LA Times: Some Shows Aren’t Big on TV, ….

Thanks to Amy for this. Follow the link to read the entire article.

Some Shows Aren’t Big on TV, but on the Net They’re Huge

By JOAN GIGLIONE, Special to The Times

When women think about the sexiest man alive, many probably visualize a Hollywood star with charisma, charm and sex appeal–a George Clooney, Denzel Washington or Frank Sinatra….

Parasocial interaction is a situation where an audience member feels as if they know a media figure personally. This relationship, though one-sided, mocks face-to-face interaction. Message boards are a way that Internet users can share a burning need to talk about their relationships with characters from series such as “Roswell,” “The X-Files,” “7th Heaven” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
This refusal to let go of a since-departed program is not uncommon in the blending of the television screen and the computer monitor. Online campaigns have been waged on behalf of canceled CBS series such as “Now and Again,” a sci-fi/comedy/romantic drama, and a revival of “The Magnificent Seven.” “Star Trek” Web pages abound. Even “Married . . . With Children” still has 140 operational Internet tributes. For people who want more exposure to characters they followed, these sites become places to talk and mourn.