With the 2010 Fall TV season upon us, here is the Videot's guide to nightly viewing. 1
Mondays
The Old: “House” is still holding its own, and now has thrown in a new twist as House and Cuddy have finally managed to succumb to their attraction. Whether this mellows House or causes a problem with his naturally antagonistic relationship to Cuddy as his boss should make for fun. “How I Met Your Mother” is still worth checking out. While “Two and a Half Men” has grown tired, it is still worth checking out one more season.
The New: “Lone Star” appears to be one of those night time soaps that Fox has enough confidence to use “House” as its lead in. Anyone afraid of getting involved and then losing out to early cancellation should note that ”House” was an early ratings loser, saved by eventually being tag teamed with “American Idol.” “Hawaii Five-O,” a take on the 70's hit, looks great in previews and has both the tag line (“Book 'em Danno”) and the greatest them song in TV history. This is bound to be a hit with the typical over-50 CBS crowd, but may work with younger viewers as its cast has been "re-imagined" as hot sex symbols. Finally, the Videot can't help but fall into “The Event,” if for anything to find out what "the event" is (something promised to be revealed this season, as opposed to 5 frigging and ultimately pointless "Lost" seasons).
The Plan: DVR “Hawaii Five-O” and a single block of “House” and “Lone Star.” Watch “The Event” and the sitcoms On Demand.
Tuesdays
The Old: “Glee” is a must see, and it is doubtful that a show having this much fun can fade or fumble in only its second season. Same is true for both “The Goodwife” and “Parenthood,” although “The Goodwife” from the start seemed a limited premise that has so far surprisingly surpassed that expectation. Thank you NBC for sticking by “Parenthood” based on its younger (than “The Goodwife”) demographics. Sorry Gleeks, “Parenthood” is the best show on Tuesdays, with a terrific cast and well paced issues.
The New: Hey, we have never hid the scifi geekdom of the Videot and therefore “No Ordinary Family” is a can't-miss. Great casting (Michael Chiklis of "The Shield" and the Thing from “The Fantastic Four;” Julie Benz of “Dexter” and Darla of “Angel” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) should save this series that is clearly a derivative of both “The Fantastic Four” and “The Incredibles.” It might also be a show that the entire family can and will want to watch together.
The Plan: No DVR conflicts mean all is well and all can be recorded as individual events.
Wednesdays:
The Old: A light night for The Videot as only “Modern Family” holds interest. Apparently, the Emmy awards agreed. The Videot gave up on the “House” imitation “Lie to Me” half way through last season.
The New Maaaybe “Undercovers.” Since this is a show from JJ Abrams, are we going to see another Alias (good show with sci-fi elements and a continuing storyline) or Lost (good show that initially ran from its sci-fi basis until you could tell that the creators could not - and ultimately did not - resolve the convoluted plot in any satisfactory way). While I trust Abrams for the “Star Trek” reboot and the “X-Files” clone “Fringe,” the Videot will most likely take a see and wait position on this one. Plus it’s on NBC which, “Parenthood” aside, usually dumps and run at the time you get fully invested in a show.
The Plan: DVR the two holdovers and “Undercovers.” This is also a good night to catch up on shows recorded Monday and Tuesday.
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1 Be aware that the Videot has Comcast, an HD DVR and tries to avoid commercials. While Comcast exaggerates its HD On Demand "choices," which include a plethora of unwanted movies, they do successfully mount On Demand for both ongoing TV series for both CBS and NBC. Assuming that practice continues, On Demand use and heavy reliance on the DVR maximizes what can be watched on any given night. The Videot watches programming on a computer only when desperate or traveling.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Has Lost Killed Sci-Fi on the Big 4 Networks?
With Fox's announcement that Steven Spielberg's Terra Nova has been given a long production leash and is already a part of the the Fox lineup for 2011 (!!?), sci-fi geeks may feel comforted that science fiction and fantasy is alive and well on Network Television. The Videot however fears that ABC's now completed Lost series did a number on genre television.
At this point, the series finale of Lost has been dissected ad nausem.(Was both the island and the sideways real and part of purgatory or just the side view? If just the side view, then when did the characters die? When the plane crashed? When the island exploded? When the various characters died?) But for a show that some claim changed television or was some form of paradigm shift, the jury is still out - way out. The rush of shows trying to emulate Lost's success from prior seasons (think Surface on NBC and Invasion on ABC,) could not hold onto viewers or even a single season. A show like Heroes, which had at least episodic elements to go along with its long tangled storyline, got itself bogged down in repetition and ultimate cancellation.
With the new Fall season of 2010 coming, only a few shows appear to be attempting this type of lightning in a bottle chance: The Event, involving a government conspiracy to cover up who knows what,Undercovers, a spy drama in which one running storyline will be why a fellow agent has disappeared (also from JJ Abrams, who had a similar show with Alias) and a midseason or backup drama called The Cape, which apparently attempts to capture both the initial fervor of Heroes as well as Lost (since the hero will be trying to prove himself innocent of a framed up con job for the entirety of the series). Although TV longevity predictions are as good as fortune cookies, these three series (all on flailing NBC) do not appear to have much of a chance to catch on.
The one remaining new sci-fi show, No Ordinary Family on ABC, already appears to be positioned for an early exit, since it is slotted against Biggest Loser on NBC, Glee on Fox, and current ratings champ NCIS on CBS.
If you want to blame any one group of people, you can always blame the networks who do not have faith in their shows. Shows with long-standing mysteries that lasted four seasons or more (The X-Files comes to mind - which even lasted a few more seasons than it should have) were born first of creativity followed by network fortitude. Network patience no longer exists, and Lost only lasted because it's rating supported the show long before it made itself clear to be a science fiction program (Abrams did the same thing with less loved Alias, a spy drama that was more than tinged with sci-fi). You have to realize that had Lost been advertised as science fiction, it would not have lasted a single season. With the exception of Fringe on Fox (home of the aforementioned X-Files), and a string of shows on the highly low rated CW, science fiction and fantasy barely exists on network television.
Off network, where a Nielsen rating of 2 provides contentment, science fiction is alive and well, primarily on SyFy: Eureka, Stargate Universe, etc. Even AMC, where they are debuting the first ever zombie series, The Walking Dead in October, is willing to support the genre. BBC America has Dr. Who and Being Human, has given us the outstanding Jekyl, and is in the process of working on another season of Torchwood. HBO, which should be given credit for fantasy, as it has True Blood, and will be showing A Game of Thrones in 2011, is rumored to be developing at least two sci-fi series.
So what are the networks afraid of? Apparently an audience smart enough for the long form and sci-fi in particular. They would rather continue to crank out CSI style procedurals, knowing that their aging audience would rather not have to think too much and be informed of plot development through bad dialogue or bad puns from David Caruso.
Getting back to Lost (Ok, so I drift a bit), had the show been honest about it's sci-fi trappings, the ratings would not have been as high for sure, but in the end the audience would have been loyal and satisfied, instead of resigned to stick to a show that could not help to end in disappointment.
At this point, the series finale of Lost has been dissected ad nausem.(Was both the island and the sideways real and part of purgatory or just the side view? If just the side view, then when did the characters die? When the plane crashed? When the island exploded? When the various characters died?) But for a show that some claim changed television or was some form of paradigm shift, the jury is still out - way out. The rush of shows trying to emulate Lost's success from prior seasons (think Surface on NBC and Invasion on ABC,) could not hold onto viewers or even a single season. A show like Heroes, which had at least episodic elements to go along with its long tangled storyline, got itself bogged down in repetition and ultimate cancellation.
With the new Fall season of 2010 coming, only a few shows appear to be attempting this type of lightning in a bottle chance: The Event, involving a government conspiracy to cover up who knows what,Undercovers, a spy drama in which one running storyline will be why a fellow agent has disappeared (also from JJ Abrams, who had a similar show with Alias) and a midseason or backup drama called The Cape, which apparently attempts to capture both the initial fervor of Heroes as well as Lost (since the hero will be trying to prove himself innocent of a framed up con job for the entirety of the series). Although TV longevity predictions are as good as fortune cookies, these three series (all on flailing NBC) do not appear to have much of a chance to catch on.
The one remaining new sci-fi show, No Ordinary Family on ABC, already appears to be positioned for an early exit, since it is slotted against Biggest Loser on NBC, Glee on Fox, and current ratings champ NCIS on CBS.
If you want to blame any one group of people, you can always blame the networks who do not have faith in their shows. Shows with long-standing mysteries that lasted four seasons or more (The X-Files comes to mind - which even lasted a few more seasons than it should have) were born first of creativity followed by network fortitude. Network patience no longer exists, and Lost only lasted because it's rating supported the show long before it made itself clear to be a science fiction program (Abrams did the same thing with less loved Alias, a spy drama that was more than tinged with sci-fi). You have to realize that had Lost been advertised as science fiction, it would not have lasted a single season. With the exception of Fringe on Fox (home of the aforementioned X-Files), and a string of shows on the highly low rated CW, science fiction and fantasy barely exists on network television.
Off network, where a Nielsen rating of 2 provides contentment, science fiction is alive and well, primarily on SyFy: Eureka, Stargate Universe, etc. Even AMC, where they are debuting the first ever zombie series, The Walking Dead in October, is willing to support the genre. BBC America has Dr. Who and Being Human, has given us the outstanding Jekyl, and is in the process of working on another season of Torchwood. HBO, which should be given credit for fantasy, as it has True Blood, and will be showing A Game of Thrones in 2011, is rumored to be developing at least two sci-fi series.
So what are the networks afraid of? Apparently an audience smart enough for the long form and sci-fi in particular. They would rather continue to crank out CSI style procedurals, knowing that their aging audience would rather not have to think too much and be informed of plot development through bad dialogue or bad puns from David Caruso.
Getting back to Lost (Ok, so I drift a bit), had the show been honest about it's sci-fi trappings, the ratings would not have been as high for sure, but in the end the audience would have been loyal and satisfied, instead of resigned to stick to a show that could not help to end in disappointment.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Spartacus: Blood and Sand - A Must See on Blu-Ray and DVD
For those of you who have not watched the new show from Starz, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, the DVD/Blu-ray of this great series premieres on September 21, 2010 (if you have Netflix, you can watch the show now as a streaming "Watch Instantly" series on your Netflix enabled device or computer). Be forewarned however as the “blood” in the title is copious, and if you're not into gratuitous sex and nudity, the show is certainly not for you.
Shot entirely on a soundstage, and intended to be reminiscent of the movie 300, S:BS deals with the leader of a legendary slave revolt in ancient Rome but on a level not seen before. The knowledge of Spartacus in history is sparse, and is known mostly as a name and as noted, leader of a slave rebellion. It literally took two years for Rome to eventually stop the revolt and some historians claim that the legend of Spartacus was altered (making him into a Roman soldier converted to slave) to explain how he could be so successful for so many years. Indeed, the Ridley Scott movie Gladiator, owes some of its storyline to the Spartacus legend.
Author Howard Fast, imprisoned for refusing to name names during the McCarthy era, wrote a book on Spartacus as metaphor for his imprisonment and injustice. That Spartacus was a slave from birth and is depicted as a rebel against the state. The book is told from the point of view of the mystified Romans who fail to understand how a slave could defeat Roman soldiers, let alone have the wherewithal to command others.
The more famous Kirk Douglas Spartacus, directed by Stanley Kubrick, and written by another blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo, is notorious for the "I am Spartacus" scene, in which other soldiers of his slave army claimed to be their leader to avoid a Hobson's choice of Spartacus sacrificing himself for the good of his soldiers (who would be returned to slavery or killed).
In the film, the slave revolt appears to be practically accidental and incidental to Spartacus’ discovery that the woman he loves is to be sold.
S:BS however, in the first season, provides a 13 episode reason why Spartacus chooses to lead a slave rebellion. Moreover, the producers of the program cleverly let us in on the secret that Spartacus is not his real name, turning the "I Am Spartacus" reference into an inside joke.
As noted, this program is not for everybody. Indeed, having been a faithful follower of the show since its premiere, I am more than curious how a promised set of extended episodes, with content apparently too tough for the Starz network, is even possible.
With the lead actor from Spartacus recovering from treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the producers have decided to move forward with a six episode prequel, starring everyone from the series except Spartacus to keep the appetites for the series alive. .
This program is highly recommended to those who can appreciate (or perhaps tolerate) the amount of gore and sex involved in the production.
Shot entirely on a soundstage, and intended to be reminiscent of the movie 300, S:BS deals with the leader of a legendary slave revolt in ancient Rome but on a level not seen before. The knowledge of Spartacus in history is sparse, and is known mostly as a name and as noted, leader of a slave rebellion. It literally took two years for Rome to eventually stop the revolt and some historians claim that the legend of Spartacus was altered (making him into a Roman soldier converted to slave) to explain how he could be so successful for so many years. Indeed, the Ridley Scott movie Gladiator, owes some of its storyline to the Spartacus legend.
Author Howard Fast, imprisoned for refusing to name names during the McCarthy era, wrote a book on Spartacus as metaphor for his imprisonment and injustice. That Spartacus was a slave from birth and is depicted as a rebel against the state. The book is told from the point of view of the mystified Romans who fail to understand how a slave could defeat Roman soldiers, let alone have the wherewithal to command others.
The more famous Kirk Douglas Spartacus, directed by Stanley Kubrick, and written by another blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo, is notorious for the "I am Spartacus" scene, in which other soldiers of his slave army claimed to be their leader to avoid a Hobson's choice of Spartacus sacrificing himself for the good of his soldiers (who would be returned to slavery or killed).
In the film, the slave revolt appears to be practically accidental and incidental to Spartacus’ discovery that the woman he loves is to be sold.
S:BS however, in the first season, provides a 13 episode reason why Spartacus chooses to lead a slave rebellion. Moreover, the producers of the program cleverly let us in on the secret that Spartacus is not his real name, turning the "I Am Spartacus" reference into an inside joke.
As noted, this program is not for everybody. Indeed, having been a faithful follower of the show since its premiere, I am more than curious how a promised set of extended episodes, with content apparently too tough for the Starz network, is even possible.
With the lead actor from Spartacus recovering from treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the producers have decided to move forward with a six episode prequel, starring everyone from the series except Spartacus to keep the appetites for the series alive. .
This program is highly recommended to those who can appreciate (or perhaps tolerate) the amount of gore and sex involved in the production.
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