Category: Opinion

Don’t touch that dial: TV’s fading escapism

tv

by Gery L. Deer

When I was a kid, three things helped me weather tough times: my books, my piano, and television. As we grow, life affords us less and less free time and, of my three distractions, TV often wins out. But I find that I don’t turn on modern television very often, choosing instead one of any number of classic programs, many of which have been on the air for more than half a century.

As it is for so many others, TV offers me an escape from the day-to-day grind. For me, those old shows are equal to what some people would call, comfort food. The familiar characters and, sometimes, impossible situations gave me a way to forget the difficulties of my world.

And even the actors of that time left a lifelong impression on me. I could be totally wrong, but I think they cared more about their craft in those days and what audiences thought of them. read article

Are Stories Still Important?

Time now for a sweet little post by the TV blogger we here at TVWriter™ respect the most. Some might call what follows a rant. We’re thinking of it as a lesson…but is it one that will be learned in time?

by Ken Levine

Cat Climbing PoleAre Stories Still Important?

A lot of Millennials say no. They point out that webisodes are very popular and a recent survey claimed that 2:26 is the optimum length. So who needs to kill themselves coming up with stories? They’re a royal pain in the ass to concoct and audiences prefer their entertainment in bite-sized portions. Who needs an ingenious beginning, middle, and end when you can show a cat trying to climb a greased pole? read article

Troy DeVolld Tells Us the Truth about “Owning” your Reality TV Work

by Troy DeVolld

I spoke a little bit about this to some attendees at Story Expo this past weekend, and it bears posting here.

You’ll often hear reality producers talk about taking “ownership” of their shows.  It’s that satisfying feeling wherein the time and emotional investment you’ve made at the episode or series level feels like it has paid off, and that your voice has come through in the show.wpid-20150911_2209141

What has to be remembered when seeking “ownership” of your work is that ultimately, you have a showrunner, execs, and a network to please.  Your idea of what the show is can be compromised by everything from its bottom line to any one of a host of issues beyond your control. read article

Why We Need More Women Creating TV Shows

The battle of the sexists – we mean sexes – continues!

Or, in the words of LB’s grandfather: “And so it ever was.” (Hey, we didn’t say he was clever. But grandma, on the other hand knew how to turn a phrase….)

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - JUNE 07: Actress Tina Fey attends the FYC screening of Netflix's "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" at Pacific Design Center on June 7, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic) read article

TV’s ‘Current Golden Age’ is One Big Hollywood Hallucination

Sorry, fans, but somebody had to say this, especially after the self-congratulation fest we posted below. And who better than Super Producer Gavin Polone?

too_much_tv_illoby Gavin Polone

Given the attention paid to so many mediocre scripted series at Emmy time, what I really want to know is why more people aren’t talking about The White Crow? If you haven’t seen it, it could be because your cable package doesn’t include the TV24 network. If not, go to its website, where you can binge-watch the first four episodes for free (you can also purchase the whole season on iTunes). The first two episodes are a little slow, but the pace really picks up after that, and by episode eight, you’ll be totally hooked. The show stars Scottish actress Charlotte McDuffy, whom I loved as Virgilia in the recent film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus. Her rural New England accent here is spot-on. The pilot was written and directed by Clarke Samboine, whose debut film, A Bottle of Moths, scored at Sundance two years ago. I didn’t really like that movie, but it got him enough notice to lock down the deal for this show, and it’s clear that TV is his true forte.

Or maybe the reason you haven’t seen The White Crow is because I just made the above shit up. Don’t feel bad if I fooled you; I mean, who has the time to keep up with all the new series being offered by the cable networks and streaming services you may have heard of — let alone those you probably didn’t even know existed, like Pivot, Esquire and Up (yes, those networks actually exist). read article