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'Concept' shows lose sight of sharp hooks | November 17, 2006
"Day Break" is the latest in what's becoming a long line of "concept" programming. It started with "24," which gave us a new idea that worked in the format of a TV series and became a huge success.
That was followed, though, by less successful concepts, from "Watching Ellie" (real-time comedy -- Julia Louis-Dreyfus apparently was still under the "Seinfeld" curse) to last season's "Reunion" (solving a 20-year-old crime one episode -- and year -- at a time; problem is the cancellation left viewers hanging and wary of serial mysteries).
The problem with concept programs, whether comedy or drama, is that most of the concepts can last only a short time before they either force the series to an abrupt end or fade to the background, leaving just another TV show. Read the rest ...
2 Comments
see, I was a fan of Tru Calling and hated the fact that Fox killed it without getting to the bottom of everything...
Damn, and it was getting good too!
Posted by: M | November 19, 2006 10:58 AM
Tru Calling was getting REALLY good with the "evil leaper" Priestly and twists with her parents. Stupid FOX.
I didn't know if I'd like Day Break, even though Diggs is a great presence, and it almost lost me at first. Once I saw the hook, that HE doesn't reset and his injuries carry over, unlike Groundhog Day which had Murray in a suicide montage, I was hooked. I like seeing Mitch Pileggi and Adam Baldwin working too, even though Baldwin's been on a showkilling streak of Firefly-Angel-The Inside. This is meant to be a limited series though, 13 episodes with a definitive end, so I hope they all air. I never thought 24 could have more than one season and was proven wrong so who knows, maybe he'll repeat other days.
Posted by: MCF | November 23, 2006 08:42 PM
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