I understand that Emily Nussbaum's column about what we demand from television creators is more about the creative process and the way folks incorporate feedback. But puzzlingly, she's ignoring a huge benefit of online fan communities and a greater interaction between fans and writers and creators: it creates new sources of revenue for creators, and in some cases, keeps alive careers that might have withered in days when television writers and creators were more anonymous, and less powerful as brands.
Joss Whedon may sing funny songs about exploring the creative process and releasing DVDs with deleted scenes:
But without such insatiable and quantifiable fan enthusiasm for his work, and without the work that Whedon's done, personally, to generate and prove that enthusiasm, the guy probably wouldn't get to keep creating television shows, much less be in a position to direct a huge Avengers movie (his horror movie, Cabin in the Woods, is lingering without a release dated). A show like Community is probably alive despite its poor ratings in no small part because it has an active fan community and Dan Harmon is willing to engage with that. Fans who are willing to buy DVDs with extras can make a show that might not have been previously commercially successful viable.
This is obviously good for creators, period, but it's also good for shows that might not attract huge audiences but that have artistic merit. If the the price creators have to pay for pursuing unusual visions or making more money or staying in the game is interaction, that doesn't seem like a dreadful thing to ask. Obviously, some folks can't handle criticism, or resent having to do the promotional or reach-out work. And some folks are happy to work relatively anonymously to create test-marketed fare and to make a fine living doing that. But I think Nussbaum should at least acknowledge some of the benefits.