Sorry about the lack of entries the last couple of days, but I didn’t see anything worth bloggin’ about and I’m not the type to blog just for the sake of bloggin’. But it did give me a chance to skim through some more “Shows in Development” and pick a new selection to Mock & Squee about. And just FYI, I’m not going to comment on Reality Shows in the works, as a point of moral integrity. Also, I’m going to try to stick with shows that have been ordered to pilot or have a penalty attached, because those are usually the shows that the networks are serious about.

Here we go:

Mockworthy

• Adopted (ABC) — Hey, I know! Why don’t we make fun of something that is SO not funny to most people!?!? So this guy finds out on his 30th birthday that he was adopted (his birth mother sends him flowers — that’s funny, right?). The EPs are mainly from Reno 911, which scares me a bit, but it is the premise and the fact that it is supposed to be a comedy that is really rubbing me the wrong way. Notable actors signed on: Bernadette Peters and Christine Baranski, who have both been known to make me laugh, but they are not enough of a draw for me to give this a chance if it makes it to air.
• Him & Us (ABC) — This show is mockable, but I also think that is the intent. This is a comedy about an aging “rock superstar” and his entourage. Who will play the “aging rock superstar”? Elton John. No, really! And his is an EP, along with Michael Edelstein (Desperate Housewives) and Cindy Chupack (Sex and the City). So even though it is in my Mockworthy category, I think that is the point and that alone may get me to tune in and give it a chance. Well, at least once, because if Elton can’t act, that ship will sink FAST.

Squeeworthy

• 1/4 Life (ABC) — No idea what the title is about yet, but Edward Zwick (writer/EP) and Marshall Herskovitz (writer/EP/director) are in charge and their TV history (Once & Again, thirtysomething, My So Called Life) is enough to make me want to give it a look. The premise is a group of 20-somethings who are friends/roommates in Chicago (*squee*) dealing with the life changes that adulthood and being on your own bring about. No, it’s not a remake of Friends (which was my first fear) — it is an hour-long drama, so I’m thinking it could be more along the lines of “what would Friends have been like if it were a drama and set in Chicago.” Oh! Maybe “1/4 Life” is a reference to their lives only being about a quarter of the way done (if they are in their 20s, and expect to live past 80).
• Grand Union (NBC) — I have to *squee* about anything that stars Greg Grunberg. Besides that, I have high hopes that it will be a comedy that is actually worth watching (those are few and far between these days). Hopefully, Tom Werner (EP) will keep it on track. Greg deserves the chance to show that being JJ’s best friend isn’t the only reason that he gets roles. And besides, he is way too funny to be stuck in a drama rut for so long. I think the boy will shine.

Source: The Futon Critic

So what do y’all think? Give me some feedback, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with me. Next time I will do a M&S-worthy post on shows being developed for cable channels. Sound good?

Those of you who already know me will probably not be surprised by this entry at all. In fact, you may have been wondering what has taken me so long to post this.

I am steeped in a few very passionate, very dedicated, very opinionated and, sometimes, very insane fandoms currently. The two I am the most active in at this time are the Lost fandom and the Alias fandom. And though these fandoms are related, they are so very different, at least in my experience. This post is going to be about the Lost fandom. I’ll probably post a sequel (the “Part II” portion) about Alias on another slow news day.

My biggest beef with the Lost fandom at the moment has to do with the theorists. Now, I think it is great that there are people so dedicated and absorbed by the show that they feel compelled to research the Easter Eggs dropped in the episodes by the evil geniuses at Lost Labs, or to take the characters’ names or the cursed numbers and try to connect them in ways that will either explain what is going on on the island or reveal what the over-arching plot of the whole series is. The level of detail and depth of research that some fans have done is really quite extraordinary and can sometimes boggle the mind more than an actual Lost episode does. But the longer the series continues, and the more and more and more theories that I read, the more I wish some of the theorists would just step back and take a reality check.

I am one of those fans who enjoys the show for what it is and for what is shown to me on my television set. I am a “pure canonist” (which is a name that I have just made up for fans like me — I should copyright it, eh?) — which means that I am dedicated to what is actually shown on the screen each week. Not what ended up on the editing room floor and not various storylines that were considered but abandoned and not script pages that were cut and not the “Deleted Scenes” that appear on the DVD boxed sets. STRICTLY what is shown on the screen — that’s it. Now, that doesn’t mean that theories don’t pop up in my head or that I don’t discuss any other conjectures about what is going on or what may be going on. Because there is so much ambiguity on Lost, where what you see may not mean what you think it means or there are sometimes things that are hidden in episodes that you are not aware of until later, it is nearly impossible not to make at least some attempts at educated guessing. But I do not waste too much of my time literally picking apart the episodes to the very minutest of details. To me, that takes the fun out of it. Plus, I believe that no matter what theory I might come up with, the writers at Lost have a much better one set in motion already.

A large part of my attraction to Lost (and what first made me fall in love with Alias) is my inability to predict what is going to happen week-to-week. I am one of those annoying people who can watch a show like Law & Order and figure out who did it before it hits Act Two. Some shows with that predictability can still be entertaining for me, as long as they still surprise me every once in awhile or they invest in some good character development. But few and far between are the shows that can surprise me constantly and leave me awestruck. For me to watch a TV show and NOT try to predict what’s going to happen or try to rewrite scenes in my head that would have worked better than what appeared on my screen? That’s big. With Lost, I trust those scribes implicitly, and they’ve never let me down.

I am a moderator at one of the big Lost forums on the web, plus I do a Bad Robot news blog. Because of those roles, I have read a LOT of theories about Lost, and it seems as time goes on and the series gets even more mystical and more scientific, the theories have become more elaborate and more just down right ridiculous. It saddens me that these fans can love this show so much, but at the same time seem to be completely missing the point. The “point” is that the show is meant to be entertaining, surprising, heartbreaking, funny, and mindboggling. If you think the point is that you are supposed to “figure out” what the hell is going on — BEFORE the writers are ready for you to find out — then you will be disappointed.

There are so many different theories out there that I could illustrate this by, but I am going to choose the WIDE variety of Number Theories out there, because I have a quote from Damon Lindelof that should be an eye-opener for ANY theorist out there:

Will we get any clarification about the numbers this season?
Damon: Carlton might want to punch me for actually going on record and saying this, but I think that that question will never, ever be answered. I couldn’t possibly imagine [how we would answer that question]. We will see more ramifications of the numbers and more usage of the numbers, but it boggles my mind when people ask me, “What do the numbers mean?”

Source: TV Guide’s “Ask Ausiello”

Now, there were fans who were upset by Damon’s revelation that we may NEVER find out “what the numbers mean.” They made comments that they felt like they have been teased by these numbers, only to find out that there will never be any satisfaction to that tease. Again, these people are MISSING THE POINT. The show is not about the numbers. Heck, I don’t even think the show is about the plane crash really. It is about these characters — who they were before they crashed on the island, who they have become on the island, and WHY they are there. The island is more important than the crash. The characters are more important than the numbers, the obscure books, and what was down the damn hatch. The fans that spend so much time obsessing over the details of each episode are missing a really good show, in my opinion.

If you are a fan of Lost and have watched the S1 DVDs, and more specifically, Disc 7, then you should know how very quickly the premise and outline of this show came together. Yes, JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof are geniuses who have a fantastical ability to think “outside of the box” — but to believe that when they drew up that first outline that they turned into ABC they had in mind some wildly intricate plot design that would probably take days to come up with (and to do it “on the fly” no less) is just a preposterous notion to me. I truly believe that when it comes down to it, and “all is revealed” — the genius will be in the simplicity.

A final word on this, also from Damon:

“Obviously,” he explained, “it’s our goal that when all is said and done, people will look at the entire puzzle and say: ‘I can now watch the pilot and understand where the polar bears come from. They told me how Locke ended up in a wheelchair. They told me what Kate did.”‘ But that doesn’t make it any easier to time those revelations. “We can only control how fast the car goes, but we have no brakes,” he said.

Source: The New York Times

I’ll say it again — The genius will be in the simplicity.

So what do y’all think? (And I KNOW many of you have opinions on this very topic

Check out this article in the Salt Lake Tribune, which talks about the Nielsens bringing in a sampling of digital recording devices.

It’s something, but to me it is still not enough.

When I first heard that iTunes was going to offer shows like Lost and Desperate Housewives for sale the day after an episode aired, I thought it was kind of a silly idea. I am a huge fan of Lost and I tape every episode AS I watch it, plus I own the S1 DVD boxed set — why would I need the show stored on my computer as well? But a few months later, my feelings changed drastically for two reasons: 1. I got home late one Wednesday night, forgot to set the VCR to record before I left that morning, and only saw the last 15 minutes of the episode; and 2. I got a new laptop.

The next day, I used my swanky new laptop to go to iTunes and download the episode I missed for a whole $1.99. I watched it on my laptop, and was so entranced by how awesome the quality was compared to my crappy VHS tapes (with the added bonus of NO COMMERCIALS) that I downloaded the rest of S2 as well. Lo and behold, a few weeks later my brother informed me that he had finally seen the Pilot episode of Lost and wanted me to bring my S1 DVDs when I went to visit over Thanksgiving, so that he and his wife could watch them. By the time I left, they were completely hooked, but also bummed that they had already missed the first half of Season 2. I told them about getting the episodes from iTunes, and they are now all caught up — just in time for the next new episode, which will air on January 11th. How frickin’ awesome is that?

The convenience is just incomparable. Well, unless you don’t have iTunes, I guess, but I can’t be empathetic with you folks. Just a week or so ago, Battlestar Galactica got added to the iTunes line up, which I am totally stoked about. I bought the S1 BSG boxed set a couple of months ago, but by the time I caught up, the first half of S2 had already finished. But now I get the shows via iTunes and watch them before the new episodes start up in January. I know they have released the S2.0 DVDs of BSG, but this way I don’t have to fork over the money for the entire set right away. I can buy the episodes as I find the time to watch them, and I can wait until the boxed set goes on sale Also, BSG did something different this week by making a SciFi special available on iTunes for FREE before it airs on the channel. Pretty durn cool.

Now I want ALL of the shows that I have been trying to get around to watching to put their episodes on iTunes. Buying an entire boxed set because a bunch of your friends are ga-ga over a show? Risky. Going to the video store to rent a DVD disk of the show? Inconvenient and they don’t carry every show. Doing the Netflix thing? Takes too long for my taste (I’m impatient). Just tuning in the next time it comes on? Well, I guess that is okay for non-serialized shows like sitcoms or CSI and Law & Order, but I’m not really talking about shows like that. I’m talking more about serialized shows and the other shows that have rich characters whose backgrounds are important to “getting” what is going on in the show.

So here is my iTunes Wish List (in no particular order):
1. Grey’s Anatomy
2. Veronica Mars
3. Bones
4. Prison Break
5. Gilmore Girls
6. My Name is Earl
7. Las Vegas
8. Numb3rs
9. Crossing Jordan
10. Alias

The shows on the list are either shows that I currently watch, but would love to have a backup way of catching the episodes if I miss a night; or they are shows I have seen on occasion, but they are on bad nights for me and/or I wish I had seen earlier episodes/seasons; or they are shows that are big with my online buddies and/or have been recommended to me, but I don’t want to make a commitment to without at least seeing a couple of episodes.

What shows would you guys put on your “iTunes Wish List”? What shows are not on my list (and not on iTunes) that you think I should be checking out?

First off, thank you guys for all of the commenting on my inaugural piece. Makes me feel like I’m doing something right. I will save lengthy pieces like that for the evening posts, but this morning I want to introduce my first “Mock & Squee” post. These entries will focus on television projects that are in development, and my views on whether these new shows sound more “mockworthy” or “squeeworthy” to me. Of course, there isn’t development news EVERY day, so some mornings I may just post Random Thoughts regarding various television-related news items that I’ve come across. Sound cool?

So, on with the mockage and the squeeage (with props to Joss Whedon for making average words cooler by adding -age to the end of them):

MOCKWORTHY

• Emily’s Reasons Why Not — I know this isn’t technically a “show in development,” since it will be premiering on ABC this January, but I have been wanting to mock it every time I have seen the ads for it. It seems like a female version of Jake in Progress (a show that I can’t believe is being brought back), and I’m just not a big Heather Graham fan. The previews have also reminded me of that cancelled Alicia Silverstone show Miss Match, which I seem to remember having good buzz, but obviously didn’t have enough to stick around. Unless you’re Ron Moore, you really shouldn’t be recycling old or existing television shows, mmmkay?
• My Boys — Again, this show in development for TBS sounds like a recycled version of Freddie, except with a female surrounded by males and no Puerto Ricans. I will say that having Betty Thomas (writer/EP)and Gavin Palone (EP) attached to the project will at least lead me to give it a try, though grudgingly.
• All 3 Scott Free Production Projects — I know this is probably just mean of me, but I read the descriptions for these new shows by Scott Free Productions (as in, Tony and Ridley Scott), and all three caused red flags to jump up in my mind. The first project, called Cutter, will star Stephen Dorff — his name alone screams “MOCK ME!” I just don’t know if I can take a show starring him seriously. The second show is called Orpheus, which is about a cult. Now, when I am sitting in front of my television set deciding what to watch, the only “cult” that would enter my mind is a “cult TV” show of the Buffy variety. Do I want to spend an hour watching a show about A cult? Uh, no. Finally, the third mockable show is called New Mexico, which is supposed to be about a town in NM that has a technology/spirituality thing going on. My first thought? “Any show about a ‘town in New Mexico’ is essentially about Area 51 and Roswell.” I could be totally wrong, but I doubt I’m the only one who will be thinking that.

SQUEEWORTHY

• Heist — I admit that anything that Dougray Scott is attached to has my attention. Plus, I’m a big fan of “serialized thrillers.” With the word this week that NBC has already ordered 13 episodes, and the shooting of the pilot JUST wrapped, well that makes me believe this will DEFINITELY be worth my time.
• The Ghost — This project being developed by Touchstone sadly has no studio attached to it yet, but I am really crossing my fingers that it will by next TV season. The show is set to revolve around a deep-cover FBI operative, which makes me think of Donnie Brasco, and that makes me squee. Honestly, its the kind of storyline spinoff that I wish that someone would do for the Alias character Thomas Grace (played by Balthazar Getty). SUCH a great story idea with SO many possibilities.
• Two New Projects by Ron Moore — I’m a big fan of the “reimagined” Battlestar Galactica, so seeing that Ron Moore has more projects in the works was practically squeeworthy in itself. He’s got two projects in the pipeline right now: Pen and the Sword (for NBC) and Warehouse 13 (for SciFi Channel). The former is about a guy who discovers that the building he works in is a portal to a “medieval alternate reality” (RM will be penning for this show as well as being an EP), and the latter is about two government officials banished to a warehouse in North Dakota, wherein the items they are cataloguing suck them into “fantastic and supernatural quests each week.” The ideas are fresh. The shows do not revolve around lawyers, cops or doctors. And Ron Moore is involved. Sign. Me. Up.

Source: The Futon Critic

So there you go. That is my first “Mock & Squee” entry. Tell me what y’all think, and tell me what you think about the shows, too.

I always liked the phrase: “Start things out with a BANG!” So instead of wading through the shallow water by the shoreline, cautiously sticking my newbie toe into the TV blogging waters, I thought I’d just go ahead and do a cannonball far away from the shore. Periodically, I may give you a little background information about myself, but how boring is THAT? Besides, I’m not on TV and this blog is about TV, so TV shall be what I talk about. Get it, got it, good.

So, as my topic so boldly states, I hate the Nielsen ratings. Preparing for the start of this blog, I checked out the Nielsen rankings for the 2005-06 season-to-date. Here is the breakdown:

1. CSI (CBS)
2. Desperate Housewives (ABC)
3. Without a Trace (CBS)
4. CSI: Miami (CBS)
5. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
6. Monday Night Football (ABC)
7. Survivor: Guatemala (CBS)
8. NCIS (CBS)
9. Lost (ABC)
10. Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
11. Cold Case (CBS)
12. 60 Minutes (CBS)
13. CSI: NY (CBS)
13. Two and a Half Men (CBS)
15. Commander in Chief (ABC)
16. E.R. (NBC)
17. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
18. Criminal Minds (CBS)
18. NFL Monday Showcase (ABC)
20. House (Fox)

Source: Zap2it.com

How are those rankings even accurate? I know, I know — there are these little meters spread throughout the country, attached to the television sets that belong to a random sampling of American households. Each household represents so many hundreds of thousands of other households. Does anyone else think that is insane, and maybe just a tad bit archaic? The phone company logs my phone calls, both my home and my cell. My computer has an I.P. address that lets every site I visit know that I’ve been there. Why isn’t someone logging the shows that I watch, instead of the shows being watched at some obscure Nielsen household, the residents of which supposedly represent my television viewing habits?

YES, I know that phone calls and the internet are proverbial “two-way streets” — I have a phone number that I call, thus linking my phone number to another phone number. Also, I type in web addresses, thus linking my computer and its ingrained I.P. address to whatever site I am visiting. Television, like radio, has broadcast signals, which involves a sender (the station) and the receiver (the television sets with antennas). That is a “one-way street” — thus the need for the Nielsens. But now there is cable with cable lines/boxes that could potentially provide this “two-way street” of information. I know that not all homes have cable lines…yet. But it was announced this week that the traditional analog television signal (and the televisions that receive them) will become extinct as of February 17, 2009. Rabbit ears? The next generation will only know of the fuzzy ones attached to mammals. Heck, kids in elementary school NOW may not know what “rabbit ears” for a TV are — which leads me to my point.

Please, please, please tell me that a MUCH more accurate reflection of this nation’s television viewing habits is in the works, in conjunction with the transition from analog to digital. I spend a lot of time online. I read a lot of entertainment articles, and I have a large community of friends that I’ve met through various fandom obsessions. I read a lot of LiveJournals and a lot of blogs — and I’m telling you, the only shows from the list above that DON’T surprise me by their inclusion are: Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, House, WIthout a Trace, Extreme Home Makeover and Desperate Housewives. I’m not saying the other shows are not good shows. I am a fan of the original CSI, though I don’t think I’ve watched it in two seasons, and Law & Order: SVU is growing on me, though my husband is the true L&O fan in the house. I just don’t see anyone talking about those shows.

Do I think my friends and I are the “real” reflection of who is watching what in ALL of America? Of course not. But I don’t think the Nielsens are much more accurate. It’s educated guessing who’s time has come, IMHO. When SoundScan came to WalMart, it was discovered that Garth Brooks was the biggest selling music artist in the country. Can you imagine the impact of accurate television viewing data?

So, what do you guys think?