Angel ,'Chosen'
[NAFDA] "There will be an occasional happy, so that it might be crushed under the boot of the writer." From Zorro to Angel (including Wonderfalls and The Inside), this is where Buffistas come to anoint themselves in the bloodbath.
Interesting read on trends within the TV industry
This quote in particular:
We are seeing more things being ordered with six or eight episodes, and (shows) are no longer getting an immediate 13-episode order
What are the chances of any more "brilliant but cancelled" shows getting a DVD release.
Polter-Cow is a man, baby!
Perhaps we should start a movement to get P-C to become Polter-Cowboy, or Polter-Bull, or Polter-Zeitgeist, just to avoid the confusion and resulting trauma.
Hawaii 5-0?
Gilligan's Island meets Lord of the Flies. I'm sure someone will make a coconut radio and then it'll be smashed with some dude named Piggy with a conch shell, and then it'll go all Soylent Green.
From the article:
If the trend toward shorter episode orders becomes commonplace, she adds, then international buyers will be stuck with series that are killed off after only a handful of episodes, with story arcs that end in midair. Producers faced with such short orders from networks, therefore, should look to provide full story arcs during the course of a five- or six-episode commitment -- much like the model prevalent in the United Kingdom. That, Segal reasons, would at least allow international broadcasters to air short series that have beginnings, middles and ends.
We should Wiki this as "The Minear Approach" to television writing.
Writing with cancellation in mind, trying to make a series as complete as possible while anticipating the ax falling.
It makes me want to kick networks. Hard.
You know, if I come up with a plan that allows networks to run a full 13-22 episode order and still make money despite DVRs and bring the male 18-49 audience back as well, will they pay me money for it?
Writing with cancellation in mind, trying to make a series as complete as possible while anticipating the ax falling.
As the article pointed out, shorter runs are common in the UK. I'd be interested to see whether this approach would result in more variety of shows being aired.
In the future, networks will probably order three episodes of a new show and cancel the show after the first 15 minutes.
I don't think it's a bad goal to have some shows that are only intended for 6-13 episodes. I think it could free things up, make for juicier and more creative series. If you know that you have that parameter beforehand, it's easier on all of our stomachs.
In the future, networks will probably order three episodes of a new show and cancel the show after the first 15 minutes.
Yup, as the pilot's title credits fade to black, instead of a commercial a network executive appears and says that it's just not working out, and that everybody should stay tuned for a sneak preview of the network's latest reality project.
That's funny. Tragic. Still funny.