I spend a lot of time on the subreddit for audio drama. It’s a nice mixture of creators and fans of audio drama. Barely a day goes by that someone isn’t asking for recommendations. Often they list their likes and dislikes when it comes to audio dramas. Anything from sci-fi, horror, LBGTQ+ themes, bingeable series, etc. Or they might list the shows they already like to see if anyone can recommend something in a similar vain. Then comes anthologies. Wow. There is BIG hate for anthologies. Madison kind of straddles the line between episodic and anthology. But I wondered why so many people were so vehemently apposed to anthologies? I think I might have discovered at least one reason.
I’ve mentioned in other Musings how the terminology in audio dramas of things like “episodic,” “serial,” and “stand-alone,” amongst other terms, have all been twisted to mean different things in audio drama than they do in the rest of entertainment. These terms came to be in television, and should absolutely apply to audio drama, so I’m not sure why this deviation has occurred. It feels like a lack of understanding of the actual terminology by amateurs in the field that has spread. So what about “anthologies”?
An anthology is best described by an example most people recognize: “The Twilight Zone.” There is an overall umbrella of theme and tone for the series. One host/narrator is featured in all of the episodes, but each new episode is a completely new story with new settings and new characters, none of which will return in future episodes. The story will rap itself up in that single episode. Madison does fall into this category because she is the only constant while each new episode is a different old time radio series with different characters and a completed story by the end of the episode. We fudge this a little with the Sherlock Holmes sagas, but that’s basically it.
So why would people be opposed to this format? Some people have trained themselves on streaming series that have story arcs and character journeys. If that’s your thing, great. But I think I’ve discovered the real reason fans of audio drama are so turned off of anthology series. The audio dramas just aren’t written very well.
I’ve been trying to listen to a wide variety of audio dramas, and the few who have boasted of being anthologies don’t know how to write short stories. They front load the episode with tons of exposition. Talking heads. One character asks the other about his/her entire background. There’s no action. There’s no story. Just a writer who thinks they’ve invented two ah-mazing characters and has them talk about themselves so the audience can see just how ah-mazing the writer is for inventing them. And that’s really what it comes down to. Poor writing. If you’re a fan of old time radio, you’ve surely listened to the vast amount of anthologies OTR has to offer. In fact, we even did a Madison’s Mad Facts about anthologies. Once again I point out, these anthologies were written by the top Hollywood writers of the era, performed by the top Hollywood talent.
I had come to the conclusion a lot of people don’t like comedies because of having listened to so many that didn’t deliver, that they are gun shy about trying another comedy. But now I feel like that same experience of poorly written anthologies has lead many listeners to stay far away from anthology audio dramas as well. It’s hard being in the indie sphere where this attitude saturates audiences. But here we are. And as I say all the time, the right audience will find us. So if listeners out there have been burned by amateur shows, they just won’t know what they’re missing.
-Chrisi (aka Madison)
