According to anonymous reports, NBC has canceled two of its high profile shows, Lipstick Jungle and My Own Worst Enemy. I never watched either, but I’m not at all surprised: Lipstick Jungle looked like a crappy (and presumably watered down) rip-off of Sex and the City, and My Own Worst Enemy… well, it was just one of the worst-titled shows of the season.
Honestly, why name a show My Own Worst Enemy? Especially a thriller? It sounds like a sitcom. Thrillers, especially ones about undercover agents or hitmen or whatever Christian Slater played, should have cool one-or-two-word titles, not some cheesy title that immediately will turn audiences off. Think: Alias, Lost, CSI, JAG, Cold Case, NCIS, The Shield and countless others. Regardless of what you think of those individual shows, nice, short, cool names sell. Clever titles that might work as book titles don’t. My Own Worst Enemy was doomed before the marketing ever started.
Of course, the marketing didn’t help. The concept was cool in theory, but the previews prevented it as more of a gimmick than anything else. They needed some slick, action-packed previews, not the stuff that they threw at audiences seemingly every commercial break.
And personally, I almost find that well known actors are often a detractor for new shows. I’d rather see a show based around an idea rather than around an actor, and the fact that Christian Slater hasn’t done anything of significance in ten years was problematic. I have nothing against the guy, but more often then not, if I see previews for a new show led by a truly recognizable actor, I question its quality.
Holy crap. How things can change in six months. The top-rated NBC action series Heroes, which was an instant hit two years ago, has been canceled after a 25% drop in viewership with the third season’s premiere. With advertisers dropping off left and right, NBC will air the remaining seven episodes that have already been filmed and, presumably, wrap things up with a quick season finale - if fans are lucky.
No doubt, fans like me are going to protest this like crazy, as Heroes is one of the most refreshing shows on television. It was a risky venture by NBC - after all, even with superheroes being as popular as ever after successful franchises like X-Men and Spider-man, TV audiences can be finicky, and the thought of a television show about “realistic” superheroes was pushing the acceptability factor of people. Nonetheless, it launched with a slam dunk and just went from there, delivering some of the best television we’ve seen in years (OK, not nearly as good as Lost or Battlestar Galactica).
Unfortunately, the second season was a bit weak at times, and the last several episodes were hurried by the writer’s strike, cutting short major season arcs and conveniently wrapping them up in overly ambitious ways. Season Two saw a ridiculously small amount of episodes, and apparently that was more than enough to kill it for audiences. Still, a 25% decrease is pretty shocking, and NBC must have passed the break-even point as I’m sure Heroes is quite pricey (despite having rather crappy special effects by today’s standards).
Anyway, while Heroes did experience a 25% drop with its season premiere, NBC of course is not really canceling one of its most popular shows. Did you really believe that? Did you?
We’re two episodes into Fox’s new sci-fi show Fringe, going on #3. The show, from the creator of Lost and with the fans of The X-Files in mind, is an interesting one, about genetic testing, mutations and some kind of conspiracy or invasion that is yet to be revealed. The season starts off with a bang, with a plane full of passengers getting subjected to some biological agent that causes the flesh to melt off their bones. From there, a crazy scientist is introduced, as well as an attractive federal agent and Joshua Jackson. I’m not a fan of Jackson and I don’t think I ever will be.
In the world of Fringe, brains can be hacked into using the electricity of brain waves, death does not mean that people are completely dead (can we really believe that the woman’s boyfriend, who was revealed to be a bad guy in the first episode, won’t return from the dead?) and women can give birth to a full-grown man who dies of old age an hour after being born. Behind it all: a company of great respect, or a government, or something else entirely. We know that Fox wants several seasons of this show, and clearly what we’re seeing here is only the beginning. It’s intriguing stuff.
Still, I’m on the fringe about Fringe. It’s entertaining and works, but it isn’t a great show. It’s no X-Files, that’s for sure, no matter how hard it wants to be. For starters, the characters aren’t particularly interesting or likable, save for John Noble, who plays the senile scientist who holds many of the answers the other protagonists are seeking. Anna Torv, who plays Agent Dunham, is attractive but a bit too mannish for her own good; in this day and age, they want to make her beautiful, sensitive and tough all at the same time, but she can only switch from one mode to the next, rather than embrace all of her character’s attributes and take true advantage of them. I expect this to be fleshed out in time, but Scully she is not. And if she’s not Scully, Joshua Jackson is surely not Mulder, as he seems to be around to add a “name” to the cast, throw in some pretty bad sarcastic one-liners and prove he can have a sustainable career beyond “Dawson’s Creek.” The dynamic between the two is stale and hardly captivating.
The show has a nice, glossy feel to it, but it’s almost too glossy at times. The direction and editing is also a little sloppy, as if the crew got 95% complete and then let their kids do the rest. It’s hard to be specific, but so far the show has failed to build tension or mystery despite the story arc that makes such a thing so easily attainable. Compared to Lost, for example, it fails to keep you curious commercial break to commercial break, and that’s a bit of a disappointment.
All in all, Fringe is decent enough that I’m going to continue watching for a while, but right now I don’t know if I’ll make it a season. I have high hopes that as I write this Fox is conducting focus groups to see what they need to do to improve over future episodes, but let’s just hope their tinkering isn’t too late.
At least it’s already better than this year’s X-Files movie.
Anyone remember watching The Tick, which starred an idiotic but good-natured superhero (named The Tick) and his brainier but not quite so confident sidekick, Arthur? The show was hilarious, and while it has been canceled a few times, it never seems to die completely. The lovable superhero is back on the Minisodes Network, which takes the original content, shrinks it down to five minutes while maintaining the general storyarc, and provides them for free on the Internet.
So, in other words, for all of you - like me - who liked cartoons growing up but don’t have the patience to watch 25-minute episodes anymore, this could be a great alternative (I’m pretty sure they have non-cartoons as well). Here’s the pilot episode of The Tick… [EDITOR’S NOTE: Having written this post before watching the video, I now see that the pilot episode is for the live-action version. Either way… Enjoy!]
A&E is remaking Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain, which premieres on Monday, May 26th at 9pm as a TV mini-series. TV mini-series always worry me, but The Andromeda Strain is a cool enough story that I figured I’d better see it for myself. Thankfully, A&E sent me Part One of the series to review. (more…)
While some people have railed on the early days of this season of Survivor as being uninteresting, Fans vs. Favorites is turning out to be one of the most amazing seasons of the show… ever. I’ve enjoyed it from day one, but I’m not as picky as some people, at least not in regards to this show. I’ve liked Survivor ever since I started watching it in Season Two, and while some seasons are better than others, it has always been entertaining.
The first two-thirds of Fans vs. Favorites was pretty standard fare. As Jim Van Nest pointed out in his early recaps of the show over at BoxOfficeProphets, it was questionable as to where CBS actually found these fans. Several of them hardly shaped up to be the brilliant Survivor fans we were expecting; several seemed to know as much about mastering the show as they did about building a space shuttle. Again, as Jim pointed out, he, a die-hard fan who knows every facet of the show, would have been a much better choice.
That being said, these last four Survivor episodes leading up to the Season Finale have been insane. Partially out of stupidity, partially out of hubris and fully out of deceptiveness and backstabbing, four contestants have been taken out by complete and utter blindsides.
First, there was Ozzie. Probably the most dominant player to ever play the game, Ozzie found the Hidden Immunity Idol but became cocky about his place in the game. As one of the best players ever, he should have known better than to trust everyone in his alliance. Sure, he didn’t want to play the idol prematurely, but James even hinted to him that he had a bad feeling about that night. That should have been enough, but hubris sunk its teeth in and he fell victim to Parvati of all people.
Then comes next week. Ozzie’s blindside was stunning, but not too surprising. However, Parvati passed the torch to Natalie, who in turn showed her vicious side by manipulating Jason beyond belief. Jason, a physical threat from day one (he had even beat out Ozzie a few times), had never proven to be all that smart, but he convinced the world that he was a gullible idiot when he fell for Natalie’s promises. Like the week before, Jason had his hands on the Hidden Immunity Idol, but, despite the complete and utter blindness that he had just witnessed by what was clearly an all-women alliance, he didn’t play his idol. Two weeks in a row, two contestants with an Immunity Idol went home, stunned and confused. This blindside, however, was completely Jason’s fault.
Last week, stupidity wasn’t a factor. Amanda Kimmel, my favorite since the first episode of Survivor: China (not only is she hot, but she’s also smart and strategic), was sent to Exile Island where she managed to find the Hidden Immunity Idol, which has never played such a large role in any season before, except perhaps when Yau Man got his hands on it. Thankfully for her, she didn’t find the Immunity Idol right away but a clue for where it was buried back at camp. When she returned to her tribe mates, she put her acting skills to work, pouting very convincingly that she wasn’t able to find the Idol (which, technically, wasn’t a lie). She even dumped her bag in front of everyone to prove she hadn’t found it. As such, everyone but Parvati set out to vote Amanda off, as they, understandably, see her as the biggest threat. Unfortunately for them, with a little help from Parvati, Amanda dug up the Idol. Come Tribal Council time, the alliance of Natalie, Alexis, Erik and a reluctant Cirie think they have Amanda in the bag. Then, in one of the most entertaining Survivor moments ever, Amanda raises her hand to inform Jeff that she has the Idol. The rest of the Tribe looks shocked, Parvati starts grinning her sexy smile and the Jury, highlighted by Eliza, crack up, stunned but elated. Alexis, who only moments ago thought she was headed to the Final Five, suddenly finds herself victim to the most satisfying blindside of the season. At least no one can blame Alexis for her going home.
But then this week rolls around. Thursday, May 8, 2008. The day when one Survivor made the biggest, dumbest move in the history of the game. Erik, the young, bushy haired guy who is great in challenges, fairly smart in some ways, likable but utterly naive and gullible to the whims of sexy woman, wins the Immunity Idol. OK, Natalie is going home. But wait! What? No, it couldn’t be. It can’t be possible. The alliance of three - Amanda, Cirie and Parvati - convince Natalie to talk to Erik about asking him to give her the Immunity Idol. Natalie at first thinks it is a ridiculously stupid idea, because it is, but she asks anyway. At first, Erik simply says, “No.” Smart guy, Erik. Then, he starts considering it. Erik, no! You spell your name the same was I do. Don’t do this to other Eriks in the world! But he’s just considering it, right? He wouldn’t actually give up Immunity this close to the end, would he?
Cirie also begins to play the young guy, and it just goes downhill from there. Why would Erik even consider this as an option? The idea, as the women convince him, is that no one likes him on the Jury. Even if he wins the rest of the Immunity Idols and makes it to the Final Three, he still wouldn’t have a shot at winning. However, he could earn kudos for making a good faith gesture and giving the necklace to Natalie. Thankfully, Erik is smart enough to question why he needs to give up his Idol to vote someone else off, but Cirie tricks him into thinking that she needs such a gesture to ensure her that he will vote for a specific person (Amanda, then Parvati).
God. Come Tribal Council, the Jury is stunned - and I mean stunned - to see Erik give up his Immunity Idol. Every member on the Jury knows exactly what is happening, and they start cracking up. Even the women sitting next to him begin to laugh, and the joke is certainly on Erik. And, with that, in what is officially the dumbest Survivor move ever in the history of its 17 seasons, Erik is voted off. Ultimately, Erik was a smart guy who tended to over-think things and feel bad when others were allegedly angry at him; the women used this to their advantage and manipulated him. He’s a young guy with some very sexy women wandering around in bikinis; it’s understandable that he could be tricked a little bit. But even if they all offered to have a wild orgy with me, I still wouldn’t give up my Immunity Idol on a game that relies on backstabbing and betrayal. The women had proven time and time again that they couldn’t be trusted, yet he foolishly trusted them to the last second.
Now, there are four left, and Amanda has a great shot at a million dollars. Natalie isn’t the strongest of challengers, and if she doesn’t win, it’s likely that she will, in reality, go home. Of course, this season - one of the best ever - has been full of surprises and upsets, so it isn’t unreasonable to think that Cirie and Parvati would turn on Amanda - but I’d be surprised if that actually happened. After Amanda’s work involving the Hidden Immunity Idol a week back, which all but won over the Jury, the others are going to be hard pressed to be beat her if she makes it to the Final Three.
I’ve hated him since week one. It probably doesn’t help that I hate dreadlocks. Why would you want unruly, smelly hair when you could just buzz your head and have the same low maintenance? Regardless, Jason Castro has to go. He’s never been a good singer, and he never well be (yes, he can sing better than I, but I’m not in a competition to sell hundreds of thousands of records). Sure, he’s pulled out - let me count - two good songs over the course of his short-lived career, but that’s not much at all.
Castro should have gone weeks ago, but this week he just has to go. American Idol doesn’t deserve the guy for another week. Syesha has been doing all too well to go home, and it would just be wrong for one of the Davids to go home already. Please, American Idol voters, please! Send Jason Castro - a.k.a. Dreadlocks - packing ASAP.
If I believed in God, I would thank Him. After all, thanks to my friends at New Media and the Sci-Fi Channel, I am blessed with an early copy of Battlestar Galactica: Season 4: Episode 1, which is called He That Believeth in Me. I have been waiting to stick the DVD into my player all day, but have patiently sat around for my roommate, also a huge fan of one of the best television shows ever, to get home from work so we can watch it. As I stare at this DVD, it beckons me, calls to me, whispers to me, tells me, “Don’t wait any longer. You need to get up for work the next morning. Just start playing it. He won’t notice.” But he will, dammit! I will get through five minutes and he will appear, and I will have to restart. Where is he? Where is my roommate? I’ve never wanted him to get home faster… I’m starting to sound a little creepy, as if I’m in love with my roommate - which I’m not! I mean, I love him as a friend, but nothing more. I just want him… to get here right now so I can watch this frakkin’ Battlestar Galactica season premiere!
An hour later, I continue writing… I just finished watching the Battlestar Galactica Season 4 premiere, and it’s pretty good. As good as the Season 3 premiere, which introduced to life on New Caprica post-Cylone invasion? No, of course not. But it’s still a good starting point for the final season. The first several minutes are devoted to a gigantic space battle, full of shootings, explosions and special effects. Maybe it was just the quality of my screener DVD, but the special effects don’t look as good as they did in past seasons. Either way, for television, and especially for the Sci-Fi Channel, Battlestar Galactica still offers some of the best space action there is, and after the rather action-less second half of season three, it’s a refreshing change of pace.
The episode overall is quite good, setting the stage for the stories that will unfold over the rest of the season. It’s funny that I started this review with a mention about God, because it is clear that religion, or at least faith, is going to play a big part in this season. Gray-toned Baltar finds himself taken in by a group of predominantly young, sexy women (go Baltar!) who are of the creepy cultish religious quality, but will a miracle and some naked breasts make him born again? Will Adama accept Starbuck back into his life, even though all signs indicate that she is not what she seems? What will the Final 5 do, a good chunk of the series’ cast that are now, suddenly (but have always been) Cylons?
The episode is fast-paced, exciting and thought intriguing. As always, don’t expect a conclusion to the storylines presented here; you’ll have to wade through several more episodes before the show begins to tie things together once and for all (assuming it does). The show offers a little bit of humor, mainly revolving around the naivety of the religious cult and a line where Starbuck tells her husband that she would kill him if she found out he was a Cylon (which he is).
I signed a contract saying I wouldn’t talk about the ending, and so I won’t, other than to say that the episode ends with a pretty good cliffhanger - except that, unless I’m mistaken, it’s going to be one of those cliffhangers that is going to end rather simply at the beginning of episode two. Still, it’s clear that the writers have a very specific plan in mind and that this final season of Battlestar Galactica will be a thrilling one.
I don’t think it will be able to top the occupation episodes that took up the beginning of season three, but I pray (as much as I can pray) for some good action, some thought-provoking politics and not too much fluffy destiny stuff which the show has hinted at as being its focus.
A bootleg teaser trailer for The X-Files 2 from Wondercon has made its way online. It’s a little hard to tell exactly what the movie is about, but the shots of Mulder and Scully certainly draw great crowd reactions. Check out the movie trailer below, and hopefully an official version will arrive online soon enough.
The writer’s strike is over, and all I can say is… thank you Lord! As a result, the major networks have started to release press releases detailing what to expect over the last couple of months. Many people feared that TV shows would be done for the season, but apparently the networks were more worried… As a result, many TV shows are returning this spring. The good news is that Lost, which was originally scheduled for only eight episodes, will now air 13 episodes (albeit with a break in March). The bad news is that Heroes will not return until the fall.
NBC:
Medium (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), Continues current run
My Name Is Earl (Thursdays, 8-8:30 p.m. ET), Resumes April 3 with one-hour episode
30 Rock (Thursdays, 8:30-9 p.m. ET), Resumes April 10, 5 episodes
The Office (Thursdays, 9-9:30 p.m. ET), Resumes April 10, 5-6 episodes
Scrubs (Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET), Resumes April 10
ER (Thursdays, 10-11 p.m. ET), Resumes April 10
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Tuesdays, 10-11 p.m. ET), Resumes April 15
Law & Order (Wednesdays, 10-11 p.m. ET), Resumes April 23
Heroes - not until the fall!
CBS:
How I Met Your Mother, March 17, 9 episodes
The Big Bang Theory, March 17, 9 episodes
Two and a Half Men, March 17, 9 episodes
CSI: Miami, March 24, 8 episodes
Cold Case, March 30, 5 episodes
Criminal Minds, April 2, 7 episodes
CSI: NY, April 2, 7 episodes
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, April 3, 6 episodes
Without a Trace, April 3, 6 episodes
Ghost Whisperer April 4, 6 episodes
Numb3rs, April 4, 6 episodes
Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, April 8, 7 episodes
Moonlight, April 11, 4 episodes
Rules of Engagement, April 14, 6 episodes
Shark, TBA, 4 episodes
CW:
Smallville, April, 5-6 episodes
Supernatural, April, 5-6 episodes
One Tree Hill, April, 5-6 episodes
Reaper, April, 5-6 episodes
ABC
Lost, 5 additional episodes
Fox
Bones, April 14, 4+ episodes
House, TBA, 4+ episodes
Sci-Fi
Battlestar Galactica, April 4, 10-14 episodes (14 episodes are currently filmed out of a total of 20, rumors are that Sci-Fi may split into two 10-episode seasons)
