Thoughtcrimes and a little essay on TV
Oct. 24th, 2004 06:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lanalucyThis has been on my DVR for a couple of weeks, and I finally got a chance to watch it. I wasn't really expecting much, as it was a TVMovie and on USA to boot. The ones I've watched on SciFi have been less than spectacular mostly. Up until the last scene, I actually enjoyed this. The last scene skipped an awful lot of ground which I would have liked to see onscreen. Handled properly, this could really make an interesting series, or a periodic miniseries or TVMovie. Of course, I could be biased, being already interested in the subject matter.
I like Joe Flanigan on Stargate: Atlantis, and he's the "hero" here, opposite Ravi Nawat (sp?) as the "heroine" of the story. He and Ravi have really great chemistry, and I could see something developing there. Plus, I think he's funny, and that shows through both here and on Atlantis. Obviously, he'd have to do double-duty, or film only during SGA's hiatus, or they'd have to recast, which would really be a shame for either show.
I liked Peter Horton here, too, and the last few things I've seen him doing have not really been impressive, so that's a plus mark in my mental actor book. He and Ravi also have good chemistry.
Maybe she could have good chemistry with a stick, who knows? :)
I was surprised to see Jocelyn Seagrave here, mostly because I've seen her so very rarely since her Guiding Light days, back when I watched GL on a religious basis, but I enjoyed her performance as well.
Apropos of nothing and with no knowledge whatsoever of the TV industry, here's my thoughts on TV. I think TV could be all new, all the time. Maybe springs or summers off for most everybody. I'm not a fan of smaller episode numbers, but it sorta works for Dead Zone to just be the summer long and nothing else. I hate waiting until the next summer, not that anybody at USA gives a rip. So, anyway, my plan: most series are 18-22 episodes and there are 52 weeks in a year, 39 (give or take) in a series year. Now with 13 episode series, that makes for three, count 'em, three, sets of series, all new, spaced out over the year. With the dearth of anything not resembling a reality show, this could be very, very bad. On the other hand, I could have a lot more time on my hands to spread out among my various and sundry causes if I knew that in the spring, the only thing I have to really watch is CSI or JAG. We could also have two sets of 22 episode series, and leave 8 weeks extra instead of 13 for everybody to just veg out. My way would mean that each series is shown, in its entirety, consecutively, without breaks for whatever. No reruns for 12 weeks out of every series year, like it is now. I realize that the networks would never go for this because of money or something equally silly. But think about it, actors could have more leisure time for their families, or making movies, or going walkabout, or whatever they wanted, because they only have to be around for the 22 +- weeks of the series filming. More actors could get work, with more non-reality series on the air, and advertising dollars could conceivably go up, once advertisers realize that fans of a series are there for the duration of the series. Advertisers could buy blocks of ads for a period of weeks and focus more on the demographics of a particular series for that 22 week period, then other demographics for another period or series.
Of course, their demographics are always going to be wrong until a much more significant portion of the population is a "Nielsen" home or something similar, but then that could get into Big Brother territory, and maybe we don't want to go there.
With my plan, Joe Flanigan could do both things - Atlantis and Thoughtcrimes. My plan also leaves more room for wonderful stuff like FS minis or Pretender minis or Thoughtcrimes minis or whatever a fanbase's greedy little heart desires.
I like my plan. Your mileage or experience may vary.
I like Joe Flanigan on Stargate: Atlantis, and he's the "hero" here, opposite Ravi Nawat (sp?) as the "heroine" of the story. He and Ravi have really great chemistry, and I could see something developing there. Plus, I think he's funny, and that shows through both here and on Atlantis. Obviously, he'd have to do double-duty, or film only during SGA's hiatus, or they'd have to recast, which would really be a shame for either show.
I liked Peter Horton here, too, and the last few things I've seen him doing have not really been impressive, so that's a plus mark in my mental actor book. He and Ravi also have good chemistry.
Maybe she could have good chemistry with a stick, who knows? :)
I was surprised to see Jocelyn Seagrave here, mostly because I've seen her so very rarely since her Guiding Light days, back when I watched GL on a religious basis, but I enjoyed her performance as well.
Apropos of nothing and with no knowledge whatsoever of the TV industry, here's my thoughts on TV. I think TV could be all new, all the time. Maybe springs or summers off for most everybody. I'm not a fan of smaller episode numbers, but it sorta works for Dead Zone to just be the summer long and nothing else. I hate waiting until the next summer, not that anybody at USA gives a rip. So, anyway, my plan: most series are 18-22 episodes and there are 52 weeks in a year, 39 (give or take) in a series year. Now with 13 episode series, that makes for three, count 'em, three, sets of series, all new, spaced out over the year. With the dearth of anything not resembling a reality show, this could be very, very bad. On the other hand, I could have a lot more time on my hands to spread out among my various and sundry causes if I knew that in the spring, the only thing I have to really watch is CSI or JAG. We could also have two sets of 22 episode series, and leave 8 weeks extra instead of 13 for everybody to just veg out. My way would mean that each series is shown, in its entirety, consecutively, without breaks for whatever. No reruns for 12 weeks out of every series year, like it is now. I realize that the networks would never go for this because of money or something equally silly. But think about it, actors could have more leisure time for their families, or making movies, or going walkabout, or whatever they wanted, because they only have to be around for the 22 +- weeks of the series filming. More actors could get work, with more non-reality series on the air, and advertising dollars could conceivably go up, once advertisers realize that fans of a series are there for the duration of the series. Advertisers could buy blocks of ads for a period of weeks and focus more on the demographics of a particular series for that 22 week period, then other demographics for another period or series.
Of course, their demographics are always going to be wrong until a much more significant portion of the population is a "Nielsen" home or something similar, but then that could get into Big Brother territory, and maybe we don't want to go there.
With my plan, Joe Flanigan could do both things - Atlantis and Thoughtcrimes. My plan also leaves more room for wonderful stuff like FS minis or Pretender minis or Thoughtcrimes minis or whatever a fanbase's greedy little heart desires.
I like my plan. Your mileage or experience may vary.
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TV stuff.....
Date: 2004-10-25 03:50 am (UTC)Assume reruns for things like when you're running against the Super Bowl, the Academy Awards, NCAA Championship, Orange Bowl or World Series games - nights when the audience won't be watching you. Also figure reruns around holidays - from the two weeks before Christmas to the two weeks after it, viewing levels are off due to people shopping, on vacation, etc.
Add in preemptions for specials - holiday specials, news specials (debates, election coverage) and that will basically make up the 35 week TV season.
Advertisers buy ad time in shows they think will reach their demographics and like to have firm buys as early as possible. The guys who bought a year's worth of spots in Lost are getting quite a buy compared to the folks trying to get in now. People want their plans firmed up as soon as possible - it is profitable to the advertiser who can get in on the bottom floor of a hit and it is profitable for the network who has support for a program that hasn't aired yet.
More info than you probably needed.
Take Care
Mara