"Buffy Syndrome"

As I was catching up on my reading Sunday night, I stumbled across an article by Michael over at the SyFyPortal that attempts to explain why some people just won't give "Battlestar Galactica" a try.

Michael calls it the "Buffy Syndrome". He coined the term to explain the reason that people (himself, in particular) did not watch "Buffy The Vampire Slayer". In a nutshell, he associated the title with the movie that came before, and thus, thought it was going to be low quality. In the process, he almost missed one of the finest shows in our lifetimes.

He applies the same logic to the Battlestar Galactica's current situation. Viewership is OK (I'm kind) and it was recently renewed for a fourth season. But, if you recommend the the series to a friend, you have to get past the perception that the show is about shiny evil robots and corny space fighter pilots. And that is a difficult thing to do!

At least with BSG, we have the DVDs to use to convince our friends that it is a worthwhile show. I am in the process of doing just that with one of my neighbors, using the miniseries as 'bait'. But, what about the new shows? How many of next season's shows will we skip over just because of preconceived connotations that we have about the title? I can see "The Bionic Woman", "Flash Gordon" and "Mr. & Mrs Smith" fighting similar battles.

The "Buffy Syndrome" is not the only affliction that causes us to miss good shows. The one that affects me the most is, for lack of a better name, the "I've Seen It Before" plot-prejudice. When I identify a show that seems to have the same plot or premise as a previous show that I liked, the new show is automatically at a disadvantage. A good example of this syndrome is "Daybreak". Comparisons to "Groundhog Day" may have eliminated some of the viewers that could have actually enjoyed that show (since Bill Murray comedy fans aren't likely to enjoy a sci-fi mystery).

Unfortunately, I have already allowed this syndrome to claim a new show. Witness the upcoming CBS show 'Twilight', which I noted in a previous post as it had a "...connection with 'Angel'". The chances of 'Twilight' surpassing 'Angel' is very slim...so, the chances that I will like 'Twilight' is correspondingly reduced. I might watch it...but it will have to be really, really good from the start for me to overcome my bias. There are more fall shows that have the syndrome: 'Journeyman" (as a 'Quantum Leap' rehash) and 'Demons' (which made me "...long for 'Miracles'").

Since the fall season is rife with examples, I guess I need to think up a better name than "I've Seen It Before" for this syndrome. Anyone have a good one? For now, I'll just go with 'ISIB Syndrome'...but I am sure someone will think of something better!

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