The TV and Streaming Thread: Pilot Week

[majestic]

Wesley Snipes is apparently really difficult to work with. There's this hilarious interview with Patton Oswald where he explained that Snipes basically "method-acted" Blade and only talked to others by handing out post-its.

Okay, so I link the interview and in the edit window the embed looks fine, and then it loads the RLM video? That one's new. Ah, editing fixed it.

Edited May 4, 2022 by majestic

[Hurlshort]

I'd guess Snipes has mellowed with age and a prison stint. 

[Malcador]

Snipes should have worked with Seagal.  Because then Seagal would be dead, and the world a better place.

[Gfted1]

1 hour ago, ShadySands said:

Nope, my wife saw the trailer and said hard pass. Is it good?

Its really good, in my wife and I opinion.

[Amentep]

1 hour ago, majestic said:

Wesley Snipes is apparently really difficult to work with. There's this hilarious interview with Patton Oswald where he explained that Snipes basically "method-acted" Blade and only talked to others by handing out post-its.

Iirc, Oswalt was in Blade: Trinity, the one where Snipes felt writer/director Goyer has ruined the movie bringing in the other characters like Hannibal King. Allegedly this led to blows on the set.

[Zoraptor]

So I watched Strange New Worlds Ep1. It was, to be fair to it, better than merely OK, though there are definite signs of old problems (see spoilers). If I'd seen it in isolation I might even think it was good, but the expectation is very much there that any potential will be squandered. There is though at least some suggestion that they may, just may, have taken on board some of the criticisms of Discovery by doing really basic things like, well, actually introducing the bridge crew even if they aren't all 'important'.

I do kind of want to criticise them for sending the top three ranking officers on an away mission- which I'm sure never happened, certainly not once, in any earlier Treks- and there was at least one obvious plotting problem with that

Spoiler

So you know Spock is going to have problems with his DNA injections and they will wear off quickly. Why not, um, send someone else instead then? Because the writers want Spock there and want a source of tension for whether the mission will fail, that's why.

At least it was only used for fake tension. If it had been Discovery the whole plot probably would have hinged on Spock's disguise wearing off at the most inopportune moment.

 

[Keyrock]

19 minutes ago, Zoraptor said:

So I watched Strange New Worlds Ep1. It was, to be fair to it, better than merely OK, though there are definite signs of old problems (see spoilers). If I'd seen it in isolation I might even think it was good, but the expectation is very much there that any potential will be squandered. There is though at least some suggestion that they may, just may, have taken on board some of the criticisms of Discovery by doing really basic things like, well, actually introducing the bridge crew even if they aren't all 'important'.

I do kind of want to criticise them for sending the top three ranking officers on an away mission- which I'm sure never happened, certainly not once, in any earlier Treks- and there was at least one obvious plotting problem with that

  Reveal hidden contents

So you know Spock is going to have problems with his DNA injections and they will wear off quickly. Why not, um, send someone else instead then? Because the writers want Spock there and want a source of tension for whether the mission will fail, that's why.

At least it was only used for fake tension. If it had been Discovery the whole plot probably would have hinged on Spock's disguise wearing off at the most inopportune moment.

 

That's encouraging. I'm always weary of the tendency of new shows to be front-loaded. Critics usually only watch the first couple episodes, because they have a ton of stuff to review, then write up their review based on that. Then, halfway through the season, the show quality falls off a cliff if the idea well has run dry. Still, glad to hear it's off to a good start. Does it actually stay true to Roddenberry's vision of a humanity that got it's **** together, or do they resort to Kurtzman's signature violent melodrama?

Edited May 5, 2022 by Keyrock

[Amentep]

26 minutes ago, Zoraptor said:

I do kind of want to criticise them for sending the top three ranking officers on an away mission- which I'm sure never happened, certainly not once, in any earlier Treks- and there was at least one obvious plotting problem with that

Discounting shore leave situations or visiting starbases or federation planets (like Archer-T'Pol-Tucker's visit to a Vulcan monastary in Enterprise), I can't think of one where it was intentional to have all three command crew on an away team, even if a situation arises.

For TOS, I can't think of any story that didn't have either Spock or Scott left on the bridge if the other joined Kirk.  I'm making an exception of the movies as Star Trek III and Star Trek IV makes the entire bridge crew an away team by circumstance, so shouldn't really count.

For TNG, all three (Picard-Riker-Data) end up on an off-ship mission in at least Time's Arrow (although originally Picard isn't on the away team, but beams down and gets caught in the temporal disturbance, so this isn't intentional).

For Voyager, Chakotay (1st off) and Tuvok (I think he's 2nd Off) are both on an away mission searching for Janeway according to the internet in "Time and Again".  Since Kes, Torres and Kim are also on this mission according to the internet, and Janeway and Paris are lost, I have no clue who was running the ship (Neelix? The Doctor? The Maquis who wanted to kill Janeway and take over?  Its been too long since I've seen Voyager to remember the details).  I know this is an early episode, so one could argue the command structure wasn't finalized, so this may be considered an exception to the rule.

I'm not sure Discovery ever had a clear 2nd officer after Landry got killed in the first season (so Lorca-Landry-Saru prior to her death, who knows after that?).  IWe're privy to much less of the ship life in Discover compared to earlier Treks as it focuses so heavily on non-Command crew in the first two seasons.

I'd consider the way the Defiant is used to be an exception, generally, since IIRC it was an off-the-books kind of thing.  But like Voyager, I haven't seen DS9 since it was first run (and I missed most of it because they kept changing its air-time locally).

[kirottu]

So Renee Picard also had some sort of tragedy in her background and that's the reason why she wanted to go to space. Why can't we have a character who just wants to go where no man has gone before and see what's there? WHY?! It's freaking Star Trek for crying out loud!

After that I just couldn't make myself care for anything that happened in the rest of the episode.

[Raithe]

 

[Lexx]

 

[Zoraptor]

5 hours ago, Amentep said:

[stuff re away team compositions]

I was being a bit facetious about it... (very mild spoilers; unless you're majestic)

Spoiler

I'm pretty sure those sent aren't actually the top 3 ranking officers on this Enterprise either.

It's still a bit odd how they do it for other reasons, but a female officer is given command (the conn, lol) earlier instead of Spock so I'd presume she outranks him.

 

7 hours ago, Keyrock said:

That's encouraging. I'm always weary of the tendency of new shows to be front-loaded. Critics usually only watch the first couple episodes, because they have a ton of stuff to review, then write up their review based on that. Then, halfway through the season, the show quality falls off a cliff if the idea well has run dry. Still, glad to hear it's off to a good start. Does it actually stay true to Roddenberry's vision of a humanity that got it's **** together, or do they resort to Kurtzman's signature violent melodrama?

Uh, kind of? There's some violence there, and the cause of it was mostly a classic nuTrekism (covered in the spoilers in the previous post) where the problem could easily have been avoided but then you wouldn't have the 'dramatic tension' that they wanted. And there is a bit of playing fast and loose with some Trek 'laws', though they do set up the justification for it, um, well actually. OTOH the set up for the main plot was actually kind of interesting and resolved largely without melodrama- some speechifying, but not overly stultifying speechifying- or overt stupidity. I can't really go into too much more detail without spoilers though.

(If it were the 1st nuTrek episode released I think I'd actually be pretty enthusiastic about it, as it is I expect all the old problems to creep out of the woodwork later)

[Amentep]

11 minutes ago, Zoraptor said:

I was being a bit facetious about it...

Sorry, the statement triggered my minutiae response circuits...

[LadyCrimson]

Searched "Musical" in Netflix, saw something called Julie and the Phantoms. Typical teenage song and dance short series but with a ghost-y flair so eh why not.

I FFWD'd through some non-music dialogues/scenes but overall by halfway through I was enjoying it a fair bit, especially the music numbers. Talented relative unknown cast that worked well together, the sort who you're initially a little iffy about but they really grow on you.  Guess that teenager of mine is still in there somewhere... unfortunately the series leaves a lot of unanswered questions - what is the unfinished business, what would that 4th band member who's old now do (not to mention a mega "villain ghost" cliffhanger type last few seconds) but Netflix isn't making a 2nd season.  Oh well, that's the US for ya (not just Netflix).

I liked it a lot better than any of the High School Musical's, at least. Probably a little more akin to something like the 1st season of Glee except focused only on one student and the 3 ghost band member chrs.

Edited May 5, 2022 by LadyCrimson

[Amentep]

Cast and Crew of Original ‘Star Trek’ Pilot Reunite for Virtual Set Recreation by Otoy

[majestic]

These analog controls aren't helping! — Rios

What, would you rather fly the drones with a D-pad? Or worse a touch screen D-pad? I hate this show. I hate everything and everyone. Gah! Shut up Wesley, shut up! SHUT UP! Dear god go away. Project Khan. Figured. Go die in a fire everyone involved.

Edited May 6, 2022 by majestic
I have no idea how people can use their smartphones as primary online communication device.

[Raithe]

I have to admit, I mostly enjoyed Strange New Worlds.   Of course, I've missed most of the setup of Discovery that led to it, but eh, I don't think too much of that is needed.

[Raithe]

Also for note:

Oh Boy! The Quantum Leap Sequel Series Is Coming to a Screen Near You | Tor.com

It’s official: The cast is set, the accelerator is warming up, and NBC’s Quantum Leap sequel has been ordered to series. The network also released a first image of star Raymond Lee (Kevin Can F—k Himself) as renowned physicist Dr. Ben Seong.

Along with Lee, the show stars Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters, The Crow) as Herbert “Magic” Williams, the head of the Quantum Leap project, and Caitlin Bassett as Addison, who uses high-tech means to keep in contact with time travelers. As Variety notes, this is “likely similar to how the original series saw Admiral Al Calavicci (Dean Stockwell) communicate with Sam via hologram.”

Two other cast members have been announced: Nanrisa Lee (Star Trek: Picard) as Quantum Leap’s head of security, and Mason Alexander Park (The Sandman) as the head of the AI program.

[Lexx]

Out of boredom I continued with The Rookie. Turns out the second half of the first season is a lot better. Season 2 wasn't bad either. I wondered why season 3 had much worse ratings than s1 and 2 until I started watching it .... yup, they got woke and I guess many people were pissed off about it. Season 3 deals a lot with racism, bad white cop, ethics, etc. etc. I'd say the general quality isn't much different to s2, so yeah, very likely rated down by some folks who felt insulted. Anyways ... still have a few episodes left, so we'll see how it ends.

[uuuhhii]

41 minutes ago, Lexx said:

Out of boredom I continued with The Rookie. Turns out the second half of the first season is a lot better. Season 2 wasn't bad either. I wondered why season 3 had much worse ratings than s1 and 2 until I started watching it .... yup, they got woke and I guess many people were pissed off about it. Season 3 deals a lot with racism, bad white cop, ethics, etc. etc. I'd say the general quality isn't much different to s2, so yeah, very likely rated down by some folks who felt insulted. Anyways ... still have a few episodes left, so we'll see how it ends.

start to get the problem every long running show have with character leaving or die because actor are leaving

but those documentary episode are pretty good

[majestic]

For the past three or so years, I've been going through The Blacklist. The show has a few ups and downs, and a fantastic performance by James Spader that kept me entertained for much longer than it ought to have. The storyline has been showing signs of kudzu-like* growth since season three, but it went full kudzu in the fourth. Still, someone who sat through all of X-Files isn't going to be deterred by a decently entertaining show developing signs of the Chris Carter effect**.

It easily overtook X-Files in the last two seasons though, and by now I'm sure Chris Carter is, in silent and contemplative moments, in awe of Jon Bokenkamp. Somewhere I've read that season 8 was supposed to be the last one, but NBC ordered a ninth one. Without Jon Bokenkamp running the development, though. Anyway, I'm at the last two episodes of the eigth season and the show went full NGE finale*** for them, or at least, the one I just watched. Time literally freezes while the female lead character starts interacting with a whole host of characters both alive and dead trying to piece the puzzle together.

And, uhm, the final plot twist - or what probably was meant as final plot twist, anyway - is shaping up to be hilariously**** stupid. Time to go see it confirmed, I guess. Anyway, I could talk more, but what would be the point. The weak points of the series are some of the characters and the actors behind them, especially Megan Boone, the female lead, playing Elizabeth 'Liz' Keen, someone the show asks us to care about, but no one does. Or at least, I didn't. In the first few seasons she's paired with Mr. Boring who I...

Spoiler

Cheered when he finally bit the bullet. Well, got stabbed to death, but never mind how he died.

Anyway, guess there'll be a ninth season to watch after this too. I thought I'd be done by now, but hey, yeah, apparently this still rakes in enough ratings for NBC. *sigh*

Footnotes:

Spoiler

*葛 is an Asian vine known for forming extraordinarily deep roots and growing upwards of 60 feet per year. A kudzu plot is... well, you can figure it out from here.

**A show developing a kudzu plot by making it appear as if there's a grand plan to follow, but the writers really just make everything up as the go along. I don't know how much of this was plotted out beforehand, but it sure didn't cover eight full seasons, or a ninth one now. X-Files is a famous example, but one can also look to the new Battlestar Galactica for this.

***Famous example of what is now known as a Gainax ending where the narrative of the series Neon Genesis Evangelion just stops (in the middle of all action) in favor of the lead characters having an two parter episode where they just talk, resolving the series thematically, but not in terms of narrative.

Spoiler

****I am expecting that Raymond Reddington, James Spader's character on the show, is actually the sex-changed mother of the female lead.

 

[Amentep]

Magnum season finale was terrible. The final scene was clumsily handled.

How was Rick's girl at deaths door then the doctor says she's okay and they go to see her and she's sitting up like nothing happened?

If the criminals wanted to kill the guy they were forcing Katsumoto to break out of prison why didn't they just kill the all when they showed up? Why didn't their spotter see Magnum and Higgins walking to the scene of the hand off?

[Gfted1]

On 5/2/2022 at 9:24 AM, Amentep said:

Magnum's not renewed for Season 5.  They haven't gotten to the magic 100 yet, and ratings haven't changed significantly since last season, so I think the odds are in favor of its renewal.

Magnum and nuHiggins finally shipped!

@Amentep What do you mean by the above post? What is the "magic 100"? Episodes?

[Amentep]

1 minute ago, Gfted1 said:

Magnum and nuHiggins finally shipped!

@Amentep What do you mean by the above post? What is the "magic 100"? Episodes?

Production companies have traditionally wanted to get shows to at least 100 episodes for syndication purposes (this is less necessary in this day and age, though).  Most shows hit this mark in their 5th year.  After the 5th year, not-coincidentally, most featured regular cast members have to renew their contract, making shows much more expensive to produce after season 5 and the reason why season 5 is the last season for many multi-season shows unless the show is doing astoundingly great ratings (NCIS, Simpsons - although Simpsons also has great merchandising).

This is probably partially the rationale for cancelling the MacGyver reboot that was Magnum's lead-in after it had it's season 5 (even though they only had 94 episodes, which is still good enough for syndication, since its now in syndication) although I've also heard rumors of some production conflicts regarding the last season there as well (been awhile since I read it, so I don't recall the details).

[uuuhhii]

new season of love death robot

hope for more episode than the second season