It’s cool, but it still doesn’t make me want to watch any more episodes of Up All Night…
[via]
US TV
Third-episode verdict: The River (ABC)
In the US: Tuesdays, 9/8c, ABC
In the UK: Available on iTunes. Not yet acquired by a network
The River is a show I really want to like. It’s trying something relatively new for US TV – ‘found footage’. It’s a horror show on network TV. Like Southland, it has characters who swear but get bleeped out. It tries to build character and to create tension through direction and writing, rather than gore. It has some good British actors including Paul Blackthorne (The Gates, 24, The Dresden Files), able to keep their own accents and in the case of the latest episode, save the day while all the Americans are cowering under tables. There’s a German actor who also gets to be a German and to be very cool. While it is a serial show, there’s a different beastie to deal with every week. And it does have the occasional scary moment.
But that’s the problem I remarked on when I reviewed the first two episodes: the scary moments are only very occasional. For whatever reason – and it’s always tricky with horror to work out what the problem is when it’s not scaring – it’s just not putting the willies up me as I watch it. It may be that with only a few minutes to name the threat and why it should be threatening, each one having to be novel and ‘Amazonian’, there’s simply not enough time in an hour-long show to create the build up. It might be that the direction is too obvious, with threats that should be ‘corner of the eye’ experiences dwelt on by automatic cameras that shouldn’t be bothering. It may be that the structure of advertising-riddled TV episodes is such that it’s impossible to build sustained tension.
Whatever the reason, a horror show that doesn’t scare built around a mystery that is thin at best isn’t one isn’t something that’s really going to prove of interest to many people, I suspect. Oh, look at the ratings. I’m right.
It’s a shame that a show that should be so close to greatness has ultimately failed by being just a little tamer than it should be. But it is what it is – even Glen Morgan (The X-Files, Millennium, Final Destination) couldn’t write something truly frightening within its format. So I’m afraid I can’t recommend it. I might keep watching for a little bit, just to see if it gets any better, and I’ll let you know if I change my mind.
Carusometer rating: 3
Rob’s prediction: Will last a season
Sitting Tennant
Friday’s Sitting Tennant (week 7, 2012)
Ah, the tales he could tell of his weekends – hope you enjoy yours!
- Sister Chastity: 35
- Hebbie, shilohforever: 25
- Toby: 10
Don’t forget Tuesday’s caption competition!
Board of Sitting Winners
January
Pictures: Hebbie, Sister Chastity
Captions: Rullsenberg, SK
Got a picture of David Tennant sitting, lying down or in some indeterminate state in between? Then leave a link to it below or email me and if it’s judged suitable and doesn’t obviously infringe copyright, it will appear in the “Sitting Tennant” gallery. Don’t forget to include your name in the filename so I don’t get mixed up about who sent it to me.
The best pic in the stash each week will appear on Tuesday and get ten points; the runners up will appear on Friday (one per person who sends one in) and get five points.
You can also enter the witty and amusing captions league table by commenting on Tuesday’s Sitting Tennant photo, the best caption getting 10 points, everyone who contributes getting five points.
Each month, I’ll name the best picture provider and best captioneer, and then at the end of the year, the overall champion will be announced for 2012!
Friday’s “E4 enters Suburgatory, futuristic Zorro, Fry goes to the Globe, and Malin Akerman” news
Film
- Community‘s Gillian Jacobs joins Steve Carrell and Jim Carrey in Burt Wonderstone
- Trailer for Wanderlust with Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Alan Alda and Marlin Akerman
- Gael Garcia Bernal to play futuristic Zorro
Radio
- Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran writing a radio and theatre play
Theatre
- Stephen Fry to make Globe debut in Twelfth Night
British TV
- E4 acquires Suburgatory
- SyFy acquires Todd & The Book of Pure Evil
- Dirk Gently details
- Brian Cox (no, not that one) to star in Bob Servant Independent for BBC Four
- UK Gold to invest millions in original content [subscription required]
French TV
- TF1’s revenue static, profits drop 20%
US TV
- Emma Greenwell and Noel Fisher promoted to regulars on Shameless [registration required]
- The L Word‘s Kate Moennig joins Ray Donovan
- Ugly Betty‘s Michael Urie joins Partners
- Veronica Mars‘ Ryan Hansen joins El Jefe
- Breaking Bad‘s Giancarlo Esposito to guest on Community
- Smallville‘s Kristin Kreuk to star in The CW’s Beauty and the Beast
- Wednesday ratings: CSI ratings up thanks to Elisabeth Shue
- Jean Smart joins The Smart One…
- …as does Malin Akerman
- Eamonn Walker joins Chicago Fire
- Eureka‘s Colin Ferguson to star in Like Father
Classic TV
Nostalgia corner: Treasure Hunt (1982-89, 2002-03) and Interceptor (1989-90)
Back in the early days of Channel 4, the urgent need for ideas to fill an entire network full of programming was clear. Despite all the preparation time and work, you don’t just create seven days of year-round programming out of nothing. So, Channel 4 looked around the world for formats it could use.
For game shows, there was a problem: ITV had pretty much sown up the US format-acquisition market, taking everything from Family Fortunes and The Price is Right. So Channel 4 had the interesting idea of plundering French TV for formats.
Like Countdown? Think it’s British? Then gasp in awe at the original show, Des chiffres et des lettres, at 47 years old the oldest TV programme on French TV and one of the longest-running game shows in the world:
Another fondly remembered Channel 4 game show that started at the same time also originated on French TV. Treasure Hunt began life as La Chasse au Trésor (and eventually La Chasse aux Trésors) on Antenne 2:
In it, a bunch of people back in a studio solved clues that would lead to treasure. They themselves didn’t do the hunting: that was up to a guy in a helicopter who followed their instructions. And here in the UK, with Treasure Hunt we got more or less the same thing, with former newsreader Kenneth Kendall helping a motley collection of contestants back in a studio to solve clues, all while ‘a skyrunner’ went out in a helicopter, usually in the UK, sometimes in exotic locations like Australia, to find the next clue and eventually the treasure.
That skyrunner – Anneka Rice, the possessor of one of the most famous, award-winning bottoms on British TV. Here are the very familiar titles.
Continue reading “Nostalgia corner: Treasure Hunt (1982-89, 2002-03) and Interceptor (1989-90)”