Bad TV - Party Down

I thought it was time to warn you away from a few programs, starting with this first article.  As we all know by now, the television industry produces a lot of dreck, but I guess I expected a little more from STARZ since they put out the successful Spartacus series.  In the case of Party Down:  I watched the first episode of the second season and found out what it needs - a laugh track and a good writer.  Watching the bumbling antics of food service employees could have been fun, but that was not the case in this show.  If it was a reality show it would be typically sad, but at least understandable.  And I really get tired of the quotes attached to promos, such as the San Diego Union Tribunes "Laughter in belly busting proportions."  Really?  I went to the source of this tag, and found it was a one paragraph review thrown out by the author who clearly needed to keep pumping out material to keep the newspaper happy.  Notice, the laughter is defined as "inappropriate" and the short piece also mentions"bite-sized humiliations."  Humiliated about summarizes my feelings after watching the show.

By the way, I am glad that Jane Lynch moved onto Glee where her talents are truly appreciated.

Oh No...They Killed South Park! (Or At Least They Tried)

The story regarding threats to the creators of South Park is scary and sad. First, why anyone is taking this program seriously was my initial question. The show has its moments, but let's be realistic. It is a badly drawn series with sharp, juvenile jabs at everything under the sun. Think of it as a 13 year-old saying dumb things to his parents until they are provoked into action. It is meant to provoke, and so it has.

It appears Zachary Adam Chesser, a convert to Islam, has nothing better to do than watch bad TV and send out ridiculous emails. He basically threatened South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone because of their 200th episode that purportedly portrayed the prophet Muhammad. Mr. Chesser stated the following on his website: "We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show." As you may recall, the Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh was brutally murdered in 2004 for his depictions of Islam.

Having watched the episode, it is clear that Trey and Matt knew what they were doing by pushing the issue to the edge, but that is what they do every week. In fact, an earlier episode of South Park had fully portrayed Muhammad (among other religious figures) without hiding him in a bear suit or U-Haul truck, but that never received such attention. However, Comedy Central apparently overreacted after this recent threat and started censoring a follow-on episode. This has created problems between the creators and the network, but this struggle is not new (at Comedy Central or anywhere else involving differing ideas on appropriateness). The first amendment right to free speech certainly applies here, and it would be nice if the networks would stand up for the Constitution.

So should Trey and Matt be concerned? Probably not, but that does not prevent others from providing advice. Ayaan Hirsi Ali's article in the Wall Street Journal basically counseled hiding. Ms. Ali said the South Park creators should be "very" worried about the threat and suggested the two consult with experts to learn how they can protect themselves. Ms. Ali notes that the U.S. Government may need to help with these protection costs, which could run into the millions of dollars. A better suggestion made in this same article is greater solidarity in the entertainment industry to protect free speech. Makes sense to me.

If you are interested in more on this topic, here is a clip where Trey and Matt comment on this controversy and show an earlier episode with images of the Prophet Mohammad. And while I support loud cartoonists everywhere, I think I will simply go back to my favorite evening cartoon - The Simpsons.

Saving the Great Shows

Awhile back in my blog (click here) I wrote about the fate of Friday Night Lights and how it was saved by Direct TV. At the time I had mixed feelings, but I am starting to like the idea even more.

It seems that FX's Damages, now completing its third seasaon, is now facing a similar decision; go off the air or cut a deal with Direct TV where the subscribers get the show earlier than the rest of us. As with FNL, I would like to see more of Damages, a quality, well-acted program. So I certainly support this move. Apparently other venues are being approached as well. I hope it works out.

This reminds me of other attempts to save flagging shows. Of course, the major network definition is all about 'eyes on the TV," which often fails to capture DVR and other viewing habits (i.e., free TV on Hulu and Fancast). I am all for saving good TV stuck with bad networks. This recently happened with Southland, which was dropped by NBC after its first season (in a very sloppy way, I might add) and picked up by TNT. It is doing well on TNT and is now slated for a third season. And this is even better than Direct TV since we all get to see the new shows at the same time.

Now if we can only find a small TV network to pick up Kings.

Note: FNL starts up again on May 7th on TNT.

The Future of Your Favorite Shows

Here is the latest list for the current TV programs you might be watching:

ABC Renewed Shows: Modern Family, Cougar Town, The Middle
ABC Shows on Life Support: Better Off Ted, The Deep End, Flash Forward, The Forgotten, Scrubs
ABC Canceled Shows: Hank, Ugly Betty

CBS Renewed Shows: How I Met Your Mother, The Good Wife, NCIC: Los Angeles, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men,
CBS Shows on Life Support: Accidentally on Purpose, Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, Medium, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Numb3rs
CBS Canceled Shows: Three Rivers

CW Renewed Shows: The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, 90210, Smallville, Supernatural
CW Shows on Life Support: Life Unexpected, Melrose Place, One Tree Hill

Fox Renewed Shows: Glee, Fringe, Bones, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, The Simpsons
Fox Shows on Life Support: Brothers, Human Target, Lie To Me, Til Death
Fox Canceled Shows: 24, Dollhouse, Past Life

NBC Renewed Shows: Parks & Recreation, Friday Night Lights, Law & Order, 30 Rock
NBC Shows on Life Support: Chuck, Heroes, Mercy, Trauma

Merlin and More - April Shows

April is shaping up to be another busy month of new shows and returning favorites. A few new shows include HBO's New Orleans-based Treme (April 11), History Channel's America: The Story of Us (April 25), and ABC's Happy Town (April 28). The papers have been full of glowing stories about the making of Treme, so hopes are high. And given creator David Simon's past success with The Wire, the hopes appear warranted. Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker stated:

Hoo boy, are you going to have fun watching this. It bursts with great rhythm & blues, funk, and jazz music (bouncing covers of everything from George Clinton's ''Pumpin' It Up'' to Bobby Womack's ''It's All Over Now''). It's got superb performances from two Wire vets, Wendell Pierce (as devilish trombone player Antoine) and Clarke Peters (as the leader of a Mardi Gras Indian tribe). There's also Steve Zahn, in his first TV series, playing a ditzy DJ; John Goodman as a righteous English professor; and Khandi Alexander (forget CSI: Miami — this is her best work since 2000's The Corner, another Simon project) as Ladonna, a bar owner. Add cameos by Dr. John, Elvis Costello, the genius record producer Allen Toussaint, and many lesser-known but terrific musicians as both players and actors (go get Trombone Shorty's new album, Backatown, now!), and Treme explodes with pleasure.

Returning shows include SyFy's Merlin (April 2), Showtime's Tudors (April 11), and Fox's Glee (April 13). Merlin was on NBC last year, but it has been moved to NBC's specialty network to a more targeted audience. It may just work. BBC has already ordered a third season of the program, so it has done well overseas. For some reason, the American audience is not taking to the show in the same way. Then again, American networks are notorious for sloppy roll-outs of programs. HBO and Showtime have a certain professionalism almost completely lacking in the "major" networks, which is becoming an oxymoron if there ever was one.

One more point. Last year BBC History Magazine had an interesting article titled The Tudors: This Time it's Political, which looked at the historical accuracy of the program. Michael Hirst, the creator of the series, says it is 85 percent accurate with a few extra twists. It is certainly fun to watch, and it's nice to know that we might actually learn something as well, but how much? The battle goes on. Two years ago, the New York Time's wrote:

If “The Tudors” fails to live up to the great long-form dramas cable television has produced, it is not simply because it refuses the visceral messiness of a “Rome” or a “Deadwood” (the corpse-eating pigs!) but more significantly because it radically reduces it’s the era’s thematic conflicts to simplistic struggles over personal and erotic power. “The Tudors” makes it seem as if the entire creation of the Anglican Church boiled down to Henry’s wish to remarry and sire a male heir. (When Anne gives birth to a daughter this season, the future Elizabeth I, Henry looks as if he were a little boy who got the wrong kind of tricycle at Christmas.) “The Sopranos,” “The Wire” and “Big Love” all have derived their potency from dramatizing the preservation of failing institutions. The paradox of “The Tudors” is that it takes on one of the most powerful and protested institutions in human history — the Catholic Church during the Renaissance — and provides little sense of what the English people have to gain or lose by breaking with it.

Ouch!

And it gets worst. Later on, British historian Dr. Starkey and others made the following observations in the Telegraph:

• Characters wear costumes from the Elizabethan era and travel in Victorian carriages, suggesting that the modes of transport in the series were bought "lock, stock and barrel" from a "Jane Austen leftover".

• The program makers twisted history to show Henry VIII's sister, Margaret, being sent away to marry the King of Portugal instead of the King of Scotland.

• The series depicts Pope Paul III as the man who opposed the move that led to the creation of the church of England. However, the pope who refused to let Henry VIII divorce his first wife was Paul's predecessor, Clement VII.

The final quote was pretty mean: "The series was made with the original intention of dumbing it down so that even an audience in Omaha [in Nebraska] could understand it"

Ouch, again!

Check Out Justified

You are missing on out some great TV if you are not tuning into FX's new show Justified. From the very first scene, the story captured my interest and continued to sustain it. And it's all due to the terrific acting by Timothy Olyphant, who plays U.S. Marshal Raylan Given. You may remember him as the Sheriff in HBO's Deadwood, another great performance (see photos to right). In his new show he wears the white hat, but in both shows he was a lawman dealing with the dregs of society - first the frontier town of Deadwood and now current day backwoods Kentucky. Another character to watch in this show is Boyd, played by Walton Goggins from The Shield. When Olyphant and Goggins are on screen, playing old coal mining friends and now foes, the show has increased interest. In fact, Goggins was supposed to die in the first episode, but fortunately he will be around for awhile (see the full story here). I think we have a hit on our hands. Olyphant continues to put on a great performance and, like many great actors, so much of his acting is in his pauses or the furrow of an eyebrow. While this may not work on the stage, its is very effective with the intimacy allowed by TV. If you need to catch up, episodes are already available on iTunes.

March TV Madness

March is shaping up to be good month for new and returning programs. I tried out Fox's The Sons of Tuscon on Sunday night and thoroughly enjoyed this odd show. The key ingredient is Tyler Labine, who I first remember as a terrific co-star on The Reaper. I miss the antics of The Reaper, but Labine is back in form in his new show. While the premise is a little strange - he is being paid by three kids to be their dad while their real one sits in prison - it becomes a blank slate for Labine. Whether this show can keep its steam through more than one season remains to be seen, but it will be a fun ride while it lasts.

Some other shows starting in March include HBO's The Pacific, FX's Justified, and Disovery's Life. Returning shows include Showtime's Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara, as well as ABC Family's 10 Things I Hate About You. Plenty of good TV this month.

Another note: If you are a fan of the TV show Lost, I recommend you check out this Slate site that follows the series closely. You will find some fun insights to the show.