2008 Woodie Awards
Networks maintain new TV series
By: Eric Joyce
Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: Lifeline
- Page 1 of 1
TV viewers are proving to be more kind to this season's new series'.
So far, the FOX reality series "Nashville" is the only new show to be canceled after showing just two episodes.
"It's sort of surprising actually," said Broadcast and Cinematic Arts instructor Patty Williamson, whose expertise is in TV. "Usually by this time at least one major network show has been pulled."
But not all network shows are in the clear, yet.
Williamson said ABCs "Carpoolers" is not too promising. The half-hour sitcom involves four men sharing the secrets of their personal and professional lives while carpooling in their daily commute to work.
"A lot of the jokes were really formulaic," she said. "It was sort of the same thing we've seen a million times."
Reality-based television has been repeated several times, but CBS's "Kid Nation" came under fire before its premiere episode.
The show places 40 children between the ages of 8 and 15 in a forgotten town in New Mexico, where they are asked to build their own functioning society.
Allegations that the show broke child labor laws by forcing children to perform manual labor without compensation spurred some controversy which led to the popularity of the first few episodes.
"I think it had a lot of people tuning in the first week just to see, well, how do they deal with it," Williamson said. "Is it exploiting kids or is it a true effort to show the innocence in children and how they could create a functioning society?"
Canton senior Jaime Lidster said the show is significant because of how it differs from shows in the same genre. It is based on community building rather than sex and alcohol, she said.
"I don't think they're mistreating kids at all," she said. "They're instilling good work ethics and kids can choose to go home whenever they want."
Lidster said she also enjoyed the newest "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off "Private Practice," though it still falls short of ABC's original megahit.
"I don't think it will ever be as big as 'Grey's Anatomy,'" she said.
"Private Practice" is not as intense as "Grey's Anatomy," but has a good storyline, Lidster said.
Williamson said "Private Practice" will do the best out of all of the new shows this fall because of the large fan base following from "Grey's Anatomy."
There seem to be trends this season with the science-fiction/fantasy genre with shows like CBS's "The Big Bang Theory," and NBC's "Journeymen" and "Bionic Woman."
Williamson said NBC's "Chuck" is the most likely to succeed from the popular genre.
The hour-long action-comedy focuses on a computer geek- turned-secret agent after the country's most precious secrets are uploaded into his brain.
"I think the main positive aspect of the show is really its look, its feel. It's very quick paced, it has a lot of action, it looks very slick," Williamson said. "It's not going to bore its audience."
lifeline@cm-life.com
So far, the FOX reality series "Nashville" is the only new show to be canceled after showing just two episodes.
"It's sort of surprising actually," said Broadcast and Cinematic Arts instructor Patty Williamson, whose expertise is in TV. "Usually by this time at least one major network show has been pulled."
But not all network shows are in the clear, yet.
Williamson said ABCs "Carpoolers" is not too promising. The half-hour sitcom involves four men sharing the secrets of their personal and professional lives while carpooling in their daily commute to work.
"A lot of the jokes were really formulaic," she said. "It was sort of the same thing we've seen a million times."
Reality-based television has been repeated several times, but CBS's "Kid Nation" came under fire before its premiere episode.
The show places 40 children between the ages of 8 and 15 in a forgotten town in New Mexico, where they are asked to build their own functioning society.
Allegations that the show broke child labor laws by forcing children to perform manual labor without compensation spurred some controversy which led to the popularity of the first few episodes.
"I think it had a lot of people tuning in the first week just to see, well, how do they deal with it," Williamson said. "Is it exploiting kids or is it a true effort to show the innocence in children and how they could create a functioning society?"
Canton senior Jaime Lidster said the show is significant because of how it differs from shows in the same genre. It is based on community building rather than sex and alcohol, she said.
"I don't think they're mistreating kids at all," she said. "They're instilling good work ethics and kids can choose to go home whenever they want."
Lidster said she also enjoyed the newest "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off "Private Practice," though it still falls short of ABC's original megahit.
"I don't think it will ever be as big as 'Grey's Anatomy,'" she said.
"Private Practice" is not as intense as "Grey's Anatomy," but has a good storyline, Lidster said.
Williamson said "Private Practice" will do the best out of all of the new shows this fall because of the large fan base following from "Grey's Anatomy."
There seem to be trends this season with the science-fiction/fantasy genre with shows like CBS's "The Big Bang Theory," and NBC's "Journeymen" and "Bionic Woman."
Williamson said NBC's "Chuck" is the most likely to succeed from the popular genre.
The hour-long action-comedy focuses on a computer geek- turned-secret agent after the country's most precious secrets are uploaded into his brain.
"I think the main positive aspect of the show is really its look, its feel. It's very quick paced, it has a lot of action, it looks very slick," Williamson said. "It's not going to bore its audience."
lifeline@cm-life.com
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