New shows! (Fall 2010)

[Dex]

So Boardwalk Empire was freaking awesome.

The period piece sets, costumes, cars... it was all spot on and beautiful. If I didn't know better, the entire episode looked like a high quality Hollywood movie. Acting was great, as was the story and directing (by Martin Scorsese). All in all, it was a little slow to get momentum (which isn't the shows fault, they had to take time to establish characters and all that), but once it got its legs, it was off and running at full speed. I throughly enjoyed every minute and was actually sad to see the credits roll. This show is defiantly at the top of my viewing list when it airs on Sunday - and thanks to HBO having no commercials, I plan on watching it live every week.

Solid A-

[Smiley]

Is Scorcese going to direct the whole series or just the first or maybe just the first handful of episodes?

[Dex]

From this new website called "wikipedia"

Martin Scorsese was involved in the project even before creator Terence Winter. He directed the pilot and established the look of the show, which other directors later emulated to make the show feel seamless. He is also one of the executive producers of the show. Winter stated that Scorsese weighs on the casting decisions, watches all the cuts and dailies. Up until the shooting of the show's first season, Scorsese and Winter would meet every Sunday afternoon to review what went on during the week where Scorsese would have comments and suggestions. Martin Scorsese is expected to continue to be creatively involved in the ongoing production and if the series continues—with proper scheduling—he would like to direct more episodes.

Sounds like what JJ Abrams does with his shows; he directs the pilot & the finales, but other than that, he just executive produces it.

[efilflah]

I just watched ep 1, and you're right, the production values are immense. It gets me worried though, because it's so obviously an expensive show that ratings are gonna have to be consistently good for it to keep going.

And hells yeah it was awesome. Can't wait 'til next week.

[Smiley]

From this new website called "wikipedia"

Martin Scorsese was involved in the project even before creator Terence Winter. He directed the pilot and established the look of the show, which other directors later emulated to make the show feel seamless. He is also one of the executive producers of the show. Winter stated that Scorsese weighs on the casting decisions, watches all the cuts and dailies. Up until the shooting of the show's first season, Scorsese and Winter would meet every Sunday afternoon to review what went on during the week where Scorsese would have comments and suggestions. Martin Scorsese is expected to continue to be creatively involved in the ongoing production and if the series continues—with proper scheduling—he would like to direct more episodes.

Sounds like what JJ Abrams does with his shows; he directs the pilot & the finales, but other than that, he just executive produces it.

Let me get a brand spankin' new legal pad and write this down. W-I-K-I-P... D'oh!!

[psyper]

From this new website called "wikipedia"

Martin Scorsese was involved in the project even before creator Terence Winter. He directed the pilot and established the look of the show, which other directors later emulated to make the show feel seamless. He is also one of the executive producers of the show. Winter stated that Scorsese weighs on the casting decisions, watches all the cuts and dailies. Up until the shooting of the show's first season, Scorsese and Winter would meet every Sunday afternoon to review what went on during the week where Scorsese would have comments and suggestions. Martin Scorsese is expected to continue to be creatively involved in the ongoing production and if the series continues—with proper scheduling—he would like to direct more episodes.

Sounds like what JJ Abrams does with his shows; he directs the pilot & the finales, but other than that, he just executive produces it.

Let me get a brand spankin' new legal pad and write this down. W-I-K-I-P... D'oh!!

Its a fad - it'll never take off - everyone creating an encyclopaedia for everyone else - Its so obvious it wont work.

[Dex]

http://www.movieline.com/2010/09/hbo-re ... season.php

[efilflah]

That was quick.

Only 4.8 million viewers when a generic totally less impressive The Event got 11 million?

There is no justice.

[Dex]

That was quick.

Only 4.8 million viewers when a generic totally less impressive The Event got 11 million?

There is no justice.

I'm not sure you read the entire paragraph.

Combined with the additional airings HBO ran on Sunday night, over 7 million viewers tuned in.

I think more people have NBC than HBO, so you can't compare at all.

Cable shows don't have to pull in even half the numbers that networks shows do, in order to deserve renewal. I'm sure HBO already planned to renew, but waited until the pilot episode aired. As soon as the positive numbers came it, they locked the entire show in for a second season. Hell, it won't even start filming until January at the earliest, but at least now they have the writers working on the script, and the cast signed for new contracts.

The Walking Dead hasn't even premiered yet and AMC already renewed it for a second season.

[efilflah]

True true.

Am I the only one who thought The Event was pretty meh?

I mean, as long as Sarah Roemer keeps the bikinis on I'll be happy to continue watching, but as a whole it seemed pretty weak in execution.

[Dex]

^^^ I really enjoyed it. It wasn't perfect, but it was still cool and entertaining. I think I gave it an A-

What were you expecting?

[efilflah]

I don't really know what I was expecting tbh, I just wasn't feeling it. It didn't push my buttons the same way other shows have. Like the OMG! moment when you first heard the noise of the Black Smoke in LOST, or saw Clark Kent speeding through the cornfields, or the countdown clock at the end of 24.

I don't mean, gimmicks. Even the "Surprise" at the end wasn't as gripping. Maybe it was just the direction, or FX or overall look and feel of the show. I don't know what I mean, I think I'm losing my marbles like Smash.

I'd probably give it a B- for a pilot. It definitely has potential based on the scene it's set though.

[Smiley]

I don't really know what I was expecting tbh, I just wasn't feeling it. It didn't push my buttons the same way other shows have. Like the OMG! moment when you first heard the noise of the Black Smoke in LOST, or saw Clark Kent speeding through the cornfields, or the countdown clock at the end of 24.

I don't mean, gimmicks. Even the "Surprise" at the end wasn't as gripping. Maybe it was just the direction, or FX or overall look and feel of the show. I don't know what I mean, I think I'm losing my marbles like Smash.

I'd probably give it a B- for a pilot. It definitely has potential based on the scene it's set though.

Lost set the bar so high(in the first couple of seasons, anyways) for fucking with your preconceptions of what a TV series is that any other attempts that even tries that sort of WTF factor just comes up contrived. Whatever they come up with plot-wise will always be compared to Lost and nobody will be happy no matter how mind-blowingly brilliant it will be.

[psyper]

I never judge a show based on its pilot - NEVER. I always give it a 3 episode chance.

The first episode is always the hardest one to pull off
- if you do a back-2-back two-parter about 3/4 of the way in everyone is like 'is this show going to finish any time now!?'
- you have to try and grab people right in the first few minutes of the show - which is why most will put the middle as a flash-forward just to show what the show is building up to. Even stories in the pub are set up that way - "oh paddy tell them about the time you lost your left index finger in that prostitutes arse." "okay well it all started when me and my bro decided to book a flight to Amsterdam...". Lost was great exception in that respect because the starting premise was so spectacular - the story starts with a plane crash.
- you need to get people invested in to the main characters - you need to meet them and start to relate to them early - if you don't get people to hook on to them asap then they wont bother - you gotta try and introduce everyone 'important' in the show - the ones that are going to be in every...single...episode need to be shown predominately in the first one at least.
- in the same vein you need to bring the audience up to speed with the current affairs - if its a sci-fi program you need to make sure everyone is aware of what has happened between the present and when the pilot starts - flashback moments to how we got to this point - no use throwing viewers in a post apocalyptic future without some reference on how it happened. You need to tell this audience - hey this is our world in our story and here's the guided tour.
- you need to lead up to a cliff-hanger - you want the premier viewers to want to watch the rest of the show so you have to put in a hook right at the end for people to say - great fuck now I have to watch the 2nd episode of this crappy new series just to find out wtf happened there. Every other cliffhanger you have more or less a whole season to build up to it with the pilot episode you got to build up the suspense of the cliffhanger in a much shorter timespan.

You gotta do all of the above and a whole lot more in 48 minutes. Very hard to pull off which is why most shows pilot has such a high viewership than the 2nd - because it never quite works for everyone.

By the time the 2nd and 3rd episode has come and past the show has settled down in to a normal episodic storyline and thats where I make my judgement on whether to add it to my list of shows to 'acquire' or to forget about altogether.

Theres always exceptions to the rule - 24 pissed me off by season 3 because it was the same formula repeated over and over. Heroes after season 2 because they over did it with season 1 and I got tolerant on heroes-crack far to early that it didn't get me addicted the 2nd time round - if they did season 2 first and season 1 next then I bet it would still be going even now. Chuck was the opposite - it didn't appeal to me at first - oh look its a jake 2.0 reboot yawn. But now I'm looking to get hold of it all and start watching it as my friends say its got so much better later on.


I found The Event pilot really good - only a couple of things I didn't enjoy were the jumping around in time; 2-hours ago - 3 weeks ago - 5 weeks later - COM'ON ENOUGH ALREADY! also, the pilot didn't show anything more (apart from the end) which wasn't already shown in the trailer - no extra plot-line etc - seems like the trailers were leaked 'last time on The Event' part of episode 2!! I'd give it an A if I forget Lost and treat Event as if Lost hadn't existed.

[psyper]

SyFy's Blastr (why does sci-fi employ a 5 year old to come up with their brand names?) site does a great 68 tv series guide for 2010. Might be useful...

http://blastr.com/2010/09/your-complete-tv-guide-to.php