Archive for November, 2011
Absolutely Fabulous: Do Show Revivals Ever Work?
Nov 29th
If you’re a fan of British comedy you doubtless know all about Absolutely Fabulous, the Jennifer Saunders penned fashion comedy that’s been a huge part of the UK TV landscape for years now.
Originally the show ran for three seasons from 1992 – 1995, followed by a 2 hour finale in 1996. But then Saunders decided to revive the show in 2001 for a further two seasons and an additional 3 specials. Now Ab Fab, as it’s known to its fans, is coming back for three more specials to celebrate its 20 year anniversary, including one this Christmas. But is that really such a good idea? When should great series bow out gracefully?
Here’s the deal. I was a huge fan of the original 3 season run of Ab Fab back in the 90′s, when it truly was groundbreaking and funny and very fresh. At the time the show was a real shot in the arm for the British comedy scene, a bridge between the ‘alternative comedy’ movement but also mainstream enough for my parents to watch. But even back then Ab Fab had some writing issues – often scenes would drag on for far too long or stretch a good idea More >
The Walking Dead: Finale Fireworks!
Nov 28th
Okay – now it all makes sense!
After a somewhat painful second ‘season’ (I know, we’re only halfway through), where at times it felt as though we the viewers were half dead ourselves, The Walking Dead roared back to life last night with one of the show’s best ever episodes – and an amazing finale scene.
You know the sequence in question – the final five minutes of the Fall season finale in which our team of survivors, led by the increasingly hardened Shane, released the Walkers in the barn and shot them dead in front of an aghast Hershel. But it was the final touching shot of long lost Sophia exiting the barn that carried the most power. Though we barely knew her as a character, it was shocking to watch Rick shoot the bewildered Sophia in the head, casting a whole new light on the Season 2 episodes so far.
Ratings Roundup: 26th November 2011
Nov 26th
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
LOVE AND HIP HOP: I’ve talked frequently here at Remote Patrolled about Vh1’s ratings woes – especially late last year when the network really was in the ratings toilet.
But credit where it’s due the former music network has certainly turned the corner in recent months. Mob Wives is a solid hit for the network and about to launch its first spin-off in the Spring. And then there’s Monday nights, which Vh1 has transformed into a solid ‘urban’ night – powered by standout Love And Hip Hop.
This week Hip Hop attracted 2.78 million viewers and a 1.6 18-49 share, the top rated reality show of the night, ahead of such series as American Chopper, Hoarders and Monster In Laws. Plus not far behind is fellow Vh1 reality show, Basketball Wives, which pulled in 2.26 million and a 1.3 youth share on the same night. I still don’t really know what the Vh1 brand stands for – but at least the network has some solid ratings to crow about…
The Muppets: Don’t Believe The Hype!
Nov 25th
Okay – here we go!
I don’t know how you guys spent your Thanksgiving – but as part of my day my partner and I went to see the new Muppets movie (even though I was battling a work-induced cold!) Now I have to say going in, The Muppets was one of my most eagerly anticipated movies of the year. Like a lot of people my age (I’m 37) I grew up on The Muppets TV show in the late 70’s / early 80’s – and can’t help but smile when I see the likes of Miss Piggy, Animal and my favorite, The Swedish Chef. Plus there was the near unanimous praise for the new Muppets movie – 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Sounds like a sure bet, right?
Well sadly I’m with the 3% who didn’t give the new Muppets movie a rave review! For me it’s a big old disappointment…
The X Factor Top 9: Reasons To Be Thankful?
Nov 23rd
I don’t know about you but I felt like taking a shower after watching last night’s Thanksgiving inspired X Factor.
Sure the sentiment of ‘Giving Thanks’ was a worthy sentiment but did the whole episode have to be quite so heavy handed and mawkish? I felt battered by the non-stop barrage of pre-performance videos featuring the Top 9’s sad person stories. Put it this way – a little goes a long way – and there was nothing subtle about this week’s show!
The love fest continued into the actual performances which to be fair were generally strong. But did the judges have to give everyone quite such a free pass? Personally I’m just thankful Thanksgiving is just once a year!
So how did the Top 9 fare – as usual here’s my impressions of the night:
Arrested Development Is Back: Do You Really Care?
Nov 22nd
Okay time for a bit of controversy here on the site!
As you’ve no doubt read over the last couple of days, cult comedy Arrested Development is about to get a second chance at success, courtesy of Netflix who’ve just agreed to finance an unspecified number of episodes of the show, leading up to a proposed feature film. Commentators all over the web are cock a hoop at the news. But am I the only person who thinks Arrested Development should have stayed canceled? (more…)
Hall Of Fame: The West Wing
Nov 21st
It’s time for another Hall Of Fame entry here at Remote Patrolled, a strand we haven’t run for a while given all the new Fall TV Shows!
This time around we’re talking The West Wing, the groundbreaking NBC drama that ran for 7 seasons from 1999 to 2006, back in the days when the Peacock network was still capable of producing great shows!
The West Wing is one of those series that’s remembered fondly by a generation of TV viewers for a whole host of reasons. Foremost among them though was that it was smart. And honestly, smart TV doesn’t come along all that often.
Just like ER before it, The West Wing established its own style of dialogue and pacing. Who can forget all those one-shot walk and talks around the White House, as characters discussed complex policy matters and foreign affairs? The West Wing was one of those shows where you really had to work to keep up with what was going on. Often I wouldn’t fully understand a storyline until halfway through an episode. Put it this way – we’re not exactly talking Keeping Up With The Kardashians here!
In Production: Game Of Thrones – Season 2
Nov 21st
If you, like me, are hungry for more Game Of Thrones, take a look at this just released behind the scenes look at the upcoming second season…
I can’t really call this video clip a First Look or a proper teaser as it doesn’t reveal a whole lot – but it’s at least a vague taste of what’s to come.
Game Of Thrones was a show that really surprised me first time around. I’m normally not a fan of grungy, fantasy series but Thrones was so fascinating and complex and featured such terrific characters it was hard not to get sucked into the world. For me the series got better every single week – and it seems I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, with viewing figures climbing pretty much every week, ending on a high of 3.04 million.
My instinct is that Game Of Thrones will really explode in Season 2, in the same way that True Blood truly took off after its first season. The big challenge will be maintaining the show’s quality – and bringing the series’ more fantastical elements to life – remember Daenerys and her recently hatched dragons!
The second season of Thrones will launch on HBO in More >
Ratings Roundup: 20th November 2011
Nov 20th
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: Another great week for FX’s American Horror Story, as the scariest show on TV continues to grow into a smash hit for the network.
This week’s episode, largely centering around Jessica Lange’s Constance and featuring a scene that doubtless made every guy watching wince – pulled in 3.06 million viewers and a 1.8 18-49 share, making it the most watched cable show on Wednesday night in both total viewers and demo share.
What’s more American Horror Story has been growing every week and has now almost reached its premiere levels (3.18 million). And with three episodes left in the current season there’s every chance Horror Story will set record ratings by the end of its run.
Great news for creator Ryan Murphy, especially as his OLD series, Glee, is struggling big time over on Fox. Despite plenty of press coverage and some heavily hyped episodes, Glee remains yesterday’s show – this week barely rising above the 7 million mark to 7.08 million viewers and beaten in total viewers by fellow Tuesday night shows Last Man Standing (9.06 million) and Body of Proof (9.76 million). Now that’s scary.
More >
First Look: TLC’s Geek Love
Nov 19th
Okay – I have to hand it to the guys at TLC – they’re definitely on a roll at the moment!
While other networks continue to wallow in ‘over-produced’ reality and fakery, the TLC team are digging up some truly fascinating subcultures. Obviously there’s Toddlers and Tiaras and Extreme Couponing – and coming in December, here’s Geek Love – the show that shines a spotlight on the world of nerd loving!
At the moment Geek Love is just a 2 part teaser – but I have a feeling that just like Extreme Couponing this one’s going to capture the public imagination. I think it’s a fascinating world and let’s face it, geeks are hot at the moment (check out the ratings for The Big Bang Theory and to a lesser extent New Girl)
That said – I wish this teaser was a little more polished. The trailer seems to consist of a speed dating event and a range of sound bytes – feeling more like a network pitch tape than an actual show. I’m surprised TLC allowed such a raw cut to be shown.
I’d also argue that the guy at the 1.35 mark is actually fairly handsome and with a bit of styling and a few trips More >
