So why do you think Jared’s Q score is higher than Jensen’s? I think Jared was ranked 20 and Jensen 25, correct me if I’m wrong. Also, you mentioned that Jared got the most publicity for the GG revival, out of the boyfriends, why is that?
The easiest way to think about Q scores is “how much would I enjoy having lunch with this person?”
In this article about TV media personality’s Q scores, the first paragraph reads “Who wants to grab a beer with David Muir? Apparently, a whole bunch of Americans. How about a shot with Megyn Kelly? Nah, not so much”. Trying to imagine grabbing a beer with Megyn Kelly is pretty much a “no” for me too.
Actors’ Q are based on the characters they play. The more convincingly likeable the characters are, the higher on the Q the actors are going to score. Sam Winchester is the boy next door, you know, that guy who doesn’t know he’s attractive looking and he wouldn’t take advantage while offering emotional support, listening to your tales of self pity woes while still being the person you can have a beer and good conversation with. These are ideal traits that bothmen and women want in a close acquaintance.
Dean Winchester is a ladies’ man who approaches women with confidence, and even if he gets rejected it doesn’t bother him because he knows he’s cool and the next receptive woman is just a turn away. This confidence is what men wish they have. It’s also what women want, for the man to make the first move. Men want to be James Bond not for the international spy action or the thrill of hunting down terrorists, but for the lifestyle of expensive cars, fancy hotels, and travels. In Dean’s case, it’s minus the fancy hotels but those goofy motels look alright.Just because we want to be James Bond or Dean Winchester doesn’t mean we want to do shots with them. The thing about James Bond is that while he’ll listen to you and understand your fears, he’s not going to be empathetic or even try to rescue you because he has a job to do. It’s why the “Who wants to grab a beer with _____” question is moot because James Bond doesn’t drink beer because it won’t get him drunk fast enough and he’s a busy man and time is of the essence; martini = all killer, no filler. (But in Skyfall James Bond did drink the $45 million product placement Heineken. It’s not even a very British drink! Hey James, might as well ditch your Saville Row suits for baggy jeans and exposed boxers).
I can easily imagine shooting the breeze with Sam, just hanging out and chilling because he gives off a non-judgy friend-zone vibe. Sam doesn’t have a threatening presence. With Dean it’s going to feel like a rivalry and I’m thinking he’s going to make a move on my hot girlfriend who unbeknownst to me is actually a siren who plans to make minceme at out of me and Dean was only trying to figure out if I’m also a monster that he needs to kill or not.So to wrap it up, we don’t want to be Sam but we want a Sam in our life. We want to be Dean but we don’t necessarily want to hang out with a Dean.
In the 2014 Wrap article, Jared’s recognition score was 24, Jensen had higher recognition score of 30. Jared’s Q score is 26 and Jensen Q score was 25, they were ranked #12 and #14 respectively. One point difference in their Q score, no big deal, right? Then why did the AAs tried to downplay the whole thing? Because Jensen’s recognition score was higher than his Q (likable) score. Is that bad? Kind of sort of, because it means that not everybody who knows “Dean Winchester” likes him; whereas those that know “Sam Winchester” do like him. See my personal examples above.
Out of Gilmore Girls cast, Melissa McCarthy and Jared have the most successful post GG career. And out of Rory’s boyfriends, Jared had the most continuous successful, visible career. I don’t know who the blondie actor that plays Rory’s third side piece and what he has done since. I’m sure he’s had shown up as a guest or regular on other shows I’ve watched but didn’t recognize him. Milo found popularity on This is Us, his Q score is 28 and his ranking at 15, however his recognition score is 18. But wait, didn’t I just say that it’s a good thing that his Q score is higher than his recognition score? Yes, however, any recognition score below 20 is considered “less stable”.
Unlike the Nielsen numbers that measure how many people are watching a show, Q scores measure whether viewers like what they see. It’s why shows with low Nielsen numbers can still get renewed because the Q scores showed that people are highly emotionally bonded with the show and for some advertisers that is worth more than a show that a lot of people watch but don’t like. Shows and actors with “unstable" recognition numbers but high Q scores tells executives, “Hey wait, this show or this actor has potential and worth another look because the general audience have strong positive feelings about them.”
With seven-figure-plus production and advertising dollars at stake, executives are increasing relying on Q scores to help them decipher popularity or bankability. Under Q scores, breasts and biceps sizes don’t matter as much as the intangibles, things like humility, genuineness, and warmth. We want actors who appear authentic so that the cheesy dialogue feel real and not written, and the Q helps us know the actors were successful in these intangibles. Bras can always be stuffed and actors can do pushups between between scenes (I see this all the time).
