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Posts tagged as “CBS”

Medium: Can’t You See?

Medium: Can’t You See?
For this blog, I will talk about a veteran show that will return on CBS on September 25th. A show that mixes crime and paranormal elements, that garnered the lead actress an Emmy win in 2005, and was produced by arguably one of the greatest showrunners of the past 20 years.

That little show, you’ll have guessed, is called “Medium”, and was saved from cancellation by CBS, whose sister studio, CBS Paramount, also produces the show.

“Medium” is one of the rare shows that is barely recognized by critics, yet makes solid ratings and performs well in the key demographics. Even in France, where network M6 airs it, there’s barely any talk about the show. Granted, on the surface, it deals with familiar territory: a medium start having visions and helps the local district attorney to solve crimes and murders. Notice I didn’t elaborate on the visions. That’s because, at first, it was only dead people trying to communicate with her, either by showing them minutes before their murder, or actual clues about the identity of the murderer. But over the episodes, the creativity of Glenn Gordon Caron-who created one of the great comicbook-inspired shows of the last decade in “Now And Again”, and of course “Moonlighting”-is to play with the visions, and have them in a bunch of different ways: in a noir-from-the-50s way, in 3-D, in cartoon….The real treat is to see where those visions lead Allison, and how she interprets them. And even if the viewer can quickly expect some kind of routine, as Allison finds out soon she’s wrong about the visions, and someone is caught at the end of the episode, the show finds a way to defy expectations.

In a recent interview, Glenn Gordon Caron said: “This may look like a crime show, but it’s really about an American marriage”. And the heart of the show is the DuBois family. Actually, as other writers would introduce cheating, betrayals and other soapish devices to give drama and scandal to the DuBois life, Caron makes a point about keeping the DuBois family very much together and maintain their cocoon of joy they call “home”. One of the reasons may be to balance the depressing and scary visions perturbing Allison. But the show is kept realistic thanks to a honest portrayal by the tag team of Patricia Arquette and Jake Weber, who does a consistently great job every episode. Weber, and Joe DuBois, don’t look like the tanned, well dressed husbands with a good haircut, but he’s believable as an understanding and levelled father without sounding corny or plain weak. Actually, “Medium” may be pleasing to Denny Crane given how effectively the Republican values are portrayed in the show. But it never hammers the point home, no matter how the crazy family crises get solved. When focusing on the couple, “Medium” has released one of their best episodes, “Twice Upon a Time”, a beautiful take on alternate realities and a great exploration of what glues Allison and Joe together.

It boggles the mind to see that, in the span of a few months, two great shows watched by people over 50 were taken off the air of their networks: one being the cancelled “Boston Legal”, and “Medium” was fortunately rescued by CBS. In a TV world obsessed by young and sexy characters, “Medium” offers a couple who are grown and mature, with no troubles in their relationships, raising three adorable children despite consuming jobs. How boring, right?

So, “Medium” succeeds on three plans: the crime mystery, who actually manages to keep one guessing without falling in procedural traps- yes, there are investigations, but they are paramount to solving the mystery of the visions themselves-; the paranormal aspects, who give creepy, eerie visions in a variety of visual styles-what other show can give the viewer the impression that he’s choking in a plastic bag this convincingly?-; and the family aspect, which gives fuel to heart-warming scenes and entertaining banter, as well as a few choice zingers from Joe DuBois. But those three aspects are misunderstood by the critics, who’d rather see a routine crime show full of independent episodes, and no discernible or lasting character arcs. Let’s hope that the sixth season with a decent promo budget, and a good lead-in (in terms of ratings, of course) in “Ghost Whisperer” will solve those problems.

PS: The title of this post was brought to you by R&B group Total feat. The Notorious B.I.G.

The "Late Late Show": Ode to the Scottish Conan Guy. I know.

The "Late Late Show": Ode to the Scottish Conan Guy. I know.

So, for my third blog (is it? Geez, work around these parts is getting way too slow…) I will pay a long overdue homage to the work accomplished by then-Scot-now-American Craig Ferguson.

If all the spin in the world was true, very late-night television would consist of Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel. But, yet, on CBS, the Late Late Show has been existing for 14 years (that’s right). Ferguson is only the third host of the Late Late Show, taking over from Craig Killborn (yeah, who?) since January 2005. Like Killborn, Ferguson is a relative unknown in the public eye, but he is familiar to some American viewers, having starred as Drew Carey’s boss in “The Drew Carey Show”. But nevermind that: his ratings have increased substantially in the pas few months against all odds, where his main competition is Jimmy Fallon over at NBC. Except that, save for The Roots, Fallon’s “Late Night” will never hold a candle to what Ferguson does, even with four times the budget.

Here’s a breakdown of the wonder of “Late Late Night”.

It may be the first post-modern late-show of History, as Ferguson is really aware of the pitfalls of late-night. He really had no resources, his show being the last broadcast in standard-def (yes! Even after Kimmel!) and he makes frequent references to that during his monologue. His monologue is stuffed with purposely lame late-night jokes. For a few weeks, he even inserted a “Late Night Octomom Joke” graphic, to cheer after a lame pun. But his 10 minutes of monologues are, for the most part, an exercise in free-wheeling and ranting about nothing. He can educate about an aspect of wildlife (he did a whole thing about Shark Week, and seems keen on all things animals), or foreign people, or just about anything. The most refreshing aspect of Craig Ferguson is his inability to stay on topic, while other hosts try hard to squeeze as much juice as they can out of the day’s news stories.

Another good example of the unpredictable aspect of the show is the intro. Visibly forced down by CBS as a way to keep viewers before the actual show starts, Ferguson didn’t seem at ease with it at first, and a lot of “I’ve got nothing” ensued. But….one day, he made the intro as a small musical, with puppets lip-synching. And ever since, he really made the segment into his own, be it a small riff on foreign members in the audience, or Brittany Murphy on a swing pushed by no-nonsense comic Steven Wright, or even dance routines to Britney Spears, the intros were a way to introduce a new audience to the show.

But the most interesting aspect is Craig Ferguson seems genuinely enthusiastic about hosting a late-night talk show, and usually gives a warm welcome to his guests, which he always seems interested in. Of course, his best guests are the ones that can adapt to his unique style of rants. So far, my personal Top would include Scots Ewan McGregor and Gerard Butler, Kristen Bell (their segments are a must-see), Stephen Wright, Eddie Izzard, Alfred Molina, and on a more serious note, Lawrence Fishburne and the wonderful interview he did with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

I would talk some more about the “Late Late Show”, but I’ll say this. At his worst, Ferguson will still be entertaining and lively with the dullest of guests, and at his best…well, it’s moments of brilliance that become fine American television. To me, unpredictability IS addictive, and he’s the best of the three really-late-night talk-show hosts. Bar none.

Craig Ferguson is The Man. And you can quote me on that.

TV Fall '09: The Complete Review – What is up with the networks

Last year, we took a look at how all the major networks were trying to invest into cross-platform products and Internet-based entertainment (without much success).

This time around, we’re going to check if said major networks have any pulse left with their crazy fall slate changes and schedule moves.

The Network Effect: Between Déjà Vu and Madness


Changing cloned horses in midstream.

CBS’ “new” slate isn’t really all that new. They have about 15 returning shows (including the just-acquired Medium), 11 of which are at their fifth season or more. The least we can say is that the network likes to work with the old (including its main demographic, wink wink), and clearly doesn’t want to invest in original content. Out of the four new series premiering this fall on CBS, we have one spin-off, one medical drama, and a classic sitcom. It’s as if they are scared of fresh ideas.


Going where no network (with half a brain) has gone before.

The biggest ratings everyone is anxiously awaiting to see this year are the ones from Leno’s new 10PM show. We’ve already discussed in length last year (when it was announced) what the various implications such move had and will have on the television industry. There was also Silverman leaving his cushy NBC job last month. That was interesting.
Consequently, the peacock doesn’t have many fresh series this fall, barely three (including two medical shows). Community is probably the funniest new comedy this season, and surprisingly enough, in my mind, well promoted. We’ll see how it fairs under pressure as it will be against Survivor, FlashForward and Bones. This is tough competition to say the least.
And Heroes will probably fail yet again.


Congratulations, you’ve just found the F5 key.

Contrary to all the other networks, ABC brings in this fall an almost massive amount of new shows (count them, eight). Add to that those other three programs for mid-season and you’ve got yourself a pretty hefty slate.
What is interesting to see is that half of those shows are comedies. The Alphabet network is indeed launching this season their own little comedy night full of fresh series. It’s certainly a gamble, especially when you consider the competition: to name a few, So You Think You Can Dance, Glee, Criminal Minds, ands CSI: NY. At least half the sitcoms will probably get the axe, but I do think however that some of them might get better scores than the CBS comedies on at the same time.
We can also notice with this accumulation of series a trend opposite to last year’s. Indeed, with, at the time, literally a single fresh (now canceled) drama, ABC didn’t want to look towards the future and instead buried its head in the sand.
Last season I was talking about how:

ABC [is relying too much] on those 3 hits, [Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy], and I think that around 2010-2011, if they don’t have any new hit series, the network will be in a lot of troubles when said hits won’t be around anymore. The only fresh program this fall on ABC is Life on Mars, how original.

This year however, everything has changed. Eastwick is trying to get the Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives appeal while FlashForward has already been branded as the new Lost. V will probably struggle in the ratings when it takes the Shark Tank’s place in front of NCIS, The Biggest Loser and Hell’s Kitchen. Even if it’s a reliable alternative to all three shows, with a 3-part arc it’s as if even the creators know where the future is heading.
One thing we can say about ABC though is that, for once, it’s trying to relaunch itself.


Where laughter goes to die.

It’s a somewhat-surprising slate for FOX. For one it renewed Dollhouse. Who saw that one coming? That said, this season will be the last. Especially when you consider when the series is being broadcast (behind Brothers and ‘Til Death, on a Friday night, come on).
The network also seems to have a CBS vibe to it now with nine returning shows, and over half of them being in their fifth season (or more). As for their new programs, we have a third Seth MacFarlane production, as well as Brothers. That last one is so awful, it’s almost indescribable. Think of a multi-camera sitcom with all the funny sucked out of it. What’s even sadder is that the show has a more than decent cast, including the great CCH Pounder.
Anyways, unlike ABC they don’t have dying series on their hands (except 24), most of them can basically continue on forever (take a look at The Simpsons). So their risk factor is taken out of the equation.
To be continued (or canceled)…


Good ratings: They shall not pass!

With a few exceptions, The CW is basically keeping every show it has and giving them a maximum lifespan. They’re almost better at this than CBS with 80% of their series being over their fourth season.
The CW is also trying to bank on already-established genre/brands like 90210, Gossip Girl, and now both Melrose Place and The Vampire Diaries. Smallville on the other hand is almost dying of old age with its ninth season rearing its ugly head.
In short, the network is trying to repair their atrocious ratings by producing more of the same. That’s called a foolproof plan.


Because we blew all our money on TV pilots.

With about a gazillion upcoming projects, FX is trying to reinvigorate itself with fresh programming. Case in point this fall with two new comedies, Archer and the League, which will accompany Philadelphia’s fifth season. FX is kind of the HBO to AMC’s Showtime. A network with fading critical hits in desperate need of renewal.
We saw last month how FX doesn’t want to let its show die either. Nip/Tuck, despite a finished shoot, won’t have its series finale broadcast until mid-2011. Rescue Me will as well film its two final seasons back-to-back for a 9/11 homage broadcast during the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. By 2011, FX will only have a few shows left, such as Sons of Anarchy, and perhaps new series it’s creating at the moment.


It got so high; it just had to fall back down.

Not a lot of fresh content this fall given that most of its series have now changed to being Summer-based (Entourage premiered last year in early September for instance). I’m hoping Bored to Death does well as it both deserves it and is basically the only HBO show with fresh episodes (excluding Curb Your Enthusiasm). Another comedy, The Life and Times of Tim, has yet to return (hopefully before Christmas). Meanwhile, In Treatment and The N°1 Ladies’ Detective Agency are both on the bubble.
Like FX, HBO has a lot of projects on stand-by, including the long-awaited Game of Throne adaptation. Basically most of its fresh batch of episodes is scheduled to air only around mid-season, which almost allows Showtime free reign
over cable networks.


Pay close attention for we are about to be foolish.

Incidentally, Showtime itself should try looking into new series. Weeds will next year go into its sixth season, and Dexter is almost in its fifth. By all logic, one should be looking for fresh and exciting new programs.
However, earlier this year, Sho passed on four pilots with great potential (including a Matthew Perry/Peter Tolan comedy and a Tim Robbins drama). Pretty surprising choices to say the least. They’ll soon come a time when the cable network will have to reevaluate its slate of shows. It’s all a cycle.

Overall, it looks like most of networks do not want to change much, trying to rely on proven formulas as long as they hold.
The nets are either banking on the same types of shows they’ve been making for a decade, or doing very stupid decisions (I’m looking at you NBC).
Live and learn…