his beloved hand puppets to the Smithsonian.
Sometimes you need some distance to appreciate a classic.
That was certainly the case for John Williams' novel Stoner. When it was originally published in 1965, the only publication to mention the book at all was The New Yorker, in its "Briefly Noted" column. The novel received admiring reviews over the years, but sold just 2,000 copies and was almost immediately forgotten.
Theweekends on All Things Considered series Movies I've Seen A Million Timesfeatures filmmakers, actors, writers and directors talking about the movies that they never get tired of watching.
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