TV Thread - beware, [expletive] can get spoilery

[Freed Roger]

4th graders at my daughter's school are big fans of Full House.

Could be worse.

[Freed Roger]

4th graders at my daughter's school are big fans of Full House.

Could be worse.

[robbotis]

Did anyone post about the FX network changes? Did I? You could argue it's the best network out there right now. They're splitting it up into 3 networks. The network names are lame - FX, FXX and FXM - but the ideas sound good. Part of it is a push to attract top-talent to make limited series and mini-series - sort of a BBC approach.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/201 ... arlie.html

One of the most interesting nuggets from Landgraf’s presentation was a noticeable emphasis on “miniseries and limited series.” (The distinction, he said, is that a miniseries has a singled closed-ended run, while a limited series might go as long as two or three seasons.) Fargo, a 10-episode series inspired by the Oscar-winning Coen Bros. movie, will be the first to air, and according to FX, it “will follow a new case and new characters, all entrenched in the trademark humor, murder and ‘Minnesota nice’ that has made the film an enduring classic.” Joel and Ethan Coen will executive produce, along with former NBC executive and author of the 2012 book Top of the Rock, Warren Littlefield. Other limited series announced were Mayflower, “an unflinching portrait of the Puritan settlers at Plymouth Colony and their uneasy alliance with the local Native Americans”; Grand Hotel, in which a luxury Paris hotel is hit by a terrorist attack; Mad Dogs, based on a British show, in which four fortysomething guys have adventures in Belize; and Sutton, based on the life of bank robber Willie Sutton.

This news is music to Slate’s ears, of course. A recent article by David Haglund dubbed the miniseries “the ideal form for television.” Landgraf said the FX Networks were betting on short-run series because they don’t want business imperatives to shape storytelling. The broadcast networks’ appetite for episodes creates an illusion of convergence, so that network procedurals begin to look alike. The dream of landing a longrunning show becomes “its own golden handcuffs,” he said. FX is telling creative talent to “put the story first; we’ll figure out the business model.”

And, of course, shorter commitments help networks to attract more prestigious talent. Recent TV turns by movie directors like David Fincher and Martin Scorsese are often less time-consuming than they first seem—Fincher directed two episodes of Netflix’s House of Cards, while Scorsese helmed only the pilot of Boardwalk Empire. Among the glittering names dropped in FX’s announcements this morning were Ang Lee, who will be directing the pilot of Tyrant, a Middle East thriller from the men behind Homeland; Guillermo del Toro, who has created The Strain, which offers “a unique biological approach to vampirism”; Charlie Kaufman, who is writing a comedy series called How & Why; Sam Mendes, who will be one of the executive producers of Grand Hotel; Alexander Payne, who is involved with Sutton; and the aforementioned Coen Bros.

Wow, I didn't hear about that. Sounds amazing to me. I hope FX doesn't abandon their regular series, because they've got some real winners. But more content from them, would be a good thing.

[MrSaigon]

I think that's awesome. Somewhere in one of these threads I talked about the limitations in storytelling on TV. There are not a lot of options between the eight hour miniseries and the as long as possibly possible series (which causes weaknesses and dead weight). I think this is great to approach a story like that.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Just a bit of curiosity. What are people more excited about: Last season of Dexter or the next season of Homeland? I think I'd have to say Dexter, but man, Homeland is awesome too.

[JackofDiamonds]

I've stopped watching both, but would restart if either show could get back to its creative peak.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

I've stopped watching both, but would restart if either show could get back to its creative peak.

I think Dexter just keeps getting better and better, really. When do you think it peaked?

[JL21]

Just a bit of curiosity. What are people more excited about: Last season of Dexter or the next season of Homeland? I think I'd have to say Dexter, but man, Homeland is awesome too.

I'm pretty excited that Dexter will be put out of its misery after this next season.

[ghostrunner]

I've stopped watching both, but would restart if either show could get back to its creative peak.

I think Dexter just keeps getting better and better, really. When do you think it peaked?

I thought the peak was the first season until last year, which I actually liked better. I liked the Julia Stiles season too, but was in the minority on that. Most people like the 2nd season, but Lila annoyed the crap out of me. Wasn't even a love to hate kind of thing, just hated the character thoroughly.

[Vidor]

"Dexter" peaked in Season 2 and has been getting dopier ever since, although this last season was marginally better than the awful, awful Colin Hanks season.