i think the outsiders-helping-the-helpless variant (a format often played w/ lots of resonance, sometimes made explicit, w/ christian salvation/redemption stories) is a pretty major feature on tv, and a close relative to the society/legality framework of cop shows and medical shows, so it's interesting that shows like that did not do as well as these winningest ones.
maybe the savior-shows tend to code more as mythical, thus less serious/realistic. when they don't actually contain fantastical elements (michael landon, trying to get back to heaven) or legendary ones (kwai chang caine) they tend to be genre fiction (michael knight, the a-team, buffy).
― j., Tuesday, 16 September 2014 13:50 (nine years ago) link