Thank you, CW, for knowing why we really watch television

[taste_is_sweet]

I was going to do a post on something far more informative and, dare I say, useful, but in the process of finding pictures for it, I happened (totally accidentally, I swear) to come across this.

The article, though extremely, um, fascinating, is not the important part. The beautiful males on display without their shirts isn't the important part either (though I had to examine them closely and at length to determine that. RESEARCH, PEOPLE). The important part is that the CW Television Channel that owns Arrow did it in the first place.

Those posters of the three hunky heroic main characters on Arrow are blatant fanservice. 'Fanservice' (for those not following the link because they know that TV Tropes.com is a gateway drug of epic timesuck), refers to how entertainment producers will purposely contrive to display the bodies of attractive characters as a reward for fan loyalty.

Mostly, fanservice is intended for straight men (lesbians and bisexual anybody are an afterthought). There are many reasons for this, but personally I think it comes down to, a) most mass-market entertainment being written and/or designed by men; and, b) a general assumption that women watch for the plot while men need added encouragement.

I think this movie had giant robots in it.

But that doesn't mean fanservice for straight women (and those who aren't straight but like it too) doesn't exist. Indeed, I think that it's steadily increasing. The Spartacus TV series on Starz is a perfect example. Sure, there were topless or naked women everywhere, but I swear that season three had even more naked men. I've never seen so many manscaped, jiggly male bits in my life. It was awesome.

And the CW channel knows what side its bread is buttered on. Specifically the side that generally appreciates jiggly male bits. And they are fanservicing them like crazy.

I love it. A lot of that love is for how hilariously obvious it is. I only watch the CW's show Arrow, but aside from the shirtless posters I linked to, nearly every episode includes generous shots of Oliver Queen exercising or sparring with his buddy John Diggle. And Stephen Amell is always, always shirtless when he does it. It's like the producers are winkingly inviting us to simultaneously admire the display and be in on the joke.

It goes beyond the eye candy. Arrow's fanservice makes me feel included; like the CW actually values my attention. I know that it's really about getting advertisers to pay for a target audience, but it's nice to be a target audience for once, especially for my favorite genre.

And I definitely appreciate beauty.

It's a beautiful thing.

Comments

[joidianne4eva.livejournal.com]

Let us all take a moment to remember the beauty that was Spartacus *sighs*

And I do believe I saw a robot or two but were they really important when that *points to the hotness* was on display?

[taste-is-sweet.livejournal.com]

LOL. Ah, Spartacus. Manu Bennett is now in Arrow, wonderfully enough. Though he's wearing at least four layers every time we see him, up to and including a scarf. I'm not sure whether he's just sick of being naked or if it's a kind of running joke.

That's right, Pacific Rim did have giant robots in it! Somewhere. With pretty, pretty people driving them. ;)

[firesign10.livejournal.com]

Likewise, always glad when Dean/Jensen or Sam/Jared need to shed their shirts for whatever reason! Being a longer running show, they don't have tp do it as much as Arrow, etc., but damn, it is appreciated when it happens ;-)

[taste-is-sweet.livejournal.com]

Ah, I was wondering about that! Glad to know that Arrow isn't the only show with the gratuitously semi-nekked boys. :)

[ride-4ever.livejournal.com]

I <3 your kind of "research"!

[taste-is-sweet.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It's tough, I know, but sometimes we need to take courage and do what's necessary for rigourous scientific inquiry.

Like the rigorous scientific inquiry for your icon, there. Definitely a great hardship.

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmmm, Diggle. I'm sorry, were there words on this page?

[taste-is-sweet.livejournal.com]

LOL Yeah, somewhere...

[brumeier.livejournal.com]

It's a great time for abs, I can tell you that. I hate the Twilight movies but I watched all of them. Why? Team Abs...uh, I mean, Team Jacob.

Steve McGarrett's tight, tight shirts. Mmmm.

Abs are probably the reason I stopped watching NCIS: LA. I know for a fact that LL Cool J has very pretty abs, but they never showed them. I gave up.

I say bring on the fanservice if it keeps bringing me half-naked hotties. Yes!

[taste-is-sweet.livejournal.com]

LOL We live indeed in a most blessed time.

[skinscript.livejournal.com]

I am for damned sure not going to complain.

So happy that Manu Bennett is appearing on the show too. :)

[taste-is-sweet.livejournal.com]

Heh. Me neither!

I love that MB is on the show too! I just hope he's in the next episode. And not wearing umpteen layers. ;)