“Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” (also known as Dirk Gently) was a series produced by BBC America, and revolved around a “holistic detective” who investigates supernatural cases using the “interconnectedness of all things.” This show was science fiction, mystery, and comedy series all at once.
The show was very experimental because the storyline was complex and did not put the pieces together or spell out the story for the viewers. This show aired weekly on BBC America.
However, it was canceled after two seasons due to unspecified reasons. Tyler Labine (who plays the sheriff in season 2 of Dirk Gently) speculates on “Chewin It” episode 244 that it was because of the work environment that the cast was experiencing. However, we can assume it was at least partially due to low viewership, as it was at a little under 250,000 viewers during cancellation. But why was viewership so low?
Dirk Gently was a show that broke genre barriers. It wasn’t specifically a mystery, or specifically a comedy. It incorporated elements of many different television genres into one show, likely due to the inspiration the show takes from the novel of the same name (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, written by Douglas Adams). The problem is people have to watch every single episode to grasp what is going on within the story. This show requires people to binge watch to understand.
However, the show was not produced in a way that allowed for easy binge watching. It was being produced as a weekly show, dependent on viewers coming back or joining in with each new episode. People would be confused jumping in mid season or during season 2 without watching season 1. This meant the only people watching were a dedicated fanbase.
This dedicated fan base, however, was… small. Not many people knew about the show- outside of those who read the books- so it did not have time to gain its footing with a large fandom. Simply, there were not enough viewers to support the show’s run.
That’s the basic reason. But I also think there is an additional reason that the show did not have a lot of viewers. This is speculation, but I think it’s due to gender roles and the normalization of the overtly masculine man.
Dirk Gently, the protagonist, is relatively feminine. He wears bright colors, gets excited easily, dyes his hair, and generally doesn’t conform to the traditional ideas of masculinity. He also has a very close relationship with his friend Todd, and outwardly states his appreciation for him. He announces that they are best friends often and is a very vulnerable character.
His femininity may have made viewers uncomfortable. There is a supreme lack of television on the air right now that has male characters as protagonists who do not fit into traditional gender norms. Shows that dominate the industry- especially in terms of weekly television- do not often have any characters that go against gender norms, or if they do, they are minor characters.
Is this unfair? People deserve to see people like them on the screen, and that includes breaking the gender norms that we see are constantly exposed to. Dirk Gently was a great way to build into that, but the viewers and producers refused.
How do we get more representation to a larger audience? Is there no way? Will we be stuck in seeing representation as stereotypes and minor characters, or will children be able to see people like them on television in the near future?
It’s a depressing thought. I want to be optimistic and say yes, but if viewers do not become more open and willing to ideas that may not perfectly relate to them– it might be impossible. It is especially upsetting because I don’t want to see shows like Dirk Gently fail again.