Forum posts to 'Other TV Shows'

Re: The Walking Dead Vs. Breaking Bad

TheTVCritic — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:01:09 +0000

Agreed, no major deaths yet. I'm kind of happy with that because there is only so much tragedy one group can deal with. I guess Otis was the major death of the season and between him and Sophia they made quite an impact.

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Re: The Walking Dead Vs. Breaking Bad

Ben — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:16:00 +0000

Lots of good thoughts, I never watched Flashforward although I read a few early reviews of the show at the time.

TWD does need more moments of small talk, although I don't think that type of dialogue is all that common in comics and it would probably not be until season 3 for the show to make that sort of change.

Another thing I wanted to mention is that we haven't had a major character death this season, I don't count Sophia because she had no role in season 1 and with any zombie related story it is important to maintain the idea that anyone could be killed at anytime.

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Re: The Walking Dead Vs. Breaking Bad

TheTVCritic — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:00:52 +0000

Hey Ben,

Thanks for using the forums to get your thoughts out there.

Obviously BB and TWD are very different shows. BB has a more limited cast and so deliberately spends much longer with its characters than an ensemble show can.

I think TWD is suffering from what Flashforward did a little bit. In FF the characters didn't talk about anything except their visions and how it was affecting them. I wrote at the time that in real life people go back to their daily routines pretty quickly after a disaster. This season on BB Jesse started partying and playing video games to distract himself from the trauma he was going through.

The survivors on TWD could really use some chit chat about everyday life or their past. They need to learn the lessons from Lost about how to make characters who the audience root for.

I haven't read the comics either but I suspect they wouldn't make good source material for TV dialogue. I think there is a danger that one day TWD will have turned into a procedural zombie show Or to put it another way, it will become like 24. Where the same things keep happening over and over again without any character really growing or changing.

I'm fascinated to see where the show goes in these next few episodes. I think the presentation of an apocalyptic world remains superb. In many ways the survivors take their predicament more seriously than anyone on Lost ever did and I really admire that.

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The Walking Dead Vs. Breaking Bad

Ben — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:24:03 +0000

Because of the hiatus of The Walking Dead, I have found myself losing the eagerness to get back to watching the show, not that I'm not looking forward to its return but there is a loss in that adrenaline fueled rush to watch week by week for me presently.

So in order to stimulate my brain, I wanted to compare why I think TWD has not been as successful or "good" as Breaking Bad.

#1. Season/story structure:

Because of the short first season and the second season being broken up into two halves, I feel The Walking Dead has been structured in a more predictable and less engrossing fashion as Breaking Bad, whose seasons run for 13 straight weeks. Because we get these 6/7 episode clusters, I don't feel that the stories can become too complex and layered like in Breaking Bad. The other problem is that when we have one "bad" or slow episode, it leaves a bigger impression on the show overall.

#2. Slow pace vs. Slow Pacing

While Breaking Bad takes its time in its storytelling, it usually did so because you were not expected to know what was going to happen next. With The Walking Dead this season, we knew eventually Sophia was going to be found dead or alive, we knew the Walkers in the barn would spark a huge conflict, and yet we waited week after week (for 7 weeks) to reach the conclusion. I was unaware there was going to be a hiatus in the first place, so it never occurred to me that episode 7 would serve as the ending of the mini-arc at the farm, so I waited through episodes 3,4,5, and 6 fully expecting the story to move on.

#3. The Main Character

I understand that characters do not always act in the smartest or most logical way, but Rick was not a fun character to watch in the first half of the season. I feel it was a combination of the writing not being 100% and the pacing of the story. (because forcing the character to remain stationary for 6 episodes in one location doesn't allow for much character development and Rick is a very straightforward character to begin with) With Walt, even in the worst of moments and writing he has always remained a complicated character and changes from season to season.

I still like The Walking Dead as a show, and there are other problems with the show besides what I've listed, but I hope the writers can tell a more engaging and complex story that what they have in 13 episodes so far. The setting is brimming with potential, and as I have no knowledge of the comics outside of the fact that they are popular, I would assume lots of comic derived stories could make for good television.

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Re: Firefly

TheTVCritic — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:37:14 +0000

Great to hear from you. And yeah no doubt the whole Dollhouse idea was clever and had a lot of potential.

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Re: Firefly

Yogabon — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:42:58 +0000

In defense of Dollhouse = it had many wretched moments true (having her portray a breast feeding mom was beyond repulsive) but as scify it had some great possiblities and got very good near its end. It reminds me of Dark Angel meets Alias. Dark Angel got better as it went along and had some terrific characters. Alias would have worked better if it had stuck it out with the Rembaldi story.

I also just finised Firefly & Serenity this summer and really enjoyed it.

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Re: Friends

TheTVCritic — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:05:36 +0000

Hey,

Thanks for all the comments. It's been fun revisiting a few Friends episodes and seeing your interesting questions.

I think one of Friends' outstanding achievements was making all of the characters likeable. The first two seasons were excellent at making us relate to their problems and enjoy their successes.

I think people like Joey for several reasons. For one he is a relaxed and easy going person. He has a childish sense of fun which can be infectious. He also plays the clown. Sometimes his stupid behaviour is exaggerated too much but most of the time I think his silliness is funny and charming. I always found it hard to dislike him because he seems content with not being smart. He enjoys life and knows what he likes.

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Friends

Amy306 — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 15:39:56 +0000

While watching this show, the thing that strikes me the most is how we love the 6 characters who are friends and how they make fun of each other, how normal they are with all their flaws, their down to earth characterizations. They are funny, ridiculous, irritating but thoroughly lovable except for Joey. I don't know how anybody can like this character. Other than that, though we find Monica loud, Ross a little too self-centered, Rachel too much into her good looks, Phoebe's dumbness with the only person who literally carries the whole show on his shoulders is Chandler.

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Re: Firefly

Brando Calrissian — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:24:12 +0000

I just finished the season a few days ago and have yet to watch Serenity (although I saw it in the theaters with a friend of mine who was a huge Firefly fan the night it came out...luckily I remember next to nothing from it), and I have to say that I loved it.

Obviously a trillion times better than Dollhouse as you've said. I'm actually having fun just now entering the Whedonverse, really. I started with Dollhouse...I've now finished Firefly...and now I'm on to Buffy and presumably Angel. While I can't comment on how it stacks up against those two, I can say that Firefly will is sorely missed by me already. I've watched so many dramas in the past 4-5 years that are all entirely plot and plot-arc driven that it was nice to watch something that felt like a real callback to episodic drama. It's common in comedy shows to get a primarily self contained episode each week where you can jump in and won't miss much, but dramas seem to work that way far less. While there are threads of plot and continuity that do take place, most of the are with characterization and relationships and I liked that. It reminded me that with (a) good writer(s) you really can make self contained adventures interesting and still seem important to the overall show.

I should also say that I love Sci-Fi...so anything Sci-Fi that actually works and is well made, written, acted, etc. is automatically going to get a few more points from me out of love for such stories and settings.

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Re: Firefly

Cordia — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:44:56 +0000

Ah, Firefly. If you're a Joss fan, it's a watch. Not, IMHO, better than Buffy, but better than Angel and about a trillion times better than Dollhouse (but what isn't?). As with most of my Joss-watching, I did not see Firefly when it was on. But when a friend loaned me the DVDs, I devoured it. It is a sad thing that it only got one season. Even sadder that that one season blunder encouraged Fox to give Dollhouse two seasons. But definitely watch it. This goes for you, too, Robin.

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Re: Firefly

TheTVCritic — Mon, 30 May 2011 11:58:30 +0000

I've only seen 2 episodes and the movie. I enjoyed them but like you I've never got round to watching the rest. People love it though. Both George and Cordia were big fans.

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Firefly

Brando Calrissian — Fri, 27 May 2011 05:00:13 +0000

Anyone watch this when it was on? Robin?

This has been on my need to watch list for some time now and I finally started making my way through it.

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Re: The Wire

TheTVCritic — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:01:49 +0000

I have reached the last episode of Season 3 and I'm kind of saving it. I want to get the podcast for Season 2 done before I sit down and write about 3. Which obviously I have loved so far.

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Re: The Wire

Brando Calrissian — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:58:35 +0000

Love the Hamsterdam pic on the front page!

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Re: The Wire

TheTVCritic — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 22:49:19 +0000

I will begin watching "The Wire" Season One soon. I will write a blog at the end of it and talk to Brando about it on the podcast when I get there.

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Re: RUBICON CANCELLATION

TheTVCritic — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 09:33:01 +0000

Hey,

I have just reached episode 11 and have been making notes to write a long review to sum up the series. Sadly it looks like I will now be summing up the whole run

I won't say anymore at the moment but I will be writing a proper review and hopefully that will give you a chance to share your love of the show.

And you are not alone in loving it. I had several people ask me to take a look...

Robin

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RUBICON CANCELLATION

DeeElle — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 01:57:44 +0000

Well, I guess I can stop pleading for your attention to RUBICON, as AMC has announced they are not renewing the series. On twitter, I posted that AMC was only interested in the long dead (MADMEN), newly dead (WALKING DEAD), and the soon to be dead (Breaking BAD).

A pity, though, as Rubicon was dense, clever, confident in the intelligence of the audience and the skill of its actors.
Regards,
Donna

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Party Down Cancelled

Brando Calrissian — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:02:28 +0000

Damn.

Another (good one) bites the dust.

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Re: Happy Town

Brando Calrissian — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:07:15 +0000

Already cancelled! Ha! Only two episodes in and it's cancelled. Such an occurrence begs the question, what was the point of ever green lighting a show only to cancel it two episodes in?

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Re: Happy Town

TheTVCritic — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:02:00 +0000

I guess I would like to be cheeky and see if you keep watching it I have read a couple of critics putting it down and I guess that's all it took to keep me from adding another show to my schedule. But if you still like it in a couple of episodes time...

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Happy Town

Brando Calrissian — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:47:11 +0000

Anyone going to be watching this?

I caught the first episode last night, and while it was pretty cheesy it also intrigued me a lot more than I expected.

They did themselves a favor by getting some fine actors to be on the show (Mr. Friendly from Lost, Amy Acker, Bunny Colvin from The Wire, and Sam Neill to name a few).

I was expecting the show to play out similarly to 2009's Harper's Island, but then was pleasantly surprised to find it as more of a modern day Twin Peaks (though a watered down version at this point).

Here's to hoping it follows the footsteps of the latter more than the former and perhaps we'll have a decent surreal mystery show on our hands.

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Re: The Wire

TheTVCritic — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:09:43 +0000

I have to schedule some time to watch this...

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Re: Why do you choose the shows you review vs other shows you watch?

Brando Calrissian — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:10:04 +0000

Yogabon- I would like to catch up with Wonderfalls at some point. I tried watching it right after having gone through the whole series of Dead Like Me, but got caught up in other shows before I could make it through.

Dead Like Me is an odd show for me. I enjoyed watching it. I was thrilled to have a show that was almost wholly unique to television in its story and setup...but it stands as one of the most frustrating series ever for me. I still rank it in my "Top 20 TV Shows You've Never Seen" (coming soon to thecinemaphiles.com), but there were just some major complications with that show for me.

Mike - You need to see Dexter man. The first season, for me, is by far the best, but it's still one of the better shows out there right now.

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Re: The Wire

Brando Calrissian — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:05:43 +0000

So I recently took up the task of rewatching the entire series of The Wire from start to finish and man is it better than ever.

Has anyone else out there watched it? For anyone that thinks it's a police procedural, you'd definitely be wrong. It is wayyyyyy more than a week to week cop show. Some story arcs start on Episode 1 and carry through the entire series.

Going back through this makes me want to check out the new show by the team behind The Wire: Tremé

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Re: Why do you choose the shows you review vs other shows you watch?

TheTVCritic — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:56:22 +0000

Interesting stuff...always good to hear analysis of other shows. You seem to know the genre you like pretty well. That always fascinates me because some people just won't watch shows of a certain type. I actually had a conversation yesterday about why some women won't watch sci-fi at all.

Mike - yeah season one of Lost was superb stuff. I imagine after the show finishes we will all get to talk in more detail about what the show achieved and discuss each season.

If this little community of commenters wants to stick around after the show ends then maybe we can do a few themed podcasts discussing Lost from various angles. We could discuss season by season or different facets. I could put up a blog with my thoughts and then you could all comment or voicemail and we could put something cool together...

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Re: Why do you choose the shows you review vs other shows you watch?

Yogabon — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 01:02:25 +0000

What's nice about Wonderfalls is that you'll be done in about 13 hours. I believe only 4 of the episodes ever aired on tv.

Dark Angel had some wonderful characters and a lot of potential. The ending felt disjointed like Dollhouse but you can see where it might've been able to go.

Dead Like Me had fine dry humor and some marvelous performances. Like Dark Angel it only had two seasons. I have heard a movie was made to wrap things up but I was content with the series finale.

I think I just loved Journeyman because of Kevin McKidd and how he had such great chemistry with all his fellow actors. (Okay, plus I think he's hot in a non-pretty boy way that is so unusual in entertainment these days). It also called back nicely to Quantum Leap - an old favorite.

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Re: Why do you choose the shows you review vs other shows you watch?

Mike — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:56:11 +0000

Great answer, thanks Robin! Everyone I know seems to be driven to states of ecstasy by Dexter, and I have heard great things about Breaking Bad, so I may have to check those out. I tend only to make room for one drama show at a time in my life, but now I should have a slot opening up soon, so...

Obviously I agree about Lost, including that over the last two years especially they have taken it in some directions that really haven't seemed to play on the strengths you mention in the first few years. I am among a few who consider season three a very good season as well, but I think everyone can agree season 1 is some truly masterful television. It actually wasn't until after last season's finale when I decided to rewatch the series before the final season and got to really pay close attention to the season and also the production of the show in HD on my computer screen that I realized just how good it was. (I recently saw on twitter CCuse say that Lost is actually shot *on film*, one of the last, which accounts for a lot of its extraordinary look.) I actually first picked up on Lost in reruns in the summer after season 1, so getting the full experience recently really blew me away, especially the Pilot. Now I just glance at the show on tv when it comes on but really bore in when it goes up on the net.

Really enjoy dialoguing w/ you and everyone here about the show. Here's hoping for a redemptive last five episodes (yikes)!

-M

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Re: Why do you choose the shows you review vs other shows you watch?

TheTVCritic — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:24:42 +0000

Hey Mike, thanks for the question. It gives me the chance to indulge and talk about myself.

I have a complicated relationship with all the shows I review. Since starting to chart their weekly progress by writing about them they have become like errant children to me - disappointing and delighting me in different measures each time I sit down with them. So as you can imagine some were once a delight and are now a chore (The Simpsons), some you think can do a lot better than they do (The Big Bang Theory) and some you can't wait to usher our of your house (FlashForward, 30 Rock).

The shows I enjoy the most happen to be the ones I don't write full reviews of at the moment - Dexter, Breaking Bad, Community, Parks and Recreation and now Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Sadly my time is limited and I can't write about them all in as much detail as I would like. As I go on I will have to work out each year how to go on with each show, which to write about, which to podcast about or whether to change the way I approach the whole game.

But as I'm sure you know Lost is above all those shows in my affections. In terms of drama shows there have been 3 in my life which raised the genre above others and made me really interested in TV again by their very existence. In chronological order they are Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Farscape and now Lost. If it weren't for Lost I wouldn't have a website or a podcast.

The show's scope and depth are far beyond any other show I have ever watched. Season one and two of Lost hooked me emotionally like no other contemporary show has. There's no chance that any of the other shows on air right now will come close to what Lost has achieved.

But I will admit that Lost has become incredibly complicated. Each week is a slog of trying to justify and unpick at strands which stretch so far back. I have found myself more emotionally satisfied by the simple tales of love, betrayal and injustice being played out in Spartacus. But this is why I take my criticism very seriously. It's possible that I could conclude that Spartacus season one was more satisfying than Lost season six but that doesn't mean one is better than the other. They are so different and their goals and achievements need to be measured in very different ways.

So yeah, Lost is the answer you were looking for Thanks for letting me indulge.

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Re: Why do you choose the shows you review vs other shows you watch?

Mike — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 06:13:03 +0000

So, here`s a chance to make yourself some frienemies, Robin: ...Of the shows you review, what`s your favorite? (Wink, nudge...)

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Re: Why do you choose the shows you review vs other shows you watch?

TheTVCritic — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:52:22 +0000

Hey,

Good question and thanks for posting. The short answer is none of them I'm afraid.

My friend George whose opinion on TV I trust was a fan of "Dark Angel" especially early on. But even he was watching it after it was cancelled.

I know Kevin McKidd well from "Rome" but didn't watch "Journeyman." I hadn't really heard of "Wonderfalls" and critical reaction was mixed on "Dead Like Me" so I didn't start watching it either.

It's only in the last 2 years that I have started to watch the pilots of as many shows as I can which fit into my rough boundaries of comedy and non-procedural dramas. So I guess each of these slipped past me by not becoming bigger deals. Do you think I have missed out on anything special?

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