My hypothesis is that the longer a character is on a show, the more the audience identifies with them, and that the audience rarely even sympathizes with a guest star.
Hmm. I can think of a number of examples where this isn't true for me. It tends to be the better actors, the ones who are just in a lot of stuff and know how to come in and be interesting from cold (the ones from the Vancouver Acting Pool, or the 37 British actors you see in everything the UK ever produces). And some characters I warmed to within moments, no matter how long they ultimately were around - and some I never warmed to, even though they were around forever.
I mean, in general, I see the sense there. I discover love for characters when there's good fanfic that gives me a new perspective on them, or when they're around long enough that I have to find some way of rationalising why I'm still having to watch them. :) And I'm probably able to think of the exceptions BECAUSE they were exceptions, i.e. they stuck in my minds as 'that one I really loved who was only in the one ep', whereas there are actually dozens and dozens of other ones-who-were-only-in-one-ep that never pinged for me at all. Hm.
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Date: 2013-08-21 08:37 pm (UTC)From:Hmm. I can think of a number of examples where this isn't true for me. It tends to be the better actors, the ones who are just in a lot of stuff and know how to come in and be interesting from cold (the ones from the Vancouver Acting Pool, or the 37 British actors you see in everything the UK ever produces). And some characters I warmed to within moments, no matter how long they ultimately were around - and some I never warmed to, even though they were around forever.
I mean, in general, I see the sense there. I discover love for characters when there's good fanfic that gives me a new perspective on them, or when they're around long enough that I have to find some way of rationalising why I'm still having to watch them. :) And I'm probably able to think of the exceptions BECAUSE they were exceptions, i.e. they stuck in my minds as 'that one I really loved who was only in the one ep', whereas there are actually dozens and dozens of other ones-who-were-only-in-one-ep that never pinged for me at all. Hm.
Hm.... *pondering*
You should explain more about your hypothesis!