'Bushwhacked'
[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, The Inside and Drive), this is where Buffistas come to anoint themselves in the bloodbath.
2 hour premiere on Sunday, followed by a regular ep on Monday.
They're making it event, so you watch it like a movie on Sunday night, and then you follow on Monday to watch 103 on the regular night, as the lead-in to 24.
Which is what they did for 24 just a few weeks back, right?
I think when they hype the shit out of it as an event, it's generally a good thing.
A three hour event over a one hour premiere just after midseason proper sounds way more marketable to me. Could be wrong, but that's my opinion.
"Event" premieres are very in right now, and Fox in particular seems to be a fan of them, so I wouldn't read anything into it other than that they're treating it like a show on their network.
Are any of the other networks doing event premieres, Jess? I know ABC does something like that for Lost.
Naturally, having made that blanket statement, I can't think of any examples to support it right now. I feel like there were a bunch in the fall that aired that way -- 3-4 hour premieres over 2 nights.
Oh, I don't think there's anything wrong with making it an event. It's just a lot of faith that they think -- presumably -- a LOT of people are going to turn up for it, which they can afford with something like 24. I think it's a great idea, but a ballsy one.
To be clear, why I thought the promo rocked: it has three major elements I wanted to see:
- An event. A reason to watch. This is one of the biggest things in marketing to me, as I banged on about many pages ago here. - A mystery. A reason to watch the beginning. Also banged on about many pages ago here. - It looks cool, and makes clear it isn't a show about cars, but characters.
I hope the cars have character.
I hope the cars speak. Annoying. Elevator. Voices. With sarcastic, snarky timing.
"Oh, dear," they should say. "Another dangerous curve."
Remember back in the good old days (i.e. the '80s) when cars talked?
A door is ajar. A door is ajar.
And then my friend would say, "A door is not a jar; a door is a door."
Wait - I'm glad we don't have talking cars anymore.