Are you surprised? I’m not.
Name me one broadcast network new show you were excited to see? Patricia Heaton in yet another sitcom? I love Patty Heaton but this just screams of network desperation. Shows must be populated with known names. Hence Patty Heaton Walton Goggins, Brad Whitford, Cobie Smulders, Billy Gardell… and in years past, Kevin James, Matt LeBlac, Matthew Perry, Joel McCray, Martin Mull, Max Greenfield, Katy Sagal, Judd Hirsch, and pretty much anyone who had a network show between 1995-2017.
I just don’t get it.
Practically every Emmy went to a non-broadcast network show. When clearly the taste of the audience is leaning towards more original fare, why do networks continue to just recycle faces and ideas?
Patricia Heaton goes back to school. How many times have we seen that?
Walton Goggins – widowed father with kids trying to get back in the dating scene. Exact same premise as the last season of KEVIN CAN WAIT. And it was a tired premise then.
Is Walton Goggins, a fantastic character actor when playing a creepy guy, really a romantic lead big enough to build a network sitcom around? That’s like when the Seattle Mariners spent a gazillion dollars for Robinson Cano. Did Robinson Cano put one extra butt in the seats?
I have to laugh when I pick up ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’S TV Fall Preview and there’s all these interviews with stars and showrunners touting how unique and special their shows are when they’re anything but.
Interestingly, most of these shows were not helped by 3 Day adjustments. And those were the premiers. What do you think is going to happen this week and next?
And the networks’ takeaway of course: Comedy is dead. No one wants to see comedy. Meanwhile, the young audience they’re so desperately trying to attract are watching FRIENDS in record numbers.
There are other actors out there. There are original ideas out there. Why not seek them out? What do you have to lose? You CAN’T do worse than you’re doing now. Except for next year if you stay on the same path.
46 comments :
I watched the 1st episodes of both "The Unicorn" and "Carol's Second Act" and I have to say that while "Carol" does seem like a pretty subpar effort (obviously hard to tell from one episode) but I was pleasantly surprised at "The Unicorn." Walton Goggins did NOT creep me out and the show was kind of sweet in its portrayal of a widower with two daughters trying to make sense of his life after his wife dies. The ads really played up the whole 'dating again' angle but I think this maybe a pretty good show to place a after the equally family styled "Young Sheldon." Just maybe. I'll watch the 2nd episode before getting too mushy about it.
"Interestingly, most of these shows were not helped by 3 Day adjustments."
Ken - would you please explain what you mean by 3 Day adjustments? I'm unfamiliar with the term.
Thanks.
To quote David Byrne: "Same as it ever was". Your critique could have been written in the late Sixties. Maybe history will repeat and the next few years will see a burst of creativity. That or network TV fades away completely and people refer to it in the past tense the way they talk about network radio.
The only new show I've watched is Stumptown and I thought it was pretty good (high praise indeed!). As I've seen hundreds of private eye shows over the years, this one was at least watchable.
I think you are pigeon holing Walton Goggins too much by saying he is a creepy character actor. I’m not saying the unicorn isn’t good, but Goggins is an excellent actor and should get opportunities. Looking at his filmography it does not look like he has been the lead in several failed TV shows.
Nancy Travis was in the TV Duckman, does that mean you shouldn’t have hired her for Almost Perfext?
Ken:
You mention about halfway through your blog that you had to "laugh when I pick up ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’S TV Fall Preview and there’s all these interviews with stars and showrunners touting how unique and special their shows are when they’re anything but."
I can't help but wonder then how convulsing you found this online headline on ew.com then - "Why this TV season will be the best in human history" if you happened to see it. It's real -- here's the link:
https://ew.com/tv/2019/09/10/fall-tv-season-editors-note/
Apparently, it's "an editor's note," which I don't know if it was used in print (haven't seen that issue yet).
At any rate, believe me -- I trust your judgment more than the magazine's.
So true Ken. My wife and I went through the new shows looking for something to add to the DVR to replace Big Bang Theory and Crazy Ex Girlfriend and could not find even one show that looked interesting.
The only network shows I watch are The Simpsons and.... hmmm let's see. I did catch the new CBS Good Wife spin off called The Evil Wife. No just Evil. But it was like Alicia Florrick visiting the X Files.
Will there be anything better on TV this year than Robert DeNiro on CNN yesterday twice saying "fuck em" about Fox News?
From Jeff Boice: To quote David Byrne: "Same as it ever was". Your critique could have been written in the late Sixties. Maybe history will repeat and the next few years will see a burst of creativity. That or network TV fades away completely and people refer to it in the past tense the way they talk about network radio.
It's an interesting comment. For a kid (which I was) in 1968 and 1969, things were pretty bleak. In 1968, most of my favorite shows were purged when the networks decided that the youthful audience they were going after wasn't buying anything. It wasn't completely barren (Laugh-In, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Dark Shadows), but there were weeknights when there was NOTHING on TV I wanted to see. I had to *read*, for godsake. But then the networks woke up and revamped so we could have All in the Family, M*A*S*H, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, etc.
So maybe there's hope.
Speaking of "Laugh-In", I'm now watching the sixth season on Ruku. It's the only season producer George Schlatter wasn't involved in and it shows especially in it not mentioning the Watergate scandal. I'm guessing that the stars Dan Rowan & Dick Martin, as well as producer Paul Keyes, were all Nixon supporters-with Keyes also being his speechwriter-were a factor in that, not to mention NBC not wanting to take any more heat from the then-current pres. of the time. It probably contributed in even lower ratings and cancellation in March '73. Two years after that, a new show on the same network called "Saturday Night Live" debuted and, despite all the political humor over the years, is still on for it's 45th season...
Ken, after 30 years, do you ever watch the Simpsons? What do you think of it?
I love me some Patricia Heaton and am going to hold out hope that once they shake the bugs out of her show and settle down, that it will be less desperate than the pilot. If not, I'm out
Bob Hearts Abishola is original partially due to Chuck teaming up with a new writer/comedian/actor from Nigeria, Gina Yashere. Her touch and talent adds a certain layer of authenticity and nuance for characters who could've easily been stereotypes in the wrong hands. Minus Billy, who is great as usual, the show is FULL of talented new faces as well. Definitely worth checking out.
It's the same with animation. Retreads and shows that look like every other semi-popular show of the last 10 or 20 years are the hot thing. Originality is only allowed in if there's a celebrity involved, and even then, "originality" is used as a euphemism for "dirty dirty sex jokes." Which get so old so fast that when a not dirty dirty sex joke sneaks thru, it seems hilarious and inventive.
THE UNICORN is the only network show my wife and I have even sampled, and we enjoyed it enough to watch again next week. But it may end up being a hard sell eventually. Walton Goggins, who has also played comedy well even in dramatic roles, is the main reason to watch. But the first episode kind of told the entire story. They'll have to come up with something new and different (ha!) in subsequent episodes.
Meanwhile, I'm much more excited about the coming year in streaming programming, which hits my geek needs directly. STAR TREK: PICARD season one, STAR TREK DISCOVERY season three, the live-action STAR WARS show THE MANDALORIAN, and about six or seven Marvel MCU-related shows on DISNEY+, FOR ALL MANKIND on Apple's service. No broadcast network is going to do this stuff, or if they did they would die quick deaths. For me, the broadcast networks are only good for the evening news and late-night comedy.
The problem that the networks have is content restriction from the FCC. The cable networks and streaming services can feature nudity, swearing, and more adult content (or, as it might be called, stuff that actually happens to people). Viewers have clearly made their minds up that they would prefer to watch that.
I've wondered if a day will ever come where the U.S. might adopt a "watershed" similar to what British television has. After a certain hour of the night, the content restrictions get relaxed.
Friday question: I recently had the opportunity to see a local production of The Odd Couple. Amateur/semi-pro actors, but very well staged and performed. Prior to seeing the play, I took the time to re-watch the 1968 movie and the first two episodes of the television sitcom. I enjoyed them all, and am wondering if you have any thoughts about the various incarnations of this classic and stage to screen to television in general?
I was sort of looking forward to "Stumptown." It was O.K. I give it C+ MAYBE a B-. It had a "been there done that" feeling about it.
I was also curious about "Emergence." But, I forgot when it was on, so I only caught the last few minutes. However, based on the previews it looks like a mish-mash of previous sci-fi shows.
That's the thing about many new shows. It's almost if the creators/showrunners write plot ideas from previous shows on scraps of paper, throw them up in the air and put together the "new" show as they pick up the pieces. That's why so many shows give you that feeling of deja vu.
Technically not a new series, but the program I've enjoyed the most this season is Ken Burns' "Country Music" documentary on PBS. In my opinion it's not as good as his "Jazz" and "Baseball" films, but it is very engaging and informative.
To digress for a moment..
The one thing I've always hated about a new TV season is the SCHEDULING CHANGE. It's not as bad as it used to be in the days before DVRs, "On Demand," streaming, etc. But it's still frustrating. You finally work out a comfortable viewing habit only to be sabotaged by a new timeslot or cancellation of a favorite show. Then you have to start all over again. It's also applicable to syndicated fare.
M.B.
Friday question: With yet another round of streaming services from Apple, ATT, Disney, etc starting soon, will you even try to keep up with all of the new shows being created by big-name talent? Somewhat related, do you think it is inevitable we will end up with everyone paying for 5-10 streaming services instead of just subscribing to a cable package plus 1-2 streaming services?
We all know why they won't go for fresh, new, original ideas: because if they take a chance on something new and original, and it turns out to be a flop, there's all that money they wasted investing in something they knew was nothing more than a chance . . . they'd rather play it safe, and bank on nostalgia, because nostalgia brings in money. That's all they care about: profits and revenue.
I mean, hell, I've got several original ideas for shows that I've gotten anywhere with that I know the networks will never want to take a chance on anyway - not to mention, as I've read on this very blog many times in the past, the networks would basically rob me of my creations, take over ownership of my intellectual properties, and not let me have a say in how my shows would play out, who my characters would, what my characters' dynamics and interactions would, and what my stories are.
LOL, let the networks stick their heads in the sand and pretend that comedy is dead. They all can sit around circle-jerking each other with their claims of "bold, new, exciting" sitcoms that are little more than recycled Lucy and Ethel routines with the word "vagina" tossed in randomly, while writers like Phoebe Waller-Bridge, or Sharon Horgan/Rob Delaney or Mackenzie Crook write the kinds of comedy that I really want to see. Waller-Bridge writes filthy comedy that's actually funny, and Horgan and Delaney wrote a comedy about a relationship that made me want to watch and see what happened, and not want to throw things at the TV because someone recycled the "manchild fat slob/hot but long suffering wife" trope. And Crook writes quiet, gentle comedy the likes of which I haven't seen since "As Time Goes By".
Good comedy isn't dead, not by a long shot, but maybe the network's vision of what constitutes "good comedy" is dying a much deserved death.
It is really difficult to find more than a few shows to watch on network TV. My wife likes Downton Abbey and So You Think You Can Dance. Jeopardy and football games are worthwhile. Sometimes Jimmy Kimmel and Ellen are good. I like stuff like American Greed, Later With Jools Holland, Jay Leno's Garage, Air Disasters and Baskets. I can't imagine how a room full of TV people can give the thumbs up to season after season of shows like Big Brother and The Masked Singer. I wish someone would rerun or make new versions of MXC (Most Extreme Elimination Challenge)where they replaced the Japanese announcing with English. That was really funny. We got hooked on The Orville but now that's gone to Hulu and I don't want to buy a 'dongle' and shell out even more than I'm already spending on cable just to watch one show. So I'll continue to drive my wife nuts as I push the button on the remote and scroll through the 100-some-odd channel grid continuously in my search to find something worthwhile to watch.
I don't mind casting familiar actors on new shows, but give them something to do! Kyle MacLachlan -- not long after his magnificently weird double-role in the brilliant "Twin Peaks" reboot -- now has a small part as the head doctor on "Carol's Second Act" (I'm guessing to give Carol an age-appropriate potential love interest). They might as well have put out a general call for "distinguished older man" and chosen whomever had the best head of gray hair.
Every year the networks trot out the same tired old genres:law enforcement shows,legal shows,medical shows.Many will be gone by late fall.
Here's what I don't get - studios are making astronomical sums from streaming services for "Seinfeld," "Friends," "Big Bang Theory," and "The Office," and that doesn't even count the windfalls from syndication and cable. Looking at these numbers, it seems like multicam sitcoms should be THE top priority for studios.
I don't own a DVR, so to me what's killing network TV in general are the amount of commercials. It's gotten ridiculous. It's hard to maintain any sort of momentum in a story if it's interrupted every 5-8 minutes by commercials. I know, it's "commercial" TV, but there should be a limit. Also ban pharma ads completely...they're the worst.
And, by the way, is there a psoriasis/eczema epidemic I don't know about? Because there's a gazillion different ads about those type of medications.
I watched The Unicorn and Stumptown. I don't have much of a desire to watch The Unicorn again, but Stumptown had some promise to it. Not sure that I entirely buy Cobie Smulders in the role, but I don't not buy it.
I'd been looking forward to The Unicorn, but it turned out to have only one good scene, the one with the dad and his daughters at the diner. The rest of the show was just by the numbers. Why couldn't this have been something interesting about a widower trying to raise two daughters, without everybody forcing him into dating? He clearly doesn't want to date, and he shouldn't have to. I kept feeling bad for him because he was surrounded by pushy loons. Also, comedy is supposed to be funny, isn't it?
Myles, I too enjoyed "Bob (Hearts) Abishola," and think it a series with plenty of potential, another winner from Chuck Lorre, with multi-faceted characters. Plan to watch the second episode tonight.
The Thursday CBS newcomers did nothing for me. "The Unicorn" lacked energy (as is true for most single-cams), and "Carol's Second Act" had bland characters in a boring hospital setting we've seen before. (Balance Carol's home and work lives -- we saw nothing of the former -- and the show's premise might work.)
Unfortunately, both series dragged down the show between them, my beloved "Mom," which went fractional (0.8) for perhaps the first time in its six-plus seasons. Anna and Allison were smart to sign a two-year deal in return for slightly less money per episode, but as good as the series still is, I'd be shocked to see it last past 2020-2021, which will be its eighth.
My kids don't even bother watching TV shows.
Only thing they've seen recently is DVDs of GI Joe, and reruns of Gilligan's island, and NFL games.
They have no experience with the idea of watching TV shows live, or on a DVR, at least since the early seasons of Lego Ninjago and American Ninja Warrior.
I don't feel they are missing anything, and see no reason to encourage them.
And yes, I would rather give up Cheers, Frasier, and the rest than to have them watching what passes for TV now.
VP81955: I'll be delighted if Bonnie and Christie hold a satanic rite to resurrect all the sons, daughters and exes they killed off.
Well, I've sampled most of the new series (BATWOMAN and NANCY DREW are yet to debut) and I've found four I really enjoy (BOB HEARS ABISHOLA, CAROL'S SECOND ACT, ALL RISE and STUMPTOWN) and three that seem promising (BLUFF CITY LAW, THE UNICORN and PERFECT HARMONY, though the latter seems headed for an early axing). On the fence about EVIL and PRODIGAL SON. For a season that looked to be crummy, it's been by and large a pleasant surprise. Maybe I'm just an easy lay.
So what you're saying is that you're really, really looking forward to ABC's "Cast from the Past" event next week, in which their shows will feature guest appearances from folks who had been in earlier TV shows & movies that had starred those shows' actors.
Ken, I don't know whether you'll give a rodent's heinie about this article regarding the mannequin from MANNEQUIN (and, I suppose, MANNEQUIN 2), but here it is: https://jezebel.com/unraveling-the-mystery-of-a-mannequin-from-the-movie-ma-1838280305?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Yes, there are some unkind words about the premise and execution of the film, but the rest of the story is sort of nerdishly interesting.
I was looking forward to The Unicorn; even though the premise is played out, the cast is phenomenal. Omar Miller, Michaela Watkins and Rob Corddry are each worth the price of admission alone. Unfortunately, it seems to be a case of stacking the deck to cover up for a weak show. The writing is very poor, and the cast seems to be well aware of it. The show should be called "Good Actors Collecting Checks." Sitcoms seems to be the one category that Netflix has put no real effort into cracking.
Another thing about MANNEQUIN (which you may have mentioned before): In doing a little internetting, I found that it was based on the 1958 movie ONE TOUCH OF VENUS starring Ava Gardner and other people who aren't Ava Gardner. It, in turn, was based on a musical named THE TINTED VENUS, book by S.J. Perelman and Ogden Nash, music by Kurt Weill. Only a couple of the stage versions' songs made it to the movie, which credits Frank Tashlin and Harry Kurnitz as writers.
There's a bootleg version at the Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/OneTouchOfVenus
Okay. That was more than anyone may need to know about the cultural underpinnings of MANNEQUIN.
I have not watched a new show on network television since The Good Place premiered. Nothing jumped out. And I'm trying this year. I've seen:
Stumptown
Evil
Sunnyside
And going to potentially catch:
The Unicorn
Nancy Drew
The biggest issue is that nothing does seem new but also it's nothing anyone wants to talk about.
Bob Heart Abishola just seems like Mike and Molly again. Even with the same guy, even if Billy is funny.
Perfect Harmony is another chance for Anna Camp - who seems to be in a cancelled show every year
And then there are just a bunch of hot shot lawyer shows...I like procedurals, but no thanks.
Agreed. "Bob" has everything necessary to be another long-running show for Chuck. It's deeper and more heartfelt than the trailers and premise suggest. A lot of new talent that deserve to shine as well.
Considering were network tv was a few years ago, they certain can do worse, and have. Nothing stands out in the new line up, admittedly; but nothing actively offended me or sounded especially stupid, either. Its progress!
I sampled PRODIGAL SON (couldn't make it past the first 15 minutes), EMERGENCE (held my interest in spite of obvious echoes of STRANGER THINGS and other shows, will watch again), STUMPTOWN (quite good, hope it holds up), THE UNICORN (somehow I was unaware of Goggins until now, but thought the supporting characters and kids were very strong, will watch the second episode), EVIL (well, it's on my DVR, haven't watched yet) and SUNNYSIDE (found it amusing, although not as strong as GOOD PLACE or BROOKLYN NINE NINE).
I thought the second episode of BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA was enjoyable and funny...as in DHARMA AND GREG, a lot of the focus is on Abishola's parents and her friends and the cultural differences rather than the titular couple themselves. Also, I agree with Bob: Abishola has a lovely voice.
wg
I'm not saying any of you are right or wrong. And I get that it's fun to talk about the new TV season, especially if, like me, you like TV. (Side note: I may actually like the Fall Preview Guide more than the shows themselves... OMG, the old TV Guide Fall Preview issue's arrival was early Christmas).
But if you've seen a lot of TV (and come on, you know you all have), then you know that judging a new show based on its pilot is potential folly. Again, not saying you can't watch one episode and KNOW right away the show is not for you. And also know a show is likely doomed. Or bad.
But having seen most of the shows mentioned here, none of them strike me as write-offable, yet. Were The Unicorn, Stumptown, Evil, Prodigal Son, All Rise, Bluff City Law, Perfect Harmony, Bob ♥ Abishola, Carol's Second Act great? IMO, no. Not one of them really connected for me. But ALL of them actually surprised me by having a few genuinely nice, interesting moments. A great bit of writing, or a character turn I didn't think the show was capable of (that final diner scene in The Unicorn is a perfect example - I adore those girls, and also the "real" family relationship those 3 have so far)
And, of course, it could all go off the rails by episode 3 :)
How many of those shows will I still be watching in November (assuming they all make it to November)? Maybe 2-3. Maybe none.
But it seems silly to call any of them crap at this point.
I'm with you. Nothing is particularly that good. The only shows I'm interested in this season will be season 3 of Black Lightening and Evil looks somewhat interesting but the rest is meh. Stumptown isnt bad but it's so typical. If I want to watch great mystery detective shows I'll watch The Rockford Files, Columbo etc. The new Billy Gardell show is just Mike and Molly with a Nigerian woman. The premise is interesting but the two leads have no chemistry and the lead actress is just so uncharasmatic I don't buy he'd be so head over heels for her. I don't know I'm just glad that I mostly have reruns of shows like The Middle, Frasier, Raymond, Sanford and Son etc. METV, Antenna and Netflix for my tv viewing pleasure.
I love Patricia Heaton - loved "Raymond" and "The Middle", but "Carol's Second Act" isn't working. It is filmed weird - I can almost see the set. The supporting cast isn't working. She usually picks well, but this is just bad. It's produced by her and her husband, have no idea if that is the problem. Maybe she does better with an outside producer. I am disappointed in it.
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