OPINION
The Voice: Why Am I Not Addicted?
Feb 15th
As you may know, I’ve had a complicated relationship with The Voice, ever since the smash NBC music competition series debuted last Spring.
At first I thought The Voice was going to bomb. Then I realized the series was definitely here to stay!
And now I’m really trying to give the show a second shot. And I like it. Kinda. But I’m just not addicted…
So do any of you out there feel the same way.
I’ll be the first to admit I’m a sucker for a good competition reality show. I used to love Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model. I currently adore Face Off. And I sat through many, many years of American Idol before it drifted into utter blandness last season. But there’s something about The Voice that just doesn’t work for me. (more…)
Revenge: Are They REALLY Going To Kill Off Daniel?
Feb 11th
As you doubtless know by now I’m a huge Revenge fan.
ABC’s Wednesday night soap opera is just so darn addictive, fast paced and all round entertaining that it’s pretty much one of the TV highlights of the week.
But the next episode of TV’s best soap is also set to answer the show’s biggest cliffhanger to date. Who is the body on the beach? And are they really going to kill off one of the show’s biggest characters, Daniel?
If you’ve been watching Revenge from the start you’ll remember it began pretty dramatically with a mystery man shot to death on the beach while the show’s central villain Victoria Grayson hosted a Fire And Ice party just a few feet away. The party is in honor of our anti-hero Emily and her engagement to Victoria’s son Daniel. But of course we all know that Emily’s whole agenda is to bring down the Grayson family.
In the show’s opening moments we heard a gunshot, then saw a white tuxedo clad figure stumble and fall onto the sand. Moments later more gunshots followed, clearly at close range. Later we saw local bar owner Jack pulling the body across the sand before being disturbed by Charlotte More >
The River Hits Rough Waters!
Feb 9th
Uh-oh, it looks like ABC’s new supernatural suspense series is already taking on water.
By now you’ve probably heard about the ratings for The River, described as Paranormal Activity in the Amazon. In its Tuesday night premiere the Steven Spielberg produced series managed just 7.59 million viewers and a 2.4 18-49 share.
Now those aren’t horrible numbers. I mean we’re not talking NBC here (whose Parenthood pulled in less than 5 million at 10pm) – but there are troubling signs ahead for TV’s new horror show. For starters The River came in third in the demo in its time slot, behind New Girl and NCIS: LA. Then there’s the fact that it will likely lose viewers in future weeks. And most alarming of all – The River lost almost a million and a half viewers over the course of its 2 part, 2-hour premiere. And honestly – who can blame them!
First Impressions: Smash
Feb 7th
It was a big night for NBC last night, with The Voice and Smash both officially debuting hot on the heels of Sunday’s record Super Bowl numbers.
I’ll be talking about The Voice down the line – but first up let’s chat about Smash. After months of hype and non-stop adverts (I mean seriously, how much have NBC paid to promote this thing!) did the final product actually deliver? My verdict – kind of…
First up I have to mention that I actually watched Smash last week after downloading the pilot episode on Itunes. So I’ve had a few days to think about the show now. And my overall reaction is that I liked the pilot, but didn’t love it. But then to be honest I think it’s very difficult for a debut show to totally succeed straight out of the gate There’s always so much scene setting and character establishment that needs to be done in the first place. So I always give shows a few episodes to settle in.
The X Factor: The Bloodbath Begins!
Jan 31st
Bad news for fans of good looking but awkward British TV hosts. Steve Jones is officially out as the host of the The X Factor.
And if you have a penchant for word garbling, slightly deranged female judges there’s more bad news – Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul have also been shown the door too!
Wow, what a day, as Simon Cowell and the Fox network cleaned house on last year’s semi-successful X Factor debut.
Let’s be honest – we all knew Jones was on the way out. The Welsh host was so utterly hopeless in his role – stiff, awkward, unfriendly and generally just way out of his depth – it was obvious from the first few episodes that his days were numbered.
Terrible TV: Tabatha Takes Over
Jan 27th
Â
You know how sometimes you watch something on TV and your jaw just drops? And not in a good way. Well this week I had one of those moments.
The cause? Tabatha Takes Over, the long running Bravo series featuring former hair stylist and Shear Genius contestant Tabatha Coffey as she attempts to turn around a range of struggling businesses.
Earlier this week I caught one of the show’s recent episodes, featuring Tabatha trying to save a rundown gay bar in Long Beach, California. And all I can say is – what the fuckety fuck was that I just watched?
Now let me get a couple of things straight from the start. I actually rather like Tabatha herself. I wasn’t a Shear Genius fan but I think Tabatha is funny, sharp and a good TV character with a strong presence on screen. I’ve also watched a couple of previous episodes of Tabatha Takes Over, back in the days when Tabatha just concentrated on hair salons, and enjoyed them.
Smash: Can One Show Save A Network?
Jan 25th
Man, has there ever been a network more in need of a hit than NBC?
After a truly terrible 2011 – capped off by flops including Free Agents, The Playboy Club and Prime Suspect – the Peacock network has started 2012 in similarly sorry shape.
The Firm is already a ratings disaster – last week scoring just 3.42 million viewers and a pitiful 0.9 18-49 share – while new comedy Are You There, Chelsea, saw its numbers slide to just 4.21 million in week 2.
NBC desperately needs a hit and it seems like EVERYONE is pinning their hopes on the upcoming Smash – launching Monday 6th February – to be the network’s saving grace.
In case you haven’t heard the hype surrounding Smash, and let’s be honest those adverts have been everywhere, the show centers on the behind the scenes dramas of an upcoming Marilyn Monroe musical. American Idol runner up Katherine McPhee is the budding young star, Angelica Huston is the producer, Will And Grace’s Debra Messing is the lyricist and the whole shebang is produced by the guys behind Hairspray. It is indeed the gayest show ever!
But can one show really turn a whole network around?
More >
American Idol’s Ratings Plunge: What Went Wrong?
Jan 20th
By now you’ve probably heard the news… for the first time ever American Idol is starting to look vulnerable.
Yep, Wednesday’s opening night ratings for the first show of the 2011 season plunged a painful 17% in total viewers (to 21.93 million) and an even more disturbing 24% in the 18-49 demo (from a 9.8 to a 7.4). And the trend continued last night – with Idol even BEATEN by CBS’s Big Bang Theory and not even reaching 18 million. Ouch!
Now first up let’s just say these are still great ratings. American Idol is now in its 11th year – and for a show that old to be scoring over 20 million viewers for its opening night is pretty darn incredible. Most shows would be thrilled to come even close to those numbers.
However, those ratings do represent a significant chink in the veteran talent show’s armor. For years American Idol grew season after season, becoming such a ratings monster that it virtually crushed its competition. Sure this week’s premiere did hurt competing shows (most notably the NBC ‘comedy’ line-up of Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea – but that’s no big feat!) – but ABC’s line up remained generally unscathed. Heck More >
101 Ways To Make TV Better: Enough With The Docu-Series!
Jan 19th
 Today’s installment of 101 Ways To Make TV Better definitely hits home with me as it’s a subject I feel VERY passionately about.
Yep, I’m talking about the virus like spread of docu-series on our TV screens, a modern day pestilence that has become the easy cop out for network executives wary of untested formats and ideas.
Docu-series encompass everything from celebrity reality (the darn Kardashians) to adventure series (Deadliest Catch) to local businesses (Cupcake Sisters) – but all ask us to invest in the lives of a group of strangers, soap opera style. In fact you could even argue that the modern day decline of the soap opera genre is a result of the spread of the docu-series. After all who needs One Life To Live with the Real Housewives airing virtually around the clock?
Ricky Gervais: Were The 2011 Golden Globes Really THAT Good?
Jan 13th
By now you doubtless know that the 2012 Golden Globes are airing this weekend – especially if you watch NBC / the Today Show.
Yep, the Peacock network has been on a PR blitz to let viewers know that the Globes are back with Ricky Gervais presiding over the proceedings. And after last year’s controversial event – who can blame them. The Golden Globes rose significantly in the ratings and you just couldn’t buy the kind of controversy and reaction that Gervais generated. Now with Ricky back for the third year in a row NBC are hoping the veteran awards show will score big in the ratings – a helpful boost for the hit starved network and also a chance to promo some of their new winter offerings (get ready for a lot of ads for Smash and The Voice).
But before we all get caught up in the hype, can I just ask a very simple question – was Ricky really THAT funny last year?
