caz963: (Danny profile b&w)
caz963 ([personal profile] caz963) wrote2007-05-11 11:18 pm
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Telly ramblings

I said I was going to write this when I was feeling more awake, but I lied. There's stuff on my mind, so I thought I'd get it written down before I forgot it.
Not that it's important or earth-shattering, you understand - I just wanted to say it.



It comes as a surprise to nobody... the death knell for Studio 60 sounded a long time ago, but given that the sets have been struck and Brad has been talking once more about shaking his famed Etch-a-Sketch (seriously, I'm thinking of sending him one!) NBC must surely be going to make it official sometime soon.

I watch very little TV these days anyway, none of it what I'd call "must see". S60 hasn't aired over here yet, but I'm thinking it might take Ugly Betty's Friday night slot on C4, because that's got about another six weeks to run; that'll take us into late June/early July, which is when I think C4 said they'd be airing it.

I know there are people on my f-list who didn't like or couldn't get into S60 for various reasons. We can't all like the same things, and there's no reason why we should. But I liked it. It took a while to find it's way, yes, and there were still things that were wrong with it (*cough* pregnantleadinglady *cough*) - but I was willing to give it a chance, because when it worked, it really worked. It had potential, and I'm sad that it's not being given the chance to grow. I understand the commercial pressures and reasons for what's happened. I worked in the entertainment industry (albeit a different division of it) - supposedly a more "artistic" arm of it, but even that's all about money in the end. It all is. And that's the way it is. But knowing all that doesn't stop me from being pissed and sad that it's not coming back.

That nice article in The Times last weekend confirmed my long-held suspicion that the show would probably be better received outside the US. I seem to recall that WW was always held in high esteem here, even when it wasn't getting such a good reaction in the US. Don't know why - maybe it's because we're a bit further away from it all over here and distance gives us a clearer view.

We've always been pretty dependent on US imports over here, TV scheduling wise, but I think that over the past ten years or so, that's become even more the case. Of course, my take on it is undoubtedly skewed by my own viewing preferences - I don't watch the big soaps, I don't watch quiz or game shows, I'm not a fan of "homey Sunday night drama". We don’t produce 22 episode seasons over here (apart from a couple of medical dramas) – our most successful recent drama series, Life on Mars ran for two seasons of eight episodes each, The Office was almost the same (two seasons of six, plus a couple of specials) – and there’s been very little else home-grown that’s grabbed my attention. I love Doctor Who, but if for some strange reason, it got canned tomorrow, it wouldn’t bother me.

I loved Six Feet Under (although I still need to catch up with the final season), NYPD Blue was great, and I watched it all until C4 started pissing about with the scheduling big time, so I don't think I've seen the last three seasons. I watched the first two seasons of Without a Trace, which I enjoyed, but due to work stuff last year, I couldn't keep up. My point being that I watch very little UK produced stuff (very unpatriotic of me!), so I look towards the US for decent telly. From snippets I've read here and elsewhere, there seems to be little to get worked up about for the forthcoming season. I hope I'm wrong, because I could really do with a new show to get excited about.

[livejournal.com profile] coloneljack said it right earlier when she said it felt weird to find herself without a fandom for the first time in eight years.
I can't say that, because I didn't even know there was such a thing as fandom until two or three years ago, but I do know how she feels. I was trying to remember if I'd ever been as invested in a TV show before West Wing came along, and I really don't think I was. The only show I can remember having even half as much interest in was Babylon 5 (anyone remember that?) which was a great show that suffered from being pissed about by its network, meaning that the fifth and final season was a bit of a botch-job. But it had vision, and, a little like WW, was written in almost its entirety by one person.

We've had some very good UK-made dramas that I've enjoyed a lot - a few years back, Paul Abbott's State of Play was wonderful for example, and I've already mentioned Life on Mars and Doctor Who.
I watch CSI, DH, House, Ugly Betty... but I'd miss none of them if they disappeared from the schedule.


It's been nearly a year since WW ended. And there's still nothing - for me - that fills the void it's left behind. It's stupid, and I'm a total saddo, I know. It pisses me off that I feel that way, because I'm old enough to know better. But there it is.

*sniff*

[identity profile] caz963.livejournal.com 2007-05-11 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
WW was good

Ain't that the truth.

I can't believe it's been gone a year and I still miss it so much. And it's crazy, but it's only here that I feel like I can say that because you guys understand and feel the same. In "real life" I'm far too sensible a person to be sad about something so trivial (in the grand scheme of things), if that makes any sense at all.

And Brad can shake whatever he wants, provided it's in my direction!!

[identity profile] zinke.livejournal.com 2007-05-12 01:34 pm (UTC)(link)
it's only here that I feel like I can say that because you guys understand and feel the same. In "real life" I'm far too sensible a person to be sad about something so trivial

For me as well. None of my friends here really would understand, despite a great many of them really loving the show. They just aren't fangirls at heart. *g*

I miss WW, I miss Brad on my TV, but I also miss having a television program to look forward to each week. I know it sounds a bit pathetic, but some weeks knowing I had something good and interesting to watch at the end of the day was what helped me wade through all the crap at work, etc.. *sigh*

[identity profile] caz963.livejournal.com 2007-05-12 08:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I miss WW, I miss Brad on my TV, but I also miss having a television program to look forward to each week.<./i>

Yes, that's it - and if you're pathetic, so am I and so are a lot of us. I guess we feel like that because, it's basically trivial when we think of all the horrible stuff going on in the world that needs fixing - "it don't amount to a hill o' beans."

I don't know anyone in RL who watched WW (apart from hubby, and I only got him into it a couple of years back) - so all my conversations about it have been online ones.

At least I have DVDs and Sunday night reruns. And S60 is due to air here June/July. But after that, it looks pretty bleak. :(