New Shows, 3: Community, The Beautiful Life, Flash Forward
September 19th, 2009 | Jonathan Gray
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Archive for the ‘previews’ Category
Spam with your Television? Advertising, Paratexts, and Laziness
September 14th, 2009 | Jonathan Gray
I’m variously annoyed, depressed, and amused by spam. Annoyed because, well, it’s annoying. Depressed because it can only exist because some doofuses actually click through (“Do I wish I had a ‘trouser beast’? Why, damn it, I do! I’d better click through and buy me some of those pills, so that tomorrow I wake up with one that will, as this ad promises, ‘scare the neighbors’”) and thus it reminds me both of how stupid some people are and of how stupid many people think we all are. Amused when its inappropriateness can only be met with laughter.
Part of running a blog involves dealing with spam. There’s the whacked out spam that reads like clothing I’d often see when I lived in Hong Kong, peppered with English phrases yet designed by non-English speakers (“crazy pilot home run go anaphylactic shock heroes live for the best why Friends dig it barroom brawl cheese town tank boy”), and then there’s the stuff posing as real messages (a recent one is “I have been searching everywhere on the internet for this specific information. Finally I find it here! Thanks.” Maybe I’d believe it more if there was information in the post on which it commented, not just opinion/rambling). Both just want you to click through.
But around this time of year, I always get some new show / returning show spam that doesn’t want you to click through, but that wants to sell a show. It rarely goes into the filter, and seems not to have been delivered by a ‘bot. Rather, some poor intern somewhere seems to have the job of trawling through Google, and replying to all blogs that mention a specific show with enthusiastic plans to watch the new season. More after the fold:
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The CW Upfronts
May 24th, 2009 | Jonathan Gray
Finishing our tour through this Fall’s TV schedule, let’s look at the CW.
Remember when The WB network began and it had a fair amount of African American programming, but then it went for wealthy young white women? Then UPN also programmed a lot of African American content. Then the two merged, and African American shows were ghettoized into one night so that the wealthy young white women could hold court for the other nights. Well, with the cancellation of The Game and Everybody Hates Chris, the CW can now boldly announce that CW stands for Completely White. (Okay, there’s Tyra and there’s the kid on 90210, but not much else.)
Gone, too, are 13: Fear is Real, 4Real, Easy Money, In Harm’s Way, Privileged, Reaper, and Valentine.
What’s new? After the fold …
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CBS Upfronts
May 21st, 2009 | Jonathan Gray
CBS’s turn to unveil their schedule came yesterday. But first, fellow Extratextual Ivan Askwith just posted some neat thoughts about serial television, and I’d hate for them to be swallowed amidst my upfront posts, so please scroll down to read those too.
As for CBS, there’s no eleventh hour reprieve for The Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace vanished, The Ex List is now on the ex-show list, Worst Week certainly had its worst week, The Unit got a bullet between the eyes, Harper’s Island experienced a horrific end too, and Game Show in My Head will remain in the head.
However, Patricia Arquette went from speaking to the dead to reincarnating the dead, as her Medium, just a day after getting tossed by NBC, is now on CBS. It will be on a new Women Who Talk to Dead People Friday, along with Ghost Whisperer.
Below the fold are CBS’ new shows, and that whole “rescued from death” theme is prevalent:
ABC Upfronts
May 20th, 2009 | Jonathan Gray
ABC’s upfronts were on Tuesday, but here’s what happened:
Many of the cancelled shows were announced earlier, and I’ll discuss the dead pool in a later post, but let me say with joy that both According to Jim and Samantha Who? are no more. ABC killed Pushing Daisies this year and also yanked Boston Legal, so they have a lot to make up for; this is a start. Kill Grey’s Anatomy, ABC, and we’ll call it even. Alas, Grey’s and its negative effect on undergrads’ ability to spell my name carries on. Also gone though are Cupid, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Homeland Security USA, In the Motherhood, Life on Mars, Opportunity Knocks, and The Unusuals (wow, that last one was quick! I guess Joan and God ain’t talkin’ no more).
There are also a whole bunch of new shows, especially on Wednesdays. Comments, embedded clips, and schedule below the fold.
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NBC Upfronts
May 19th, 2009 | Jonathan Gray
I’ve already discussed NBC’s new shows, since they already announced them. But the big news of the day, for me, is that Chuck was renewed. And in talks with journalists, Ben Silverman drew the line directly back to the fans’ and Subway’s campaign to keep the show around (see my post on the campaign here).
Law and Order was the other lucky survivor of the day, though Medium, Life, and My Name is Earl weren’t so lucky. Apparently, CBS might pick up Medium, and My Name is Earl’s Greg Garcia is also hoping to shop his show around. Garcia wasn’t a happy man, firing back at NBC that “It’s hard to be too upset about being thrown off the Titanic.” Ouch. I hope the show finds a new home, since I really like it (what’s not to like about Randy and/or Crab Man?), and it seems like it might be a good fit with FOX.
As for the schedule, more after the fold:
FOX Upfronts II, The Clips
May 19th, 2009 | Jonathan Gray
I found clips of some of the new shows, and I’m embedding them after the fold
FOX Upfronts
May 18th, 2009 | Jonathan Gray
FOX went first, and James Poniewozik says it was an odd presentation, in that it wasn’t so much about the brilliance of FOX, but of TV. As he writes:
it spent most of its time, before screening clips of its new shows, defending the medium of television itself. Despite what pundits in the media are telling you, they told advertisers, the vast majority of TV watchers still watch on a television set, and not online. And they do so watch the ads! […]
But when you’re working this hard to persuade a room of advertisers of the basic efficacy of your medium—you are nervous about something. And mind you, this is the network that has American Idol. What the hell is ABC going to say tomorrow?
Anyways, down to business, after the fold:
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Get Ready for the Upfronts
May 17th, 2009 | Jonathan Gray
The upfront presentations are this week. For those unaware of this ritual, it’s a week during which the networks trump out their Fall schedules to advertisers, often involving lavish parties and hoopla, as a prelude to a massive ad spot buying binge that follows.
The schedule: FOX kicks it off on Monday, NBC and ABC do Tuesday, and CBS and The CW are on Wednesday.
I’ve already discussed NBC’s new shows, since they had an early “infront,” though a few choices remain for the Peacock, including whether to keep Chuck (though reports are now suggesting that my favorite spy, is indeed back, albeit for an abbreviated 13 episode season) and My Name is Earl. But I’ll try to comment on each day’s activities as and when I can.
In the meantime, I’d point readers towards Alan Sepinwall of the New Jersey Star Ledger. Discussing the leaked news that Scrubs, Chuck, and Dollhouse, amongst other existing shows on the bubble, are returning, he offers an interesting thought:
The idea that a new show automatically has a better shot to draw viewers than a marginal returning series may not be the case anymore, and in this scary environment, a steady number is a steady number.
For more signs of what the networks think is going to make life better for them, stay tuned this week.
NBC’s New Shows: Life Without Chuck?
May 4th, 2009 | Jonathan Gray
It’s upfront time. Or, NBC is calling theirs “infronts.” I don’t know why and don’t plan to find out – it sounds about as cute as adding “N’ Stuff” in a store title, so let’s leave it there. [EDIT: okay, I lie, I did go looking, and it turns out they're still having an upfront; they just want to get a headstart with this. Still a silly title]. Indeed, I’m mad at NBC. They haven’t renewed Chuck. In theory, this could happen latter, though with a third of primetime given up to Jay Leno (!), and with renewals already announced for many other shows (yay, 30 Rock and The Office!), real estate is in high demand.
In this supposedly DVR-filled world, schedule still matters a heck of a lot. Try telling any creator whose show got a Friday night slot that it doesn’t. I’m particularly interested, though, in how a show’s competition frames one’s view of it, not just when one is asked to pick sides when shows are on opposing channels at the same time, but also when an axed-yet-beloved show is replaced. Right now, I look at the proposed additions and say, “hmmm… not Chuck,” and if it’s culled, whichever show gets its slot will suffer a dark aura.
Nevertheless, below the fold I introduce you to the contenders:
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