Friday, September 14, 2007

More TV blogging!

How did I miss this? To be sidebarred immediately -- Kay Reindl writes about writing in Hollywood as an experienced staffer.

Seriocity.

Anyway, this is a terrible way to do business. And it's even more dysfunctional this year, with the networks apparently STILL buying, only not from anyone regular. They want every pilot to be remarkable and inventive. So let me ask you -- how many shows that are on right now are remarkable and inventive? I mean, really super different? Ground-breaking? Changing the face of TeeVee? Let's check. "Mad Men" is as good as anything's been in ages, but nobody wants period shows because of it. I don't watch "The Wire" but people adore it. However, it's not having an infuence on the medium. These other shows, like "Rescue Me," "Weeds," "The Shield," people love 'em, but are they changing the face of TeeVee? What about "Heroes?" Since we sold the exact same pilot years ago, I'd say no. The format of "Lost," you might say... but "Lost" is, pardon the pun, on an island of its own.

What show right now is changing the way people think about TeeVee? What show's altering the way stories are told? Is any show influencing the medium of television? No. There's nothing. There's great stuff on, but it's TELEVISION. It's fun, escapist, moving, emotional... whatever. But it's not ground-breaking. Even shows with that potential, like "Battlestar Galactica," get absolutely no respect from the industry. That show SHOULD be considered ground-breaking but nobody fucking watches it, and the asshats at the academy refuse to reward it. So nobody REALLY wants a truly ground-breaking show. Doesn't it seem that way? In England, the six-episode miniseries "Jekyll" had more balls that 99% of American TeeVee. And for British TeeVee, it's fucking COMMONPLACE.


By the way, the easiest way to start a conversation in Hollywood right now is to simply ask "So, favorite bit in Jekyll?" The love is universal.

46 comments:

David Alexander McDonald said...

Alas, not much love from me for Jekyll, which I found to be overlong, incoherent, and neither imaginative nor particularly original...and the ending blew.

I could probably find good things to say, though. I did like Michelle Ryan in this.

I'm also no longer living and writing in Hollywood, so...blah blah, whatever, blah blah, who actually cares, blah blah.

On another subject, I was mightily pleased by Blue Beetle #18. For my money this is one of the best comics of the last couple of years. I even enjoyed Lobo here, which is a nice change from my usual seething hatred for the character.

Okay, back to the pits. I have lines to record, a huge fucking orchestral theme to do AGAIN (first iteration was deemed "too chipper" -- directors, I tell ya), and Shakespeare to finish mixing this weekend (producers, I tell ya.)

Rob Pugh said...

I spent a concentrated weekend last month downlo... um... obtaining and watching Jekyll straight through. It was awesome, I'll agree. Wish there was more TV in the states, or anywhere, like that. Living in Japan, with broadband, and the whole world's my TV.

Favorite bits... the comedy of the escape of Jackman's Family, the interplay between Hyde and the Mrs, the actual "key" to the transformation and the last ep/last frame reveal. Good pulpy fun. Nesbitt was a grade A scene chewer, and I dug it quite a bit.

Second kudos on the BB. As many have, I'm sure, told you... you should be writing the Titans books when it opens. You've got great teenage "voice."

Graham said...

Most British television is not actually like that. There are far fewer watchable shows on British television than there are on American networks. This is partly because we don't produce the same amount of output as you guys, and partly because we're incompetent.

Our television is as filled with exploitative reality pap, endless soaps and derivative fish-out-of-water comedies as anyone elses. But we show our soaps in primetime and pretend their serious dramas.

Anonymous said...

Seconding what Graham said, and thinking about it, I'm pretty sure that the old "90% of everything is pretty much tosh" comes into play.

If you see the best 10% of British TV you're going to get Jekyll and Shameless and the like. But for every Jekyll there are nine shows that make your ears bleed from the inanity.

Same for us with US teevee. I thought you had fantastic telly until I was actually in the US and had to endure the 90%.

Victor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Victor said...

Having just returned from a sojourn in the UK, I have to admit my disappointment and agreement with Graham – it seemed that 2/3 of the programming on terrestrial tv was directly related to 'Big Brother' – either the show itself or interviews with the contestants. Truly, I've been spoiled here at home with my craptastic basic cable and my medium-bandwidth internet connection.

But it's a damn shame that American television seems to be eating its own – the best American show of this past season was 'Raines':It was original, quirky as all hell and NBC shorted it down to six episodes, never to be seen again.

NBC has the similar but different police procedural, 'Life' coming this fall, but an unknown British actor is no replacement for Jeff Goldblum.

[And don't even get me started on Skiffy's multitude of crappy new shows... 'Painkiller', 'Buck Rogers' and his wingless hawkmen in the suburbs... At least there's still 'Eureka.]

John Seavey said...

Yes, I've long since come to terms with the fact that the best way to experience TV is to wait for the DVD, then cherry-pick the good stuff. Which involves Moffat more often than not, in the UK...anyone want to lay odds that 'Blink' will win a third consecutive Hugo for him?

And it's one of three bits: "Up to you...but I'd say, 'The front of the queue'," "You can trust me, I'm a psychopath," (I want that on a t-shirt), and/or every light in London going out. OK, four bits, as "We only have one dick," "Yes--and it's mine," is also great.

Geoff Thorne said...

here's a hint:

Spend your own money and go straight to DVD (or the web).

Shocking, I know, but it bypasses the gatekeepers.

And it's going to happen anyway, eventually.

The means of production have trickled all the way down. Why wait for that obligatory twelve year old genius to trump everybody? I've always hated that kid. Smug little bastard.

And Jekyll, kicked the living excrement out of 90% of the homegrown telefiction.

Tom Hilton said...

Favorite line from Jekyll: "You miscounted."

Favorite bit is hard to pin down, but Hyde's first appearance (in the alley, with the young couple) rates very high.

Graham said...

To be fair, the lead actor in Life is the incredible Damian Lewis. He was also the lead in HBO's Band of Brothers.

Cunningham said...

A Jekyll post?

Oh Daddy, you spoil me...

Geoff Thorne said...

Dr. Who: Blink has to be the single best piece of science fiction I've seen on TV in five years. Easy.

Holy crap.

They even managed to make inanimate objects scary.

Anonymous said...

Seriously, for every Shameless, there is a Robin Hood, a Hex, or a Hotel Babylon. The Brits may be capable of greatness, but also their fair share of exploitative, mind-sucking inanity. I'm just saying.

Anonymous said...

Because Alex brought it up: The premiere of "Robin Hood" was hands down the worst hour of TV I've ever seen. It instantly became a running joke with the friend who I watched it with. Apparently I should give the BBC a chance to redeem itself, though.

Geoff Thorne said...

RE: Alex:

Re: brit tv.

They take risks. They win big and lose big. better than shooting for the middle every time and barely making that.

(And i agree about Robin Hood)

Anonymous said...

There's a lot of 'grass is greener' attitude here in the UK. Many people assume US TV is better simply because of HBO and Aaron Sorkin.

And truth be told, they have a point. Our TV is not slick, not well-executed, is poorly budgeted and the commissioning process is eccentric and nepotistic in the extreme.

(As a digression, look at the Who franchise, which is run by a gay mafia that makes some very curious, and often poor, decisions. There have been times when I have wished someone would break RTD's fingers to prevent him writing any more. That said, I have high hopes for the Sarah Jane Adventures.)

Case in point is when the BBC brings out the worst Robin Hood in all of creation. And that is a format that should, by rights, be impossible to fuck up. I have not forgiven my old nemesis Paul Cornell for building an entire episode around a bad Bob Marley gag.

Anonymous said...

Oh dear. The first two episodes of Sarah Jane Adventures were a bit sucky; a real come down from the zingy pilot. But I blame Gareth Roberts, who seems responsible for a lot of tat coming out of Cardiff.

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