#349909 - 22/01/2012 05:27
Spring TV Season 2012
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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So what is everyone watching? I'm pretty much keeping up with the same shows I always do, and hoping that Community comes back and comes back to stay. Mostly, I wanted to start this thread to see if anyone had watched Alcatraz. I really want to know what you folks think. Here's my review, all encapsulated in spoiler tags: I hated it. So did my wife. I don't know, perhaps there was something in the second hour of the pilot that redeemed it, but we couldn't watch past the first hour (basically the first episode).
Where do I begin? The stilted, simple, cliché-ridden dialog? The promise of very little variety in the serial storytelling (I'm left to assume that each week we just follow a different convict)? The poor characterizations?
How about some specific aspects of the show that drove me up the wall and were clear failures on behalf of the people creating this show:
- At some point it's revealed that one of the two guards that discovered everyone was missing was the Sam Neil's character. What they failed to realize is that the audience can do math. Not only does Sam Niel look good for his age of 65, that would have made him 15/16 when this happened in '63. I don't think they were hiring 15 year old guards at friggin' Alcatraz.
- I realize that we don't know much at all about what's going on behind the scenes, but all we're told in the majority of the first episode is that someone brought these convicts/guards through TIME, and the big job they had one of these guys pull off was the theft and murder of some dude for a key in a pouch. Isn't that something they could hire a common burglar to do? You know, when the guy's asleep or out of his home? Maybe the guy needed to be killed, but again that's not something for which you need to go to the trouble of pulling someone through time.
- This last one nearly made me turn the show off as soon as it happened. Near the beginning of the show the lead character tells us that her grandfather was a guard at Alcatraz, and she's all proud of her family law enforcement history. Later in the episode she sees the list of all the people who went missing and we get the stunning revelation: her grandfather wasn't a guard, he was a prisoner!! WHAT?!? Earlier we're being told that this woman was supposedly assisting in her father's cases when she was 12 or something, she's a hot-shot detective, and proud of her family line, and SHE DIDN'T KNOW HER GRANDPA WAS A CONVICT AT THE MOST FAMOUS PRISON IN AMERICAN HISTORY? I lost it. This woman grew up in SF. She probably would have chosen to do a report on her grandpa at some point in grade school. She would have at least done some research later on her own! Then they had to go and throw the icing on the cake and show that she just realized the man who killed her partner...was her granddad! You mean she'd never seen a photo of her grandfather? Again, the man she was so proud of? WTF?
So yeah, we stuck it out through the rest of the episode and stopped before the "second half." If any of you liked it and stick with it, let me know if it gets any better. Also let me know if Parminder Nagra isn't wasted in future episodes.
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Matt
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#349912 - 22/01/2012 14:22
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Haven't started Alcatraz yet.
Started recording The Finder but haven't watched any of it yet - commercials look good. I don't watch Bones, the show it's supposed to be spun from.
I will take a look at Touch, the new Keiffer Sutherland show, even though it's created by that hack, Tim Kring (Heroes). Kring's involvement is the biggest detractor for me.
The Firm is decent so far. Caught the Pilot + second episode (which I suppose is really the third because the pilot was 1+2 I believe).
Hell on Wheels just finished last week - loved it.
Californication is back, so far so good.
Don Cheadle in House of Lies is good.
Spartacus is starting up again.
Archer season 3 just started this week.
Fringe just came back on and very much still liking it.
Being Human US season 2 has started out well.
I just started watching Season 1 of Justified - Season 3 just premiered this month.
I'm going to check out The River and a couple of other new series when they start up soon.
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#349921 - 22/01/2012 19:20
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Started recording The Finder but haven't watched any of it yet - commercials look good. I don't watch Bones, the show it's supposed to be spun from. I have a bias against The Finder. Yes, technically it's a "spin-off" of Bones, but really not at all. Let me tell you a short story: I sit down one day to watch Bones, a silly CSI-like procedural that I started because Angel was on it and kept watching because I liked the characters. But what I got this day was essentially the pilot episode for this Finder show, with characters who had never been mentioned on the show before, and where the characters from the show I actually wanted to watch showed up for about five minutes total. Fox decided that the best way to launch a series was to deprive the fans of one show so that they could expose them to the new one. As a result, I think I'll be skipping The Finder on principal. Mainly, I'm surprised it took the show this long to come out. That bait and switch episode came out a long time ago... I will take a look at Touch, the new Keiffer Sutherland show, even though it's created by that hack, Tim Kring (Heroes). Kring's involvement is the biggest detractor for me. Ew, I agree. I didn't know it was a Tim Kring show. I don't really know why they keep giving that guy work when he hasn't really done anything. He seems to be failing up. At least when Bryan Fuller fails to gain traction with a show, it's something great that just doesn't find a wide audience. I'll probably check out Touch, but it really looks like they wanted to put Kiefer in a 24 replacement and have an automatic fanbase. Hell on Wheels just finished last week - loved it. Hmm, I'd heard mixed things, but I thought I'd check it out. Don Cheadle in House of Lies is good. I'd say he's good in pretty much everything, but I'd heard the show was horrible. Not so? Fringe just came back on and very much still liking it. I really love Fringe, but as I'd feared it's kind of suffering from the fact that they reached the culmination of everything the show was building to, and now it's just sort of coasting with no clear goal in sight. There are several small goals, but no over-arching objective. Being Human US season 2 has started out well. Darn! I forgot that was coming back. Hopefully Syfy will re-air the first episodes. I just started watching Season 1 of Justified - Season 3 just premiered this month. I really wanted to get into that show, but it just didn't grab me for some reason  I like Timothy Oliphant, but I guess it just isn't my milieu. I'm going to check out The River and a couple of other new series when they start up soon. I keep seeing ads for The River, but the seem to be taking that "be mysterious and don't tell anyone what the show is about" approach. What's it about?
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Matt
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#349922 - 22/01/2012 22:33
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2858
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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Pretty much the same stuff- mostly fringe and waiting for The Walking Dead to return. And CSI and House for light and fluffy. I need to get back to Chuck at some point- still haven't finished last season yet.
Playing SWTOR has kept me from watching too much TV (a good thing). Don't know anything about Alcatraz, but am hoping to see your reviews before I check it out.
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-Jeff
Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings; they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
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#349931 - 23/01/2012 10:16
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: hybrid8]
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veteran
Registered: 25/04/2000
Posts: 1529
Loc: Arizona
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I just started watching Season 1 of Justified - Season 3 just premiered this month. I love Justified, I think it is really well done. I can't wait for Season 3. Alcatraz and Justified are pretty much the only shows I have being actively recorded, at least until they start airing Community again. Well, those and NHL36. I haven't started watching Alcatraz yet, probably because hockey, work and SWTOR and chewing up my time. I will probably watch last week's episode tonight.
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#349932 - 23/01/2012 13:55
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Fox decided that the best way to launch a series was to deprive the fans of one show so that they could expose them to the new one. FWIW, this is called a "back door pilot". It happens from time to time: Mork and Mindy and the " Assignment: Earth" episode (with Gary Seven and his cat and Teri Garr set in the 1960s) of Star Trek. One thing you failed to mention about the back door pilot for The Finder is that, ignoring its back-door-pilot-ness, it was still awful.
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Bitt Faulk
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#349940 - 23/01/2012 21:22
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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After I watch the third episode of House of Lies I'll post an updated opinion - I've watched too many premiere episodes too quickly this past week. I was away the previous week on vacation and a bunch of stuff piled up. I did forget to mentioning the Walking Dead - very much looking forward to that even though this season has been relatively slow. Good character-based drama nonetheless. Mad Men is another one I forgot to mention which I'm really happy is finally coming back on the air. I really liked Alcatraz, saw the first two episodes (previously recorded) last night. Interesting concept, some mysteries outside the main one and IMO, very well executed. And a really funny line that fit perfectly well within the episode, but also served as a really great throw-back to Lost. I'd quote it in a spoiler tag if I could remember it exactly. For the life of me I can't remember what the River is supposed to be about, but I'd noted it for "checking out" sometime last year for whatever reason.  Bitt, around here a back door pilot is something else entirely. Sort of like a blind plumber. Canada is still pretty far from Hollywood in some respects I guess.
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#349942 - 23/01/2012 22:13
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Fox decided that the best way to launch a series was to deprive the fans of one show so that they could expose them to the new one. FWIW, this is called a "back door pilot". It happens from time to time: Mork and Mindy and the " Assignment: Earth" episode (with Gary Seven and his cat and Teri Garr set in the 1960s) of Star Trek. One thing you failed to mention about the back door pilot for The Finder is that, ignoring its back-door-pilot-ness, it was still awful. Ah, I didn't know that this was a tradition. I like that I know what to call it even if it does sound a little...odd...as Bruno points out. And yes, that episode was not good at all. I found the lead actor to be very likable, as is Michael Clark Duncan**, but the show was dumb. Maybe if I'd known that the episode would be a pilot I wouldn't be so resentful, but probably not. **when isn't Michael Clark Duncan likable? The only problem I had with him as the Kingpin was that I just couldn't dislike him  I did forget to mentioning the Walking Dead - very much looking forward to that even though this season has been relatively slow. Good character-based drama nonetheless. I didn't mind, as many comic fans did, that they diverged from the comics, just that they've changed Rick's character. In the books he always took charge and made the tough decisions because he had to. The only other complaint I have is one I've had since the show was trotted out at Comicon before it aired: you knew who wouldn't be killed. The great/heartwrenching part of the books was that no character was safe. In a TV show you know pretty well that they aren't going to kill off certain people at unexpected moments. Anyway, I'd forgotten it was coming back so soon. Thanks for the reminder. Mad Men is another one I forgot to mention which I'm really happy is finally coming back on the air. I'm definitely looking forward to this. My wife and I foolishly started watching Mad Men right before it went on break. We watched five seasons all at once, and then had to go over a year to get more. Sure, so did all the other fans, but we seemed to time it really poorly for ourselves I really liked Alcatraz, saw the first two episodes (previously recorded) last night. Interesting concept, some mysteries outside the main one and IMO, very well executed. I'd really like to hear about what parts you thought were well executed. We just had very negative reactions to nearly every aspect of the show, from dialog to even the music (which surprised us because it was Michael Giacchino). The script writing was just awful for the reasons I stated in the spoiler tag in my first post. I won't fault anyone for liking what they like, but I just had fundamental issues with that show that ended any interest in it for me. I also disagree that there were any mysteries at all outside the main one. There's only one mystery: who caused it all and why? (I guess those could be considered two, but they're part of the same) And a really funny line that fit perfectly well within the episode, but also served as a really great throw-back to Lost. I'd quote it in a spoiler tag if I could remember it exactly. Go for it anyway. I didn't catch too many funny lines in it, unless the line came in the second part of the pilot, which I didn't see because I gave up.
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Matt
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#349945 - 24/01/2012 04:52
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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I honestly didn't have any of the same complaints about Alcatraz. Sam Neil's character is obviously not supposed to be the age of the actor. Maybe something is revealed in a later episode about him. I figure he was 20 at the start of the episode.
Dialog and acting above average for what's been on TV in the past 5 years, IMO. Music fits well and has quite a bit of Lost vibe to it. So does the sound design. Cinematography, direction and sets/location are well done.
The serialized nature would be no more repetitive than that of Person of Interest as an example. The larger story arch ties it all together quite well so far and I'm confident this is going to get even more tangled as the season progresses - more so that Person of Interest (again, just as a point of comparison).
You should give episode 2 and 3 a shot.
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#349949 - 24/01/2012 11:14
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2858
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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I've heard a lot of complaints about this season of The Walking Dead, but I've really enjoyed it. More than Fringe, even, and I like Fringe a lot (both shows more than Lost). I suppose there was quite a bit of time exploring one plot point, but I thought it worked as a backdrop for the first half of the season. I also like what they've done with most of the characters and how they've grown and changed. It will be interesting to see where Shane ends up. I've only read the first comic book, so I know they've diverged completely at this point. I kept expecting something else to happen with him, but I'm not sure if they'll get there or not at this point. The relationship with Rick and his wife is well done, I think. Believable and dramatic at the same time. Finally, the brother with the crossbow (I forget his name)- the character development there has been really great. I enjoy what they are doing with him and I hope they keep it up. It will be interesting to see how the mid season finale changes him.
The mid-season finale was very intense and moving. Normally, I'd have hated it, not being a fan of gut-wrenching stories. I'm not sure why it worked for me, but it did- I guess it just seemed to fit and not just be painful for the sake of being painful.
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-Jeff
Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings; they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
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#349950 - 24/01/2012 12:42
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: JeffS]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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I honestly didn't have any of the same complaints about Alcatraz. Sam Neil's character is obviously not supposed to be the age of the actor. Maybe something is revealed in a later episode about him. I figure he was 20 at the start of the episode. And what about my issue with her grandfather? Honestly, I was going to give the show a shot and watch the first few episodes to see if it got any better, but every time I thought about that whole thing with her grandfather, it was just something I couldn't look past. That was just lazy script writing, IMO. Like I'm glad you like it, but I can't agree that it's without big flaws. Also, saying it does things better than Person of Interest sets a VERY low bar for me. I agree with you, but that was a show with a pilot episode I hated. The dialog in that was also cliched and boring, the acting was FAR worse than Alcatraz, and the single shining light was Michael Emerson, who still had terrible lines but delivered them like a champ. I've heard a lot of complaints about this season of The Walking Dead, but I've really enjoyed it. More than Fringe, even, and I like Fringe a lot (both shows more than Lost). I might agree that it was better than the current season of Fringe (maybe), but certainly not the entire run. Thinking about it more, I think my primary problem with The Walking Dead is that I don't find any of the characters interesting. The ONLY compelling character is Daryl. There are some other characters who are entertaining, but none of the others are very three dimensional. It's interesting to me that Daryl is the only character still on the show who wasn't in the comics at all.
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Matt
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#349952 - 24/01/2012 13:38
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Fringe is getting tighter this season as far as plot lines go.
I can discount the grandfather thing in Alcatraz. I don't believe they've provided enough information for us to say it's a big hole. Sometimes I have the same critiques about plot as you've mentioned and then the show turns to effectively fill the gaps. I have a feeling that's going to happen here, especially since it's getting obvious the grandfather character is going to play a much bigger role as the episodes progress.
I can also discount some of the wooden and cliché dialog in Person of Interest, because otherwise the show is rather good. I believe it's the only drama I watch on CBS and only the second CBS show I watch after How I Met Your Mother.
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#349953 - 24/01/2012 14:02
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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I can discount the grandfather thing in Alcatraz. I don't believe they've provided enough information for us to say it's a big hole. Sometimes I have the same critiques about plot as you've mentioned and then the show turns to effectively fill the gaps. I have a feeling that's going to happen here, especially since it's getting obvious the grandfather character is going to play a much bigger role as the episodes progress. There's a difference between leaving things unexplained and creating a glaring logic problem. If the rest of the show had been better I would have been willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Instead, with the information we're given, we're strongly led to believe that she didn't know her grandfather was an inmate instead of a guard, and even worse she didn't know what the hell he looked like. When you have a character who is supposed to be very proud of her heritage AND supposedly a prodigious detective, that's too big a pill to swallow, even temporarily while we wait for an explanation. I can also discount some of the wooden and cliché dialog in Person of Interest, because otherwise the show is rather good. Do you mean "overlook?" That changes the meaning of your Alcatraz response in the previous paragraph...
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Matt
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#350096 - 04/02/2012 14:12
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Looks like NBC may be canceling The Firm, easily the best 1 hour program they have on the network. They're moving it to Saturday nights (the dustbin/graveyard) and replacing it with Awake in the Thursday night 10pm time slot. With a PVR I don't really care what night it's on, but the move definitely indicates a lack of faith/support from the network.
Awake also looks to be promising, but I'm not hopeful of any drama at 10pm on NBC. I don't think it matters what they put there, they won't be able to compete with the other networks loyal following.
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#350098 - 04/02/2012 16:52
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Looks like NBC may be canceling The Firm, easily the best 1 hour program they have on the network. Even without ever seeing it I can't argue that point. Their hour-longs are pretty bad. I tried to watch Grimm and it's just no good. While I wish they wouldn't out-right replace a show you like, I can't wait for Awake to air. That show has easily been my most anticipated show since the summer. The trailer for Awake was incredible and moved me more than most shows do. When I showed it to my wife she nearly teared up! I'm really looking forward to that. I'm sorry it's killing a show you like. I hate when that happens. Why Saturday night? What do they have on Tuesdays, for example? You're right, though. Saturday is the show killer. Friday nights are pretty bad, but Saturday is the TV death knell. *edit* Okay, it looks like they have Parenthood at their Tuesday 10pm slot. Well, why do they need to have 2 hours of Biggest Loser on before that?
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Matt
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#350099 - 04/02/2012 17:07
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Awake is one of my top 5 for the new season - and has been since I made than mental list back at the end of last summer. I was surprised when they didn't premiere it in January, which has me worried that they're very unsure about it. The Thursday slot may end up doing to it what it's done to the Firm.
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#350118 - 05/02/2012 21:33
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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I see that Being Human (UK version) has premiered its 4th series (season). I've really liked the first three, but I have grim expectations about this one after reading about it in Wikipedia. The two main characters are gone/leaving, being replaced by another vampire and werewolf. Ugh.
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#350121 - 06/02/2012 00:54
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: hybrid8]
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old hand
Registered: 01/10/2002
Posts: 1039
Loc: Fullerton, Calif.
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I'm liking "Once Upon A Time". Lana Parrilla as the evil queen is perfect.
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#350126 - 06/02/2012 10:49
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: larry818]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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I'm liking "Once Upon A Time". Lana Parrilla as the evil queen is perfect. I've only watched the first few episodes but I'll probably continue with it. It's a little bit too much of a soap opera for me, and I'm not crazy about the writing, but the performances are decent. The casting choice for Snow White seems a little off to me, at least in her Fairy Tale form with her big hair. I like it, though. It's cute. I will say that the main thing I dislike about Once Upon a Time is that it seems to eliminate the possibility of turning Fables (the comic series) into a TV show, which I think could have really worked. They have the exact same one-sentence pitch: "fairy tale characters are banished to a new world: ours!" I think the Fables premise is a little more interesting, but Once Upon a Time has the advantage of not being as insular. That's because with Fables there is no analog for the audience like Jennifer Morrison's character, where a normal person like us is introduced to this community. In Fables there's barely any interaction with our world at all, which is a little odd. Anyway, that's my take
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Matt
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#350127 - 06/02/2012 10:53
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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I see that Being Human (UK version) has premiered its 4th series (season). I've really liked the first three, but I have grim expectations about this one after reading about it in Wikipedia. The two main characters are gone/leaving, being replaced by another vampire and werewolf. Ugh. Oooo...that's not good. Can anyone point out an example of a show successfully replacing a majority of its lead actors? I mean, other than Doctor Who? The most recent example I've seen of replacing everyone was Scrubs, and that was a disaster. I completely missed the US return of Being Human. The end of the first season gave me enough momentum to be excited about the second, but if it slows down again and goes back to all this "woe is me," staring off into the distance, nonstop brood-fest, I'm going to drop it. If I want to see a brooding vampire I'll re-watch Angel where at least there's a decent story and humor to break it up
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Matt
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#350128 - 06/02/2012 15:04
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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The new UK series of Being Human was quite good. A complete departure from the previous series. Only the ghost character remains from the original.
It's best compared to a reboot or spin-off. The best thing to do is simply enjoy it as a brand new show that has one character in common with the previous.
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#350130 - 06/02/2012 15:09
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: hybrid8]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1919
Loc: London
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I was getting quite peed off with the last series, will watch it or True Blood season 4 ep 1 (according to wife's whim) tonight. I've often wondered how UK series like Being Human fare over the Atlantic.
Did Life on Mars (UK version) do well over there?
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#350131 - 06/02/2012 15:33
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: tahir]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Virtually no British-made TV shows get any mainstream notice.
Okay, I'm overstating it slightly.
We have four major television networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox), two minor ones (CW and PBS), and a superfluity of "cable" channels. By and large, if it's not on one of the "Big Four", your mother has never heard of it, and they only broadcast shows made for them.
British shows get broadcast either on PBS or on one of the many "cable" channels. ("Cable channels" are the ones that are only available from a for-pay service and not broadcast over the airwaves, though most people watch the networks as provided by cable or satellite providers.) As such, they basically never even show up in official viewership ratings. In addition, because British shows tend to be six-or-so episodes long per series, and the fact that that's so different from the 24-or-so episode-long US series, they often get lost in the mix.
That said, the long-running PBS anthology series "Masterpiece Theater", which has often run British dramas, has had something of a hit lately with "Downton Abbey". They often cut the episodes down a little, though. I've never really been clear on why.
Also, one of our cable channels is "BBC America", which specializes in running British TV, though, oddly, not specifically BBC productions. You'll see ITV things there as well. But, again, it's just a cable channel, and things running on cable channels don't tend to be hits of any nature.
There are actually a few cable channels that have started producing their own shows of note, notably USA ("Monk", "Psych", "Burn Notice", and a lot of others) and AMC ("Breaking Bad", "Mad Men", and a few others). There are some others, too. But again, it's shows specifically produced for them.
So, did "Life on Mars" fare well over here? No. Virtually no one saw it.
That said, British TV makes up the vast majority of foreign programming shown in the US. Canadian TV shows are almost never seen. And I don't know that I have ever personally seen an Australian TV show, and I'm a pretty big TV fan.
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Bitt Faulk
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#350132 - 06/02/2012 15:52
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: wfaulk]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1919
Loc: London
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Mad Men is a Sky production, bigger budget than your typical BBC jobbo I guess they're going to try and get some better international viewing figures as well as convincing more of the UK that life without Sky ain't worth living.
What about documentaries? I can't say I've ever seen an American documentary (whatever the subject) to compare quality wise with UK stuff (particularly BBC/C4).
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#350133 - 06/02/2012 16:29
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
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They often cut the episodes down a little, though. I've never really been clear on why. Surely that is mainly due to fitting them into the time slot, given that the UK shows have relatively little adverts (or none at all).
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#350134 - 06/02/2012 17:45
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: andy]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
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Not to mention that a lot of the BBC shows that I watch tend to have non-fixed timeslots.. with episodes sometimes being of seemingly random durations. Eg. 53 minutes one week, 65 minutes the next, etc.. I think that's a Good Thing, though.
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#350135 - 06/02/2012 18:36
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: andy]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Mad Men is a Sky production... Sorry to be picking nits, but Mad Men is produced by Lionsgate. If it's shown on Sky I guess they have the rights to air it in the UK. To add to what Bitt said (I agreed with all of that): In the US the broadcasters unfortunately believe that nobody will watch a British show, so instead they remake it. The Office, Life on Mars, and several others have all been remade, with The Office really being the only success. *edit* As usual, there's a Wikipedia article for that. I haven't looked through that list completely, but I still think my statement holds. Technically, I suppose the most successful remake would be American Idol. But I typically don't count "reality" TV in any discussion I have, and most of that list seems to be reality TV. Or, more inclusively, non-scripted TV like Antiques Roadshow. They often cut the episodes down a little, though. I've never really been clear on why. Surely that is mainly due to fitting them into the time slot, given that the UK shows have relatively little adverts (or none at all). In the case of Downton Abbey, it's being shown on PBS, which doesn't have advertisements and is viewer supported (and used to be government supported). There's not much keeping them from running the full show. Now to counter my own point: my guess is that they trim the episodes so as not to run over into the timeslot of a popular show on a competing network. Also, the average American TV viewer would get confused, and we wouldn't want that We only just recently got them used to the idea of a 55-minute show on HBO and Showtime!
Edited by Dignan (06/02/2012 18:40)
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Matt
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#350136 - 06/02/2012 19:49
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Canadian TV shows are almost never seen. A few 100% "Canadian" (or nearly there) shows that have been widely seen recently in the US: Flashpoint Rookie Blue Combat Hospital Then there are shows that are just mostly Canadian, like the one I recently mentioned from NBC, The Firm. There is way more Canadian content on US television than British. Some might argue that there's as much (at least partially) Canadian content as there is US if you include production company origins and/or filming locations.
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#350143 - 06/02/2012 23:11
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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There is way more Canadian content on US television than British. Some might argue that there's as much (at least partially) Canadian content as there is US if you include production company origins and/or filming locations. Hehe, seriously. I love how Supernatural is set across the entire American mid-west, but it's all shot Vancouver. So much TV is shot up in CA. ...or Wilmington, NC, oddly...
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Matt
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#350152 - 07/02/2012 11:30
Re: Spring TV Season 2012
[Re: Dignan]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1919
Loc: London
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Mad Men is a Sky production... Sorry to be picking nits, but Mad Men is produced by Lionsgate. If it's shown on Sky I guess they have the rights to air it in the UK. Sorry, I was thinking of Mad Dogs. A quite flash (for the UK) production by Sky: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1652218/
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