While reality shows used to catch the attention of teens and young adults, there is now a new interest among them. This new interest is fantasy television shows. Fantasy television shows include: horror, supernatural elements, and many imaginative people and places. There are many reasons why people are drawn to these shows, but there are two that really stand out.
The first reason is that people strive for something that is entertaining and not dull. According to Stuart Fischoff, professor of psychology at California State University, "If we have a relatively calm, uneventful life-style, we seek out something that's going to be exciting for us, because our nervous system requires periodic revving, just like a good muscular engine." The more sensation-seeking people are, the higher chance they enjoy horror shows. John Campbell, an expert in media studies at Temple University, says that teens and young adults "are more likely to look for intense experiences." Tying into that, people are also drawn to fantasy shows because they get happiness from seeing people in distress. The second reason deals with negative emotions. The stronger the negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety, the more the person will like the genre they're watching. People find a sort of escape out of reality, and into the fantasy world. "The pleasure comes from the relief that follows. It provides a cathartic effect, offering you emotional release and escape from the real world of bills and mortgages and the economy and relationships," said Campbell. There are three fantasy shows that are popular among teens and young adults.
In the show "Supernatural," the two main characters, Sam and Dean Winchester, hunt demons, ghosts, monsters and other supernatural beings that exist in their world. The point of hunting the supernatural beings is to save other humans from being killed or turned into supernatural beings themselves. "We're hoping the audience will connect to committed, good, red-blooded, rollicking storytelling that every week is a satisfying story. We'll track the mythology, but every week we just want to scare the hell out of you with basically a different horror movie that has a beginning, a middle and an end," said Eric Kripke, the series creator of Supernatural.
Another show that has supernatural elements is called "The Walking Dead." This show includes a team of people that fight to survive in a post-apocalyptic situation. "I like the zombies and how much detail they use to make them better each season. Horror really grabs my attention, so of course, I enjoy the zombies," said Jocelyn VanDyke, a current student at Clarenceville High School.
"American Horror Story," is another show that is known to be popular among teens and young adults because of its paranormal elements. There is no series-wide arc, and is instead separated into different arcs every season. The most recent season, which is called "Hotel," where people who are portrayed to be vampires run a hotel. "I love American Horror Story because it's weird and I really like creepy stuff that takes place," said Delanie MacRae, Clarenceville High School alumna.
The love of horror among teens and young adults is very visible in this time of age. The supernatural and paranormal activities are quite intriguing for viewers of all ages. Fantasy shows are interesting, action-packed, and have an exclusive/mysterious vibe to them. Stay tuned and watch out for upcoming episodes of the most popular fantasy shows on national television.
