I have seen a lot of people say this over the years — not just in relation to TV shows, but that in general they find it hard to create fanworks if they feel a canon is pretty much close to perfect. I've seen this sentiment repeated enough that I know it must be the norm, and it's yet again another instance where I'm out of step with fandom, because for me it's always been the opposite.
Watching/reading something with really glaring flaws doesn't make me yearn to write fic to fix the flaws, or seek out other people's fanworks to see how they fixed them: it just lowers my fannish enthusiasm, and that canon ends up being something that is briefly diverting and enjoyable while I'm reading or watching it, to be forgotten immediately afterwards. Whereas if I think something is pretty much close to perfect, I'm yearning to write and read post-canon fic so that the story doesn't end.
This might just be that post-canon fic is generally my favourite thing to read and write. Or maybe there's a sweet spot in which shows need to exist — good enough to inspire fannish interest, messy enough to leave fanwriters with something to work with.
I also agree with other commenters here in that episodic TV that is released one episode per week (often at different times in different regions) is more likely to inspire fic as people try to fill in the gaps while they wait for the next installment of canon, whereas streaming TV that's released all in one go can be consumed immediately without the need to use fic to fill the void while waiting. And I guess that goes for book fandoms as well — weren't book fandoms like Harry Potter at their most active when there was a long gap between publication of the various books in the series?
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Watching/reading something with really glaring flaws doesn't make me yearn to write fic to fix the flaws, or seek out other people's fanworks to see how they fixed them: it just lowers my fannish enthusiasm, and that canon ends up being something that is briefly diverting and enjoyable while I'm reading or watching it, to be forgotten immediately afterwards. Whereas if I think something is pretty much close to perfect, I'm yearning to write and read post-canon fic so that the story doesn't end.
This might just be that post-canon fic is generally my favourite thing to read and write. Or maybe there's a sweet spot in which shows need to exist — good enough to inspire fannish interest, messy enough to leave fanwriters with something to work with.
I also agree with other commenters here in that episodic TV that is released one episode per week (often at different times in different regions) is more likely to inspire fic as people try to fill in the gaps while they wait for the next installment of canon, whereas streaming TV that's released all in one go can be consumed immediately without the need to use fic to fill the void while waiting. And I guess that goes for book fandoms as well — weren't book fandoms like Harry Potter at their most active when there was a long gap between publication of the various books in the series?