Prior to the launch of this year’s fall TV season, many critics were making predictions on what to expect. The overall sentiment was that there would be more sentimental, patriotic TV. With the exception of the treacly American Dreams and the renewed interest in JAG, it seems to me that the benchmark has been toward tried-and-true formulas on one end and a spike of meanness on the other. The trend continues as networks prepare to roll out midseason replacement series, and word trickles down as to what to expect this coming fall (no, it’s not that far away).
Leading the way in the meanness factor are some of the new reality series. Wolfing down buffalo testicles and slugs are one thing, but now contestants are being pushed to another level of humiliation. Take Joe Millionaire. A hybrid of The Bachelor and Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?, this show brings together 20 beautiful women to vie for the attention of an eligible bachelor. The trouble is, instead of coming from a good family, money, and prestige, the guy is a working Joe who barely makes $20,000 a year. Imagine the fun that will ensue when the women find out he’s, he’s … poor! Joe Millionaire premieres Jan. 6 on Fox.
Other reality series in the works (possibly for next fall) include a series from the producers of The Bachelor called The Will. In this, family and friends compete for the fortune of a “wealthy benefactor.” And the jury is still out on The Real Beverly Hillbillies, in which a poor family is plunked in the middle of Beverly Hills to see if they sink or swim. When the series ends, are they stripped of their Pradas and sent back to their humble origins? Who cares, as long as we can laugh at them, right?
If you get the sense that there are only several degrees of separation between the former Murder, She Wrote and every other whodunit on TV, you’re not mistaken. Weird gumshoes, sleuths of the future, and medical examiners are poised to hit airwaves next season. Midseason will see a redux of Dragnet, while next season a twist on the old Hart to Hart series reappears with Mr. & Mr. Nash — two gay interior designers who turn private dick.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. More TV trend chatter as screeners come in.
Don’t Mess With Whedon
As soon as the Fox Network canceled the Joss Whedon series Firefly, “TV Eye” was alerted of the news by — who else? — the fans. Not surprisingly, a campaign to save the show has been launched, but this time there’s a small twist. Letter writers are urged to send postcards to UPN execs, asking them to pick up the Whedon series like it did with Buffy the Vampire Slayer when the WB unceremoniously dumped it.
Though any kind of well-intentioned card or letter will do, Firefly Support, a group of organized fans, has provided a downloadable sheet of postcards in PDF format at www.sgcwebdesign.com/fireflysupport/PostcardSheet.pdf. The cards should be mailed to: Les Moonves, CBS, 7800 Beverly Blvd., 3rd floor, Los Angeles, CA 90036; and to Dawn Tarnofsky-Ostroff, President, Entertainment (CEO), United Paramount Network, 11800 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025. For more information on the campaign, go to: www.fireflysupport.com.
Holiday Time-Sucks
Gaming fans have a new time-suck coming their way, assuming they subscribe to Time Warner Cable. Starting Dec. 30, digital cable subscribers can watch G4 on digital channel 238 to catch the inside track on new games, insider strategies, behind-the-scenes looks at game developers, and over-the-shoulder jockeying of celebrity game players (No Doubt, Cypress Hill). The new G4 channel takes over the former Science Channel spot. The Science Channel moves to digital cable channel 237.
HBO will rebroadcast this season’s The Sopranos. Episodes air back-to-back on consecutive nights from Dec. 26 to Dec. 30. Check listings for airtimes. A Sex and the City marathon follows on New Year’s Eve. All 14 episodes from the past season will air consecutively starting at 8pm.
Speaking of marathons, Iron Chef: Ultimate Upsets Marathon airs on New Year’s Day, featuring battles over sea bass, pork belly, lobster, and, hmmmm, konnyaku. That’s fermented Japanese root paste — like you had to ask. The Iron Chef marathon airs Jan. 1, 11am-7pm, on the Food Network
Not so sucky: HBO Family debuts Through a Child’s Eyes: September 11, 2001, on New Year’s Day. Children aged 2 to 11, from various backgrounds, share their thoughts on the events of 9/11 and their dreams of a post-9/11 world. The special airs Jan. 1, 6:30pm, with encores throughout the month. Frontline casts an eye on the arts with Much Ado About Something, a look into the life and work of William Shakespeare and exploration of the ongoing question: Were some of the world’s greatest masterpieces of the theatre written by Shakespeare or by one of his contemporaries, Christopher Marlowe? Find out what all the fuss is about on Frontline, Jan. 2, 9pm, on KLRU.
This article appears in December 20 • 2002.