Monthly Archives: May 2007

May 21, 2007 · 12:39 pm

The Three Timeslots to Watch on the 2007/2008 Fall Schedule

In a final word on the 2007/2008 Upfronts, I figure it’s time we returned to the schedule as a whole. Because, let’s face it, some of us watch a lot of TV. And, sometimes, that TV all falls within the exact same timeslot. As more and more shows emerge as fan favourites, more and more conflicts take place. This year’s Fall Schedule has created many of these conflicts, and some of them are sure to be key ratings battlegrounds in the year to come. Which five, however, will prove the most interesting? And, as a result, which ones will be a nightmare for non-TiVo owners across North America? Well, there’s only one way to find out.

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Reviewing the Finales: Brothers & Sisters – “Matriarchy”

Two ABC finales went by over the past few days without me reviewing them, and there’s a reason for it. Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives each lost my interest this year, the latter towards the beginning and the prior towards the end. I have gotten to the point where the dramas seem like a never-ending cycle of happy and unhappy, usually remarkably quick to turn the delightful into the depressing. And, it was therefore somewhat disheartening to see that the finales of both shows tended to reflect this: Grey’s ended on one of the most depressing sequence of events in television history, and Desperate Housewives ended with someone swinging from the rafters. As a result, I can’t help but feel disillusioned with these series for taking the easy way out. They ended with cliffhangers of a shocking nature, designed to beat our senses into submission. It is therefore that I highlight the only ABC finale of the past week which handled itself with subtlety and grace, and the only one that had the balls to end happily. That finale is “The Matriarchy”, the season-concluding episode of Freshman success Brothers & Sisters.

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Filed under ABC, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Television

Tagged as Reviewing the Finales

May 20, 2007 · 7:05 pm

A Word of Warning to the ‘Save Jericho’ Campaign

I have written in the past about how I believe CBS had justification to cancel Jericho. However, I must admit that I am incredibly impressed by the outpouring of support found on the internet for the series. The ‘Save Jericho’ campaign has swept the internet to a level that I honestly didn’t expect. I myself felt some of this, but it is clear that these fans aren’t letting up, and that the momentum is only building.

‘Save Jericho’ Links

Online Petition to Save the Series

YourEntertainmentNow Post Featuring Series Supporters

Save Jericho @ BlogSpot

JerichoLives.com

‘Save Jericho’ @ Cultural Learnings

Much Ado About Peanuts (What Should CBS Do With Them?)

From the campaign to send nuts (A line from the finale) to CBS to the outpouring of anger and frustration, it is clear that the show has a rabid fanbase. And, to be honest, I would be sweating right now if I was CBS. However, I’d also be sweating if I was a fan of Jericho as we know it. Because, if CBS gives in to the fans and orders a 2^nd season of the drama (As unlikely as it is), we have no idea what might emerge from that engagement.

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Filed under Jericho, Television, Veronica Mars

Tagged as CBS, Save Jericho

May 20, 2007 · 11:21 am

The Five Most Promising Pilots of the 2007/2008 Upfront Presentations

Yes, this is it: the top five pilots which I believe have the most potential in the coming year. This is not a potential for success in ratings, or ad dollars, or anything like this: no, this is very much more about how well I think these shows can advance themselves creatively. It’s a list full of wishful thinking, if you will. While these shows might not light up the Nielsen ratings come next season, I think that part of me will feel better that they exist…and will cross my fingers that they succeed. They’re the next Veronica Mars, if you will, and I can only hope that networks have as much patience for these shows as they did for that one. Which pilots make the cut? There’s only one way to find out.

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Filed under ABC, Back to You, Chuck, FOX, Gossip Girl, House, NBC, Pushing Daisies, Reaper, Television, The Bionic Woman, Upfronts

Tagged as Youtube

May 20, 2007 · 9:13 am

Reviewing the Finales: Saturday Night Live (May 19th) – Zach Braff & Maroon 5

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I wasn’t actually able to watch Saturday Night Live, well, live. However, while my overall thoughts will have to wait, here’s some YouTube videos which are providing a bit of a preview. I’ll try to keep the videos alive over time, but I offer no promises.

[Special Thanks go out to YouTube user Wings1914 for another week of fantastic YouTube SNL work]

Zach Braff’s Monologue – A New Jersey State of Mind

I like it. It involves singing, actual comedy, thumbs up.

SNL Sigital Short – Rufus: Dog Love

Good use of dialogue, strong use of adorable dog, a bit gross in the end, but quality overall.

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The Three Most Disturbing Trends of the 2007/2008 Upfronts

Each year, the Upfronts create a series of trends which show what the networks are really thinking for the following year. They take what was successful the year before, and they decide that they should just copy all of that into their own schedules. For example, Lost’s success led to three different sci-fi copycat shows the following season: Invasion (ABC), Surface (NBC), and Threshold (CBS). Similarly, after the success of Prison Break, networks switched to serial conspiracy/action dramas like Vanished (FOX), Kidnapped (NBC), and Smith (CBS). This season has seen a variety of different trends, and some of them actually seem quite good on the surface. However, I think that there is actually a number of bad precedents being set which we should all remain aware of as next season begins.

The Three Most Disturbing Trends of the 2007/2008 Upfronts

3. The Procedural Nature of Television Drama

I’ve expected it from CBS for many years, now: all of their dramas are unlikely to have any sort of serial aspect, choosing instead to stick to procedural structure. Law & Order really started it off, CSI picked up the ball and kept running, and there is surely to be a new franchise waiting in the wings with time. It’s a quality which the networks love, since it means people can just sit back and watch a single episode without getting too caught up in the previous week’s action. And, I like some of these dramas: they can be compelling and fun to watch, and they repeat well for the purpose of syndication. However, I don’t want to see all procedural and nothing but procedural dramas.

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Filed under ABC, American Idol, FOX, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, House, My Name is Earl, NBC, New Amsterdam, Private Practice, Reality TV, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Survivor, Television, The Amazing Race, The Apprentice, The CW, The Office, Upfronts, Veronica Mars

Tagged as CBS

May 19, 2007 · 9:38 am

The Top Five 2007/2008 Pilots Likely to be Yanked From the Air Prematurely

Let’s face it, being ordered to series isn’t even half the battle for a new pilot. The network is not always a good barometer of one’s success, and it is the viewing public who will make or break the future of a pilot. Now, they’re also a fickle sort, but based on this year’s pilots I think we can at least try to guess how the public might react. And thus, as part of the Network Upfronts Extravaganza, I present…

The Top Five 2007/2008 Pilots Likely to be Yanked From the Air Prematurely

5. Pushing Daisies [ABC]

This show will be finding its way onto another list sometime this weekend, but for now it’s also a show which is extremely likely to be yanked from the air prematurely. The show has a whole lot of potential, but if my brother’s initial reaction to it says anything it will have a tough time with the casual crowd. He read the synopsis of the show and was immediately appalled by it. That synopsis:

…an unprecedented blend of romance, crime procedural and high-concept fantasy in a forensic fairytale about a young man with a very special gift. Once upon a time, a mild-mannered boy named Ned realized he could touch dead things and bring them back to life.

Now, after watching the preview, he and I both agree that the show has a whole lot of potential and could be some quirky fun. However, not very many people take the time to really get into it, and I think that many will react as he did As a result, the show’s rather alarming first impression is likely to make it tough for the drama to find an audience. Which, ABC might take as a sign to exit the drama stage left and move a midseason drama in early.

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Filed under 'Til Death, 7th Heaven, ABC, FOX, Ratings, Television, The CW, Upfronts

Tagged as CBS

May 18, 2007 · 11:11 am

The Five Biggest Mistakes of the 2007 Network Upfronts

There is no question that the Upfronts bring on a lot of good things, which I will get to in time. However, it’s tough directly after the release of all of the fall schedules to not dwell on the negatives. The show which we canceled, the shows that were mistreated, and the show that you cringe just thinking about. As a result, we start our weekend coverage of the Upfronts with a piece which covers the mistakes made, and which ones will have the most negative effect on the state of television.

The Five Biggest Mistakes of the 2007 Network Upfronts

5. CBS cancels ‘Jericho’

I’ve talked about why canceling Jericho was the right move in the end, but I think it still needs to be recognized that CBS might need to reconsider such moves in the future. Wonky scheduling killed the show’s audience, not necessarily its quality, and I think this is where CBS might have hit their final straw. I think that CBS is worried about the bottom line, and the ratings performance, and I kind of wonder whether they really watched the show to see. Jericho’s fanbase was rabid and of a different sort than most of their shows. The network was able to cancel shows in the past without fanfare (Where’s the outrage for Close to Home?) because they are casual viewers: Jericho didn’t have any of those, and canceling it is likely to end up being more than they bargained for.

It had to be done, but it’s certainly put them in a lesser eye with some of the people that they hope might turn up this season for Moonlight and Viva Laughlin, two shows which might need a touch of their fandom. If they ever want to branch into serial television for real, they will need to realize that quality does matter. We’ll see if their tone changes as time moves forward.

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Filed under 'Til Death, ABC, Cavemen, FOX, Friday Night Lights, House, Jericho, NBC, New Amsterdam, Ratings, Television, The CW, Upfronts, Veronica Mars

Tagged as CBS

May 18, 2007 · 8:46 am

Network Upfronts Extravaganza: 2007/2008 Schedule Wrapup

The Network Upfronts have officially come to an end…well, for the big five anyways, as smaller networks are delivering upfront presentations throughout the day. Still, for all intensive purposes, the 2007/2008 Fall Schedule is officially in place.

Over the weekend, I want to run down some lists of what went down during the week, and what it means for our future TV viewing. These lists will be varied, and hopefully cover a wide range of information. Upfronts are a rather huge event, and the result has been a lot of news, views and previews overloading the senses. I’m hoping that in this post-upfront haze that we can sort it all out.

The lists will begin later today with “The Top 5 Mistakes Made During the 2007 Network Upfronts”, but for now I figure I’d put all the news in one place. So, without further adieu, here is your Network Upfronts Extravaganza 2007 Wrapup.

NBC

NBC 2007/2008 Fall Schedule

NBC Fall Preview [NBC.com]

New Shows

Life

The Bionic Woman

Journeyman

Chuck

The IT Crowd [Midseason]

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Reviewing the Finales: The Office – “The Job”

The Office closed its season tonight with a series of job interviews, a new regime taking over the Office, and a set of boobs which Michael can’t ignore in “The Job”. The series’ second season ended with a high note, closing with the epic “Casino Night”. It had everything: moments for every supporting character, Michael with a low-key and charming love triangle, and of course…the kiss heard round the world. And, while “The Job” was certainly not a terrible hour of television, it failed to live up to all of the qualities which made Casino Night so great.

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Filed under NBC, Television, The Office

Tagged as Reviewing the Finales, Thursday Night TV Club