Tag: online TV writing workshop

John Ostrander: Making a Better Superman

by John Ostrander

supergirl-season-2As of last Monday night, Warner Bros grew a Superman problem. That’s the night that Supergirl started its second season on its new home, the CW… where one could argue that it always belonged anyway. The show guest starred Supergirl’s cousin, Superman, embodied on TV by Tyler Hoechlin.

If you don’t already know, DC – unlike Marvel – does not link its movie universe and its TV universe. Since DC Comics is currently in the Multiple Universe concept once more, it might help to think of their TV and movie universes as alternate dimensions. So we can have two Flashes, two Wonder Women – and two versions of Superman.

The DC movie version of Superman, as shown in Man of Steel andSuperman vs. Batman: Dawn of Justice Whaddee Do Dah, is played by Henry Cavill and is a darker, more brooding, somewhat more Batman-ish Superman. His costume is also darker, almost a blue-black. He is, we are told, a more “realistic” Superman. And that’s where I think the trouble is going to lie. read article

The Wit & Wisdom of Chris Albrecht

Starz CEO Chris Albrecht has been one of the most influential executives in television  for decades.

At HBO he developed such classic shows as Oz, The Sopranos, The Wire, Entourage, and Six Feet Under, and at Starz he has brought Power, Ash vs Evil Dead, Outlander Blunt Talk, Black Sails, and more outstanding visions to audiences everywhere.

One of the keys to the success of Albrecht’s shows has been the writing. As a former literary agent (who once represented our Beloved Leader LB), he knows the good stuff when he reads it. read article

“Rick And Morty” Season 3 Looks to be Better Than Ever

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Rick And Morty has been one of TVWriter™’s favorite comedies since its debut back in the days when Co-Producer/Writer/Creator Dan Harmon was nursing his wounds from being fired from a little show you might remember called Community.

We just spotted this preliminary footage from Season 3: read article

Munchman Bitches Again!

What we do for luv – and money!

Munchman’s TV Musings #2

  1. Okay, kiddies. Yer Friendly Neighborhood Chowdowner has tried twice this season to watch Supergirl. Based on its reviews, I should be slurping it down madly and begging for more. But that first Superman-Supergirl team-up? Holy steaming crap! The script was okay – if you like things that are okay – but the tone in general, the camera angles and movement, the sfx – shameful and insulting. And now you expect me to munch on Legends of Tomorrow featuring The Justice Society of America? What the flaming hell is wrong with you, CW parasites? What?!
  2. Meanwhile, MTV is developing a War of the Worlds series, and all munchderio here can say is…what happened to the good old days when D-boyz and girlz just up and stole the classics and pretended the originals didn’t exist? Cuz speaking of insulting, calling this new show by the same title as H.G. Wells’ classic definitely is heaping big brown spots all over the Wells literary estate – and because the copyright is long expired, nobody even has to pay for the “privilege.”
  3. Okay, my munchiness is feeling a tad calmer now. A post in Flavorwire about fictional writers who’ve appeared on TV had a strangely soothing affect on moi. For my money, the most accurately present writer on television right now is Jimmy Shive-Overly of You’re the Worst. The only glaring inaccuracy is that Jimmy drinks more than he drugs, which isn’t how things be going for m-m-my g-g-generation. And he gets laid a hell of a lot more. No, just kidding! Nobody could possibly be having more sex than yrs trly. Really! I am so a stud!
  4. OMG! I’ve been bingeing on Goliath! I’ve always been a sucker for Billy Bob Thornton, ever since he kicked Angelina out. (What? You heard it was the other way around? Nope. No way!) Bottom line: Billy Bob makes even David E. Kelly’s dated dialog and attitude come alive, creating a character who’s warm without being fuzzy, and who almost makes me wish I’d been born a redneck too.
  5. Speaking of old, fading star showrunners, Steven Bochko’s Murder in the First has been cancelled by TNT. Hey, they got three seasons out of it, so all was not lost. Should it have stayed? Did it overstay? Muncho can’t really say. I never could make myself watch it. Tried and tried, but there was all that drinking and drugging and sexing and writing to do, and y’know how time just slips, slips, slips into the future…

That’s it for this week. I’ve got a terrible, tasteless, but amazingly popular web series to get back to work on, but I promise – I’ll seeya next time with more TV joy!

Web Series: “The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy”

Now this is what we call a truly high concept logline:

In the magical town of Neverland Ohio, Peter Pan, a late 20’s man-child cartoonist, is forced to face growing up or losing his long time crush, Wendy Darling, in this Romantic Comedy reimagining J.M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan.

Got it? Nah, you only think you do. This series is even better after you see it. And now there’s a lot more to see because after a first season of 24 five-minuteish episodes and an epilog, our favorite web romcom is back with Season Two. read article