Posts tagged as “CSI”

Seven Years of TV Industry

The television industry has evolved more in the past seven years than in its previous seven decades.
That’s a bold statement, I know. Let’s take a look at the business-related stories I did in that time.

One of my very early posts was a manifesto entitled “why TV is where you must be“.

Who would have thought 2 years ago that a small basic-cable movie channel was going to make not only one but two innovative shows, let alone one that wins Best Drama?

That was 2008. The network was AMC. The two shows were Mad Men and Breaking Bad.
Seven years later, AMC’s TV shows are everywhere. Hell, television shows are everywhere. It’s even a banality to say that.

We’ll dig into some of my TV industry predictions tomorrow, namely my “Nine ideas to save television“, also from 2008. In the meantime, let’s take a look at some other classics about the business.

The big NBC 2009 move was to put Jay Leno in primetime, every day. No more NBC dramas. My reaction was, maybe, an over-reaction. “Is NBC killing television?“, I wondered.

If everyone would pull a Zucker, and every network would simply remove dramas from the 10PM slot, original primetime content would be swallowed by clones of clones of clones of shit. […] I’m hoping that FOX/ABC will wake the fuck up and seize this great opportunity to be the underdog; bringing alternative, groundbreaking content to this 10PM slot.
Don’t ruin this for us, guys.
Please.

This reaction led, in turn, to a counter-over-reaction: “Is NBC reviving television?”
What I was actually talking about though was simple—

As I pointed out yesterday, the 10PM slot is begging to be changed.
Well, not really “begging”.
CBS’ Les Moonves himself declared the other day that “Taking a third [broadcast] competitor out of the marketplace will make us even stronger”, though he said that for different reasons (“‘CSI: Miami’ on Monday at 10 o’clock will beat Jay by a lot. Remember that. By a lot.”).
The Leno-move should not be without consequences for the 10PM slot on the other nets.
I am not talking about drastic schedule changes here (even if I’m guessing it’ll unfortunately come to that — affiliates anyone?).
I am talking here more about quality changes.
We have in one corner C.S.I., and in the other Jay Leno.
Bring on the alternative!
And if there aren’t any alternative on the Big Five, then we sure as hell will tune to other content-providers.
Like Cable.

Yup, still sounds about right seven years later.

We could also talk about my Emmy (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) and Oscar (2009, 2010, 2011) recaps. I miss doing them. Maybe I should start covering again.

There’s hundreds of industry stories we covered over the years, but there’s only be a handful I really cared to dedicate lengthy articles for. Some we’ll talk about tomorrow (Netflix, the future of the TV industry, etc.).
Others, well, I’ll mention them right now.

Since we’re on the subject of alternative programming, Lordy wrote about potential “new outlets for scripted fare” in the days of 2010. Namely: A&E, Starz, EPIX. Kudos on the foresight.
He also did a great piece about “what’s it gonna take to bring your bubble show back?” Among his solutions: international/DVD sales, other networks, and a producer with clout. Rare options five years back, but now mainstays to save (or bring back) TV series.

On my end, I wrote last year two pieces on the great Stephen Colbert, one in reaction to his Late Late Show announcement, and the other for his last Colbert Report episode.
Now I’m bummed.
Let’s cheer up by reading my review of the Jay Leno Show.

Overall, it was your typical Jay Leno talk-show.
There was no “revolution” here, just me being mostly bored.

Ah, the good old days of NBC bashing. I’m feeling nostalgic.

Reminds me of the time I asked Lorne Michaels “what he did”.

Everyone (including the President himself) is telling you to hire someone being able to do a good Obama impersonation, so you audition great comedians, and then you don’t hire any of them?
What. The. Fuck.

And now, he’s adding two new female cast peeps.
Okay, that’s a good thing.
But then he subsequently fires two other female cast members (Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson)?!
What. The. Fuck.
[And] according to E!‘s Ted Casablanca, Wilson was asked to loose 30 pounds during the hiatus (and was fired because she didn’t).
What. The. Fuck.

At least Casey Wilson got Happy Endings out of all of this.

Can you believe I’ve been crying about the TV business for seven years now?
I can, but I don’t want to. Otherwise I’ll start crying again.

Let’s see where the TV industry is heading next.

One and Gone: Reunion (FOX – 2005)

Some shows get years of success, while others barely get a few episodes to prove their worth.
Time to take a look at these oft-forgotten series and their single season. This is One and Gone.

On today’s program: FOX’s Reunion.

Presenting Reunion

What was it about?

Breakfast Club meets 24, or The Big Chill meets Lost.
Each episode of Reunion follows one year in the lives of six BFFs, starting with their high-school graduation in 1986 and ending in ~~2006~~ 1998 (following the cancellation of the show after only 13 out of 22 potential episodes).
The show also features the running (main) plotline in the present (2006) of a detective investigating the brutal murder of one of the six friends the night of their 20-year reunion.
It’s high-concept, it’s very soapy, and it’s fun to watch the same actors play the same characters in their 20s, 30s and 40s–all within the same season. Should have been on The WB instead of FOX.

When was this even on the air?

Fall of 2005 on FOX. On Thursday nights at 9 (versus The Apprentice and CSI). Ouch. Talk about a competitive timeslot.

How many episodes?

13 episodes produced (out of a planned 22). 9 made it to air with the last 4 available online.

Stars & Stripes

Created by Jon Harmon Feldman and Sara Goodman, with the former serving as showrunner.

Regular cast:
[list]

Dave Annable (Aaron Lewis) as the lovesick puppy turned Internet entrepreneur
Alexa Davalos (Samantha Carlton) as the triangle love interest turned corpse
Will Estes (Will Malloy) as the BFF turned priest
Sean Faris (Craig Brewster) as the privileged asshole turned paraplegic
Chyler Leigh (Carla Noll) as the innocent girl turned femme fatale
Amanda Righetti (Jenna Moretti) as the wannabe actress turned
Mathew St. Patrick (Kenneth Marjorino) as the cop with a vengeance

Notable guest-stars:

Gregory Harrison as the privileged asshole’s asshole dad
George Newbern as the obligatory clichéd abusive husband
Geoff Stults as the handsome stranger struck with cancer

[/list]

Review

I’m a big fan of dramas that play with storytelling structures, especially when it involves time (see 24 or Lost), so Reunion theoretically fits right into my playground.
But was any of it actually good? Let’s take a look.

The Ugly

This shot.

Present day
Before we get to the real novelty of the series, let’s take a look at the continuing narrative/arc of the season, which is entirely set in the present. To emphasize with the sunny past (I guess), we end up with some weird hyper-stylized present where everybody is a dead-eyed zombie living in a grey film-noir-esque world. Or something. (See the screenshots coming up)
This is a whodunit-style mystery about one of the six having been killed. Yet, halfway through the season, the present storyline starts to focus entirely on two characters’ involvement with the murder. In other words, the show stops featuring (and caring) about three of the five remaining friends still alive in the present.
Have I lost you already?
Now, what I’m describing already sounds like a terrible story, but the biggest disappointment isn’t that we’re seeing too much of the present; it’s that we’re actually seeing too little of it. The ratio of a given episode is about 80/20 in favor of the flashbacks, with the flashbacks completely overtaking the present in latter episodes. Why? My guess is that the last 2-3 episode of a theoretical full season would have prominently featured the events leading up to the murder (i.e. present-adjacent stories). Therefore, no need to talk about it before then.
Either that, or they realized how shitty the makeup looked.

Soap clichés
I know Reunion is a soap, but there were too many crappy twists for my liking.
And you get a pregnancy! And you get a wedding! And you get a surprise bastard!

The Bad

Before/After

Enough shown.

Meta jokes
Examples include:
– LOL UGLY 90s CELLPHONES!
– LOL INTERNET IS NOT THE FUTURE
– LOL OJ SIMPSON WILL NEVER MURDER ANYONE EVER

To quote the EW review of the time:

Even the ’80s scenes are weak because the writers are so taken with the setting, they can’t stop reminding us. Sloppily. One character calls Wham! ”the next Beatles”; another dances to ”Material Girl.” The gang dons double-layered polos, Frankie Goes to Hollywood-style T-shirts, and menswear-for-girls. In short, we’re never looking at ’86, or ’87, but an ’80s-world amalgam — and apparently anything that happened in that decade is game, even if it’s off by nearly 10 years.

Fortunately, self-referential humor isn’t the main point of the show. And past the 80s (i.e. the first couple of episodes), we don’t have to suffer through a lot of those inane references.

Some dialogue
Especially early on in the show, there’s quite a lot of bad lines (expositionary or other).
Here’s a frightful example from the pilot, said to the triangle love interest by her secret lover:

If Halley’s Comet’s coming back early for anyone, I think it’d be for you. <3

Cringe.

The characters
Less archetypes and more stereotypes.
They get fleshed out over the course of the half-season, but we don’t have the real satisfaction of seeing their complete evolution from walking clichés in the pilot (80s), to their more devilish counterpart in the present. Had the show gone on for a full season, I would assume this frustrating contrast would have been less jarring.

The Good

The music
Say what you will about the meta “time winks”, but I really enjoyed the music choices (at least past the pilot). Maybe it’s because I already enjoy the songs picked, but they ended up actually being relevant to the episodes’ content and featured scenes.

The actors
Again, despite the crappy makeup, you can’t fault the actors for doing their best and making some barf-worthy scenes just be cringe-worthy.
Special kudos to Will Estes, Dave Annable and Chyler Leigh for committing to some of these crazy storylines.

Time management
Apart from the present, the way Reunion handled the majority of each episode (i.e. flashbacks) was, in my opinion, a good use of storytelling.
Most episodes concentrated on a very particular moment within the year, and showcased through that lens the various events in the friends’ lives. Only in a couple of instances did they actually go through an entire year.
Either way, the “moments” they showed were the most relevant and illustrative of where the story was (as opposed to historical events). The writers chose to focus on the important events in the lives of their characters, regardless of when during the year they were taking place. This is in opposition to what they could have done: showcase historical moments within these years to cheaply entice nostalgia or emotions out of us. A pitfall that was avoided.

The Great

This double popped-up collar

Bottom Line

Pilot to finale: Evolution of a single season

Reunion started bad. Really. The pilot of the show probably has the most hackneyed soapy storylines you’ll ever see. But the cool concept made me stay past it.
The show was at its height of ridiculousness when, within the same episode, the 30-something actors were playing both teenagers, and grayed-out 40-year-old equivalents. As I said, the makeup is really distracting. The more egregious issues however, were the constant callbacks and “look at me” nostalgic moments of the pilot.
Cut to thirteen episodes later, where the majority of these issues are mostly fixed. Once you get into the 90s, there are only a few minor nostalgic references, and the wardrobe doesn’t look that bad. You’ve gotten used to the soap storylines, most of them having actually become relevant to the ongoing plot. The present, however, is still a major issue (see above). Still, an overall positive evolution for only 13 episodes.

Watch or let it die?

Eh. It’s hard to give it a thumbs up when there are a lot of loose ends by the end of the show. You definitely won’t get enough of a complete picture to be satisfied.
The concept is executed well enough for a night-time soap (past the first two episodes), but the murder mystery is dragged on far too long. Worst part is the lack of any conclusion or real payoff of any kind.
The showrunner himself has confirmed that the murderer’s identity and motive (which you can find online, since they weren’t revealed in the show itself) can barely make sense for “us”, given the lack of information from years 1999 to 2006. Key events are completely unknown to the viewers, which makes the entire present storyline irrelevant.
A complete 22-episode season would have been worth the time investment, but as it stands now, the unfinished Reunion will live on as a haphazard foggy memory of what could have been.
Kind of like high-school.
Get it?

Final rating

On a scale of 1986 to 2014., I’ll give Reunion a solid 1989 B.C. with an unexpected pregnancy.

Drama Spec Script 2013 – What is hot and what is not

UPDATED:
A brand new 2019 list has been posted.
Click here to access it.

Like every year, it is now time to review which TV shows are good to spec, and which are not.
Dedicated posts will be made respectively for the best comedies (half-hour) and the best dramas (one-hour).
As the title says, this post is all about the dramas.
In addition, you’ll also find (when available) a script for the corresponding show.
Canceled or dead shows have been removed since last season’s spec list.

NOTE:
Given Warner Bros’ new rules for their fellowship, I have indicated with an asterisk (*) series that they will not accept specs for (mainly first-season shows).

Let’s do another quick recap of how the list works:
The shows are divided into five categories regarding their appeal to readers and how well they are known/read:
– Over-specced (shows that have passed their prime, try to avoid doing them)
– Mainstream (shows that have matured enough that they have become on-the-nose speccers–and a lot of people are speccing them)
– Wild Cards (soon, everyone will spec those, maybe you can get a head start)
– Outsiders (specs that will get you out from the pack)
– Gamblers (risky shows that could pay off, or bomb)

There is also a grade regarding the show’s longevity in relation to its speccability.
Meaning, how long can you keep your spec script fresh without having to throw it in the trash?
To do this, we will use the greatest grading system on Earth; stars:
★★★★★ – Excellent
★★★★★ – Very Good
★★★★★ – Average
★★★★★ – Fair
★★★★★ – Poor

And here we go.

Over-Specced

Re-tool your spec if you have one, but you probably shouldn’t bother beginning a new one for these shows.

Bones/Castle (FOX/ABC)
Type: Light police procedural
They’re not the most popular choices for specs, however the length of the shows calls for a category reassessment.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – They may continue for decades on end (doubtful), but there are so many mystery twists one can handle.

Breaking Bad (AMC)
Type: Serialized character/family drama
Shoulda gone with it when it was not almost over.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Everything breaks loose this season.

Burn Notice (USA)
Type: Light action procedural
Tic-toc…
Longevity: ★★★★★ – …the final season is coming up.

CSI/Criminal Minds (CBS)
Type: Police procedurals
Lol.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – It’ll outlast all of us probably.

Dexter (Sho)
Type: Serialized crime drama
After eight years, it’s tough to keep this one fresh.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Season 8 is (finally?) the final season.

Glee (FOX)
Type: Light serialized high-school dramedy
Glee was one of the hotest specs when it first premiere, and although the heat has died down a lot, the overflood of specs cries out for originality.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – It’s difficult to keep up to date with the show when the relationships are like musical chairs.

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
Type: Medical procedural
The last of the medical mohicans.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – No.

Mad Men (AMC)
Type: Serialized historical drama
For the longest time, Mad Men was the top-dog when it came to fancy drama specs. No longer worth it.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Probably only has another season left in it.

The Mentalist (CBS)
Type: Police procedural
The momentum has shifted for this 5-year old show.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – There won’t be massive changes in the show, but who’s to say when your case will be done.

True Blood (HBO)
Type: Serialized fantasy drama
By this point, the show has become too repetitive.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – With Alan Ball gone, who the hell knows how many seasons will keep stagnating.

The Walking Dead (AMC)
Type: Ensemble/horror drama
Probably the most shocking displacement this season, The Walking Dead has been a very hot spec since the first episode aired. And that was three season ago. Crafting a brand-new Walking spec may prove, well, unoriginal. Time to make room for fresh blood.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – The recent changes in the show proved that it is finally starting to follow the comics a little bit more. In other words, massive cast changes ahead.

Mainstream

The current and new widespread shows in town that are getting read.

Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Type: Serialized historical drama
Who doesn’t love those eyes?
Longevity: ★★★★★ – New faces, but still going strong.

Game of Thrones (HBO) *
Type: Serialized fantasy drama
This is one tough show to spec. Either you’re rehashing the books (not really original), or you go out of the story too much.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Difficult to predict, unless you’ve read the books.

Grimm (NBC)
Type: Fantasy procedural
The little show that could. One of the only genre shows still on network TV (let alone NBC), Grimm has been slowly working its way up.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – It’s one of NBC’s most solid shows, surprising considering it’s on Friday

The Good Wife (CBS)
Type: Legal procedural
The lack of running storylines this past year has allowed for a renewed focus on “cases of the week.”
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Constantly on the bubble.

Hart of Dixie (The CW)
Type: Serialized medical/family drama
Not that specced, but new enough that storylines can be told.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Careful with the soapy aspect.

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)
Type: Police/Action procedural
There are two go-to action procedural specs. This is number one.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Insert story, add action.

Homeland (Sho)
Type: Serialized thriller
Clearly in its prime. The show has now become the spec front-runner, now that both Mad Men and Breaking Bad are leaving us.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Watch out with Brody’s future. You never know what season 3 will be like.

Justified (FX)
Type: Police procedural
Another hot police spec, with a more dramatic twist than the rest. Definitely a fan-fave.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Keep up the good work.

NCIS:LA (CBS)
Type: Police/Action procedural
There are two go-to action procedural specs. This is number two.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – It’s a spin-off on CBS. What could possibly go wrong?

Nikita (The CW)
Type: Action/spy procedural
Like most of the network’s series, Nikita is not that widely specced, which is ironic considering it’s…
Longevity: ★★★★★ – …one of CW’s only watched show.

Once Upon A Time (ABC)
Type: Fantasy family drama
The show has succesfully reinvented at least twice over, with the third time coming up this fall.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Dwindling in the ratings, but a spin-off on the way.

Parenthood (NBC)
Type: Serialized family drama
The classic family drama spec.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – NBC isn’t giving up so “soon.”

Person of Interest (CBS)
Type: Crime procedural
Yet another CBS procedural, although this one has a twist to it. And successful enough to actually be a one of the most specced shows around.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – It’s still a procedural.

Revenge (ABC)
Type: Serialized family drama
Creative shift in the second season meant a different storyline.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – How long can they sustain these character arcs?

Scandal (ABC)
Type: Serialized political drama
Shonda Rhimes’ latest shows pulled the rare feat of increasing viewership during its second season run. The phenomenon is growing by the day.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – If Rhimes’ previous shows are any indication, ABC is going to keep this one up for a while. Careful with the serialization though.

Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Type: Serialized ensemble drama
Critical darling that, like its brother in arms (Justified), is fairly popular.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Can you keep up?

Suits (USA)
Type: Light legal procedural
Suits is the unsung hero of USA, and a fast-rising spec choice.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – When has USA canceled anything that went beyond a first season?

The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
Type: Serialized fantasy drama
Replace True Blood with The Vampire Diaries. Boom.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – So. Many. Changes.

White Collar (USA)
Type: Light crime procedural
Hey, look, USA has another popular spec choice. And also underrated.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – So many twists and turns, it’s very hard to follow. Or not.

Wild Cards

Not quite fully widespread but will get there given the chance.

American Horror Story (FX) *
Type: Serialized horror
One of the hardest shows to spec as storylines constantly change.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – New theme every year, but an FX success.

The Americans (FX) *
Type: Serialized thriller
If you love period shows with a more political bend, this might be the jackpot.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – It’s serialized.

Arrow/Beauty & The Beast (The CW) *
Type: Action/Fantasy procedural
Chances are you can dust off that old Smallville spec.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Why would CW cancel anything?

Elementary (CBS)*
Type: Police procedural
The new procedural kid on the CBS block.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – CBS’ biggest hit isn’t going anywhere.

The Following (FOX) *
Type: Serialized police procedural
Kevin Bacon is on TV!
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Who knows how long FOX will keep this “limited series.”

Nashville (ABC) *
Type: Musical/Family drama
Well-received, stars Connie Britton, and contains music. What’s not to love?
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Despite a strong open, it ended up spending much of its season as a bubble show. Fortunately, it’s still considered a success for ABC.

Revolution (NBC) *
Type: Serialized post-apocalyptic family drama
Its very, very slow mythology reveals may be a good thing for your spec.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – NBC has a hit?

Outsiders

The shows (mostly cable) you may be tempted to take a risk on, getting you on top of the reading pile. Beyond that, it depends on the willingness of the reader and his/her knowledge of the show. Who knows, maybe the showrunner is into less popular shows and will value your risk-taking.

Bates Motel (A&E) *
Type: Serialized family drama/horror
Who knew a Psycho prequel could be a decent show?
Longevity: ★★★★★ – A&E may wanna keep one of its most popular series.

Being Human (Syfy)
Type: Serialized fantasy drama
Take a look at its UK counterpart for some inspiration.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – It’s Syfy, so who knows how long the show has.

House of Cards (Netflix) *
Type: Serialized political thriller
Pretty tough to spec for Kevin Spacey (and a serialized political drama), but you can always try it out.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Netflix’s major production may not last past a second season.

The Killing (AMC)
Type: Serialized police drama
The cop drama without a pay-off may actually be a good spec choice.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Back from the dead. But for how long?

Royal Pains (USA)
Type: Light medical drama
Another USA show that could work very well on spec.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – It got the rare double-renewal last September.

Gamblers

For one reason or another, these are much riskier specs to do right now. You have been warned.

Chicago Fire (NBC) *
Type: Serialized drama
It’s not Rescue Me, but it’s…
Longevity: ★★★★★ – …another (!) NBC success.

Covert Affairs (USA)
Type: Action procedural
4th USA show on this list. You better believe it.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Not the most well-known USA show, and often on the bubble.

Dallas/Major Crimes (TNT) *
Type: Serialized family drama
Two different shows on the same network. They’re not that well-seen (and therefore read) however.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Could be difficult to create new spec stories for old concepts.

Defiance (Syfy) *
Type: Science-fiction procedural
Syfy has a sci-fi show? Shocker. Great mythology and the small-town procedural aspect, although annoying as a viewer, may work great for a spec.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – It just got renewed.

Forty-seven shows are listed this time around. As always, a few things can be noted.

First off, nearly half of the listed shows are brand-new ones from this past season. Although network dramas came back in force last year, the aging cable dramas have left their spots to brand new forays, including Netflix and A&E. In other words, the network’s turf is still slowly being eaten away by new territories.
With a few surprise hits, NBC is back on the board with 3 shows, while CBS continues to be the classic procedural king. The big shocker in the list is FOX’s near-absence (save for a dwindling musical and a limited series). USA meanwhile is gaining momentum with 4 dramas on the list, over-taking, of all networks, HBO.

Serialization is slowly starting to take a step back with procedurals back at the forefront of this year. The increasing popularity of speccing serialized shows from the get-go (e.g. Walking Dead or Homeland) has put a strain on the type (there are only so many popular series of the kind).
First and second-season series continue to be fairly popular. It looks like fresh is still considered the best for most people.

This leads to a continuing question from last year: Are people aiming for “throwable specs” that barely last a full seasons? The focus being still on original pilots. Only time will tell.

Show your voice, write original, and make your choice.

Looking to start your TV writing journey?

Posts tagged as “CSI”

Seven Years of TV Industry

One and Gone: Reunion (FOX – 2005)