Saturday, May 22, 2010

Saturday morning coffee

- The upfront presentations by the major television networks concluded in New York last week and one thing is very apparent--NBC's "Must See" TV is very much a thing of the past.  CBS is the big gorilla among the networks now and can make major scheduling moves which dramatically impact the competition.  The one most discussed this past week was the CBS shift of Survivor to Wednesday nights and placing Big Bang Theory and the new William Shatner comedy, (Bleep) My Father Says on Thursdays.  The move will not only put NBC's low-rated Thursday show Community on life support but also places Survivor head-to-head against a new NBC show, Undercovers, for which network execs had much optimism.

- And, in case it sounded familiar, the show (Bleep) My Father Says originated with a Facebook page by the same name.

- Time Warner Cable Inc. is pitching Hollywood studios on the possibility of delivering first-run movies into homes just 30 days after the theatrical release, a move which signals further seismic shifts in the way we consume premium content.  The Time Warner model would likely charge $20-$30 for consumers to access a current flick like Iron Man II just a month after it hit the big screen versus the normal window where it is months before the movie shifts to DVD, on-demand, Netflix and the like.  The question I have--is a consumer willing to pay $20+ for the ease of watching a new movie at home?  In other words, what is the price point consumers are willing to bear for this new option?

- On Monday night we will see the end of the 24 franchise, at least on TV, and will learn the fate of Jack Bauer.  This season, which started so promising, has devolved into a plot line which has Bauer ruthlessly  killing or injuring those who cross his path as he works to complete his final mission, albeit a personal one.  Rest assured that the two-hour finale will have Jack and his geek sidekick, Chloe, squaring off.  And, it's my prediction that Bauer will be killed off as the other option of long-term imprisonment, for this season's crimes, seems far too pedestrian an ending for a character as iconic as this one.

1 comment:

  1. Agree with you on the turn that 24 has taken the past two weeks. They could have gotten much more creative than Jack killing off everyone. Maybe kidnappinng Logan and holding him hostage until the President comes clean would have been better plotline. I agree with your hypothesis for the ending and that will be an underachieving climax - and a sad end to Jack's iconic character - for the writers of 24 who have such a record of writing twisting plots. Maybe they will surprise?

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