On TV: "Dollhouse" Leftovers, Adam Lambert in OT and RIP Dr. Kutner
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Friday, April 10, 2009; 1:00 PM
Columnist Lisa de Moraes was online Friday, April 10 at 1 p.m. ET to take your questions about the drama, comedy and heartbreak of the world of television -- both onscreen and behind-the-scenes.
This week, Lisa chatted about "Idol" overtime, Fox's "Dollhouse" being sent to The Attic and NBC's ad for "Southland" disguised as an L.A. Times front-page feature. It's also the subject of this week's poll.
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"The Unusuals": Lisa, did you watch? I liked the characters well enough, but was bugged by the plot (such as it was).
Lisa de Moraes: Hi. I confess, I will watch anything that has the names Denis Leary and Peter Tolan attached. But it seems I liked it better than you. Given those creatives behind the show, I'd urge you give it another couple weeks....
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Baltimore: Why are broadcast networks not using their cable outlets more often to continue or finish their canceled shows? I'm still waiting for those last three episodes of Pushing Daisies. Couldn't they just run those on ABC Family? Same goes for Terminator and Dollhouse on Fox by finishing those series on FX. Cable networks have shown to be good destinations for original programming in recent years, and it would seem like a pretty easy transition instead of showing Law and Order repeats.
Do the broadcast networks understand that with hundred of channels to choose from, getting 5-7 million viewers for an hour is not such a bad thing?
Lisa de Moraes: If they did that, what would they use to schedule "Summer Burnoff Theatre" in the summer? You're in luck -- ABC is, in fact, going to air the "lost" episodes of "Pushing Daisies" this summer....
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AI overload: Not really a question, just need to vent!
I used to watch American Idol, but I got tired of it getting more dramatic as the seasons went on and when I heard they were adding another judge I said forget it! So what gives them the right to go over their time slot? It's not a sporting event! I watch Fringe, and it's bad enough that it hasn't been on for 2 months because of AI, but the first episiode back and AI cuts into the time of the show. I was watching Fringe on my DVR last night and missed the last 5 or so minutes of it because my DVR stopped recording at 10pm. UGH!
Lisa de Moraes: They have no excuse for running a whopping 9 minutes too long. They've been doing "Idol" for so many seasons,they should have it down. The show ran long because the people behind the show don't care whether it runs long, which is a major nose thumbing at fans of the show and of the show that follow it on the night. Every year the first one-hour performance is tough for the producers to get in at anything approximating on-time. So this year they shrewdly add more yakkity yak -- fourth judge and blather about the judges's precious baby photos. You wind up with a 9-minute overrun -- duh. Then the network puts out this "what can we do, it's a live show" statement? With any luck, JJ Abrams let the network know in no uncertain terms what he thought of the totally avoidable 10-minute delay in his series's return to the schedule.
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Alexandria, Va.: "Better of Ted" - I love it which I am sure means it will be canceled soon. Any ideas?'
Lisa de Moraes: Sadly, the first numbers suggest you are right...
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RE: Pulling Daisies: They ever 'splain about the whole touching makes em live/touching makes em die thing? Was it just a dream and he was an astronaut?
Lisa de Moraes: Are you suggesting every ABC series resolution be that it was an astronaut's dream? Love it -- particularly if it includes Izzie's Dead Sex storyline on "Grey's."
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Washington, DC: How bad were the ratings for "Southland?" Any show that has to be advertised every 10 minutes on TV AND radio can't possibly be any good.
Lisa de Moraes: Actually, any show that has to be advertised every 10 minutes on TV and radio -- and on the front page of the Los Angeles Times -- doesn't have to be a bad show -- it just has to be on NBC. When a networks's audience level drops below a certain point, it's own on-air becomes less efficient a way to get word out to viewers that it's debuting a new show. So the network has to run a lot more promos and has to do a lot more promoting outside of its own on-air. "Southland" clocked just under 10 million viewers (compared to the debut of "Harper's Island" on CBS in the same timeslot with about 1.5 million) but "Southland" won the timeslot among 18-49 year olds, which is what NBC wants to see. On the other hand, "Private Practice" was a reun last night, so the real test will be when "PP" returns to original episodes...
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Ann Arbor, Michigan: Geeze, Southland seems to take itself a little too seriously. I was tired just watching it. Lighten up!
Lisa de Moraes: It's a very ernest show. It's John Wells....
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Bethesda, Md.: Did you catch the premiere of "Harper's Island" last night? Any thoughts? I found myself wishing that I cared more about any of the characters, but the acting was just so horrible on all fronts that I don't know if I'll be tuning in again.
Lisa de Moraes: Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre -- love it...
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Arlington, Va.: Lisa -
Is there any hope for us Joss Whedon fans for a second season of "Dollhouse"? I only stuck with it past the premiere because it was a Whedon production, but I'm so glad I did. The last few episodes have been excellent, and now I'm worried it won't be allowed to reach its full potential.
Lisa de Moraes: It's not looking great, I'm guessing, based on the latest 14th episode kerfuffle. You'd think if Fox was keenly interested in a second season, the Joss Whedon/20th Century Fox TV camp would not have "leaked" out word there was this 14th episode the network has so far declined to purchase in hopes Whedon fans create an uproar. They would instead have worked out something where the cost of the episode was offset against a second season, or some such thing...
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Kutner RIP: Fox/House's online memorial for Lawrence Kutner is one of the tackiest things I can recall. wrong on so many levels -- what do you think?
washingtonpost.com: It appears that Fox is redirecting away from the fox.com/kutner page it put up earlier this week. Anyone have a link to the original?
Lisa de Moraes: I too thought it was tacky, given that the character committed suicide and the producers tied the episode into actual information about suicide prevention on-air. They didn't really think it through.
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Washington, D.C.: while Adam Lambert is clearly in a different league from the rest of the Idols, I think he'd do better fronting a band like Brandon Flowers of the Killers instead of a solo career singing schmaltzy crap like other Idol winners. For only that reason I may hope he doesn't win. Thoughts?
Lisa de Moraes: Dirty little secret about 'Idol' -- actually not so secret -- is that it doesn't really matter if you win. You just need to get to a certain point in the competition and get smart career advice from there. Jennifer Hudson, case in point.
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20016: What makes a show good for cable versus the network? Shows like "Battlestar Galactica" were extremely well written, acted, and produced, but people said it would have failed on network channels. Why was it successful?
Lisa de Moraes: Because it ran on cable TV where niche shows can thrive -- because cable networks have dual revenue stream. Broadcast networks are in the tonnage business, because so much of their business depends on the amount of money advertisers will pay to run a spot in the program. That said, there are niche shows that can survive on broadcast TV if, say, the show's audience has a high concentration of young viewers -- advertisers will pay a premium for young viewers -- if the audience is affluent -- advertisers will pay a premium for affluent viewers -- and the company that owns the network also owns the copyright on the show, so it reaps the benefits of overseas sales, DVD sales, etc...
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Harper's Island: I loved that last night. It is so cheesy and campy, I feel like a little kid again, watching some made for tv movie. I especially enjoyed seeing Harry Hamlin. Did you really mean to say that only 1.5 million people watched, or was it 15 million? I will be really annoyed if they don't finish showing this thing.
Lisa de Moraes: Did I write 1.5 million? My bad -- should have read "10.5 million"...
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DC: So NBC replaces a hospital drama with a cop drama. That's cutting edge. No wonder NBC can't get any viewers.
Lisa de Moraes: Yeah, because if they really wanted to be cutting edge, they would have replaced the hospital drama with a procedural crime drama....
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RE: Saving Dollhouse: Maybe the producers can start bombarding Fox with unaired episodes, like how Jericho fans did with peanuts.
washingtonpost.com: Could Whedon air it online and charge for it like he did with "Dr. Horrible"?
Lisa de Moraes: Not if 20th Century Fox thinks every Whedon-fanatic will buy the DVD season set if it's the only way they can see that unaired 14th episode. I'm guessing that's one of the reasons they wanted word of the episode to "leak" out...
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New York, N.Y.: Would the flap over the 13th "Dollhouse" episode be notable if Fox hadn't mangled then killed "Firefly"?
Lisa de Moraes: No.
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Niles, Michigan: Will American Idol producers admit that they need to have some sort of "bleep" delay built-in for future guest performers like last Wednesday's Flo Rida?
I also thought his remake / Top Chart performed song was needing some sort of YA - 14 or above placed on it. . .
Lisa de Moraes: I thought his performance was hilarious.. enjoyed it thoroughly. Particularly loved the confetti -- very nice, dangerous touch.
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Pushing Daisies: For what it's worth, I was always under the impression that "Pushing Daisies" was essentially supposed to be a Modern Day Fairytale. I'm not sure that there was ever supposed to be a "why" explanation of the touching dead people thing. As a HUGE fan, I'm not sure I need one.
Lisa de Moraes: I agree...and yet, I like the astronaut dream fallback position.
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Austin, TX: TV ethics question for you. There were many news stories earlier this week about Kal Penn taking a job with the Obama Adminstration. Most stories mentioned his character's death this week so he could take said job. In the days of time-shifted viewing via the web and DVR, aren't such revelations just rude, like revealing the ending to a movie the day after opening weekend?
Lisa de Moraes: You bet. And cable news networks should also wait to discuss breaking news events until we've all caught up on our news reading/surfing.
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Herndon, VA: Greetings! Who do you think will go next? I'm sure Lil is a nice lady but why does she have to "scream" her songs? I usually change channels until she is finished. Thanks.
Lisa de Moraes: Lil is so bad, it's inexplicable how she has made it this far. She's so off-key I feel bad for her.
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Washington, DC: Hi Pookie,
I see that Eastbound and Down was picked-up for another season. While I enjoy vulgar, nasty comedies, I didn't like this one. I think it was because Kenny Powers was so awful, and yet no one on the show seemed to notice. I didn't feel sorry for his girlfriend in the season finale when he left her at the gas station. If she was stupid enought to leave with that jerk, she deserves what she gets. That's my two cents!
Lisa de Moraes: Glad to offer you the opportunity to vent. Frankly I had forgotten it was even on.
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Bob Saget: Oh, goody. Bob Saget has another harsh, fingernails-on-the-chalkboard "comedy" on TV. Is this Hollywood's revenge on a bleak recession-weary public for not insisting they get their part of the stimulus? Will Bob at least have to buy an American made car so that some good will come out of the situation?
Lisa de Moraes: The public must be in a seriously weakened state for this latest Saget to have garnered so many viewers. And I'm liking the idea that, in exchange for its use of the public airwaves, ABC and all the other broadcast networks, have to promise their shows characters will all drive American-made vehicles -- hybrids. Oh wait.....
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RE: So NBC replaces a hospital drama with a cop drama. That's cutting edge. No wonder NBC can't get any viewers.: Right. Because quirky shows about magical pie bakers are just zooming up the charts.
Lisa de Moraes: ..and that too!
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Columbia, MD: What are the chances "Chuck" and "Heroes" get renewed for next season? Both series struggled in the first half of the season, but have found their strides in the second half. "Heroes" has been revitalized since Brian Fuller came back over from "Pushing Daisies," and the re-focus on the interesting characters has given the show the jolt they've needed since the middle of season 2. Any chance "Chuck" gets paired down to 1/2 hour? I've always though the show would be better served in a more compact format and that about 15-20 minutes of every episode was extraneous. Has a show ever done that before?
Lisa de Moraes: NBC is in such a world of hurt, ratingswise, it's unclear which timeslots they will target to try and fix next season and which they will let stand. It's too hard, the networks have learned the hard way, to try to fix everything at once -- you can't launch 20 new shows at once.
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I hate Adam: but even I have to admit he was amazing this week. Aced that song and made it his own.
Lisa de Moraes: really there is no denying the guy is very talented. But I get that his style is not to everyone's taste. Really, he doesn't need to win this season -- he's already got a career ahead of him, based on his performances so far on "Idol." No need to feel bad for Adam if you "hate" him or just don't vote for him. Heck, if Constantin Maroulis can get a Bway gig off his "Idol" time, Adam Lambert's going to be a superstar...
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Idol: Idol running over is nothing new...the finales for 2008 and 2007 both cut before the winner was announced. Last year, it went like this:
"And the winner of American Idol 2008 is.....David.." Click.
This really happened. The producers should be ashamed of themselves. They are only lucky that Adam went last and would have gotten votes regardless. If someone like Scott or Lil had gone last, they could have had some real problems in ensuring a fair competition.
Lisa de Moraes: The difference is, in that finale, while annoying, no one was voting. When you start messing around with the voting, you are in dicey territory. The broadcast networks insist DVR viewers are the new reality and those of us who cover TV need to deal with that. So they can't then turn around and say it doesn't matter that some "Idol" viewers who intended to vote did not get to see an entire performance by one of the competitors, because they had not set their DVR's to accomodate a 9 minute overrun...
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Anoop needs to go: not Lil! she's doing "all right", you know. But Anoop -- yikes!
Lisa de Moraes: Anoop is my first choice to leave the show -- no patience for smug. That, and I'm so over him talking about his school.
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Netflix: I find that I enjoy watching TV by getting the shows from Netflix or Hulu. In fact, I dumped cable and have been watching "Mad Men" and "The Tudors" completely via Netflix.I watch network via Hulu. Is there any benefit to them (the shows) when I do this or am I just making a bad situation worse?
Lisa de Moraes: You are making networks have to figure out their new reality. All good -- keep it up.
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Baltimore, Md.: So here's Seacrest sending one of the Bottom 3 back to the Safety Sofa the other night: "And the person who is safe is...Anoop - stay right there. Lil, you're safe."
It's just not an Idol results show unless they jerk with Anoop, is it? At least he seems to be a good sport about it.
Lisa de Moraes: Anoop is the Jekyll & Hyde of "Idol." Some week's he's all modest and ballady. The next week he returns as growly R&B Anoop with his jacket collar turned up (lol), stomping around the stage and snapping at the judges.
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New Cable Channel: Why is there no critic's channel, one where a board made up of Reporters Who Cover TV decide what will air? It would cut down on a lot of channel surfing for me, although since Tom Shales loved "In the Motherhood" and I think it is gut-wrenchingly awful, I would hesitate to allow him to serve a term as a board member until he proves himself.
Lisa de Moraes: Given that there does not seem to be any evidence viewers make their viewing decisions based on what critics say -- how else to explain the success of "Biggest Loser," for instance -- I'm not sure you could get anyone to bankroll this network you're pitching.
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D.C.: That ad is an embarrassment for the LA Times, not NBC. I don't see how anyone would think it's not an ad when it says it's an ad in bold letters at the top. But why the LA Time would put such a cheesy ad on the front page is staggering.
Lisa de Moraes: LAT ad was all good for NBC. Got loads of attention which translated into millions of dollars worth of free publicity for the show. Can't hurt, can only help. But are you saying we would be having a different discussion if the ad had been well-executed, instead of looking like a faux-ticle/ad for hair tonic? Is is the "cheesy" you object, to or the front-pagedness of the ad?
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NBC is in such a world of hurt: Maybe they should pick up Dollhouse? And give it a better day/time than Friday evening.
BTW - Why do networks always schedule genre shows on Friday evenings? Yes, I'm a sci-fi geek. I also go to happy hour w/friends, date, etc...
Seems like the suits all think we are the Simpson's Comic Book Guy.
Lisa de Moraes: You know, Nielsen counts you now even if you watch the show the next day via DVR. The timeslot is not the problem. Fox put "Dollhouse" on Friday because, had Fox put "Dollhouse" on Monday (its original plan), Fox would have cancelled "Dollhouse."
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Anonymous: So Idol is pretty lame, but still gets the highest ratings. How crappily bad does this show need to get before they dump it? Are we stuck with this show for eternity?
Lisa de Moraes: You're in luck. "Idol" has peaked -- it's numbers this year are down about 17 percent compared to last year. At this rate, it'll only be around about another 5 years....
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Washington, DC: Would Adam have had a legal case against Fox if he had gotten voted off this past week? If I were a lawyer, I would have been on the phone to him as soon as the show was over, just in case. There's a lot of money and fame at stake with that show, and Fox is playing with fire when they can't get a show that they've been producing for 8 years now to come in on time.
Lisa de Moraes: Wouldn't it have been interesting...Maybe the producers did not care how late the show was running (they did not do a course correction until after 7th Idolette's performance when you suddenly noticed the judges acting really rushed but by then it was 9:58 p.m. and way too late) is because Lambert was last and he's the frontrunner, voting wise. That is, if Dialidol is accurate-ish, which it generally is. Lambert has been way out in front for a while.
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Atlanta, GA: Every year, there seems to be a perfectly-nice, yet unexceptional, short-order spring replacement show that I will watch but don't really miss when it's gone. Better Off Ted is just this year's version.
Lisa de Moraes: Glad you're enjoying it. Me too. I'm out of time. Bye...
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