Tonight, tens of millions of Americans will sit in front of their televisions in suspense for two very different reasons. For fans of American Idol, they will sit waiting for two hours while the show parades out its past contestants and waits until its final moment to reveal its winner. For fans of Lost, meanwhile, they will spend two hours waiting to see whether the much touted finale can live up to its hype. Will fans be satisfied with either conclusion? Only time will tell. But, who needs time when we’ve got meaningful speculation?
Category Archives: ABC
Wednesday Night War: The Season Finales of ‘Lost’ and ‘American Idol’
Filed under ABC, American Idol, FOX, Lost, Television
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.
Filed under 30 Rock, ABC, Bones, Chuck, Dancing with the Stars, FOX, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, House, NBC, Private Practice, Ratings, Reality TV, Reaper, Scrubs, Television, The Bionic Woman, The CW, The Office, Upfronts
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.
Filed under ABC, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Television
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.
Filed under ABC, Back to You, Chuck, FOX, Gossip Girl, House, NBC, Pushing Daisies, Reaper, Television, The Bionic Woman, Upfronts
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.
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.
Filed under 'Til Death, 7th Heaven, ABC, FOX, Ratings, Television, The CW, Upfronts
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.
Filed under 'Til Death, ABC, Cavemen, FOX, Friday Night Lights, House, Jericho, NBC, New Amsterdam, Ratings, Television, The CW, Upfronts, Veronica Mars
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 Fall Preview [NBC.com]
New Shows
Life
The Bionic Woman
Journeyman
Chuck
The IT Crowd [Midseason]
Filed under ABC, FOX, Gossip Girl, NBC, Private Practice, Reaper, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Television, The Bionic Woman, The CW, Upfronts
‘Lost’: Recap Show Tonight at 10pm EST, CTV Finale Scheduling
Although we’re still in the middle of Cultural Learnings’ Upfronts Extravaganza, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t other news to worry about. For example, today brings news regarding the upcoming finale of Lost that I figure people should be made aware of:
Lost: “The Answers” [10pm ABC]
– Tonight (May 17th) at 10pm on ABC, after the Grey’s Anatomy finale, ABC is going out of its way to try to pull back some viewers who have strayed from their other hit drama: Lost. In preparation for its finale next week, Lost airs a new recap show which will fill everyone in on what’s gone down in the island since they abandoned it in the Fall. For those who fall into this category: you’re in for a wild ride. There’s been only a few lukewarm hours since the show returned in February, and we’re heading towards a wild finale.
CTV Schedules the Lost Finale
For us Canadians, we’re often a bit spoiled with Lost. We usually get to see it two hours earlier than Americans thanks to CTV airing both it and American Idol. However, as much as we’ve enjoyed this in the past, it looks like we’re about to pay for it.
Thanks to NeoGAF user Olivier for alerting me to the fact that CTV is, for the Eastern and Western Time Zones, splitting the Lost finale into two halves and airing American Idol between them. Yes, that’s right: Lost begins at 7pm EST, American Idol airs from 8pm to 10pm, and then Lost returns to finish its finale. I swear, it’s right out of Alice in Wonderland, but “Through the Looking Glass” will be torn apart for its CTV airing in those timezones (And, therefore, in High Definition). For people in the Atlantic or Central Time Zones, the show will air uninterrupted (by other shows, anyways) from 7pm to 9pm.
This is an unsurprising move (Otherwise, it would have had to have been on at 6pm EST), but it’s still very frustrating because I’ll have to choose one of three options:
– Watch in Standard Def in Atlantic time zone.
– Watch in High-Definition split up
– Watch in High-Definition starting at 10 on ABC, and missing Idol’s 2nd hour to watch the unbroken version.
I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, anticipation takes over.
Filed under ABC, American Idol, CTV, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Television
Lost – “Greatest Hits”
It was inevtable: after weeks of high-octane drama and intense backstories, Lost has finally had what could be described as a slow episode. “Greatest Hits” followed the story of Jack and the rest of the castaways preparing for the arrival of The Others, which had its timetable moved up much to their chagrin. And, based greatly on its structure, the episode has officially done it: they’ve broken the streak of kickass episodes. Why? Well, since Charlie developed his own Top Five list, I figure I should only do the same. Thus, without further adieu…
The 5 Reasons Why “Greatest Hits” Broke the Streak
5. Charlie’s Life Still Seems Inconsequential
Look, I liked Charlie better in this episode than I have in weeks, and I actually thought it was a strong arc for the character. His trip down memory lane was perhaps his least offensive set of flashbacks yet, and it added some needed depth to his character (although not enough to match up with drug addict Charlie which was much more compelling). The problem is that such an emotional arc required me to care…and I don’t. I don’t care if Charlie lives or dies, and although he becomes more important at episode’s end I just wasn’t getting the sense of loss the episode was asking of me.
4. A Lack of Inner-Castaway Tension
Things smoothed over too quickly between Jack and everyone else, even though Sayid is clearly still at odds with him. There was a lack of drama in their proceedings outside of their rush to prepare for the Others’ arrival, and the result was a rather conflict-free scenarios. People seemed to accept the Juliet thing far too easily, and we never really got to see anyone’s emotional reaction to things. I would have even liked to see some romantic triangle stuff, as it would at the very least have been something more diverse and interesting compared to the rather dull series of characters we had paraded in front of us (It was nice to see Rose and Bernard back, though).
3. The Lack of The Others
I’ve argued in the past that the first six episodes of this season were not a complete failure because they allowed us to understand and engage with the world of the Others. I believe that those episodes have allowed for the last series of episodes to be that much better, because we start to believe Ben and Juliet, specifically, as real characters. We’ve become as tangled up in their pasts as we have that of Jack or Sawyer or Locke, and I think that it’s been something fresh and interesting about them. While we’ve spent three seasons with Charlie, we’re just getting to know Juliet and Ben…and then we got nothing about them in this episode. We spent all of “The Man Behind the Curtain” learning titillating clues about who The Others are, and then we see them for only a minute the next episode. That’s a problem, and one that’s tough to ignore.
2. The [Mostly Absent] Looking Glass
I put this here not because it was a negative part of the episode, but rather that it never really got a chance to be a part of the episode. I know that I personally was keeping in the back of my mind that Juliet had mentioned some sort of event taking place at the station found underwater down the beach, but it just seemed to take a backseat too much of the time to Charlie’s journey as opposed to his end goal. It was clearly the real jumping off point (Next week’s finale is titled “Through the Looking Glass”), and I couldn’t help but be impatient for them to return to it as I watched the rest of the episode. That resulted in even more annoyance with the above three problems, and further struggles to match the efforts of previous weeks.
1. Dude, Where’s Locke?
We have no idea what happened to Locke. Terry O’Quinn took the episode off, apparently, and the result was just a brief scene of post-gunfire Ben to satisfy our curiosity as to what happened to our favourite character. Seriously, Lost, you can’t do this to me. The episode certainly set things up for the finale (“Beach goes boom!”, “Looking Glass = Occupied”), but what about Locke? I had admittedly forgotten about him by the time we first saw Ben mid-episode, which shows that the beginning of the episode wasn’t terrible by any means, but once I realized he was missing…I was pissed. I feel like I did back when we finally returned to the beach earlier this season after spending so much time with The Others. I felt like it was good to be back, but part of me longed for what I left behind. I guess you could say that, for me, the greatest hits have changed, and I want more of Locke, Ben, and the mysteriously un-aged Richard. And I want to know what the hell happened to Locke, damnit!
Next week, Lost heads “Through the Looking Glass” for its two-hour finale. What will we learn about Jack that we haven’t learned already? Can the finale regain its momentum heading towards an apparently show-changing end? And who exactly are the people guarding the Looking Glass? We’ll find out at 9pm EST next week, when Lost has its third season finale.
For a recap of the episode’s major moments, click on the link below.
Filed under ABC, Lost, Television
Cultural Learnings 