New Programming at YouTube

If you thought you had enough to watch on TV, well the amount of content out there on the computer (and eventually TV) may grow considerably in years to come.  YouTube announced plans to add 100 new channels to its service covering areas such as pop culture, music, sports, entertainment, and health.  Various stars and celebrities, such as Madonna, Ashton Kutcher, and Shaquille O'Neal, are expected to contribute content to this new venture.  YouTube has also committed to 25 hours of new programming each day.

Of course, the owner of YouTube, Google, Inc., is still working to bring this content to TV screens, creating an expanded venue for both YouTube and Google.  I expected much greater competition as the computer screen and TV screen became one.  If it works the way it should, we can have better programs in the years to come, as well as more flexibility concerning where we watch our favorite programs.

For a sample of the new YouTube channels, go here.  I like some of the ideas, many of which build on an already successful brand.  For instance, you will see Slate, The Nerdist, and TED.  And yet, I see some interesting new players, such as:

-- i am OTHER: Brought to you by Pharrell Williams. Championing individuality by giving a creative platform to a generation of game changers: Thinkers, Innovators, Outcasts.  

-- Noisey:  The Noisey Channel will feature performances and behind-the-scenes footage from bands all around the globe, hand-selected by people who know a lot more about music than you. 

-- Stan Lee's World of Heroes:  Every story has a hero; from the legendary Stan Lee come amazing tales about unique characters and extraordinary individuals.

I look forward to the new programming, though the current players on TV may have another impression.

Starz Has a Winner with Boss

Starz new series Boss (Fridays at 10pm EST) is an impressive political drama that profiles a whole new side of Kelsey Grammer, which can be difficult to watch at times.  The pilot starts with a very bleak scene showing Grammer's character, Chicago's Mayor Tom Kane, learning about his pending death.  Think Macbeth on Lake Michigan.  From there we go back to his day-to-day activities, which includes a lot of yelling, slamming of doors, and ear twisting (and even more with ears).  I am not sure if either of Chicago's mayors, be it former Mayor Daley or current Mayor Emanuel, will find much of themselves in this character (at least I hope not).

The intro credits provide a dark entry into Chicago, showing both the well-known spots as well as lesser known underside of the city, thereby preparing you for what is to come.  In addition to Grammer, you have an aspiring politician eying the governor's mansion (played by Jeff Hephner) and a brooding trophy wife (played by Connie Nielson), who together set you up for a roller-coaster of public victories and behind the scene treachery.  However, it is Grammer that surprised me the most with his unsmiling, violent character.  His acting has a gravitas that centers the pilot while keeping you guessing about his next move (and motives).

I expect a lot of soliloquies about the role of Chicago in American history as well as American hearts, but this is something I welcome.  Chicago has been the setting of many new shows over the past few years, including The Beast, The Chicago Code, Shameless, and most recently The Playboy Club.  Of course, all of these but Shameless were either cut mid-season or lasted only one season.  Boss has already been renewed for a second season, so this show may be around for awhile. That's great for TV, but maybe not so great for Mayor Rahm.

First Fall Casualty - Playboy Club

So far I like the way the new fall season is being spread over September through November.  This slow trickle of new shows gives everyone time to digest the new programs and make decisions based on more than the amount of DVR storage space available.  That said, even this approach cannot save every show, as we now see with the canceling of NBC's Playboy Club.  This is now NBC described this new show:

From Academy Award-winning Executive Producer Brian Grazer, "The Playboy Club" is a provocative new NBC drama about a time and place that challenged the existing social mores and transformed American culture forever. It's the early 1960s, and at the center of Chicago lies the legendary and seductive Playboy Club, a living, breathing fantasy world filled with $1.50 cocktails, music, glitter and of course, beautiful Bunnies. The key to the club, which offers the ultimate in beauty, is the most sought-after status symbol of its time. But all that glitters isn't gold, and in the back rooms and alleys behind the club, life happens - both good and bad. 

It sounds a lot like another nostalgic Mad Men-like program set in Chicago with a different type of hustling.  After watching the pilot, I found that Edie Cibrian's Nick Dalton certainly looked and sounded like Don Draper.  In fact, I think he was being too much of a carbon copy.  And the first segment of the show was too much like a cop drama with the death of a club client.  Whatever happened to easing the audience into the setting and characters?  Not a great start, as it appears the rest of the viewing audience has already determined.

I am not sure how ABC's Pan Am, the Mad Men of the skies, will fare in these turbulent TV waters.  But that's another posting for later.

By the way, this shot from Pan Am also brings to mind Don Draper.  Is it only me?