Just wondering about your ...
Question: Just wondering about your take on
Viva Laughlin. Is it really as bad as some of the critics are making it out to be, or is it the musical aspect that some people just can't stomach? I'm quite intrigued by all of the CBS promos for
Viva —
Hugh Jackman!
Melanie Griffith! I'm there for at least the first few episodes!
Answer: This one has "disappointed cult" written all over it. I liked the original British version quite a bit (titled
Viva Blackpool on BBC America), but the CBS pilot is a lot less enticing: in its writing, its musical choices, its pacing, its casting (don't get accustomed to Jackman being there, in other words). There's a chance this show will get its act together, but from what I heard from the producers during the show's TCA session, where it sounded like they were more nervous than the audience about calling this thing a musical, I'm not betting on it. It was always going to be a tough sell, even if it had turned out as well as (for example)
Pushing Daisies. Without critical support, which I imagine will be hard to come by, this is one of the longest shots of the fall season.
