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Post by bjobsessed on Oct 8, 2006 23:00:03 GMT -5
I just spent the worst hour of my TV life on Friday. One hour of my life truly, totally wasted! I was actually squirming from boredom, do you know the feeling? Claustrophobic, desperate--and yet I stuck with it in case it got better. Sadly, no such relief. Friday Night Lights.  I was going to give it a shot and then forgot. Glad I didn't waste my time. If I remember next week and decide to try, I won't watch the whole hour hoping for it to get better if I don't like it. |
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Post by shmeep on Oct 9, 2006 13:33:26 GMT -5
Oh, I was hoping you'd be wrong about Friday Night Lights. It didn't seem like my kind of show, but it was getting such rave reviews that I was sucked into recording it and giving it a shot. I waited all week because I was trying to find time to watch it with my husband. Today I broke down and watched it without him. Well, most of it. I caught the beginning and then I fell asleep and then I just woke up when someone got injured. I really want to care, but I just don't. I know they say it's not just about football, but that's not really true because it's about an entire town obsessed with their high school football team and all the conversations revolve around football. That and the whole Texas vibe that's been captured in this show may be a bit much for me. If you want to see something really charming and original about a small town and their football team, check out the movie Possums. It's about a team so bad it hasn't even scored a point in fourteen years so it gets cancelled but the guy who announces the games won't give up so he keeps on announcing the game on the radio, only they start to win. Soon the whole town is caught up in the fake games--until they win the state championship. Then the real state champions get mad. Very cute movie. I have a special fondness for it because my friend produced it so I got to read the script before it was made and I went to the premiere. But I would have liked it anyway. |
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Post by mlm828 on Oct 9, 2006 14:22:51 GMT -5
Has anyone else been watching Battlestar Galactica? It's not your typical "space opera" and has very little resemblance to the cheesy original series of the same name. The season premiere was very dark and gritty. The humans who chose to live on a planet they found are now under occupation by the Cylons and have turned into terrorists, complete with suicide bombers. But not everyone agrees with those tactics. Very thought-provoking and gripping. And there are several sub-plots involving trust and betrayal. Not to mention the final scene, where several hundred people are taken to a remote location for a mass execution, in a chilling reminder of the genocide of the Nazis and others. All in all, very compelling drama.
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Post by hoosier on Oct 9, 2006 17:25:38 GMT -5
Has anyone else been watching Battlestar Galactica? It's not your typical "space opera" and has very little resemblance to the cheesy original series of the same name. The season premiere was very dark and gritty. The humans who chose to live on a planet they found are now under occupation by the Cylons and have turned into terrorists, complete with suicide bombers. But not everyone agrees with those tactics. Very thought-provoking and gripping. And there are several sub-plots involving trust and betrayal. Not to mention the final scene, where several hundred people are taken to a remote location for a mass execution, in a chilling reminder of the genocide of the Nazis and others. All in all, very compelling drama. I haven't seen any of this season. Last year, a local channel ran a few episodes, I don't know why, but I thought it was rather good. My sister who is a real fan of the original hated it. She has the dvd of the series and I watched a couple but surprising I found it a little boring after seeing the new one. I didn't tell her that though!!! There are so many ways they can go with this series and,being cable, they can go further of course. Guess all it took was a new pair of eyes to see potential in an old show. Kind of like War of the Worlds, except when they replaced the original writers it all went downhill, in my opinion. Concerning Friday Night Lights, I had no interest in it. I gave the book to my nephew for Christmas last year. He plays on the HS football team and he really enjoyd the book. I haven't heard from him to see if he watched the show and his opinion of it. Maybe its a guy thing! |
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Post by maggiethecat on Oct 9, 2006 17:35:10 GMT -5
Has anyone else been following the ratings for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip? Falling like the proverbial stone -- down 30% in two weeks from the premiere. Here's the thing. If you want to convince people that your characters write and direct the funniest damned sketch comedy show ever . . . then don't show it. So far the snippets to which we've been treated have made me wonder why Matthew Perry's character was hired in the first place. "Science, Schmience?" Oh puhleeze.  It's the Maris factor. Remember Niles Crane's wife on Frasier? Maris was always hysterically funny because we never saw her. Same thing with Hyacinth Bucket's son on Keeping up Appearances. Humor imagined always trumps humor badly realized. |
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Post by Duchess of Lashes on Oct 9, 2006 18:37:56 GMT -5
And gone already are Smith and Kidnapped, two shows that suffered the same plummet in viewership. Smith has apparently been eliminated completely from the CBS website - too bad for a show that seemed to have so much potential. Kidnapped has been told to tie things up in a neat little bow by the end of Episode 13 (does that sound familiar?) and has been relegated to the graveyard for NBC - the Saturday night line-up.
I may be the only one to admit it, but I kind of enjoyed Friday Night Lights, perhaps because we spent 11 years in Texas, living with the obsession that is high school football in that state. It is not must see TV by any stretch of the imagination but there were some very good moments in the premiere. Plus, I have been a big Kyle Chandler fan since Homefront and Early Edition. Had to check it out just to see what they were going to do with his character.
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Post by anna on Oct 9, 2006 19:12:50 GMT -5
If you want to convince people that your characters write and direct the funniest damned sketch comedy show ever . . . then don't show it. I agree completely. Love the show; hate the skits. Same thing with Hyacinth Bucket's son on Keeping up Appearances. Ha! "Oh, Sheridan, you know Daddy doesn't really think that."  |
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Post by shmeep on Oct 10, 2006 6:58:32 GMT -5
I hate to say anything against Studio 60 because I really want it to succeed (or at least survive), but Mags, you've nailed its weakness. I haven't seen anything in any of the skits to rival SNL at it's worst. Cutting edge? Um...no. Not by any stretch of the imagination. And you're right about this: It's the Maris factor. Remember Niles Crane's wife on Frasier? Maris was always hysterically funny because we never saw her. I wish they'd take a cue from Maris here. I always thought Maris had to have been inspired by Vera, Norm's wife on Cheers. The only time she ever entered a scene, it was after just having been caught in the crossfire of an impromptu Thanksgiving food fight and her entire face was covered with the pie someone had accidentally chucked at her so...still no Vera. It was great! Frasier took it much further and developed so many quirks for Maris that just trying to picture her cracks me up to this day. So...Studio 60 really should be leaving a LOT more to our imaginations if they want to keep their credibility. I have a feeling the sketches on Tina Fey's 30 Rock (starting this Wednesday) will be much more entertaining. I think I'll check that out because she was one of the few funny things left on SNL in recent years. |
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Post by maggiethecat on Oct 10, 2006 9:00:14 GMT -5
I think that we -- anna, Shmeep, and yours truly -- should all get together and send Aaron Sorkin a group email telling him how to fix his show. I mean, obviously we have the solution.  And -- sigh -- last night's episode was another case in point: that so-called comedy monologue they were fighting over was just . . . not . . . funny. Then again, looking back, I can't say that West Wing was ever what you'd call riotous, more like a quiet chuckle now and again. Maybe comedy just ain't Aaron Sorkin's thing. I kept surfing during last night's show, at one point watching -- and thoroughly enjoying, I confess -- a Judge Judy rerun (!). I didn't know Smith was gone already. Good show but it never really jelled, not even in the pilot. And what an expensive cast! Heroes, on the other hand, continues to delight and intrigue, although I fear they are deviating from the nicely tongue-in-cheek "let's save the planet, guys" theme to a straight manhunt for a Hannibal Lecter-ish serial killer, which is a shame. But that adorable Japanese fellow makes me LOL every week, and I honestly think I'm watching the show for him! Oh, and keep your eyes peeled -- Rena Sofer has signed on to play a recurring role as the politician's wife. Oh, and Heroes, which had none of the advance hype and promotion of Studio 60, is a ratings success.  |
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Post by inuvik on Oct 10, 2006 9:32:15 GMT -5
Plus, I have been a big Kyle Chandler fan since Homefront and Early Edition. Had to check it out just to see what they were going to do with his character. Me too. I loved him from Early Edition! One of the main reason I watched it. Couldn't save it though IMO. My local station is finallly showing The Nine tonight--after all I've read here I'm really looking forward to it. |
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Post by shmeep on Oct 11, 2006 10:30:40 GMT -5
And -- sigh -- last night's episode was another case in point: that so-called comedy monologue they were fighting over was just . . . not . . . funny. Then again, looking back, I can't say that West Wing was ever what you'd call riotous, more like a quiet chuckle now and again. Maybe comedy just ain't Aaron Sorkin's thing. I kept surfing during last night's show, at one point watching -- and thoroughly enjoying, I confess -- a Judge Judy rerun (!). Oh dear. That does not bode well for poor Studio 60, does it? You're right. I caught up last night and that comedy bit was not funny at all. It was very similar to what one would find on SNL today. I liked the rest of the episode, though. And Christine Lahti! Yeah! I always love her and I like that she was obviously sexy to Matt and Danny (following Jordan's advice) even if she isn't twenty-three years old. I thought it was funny that all the announcements and apologies about the stolen monologue were funnier than the monologue itself. Sorkin is good at that kind of situational humor, but he really has no business trying to write skits. I caught 30 Rock online yesterday and enjoyed it. Alec Baldwin is hilarious and I like Tina Fey's writing. Very cute. And it's refreshing not to have a laugh track. I like this trend towards sitcoms not having laugh tracks. Now if only they'd bring Arrested Development back. I caught a couple of re-runs recently and it just reminded me that no show has ever been that funny. At least to me. I'm going through a bit of Jason Bateman withdrawal. |
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Post by shmeep on Oct 11, 2006 12:42:53 GMT -5
Heroes, on the other hand, continues to delight and intrigue, although I fear they are deviating from the nicely tongue-in-cheek "let's save the planet, guys" theme to a straight manhunt for a Hannibal Lecter-ish serial killer, which is a shame. But that adorable Japanese fellow makes me LOL every week, and I honestly think I'm watching the show for him! Oh, and keep your eyes peeled -- Rena Sofer has signed on to play a recurring role as the politician's wife. Oh, and Heroes, which had none of the advance hype and promotion of Studio 60, is a ratings success. I just caught Monday's episode online. I'm so thrilled that NBC does that. ABC does it too, but the feed is blocked from this government computer for some reason. It's a new fun thing for me to do at work between interpreting gigs and it makes the time go faster. I may even check out last night's Friday Night Lights for the hell of it, since I have nothing better to do. I agree that Heroes is still a lot of fun. I don't know that it's turning into an all-out manhunt, but I'm sure the bad guy will play an important role as things unfold. I'm really interested in the comic book artist who draws the future, in Hiro (isn't that name great?), and in the indestructible cheerleader with the evil adoptive dad. Very interesting. And Mohinder is gorgeous! And it's great to see Greg Grunberg on TV again. I loved him in both Felicity and Alias so I'm glad he is still working. Modified to add:Well, I did it. I watched last night's Friday Night Lights and...it was really good. Now I don't know if I only hated the pilot because I was groggy and didn't feel well when I watched it. I still get culture shock watching all the Texas stuff, but I really started to care about these characters. Of course the show isn't doing so well in the ratings, but if it makes it, I'll keep watching--probably online from work, but I'll watch. |
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Post by inuvik on Oct 13, 2006 16:54:27 GMT -5
Some "non-cancellation" news from about.com:
Fans of the CBS series Jericho have cause to celebrate -- thanks to the tremendous ratings, CBS has officially granted the series a full-season order. To date, Jericho and Heroes are the only new fall series to receive a pick-up. Additional scripts have been ordered for Justice, Standoff and Friday Night Lights, which can be considered a good sign in most cases, but keep in mind that at one point last season, additional scripts were ordered for Fox's short-lived series Reunion.
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Post by housemouse on Oct 16, 2006 11:01:37 GMT -5
I am going against the grain here to admit that I like Studio 60. It is the writing that I enjoy the most. I don't care about the skits, I like the backstage stuff. I like Matthew Perry being so angsty and - having never been a fan - I am pleasantly surprised by Bradley Whitford. I hate the fact that the ratings are tanking, I would like it to stick around.
Love, love, love Heroes. I think this is going to be a fun show to watch.
I also really liked 30 Rock. I am truly repulsed by Alex Baldwin most of the time, but he seems to be playing to his type and mocking himself so I really enjoy it. His rant about how the oven got him the job made me laugh out loud! Oh and Tina Fey walking around with that box of hot dogs. hehehehehe
I didn't make it through the first episode of Brothers and Sisters. The plot didn't ring true to me and it takes all of my strength to watch Calista Flockhart in anything, I just didn't have the energy to do it.
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Post by shmeep on Oct 17, 2006 8:33:10 GMT -5
I am going against the grain here to admit that I like Studio 60. It is the writing that I enjoy the most. I don't care about the skits, I like the backstage stuff. I like Matthew Perry being so angsty and - having never been a fan - I am pleasantly surprised by Bradley Whitford. I hate the fact that the ratings are tanking, I would like it to stick around. I was not aware that liking Studio 60 is now considered going against the grain. I agree with all that you said and think it's great (haven't caught last night's yet, but will today). I don't care about the skits either, but I still maintain that the show would be far stronger with more of that left up to the imagination because it does hinder the credibility of the show as a whole and it needs all the help it can get at this point. I wish it were catching on better. From what I've read, the speculation is that NBC put too much into this show to just pull it so they should at least let it see an entire season. After that? I don't know. I'll hope for the best. I also really liked 30 Rock. I am truly repulsed by Alex Baldwin most of the time, but he seems to be playing to his type and mocking himself so I really enjoy it. His rant about how the oven got him the job made me laugh out loud! Oh and Tina Fey walking around with that box of hot dogs. hehehehehe Yeah, the Pilot cracked me up too. Again, I don't know if it will catch on. The reviews are mixed on this one and I don't think it got very good ratings. Yes, Alec Baldwin was hilarious. He got the role because he is one of the funniest guest hosts on SNL in recent years. For some reason, he can really do comedy--especially when he's mocking himself. I didn't make it through the first episode of Brothers and Sisters. The plot didn't ring true to me and it takes all of my strength to watch Calista Flockhart in anything, I just didn't have the energy to do it. Don't blame you there. This is an odd little show because, while it does have a good cast and decent writing, it's surprisingly hard to get into. Every week it's been on, I've considered not watching but have always ended up seeing it in spite of that. It is growing on me a bit. The stories are getting better and I'm starting to like about half of the characters. It wouldn't break my heart if it were to be canceled, but I'll continue giving it a shot--although I could grow suddenly bored with it at any moment and stop cold turkey so...whatever. Definitely not "must see" by any stretch of the imagination, but it has a certain appeal. Heh. I read somewhere that Calista Flockhart's face seems to have stopped moving and I can only imagine her relationship with Harrison Ford is somehow responsible. How is it possible that she was believably playing an 18-year-old girl in The Birdcage just ten years ago and now she's barely passable as the 38-year-old character she's currently playing? That's just odd. |
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