Question: I wanted to respond to your comments about the idea that perhaps the unaired episodes of canceled shows should not be streamed online, and instead viewers should simply "move on." I've yet to have a show I watch sent to this online exile, but I've had tons of shows of which I was a fan canceled with unaired episodes that later surfaced on DVD. Surely, I was better off seeing the entire glorious season of Wonderfalls rather than "moving on" after the handful that aired, wasn't I? Even without a lick of closure, the unaired Christmas episode of Tru Calling was a gem. And Firefly was only getting better through its unaired episodes. (Of course, in that case we fans finally got our closure in a different medium.) Might the problem that viewers are having this year with the Vanisheds and Kidnappeds of the world have more to do with streaming technology, or the fact that their unaired episodes were themselves not very good, than that the notion of watching unaired eps at all is a ...
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Question: A year ago, I was intrigued by the premise of Reunion, only to be greatly disappointed when it was canceled before the identity of the killer was unveiled. With all of the serial dramas (in the vein of 24 and Lost) that are being introduced this fall, which ones would you predict will end up disappointing viewers like me because they aren't allowed to provide closure, thanks to trigger-happy network programming execs?
Answer: Here's the other burning question about this suddenly popular genre. Fans aren't likely to be satisfied unless these shows get at least a full season's run, and even then (taking Invasion as a for-instance), if the ending is ambiguous and the show isn’t renewed, there’s still a feeling of betrayal. Serialized thrillers and mysteries are especially vulnerable, because unlike typical soap-opera cliffhangers, there are often specific climactic answers (as in the revelation of the killer in Reunion) that go unaddressed if the show is yanked too soon. This was
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Question: I have a laundry list of questions about summer viewing: Is Life on Mars going to have a second season, or was it a one-off? (I'm scared to death of the American remake — I'm expecting Starsky & Hutch.) I was disappointed to hear about the bad ratings of Brotherhood — it's too good to be ignored. If there is no second season, will we be left hanging, or does the first series come to some sort of resolution? I know it's early, but what is the likelihood of Vanished making it through the season? Is Fox willing to take a chance based on the success of 24 and Prison Break, or will this be another Firefly/Wonderfalls/Reunion? Finally, what is your reaction to Denis Leary getting an Emmy nomination for acting but not one for writing? As good as he is as Tommy Gavin, his and Peter Tolan's scripts are the heart of that series. How could the writing be ignored?
Answer: There is a second series of Life on Mars, but no word on when BBC America will present
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Fresh Diet Raspberry Snapple? Check. Fully charged Dell laptop? Check. Leftover Vicodin from last year's root-canal crisis, just in case? Check. OK, let's do this, people. EXECUTIVE SESSION 9:08 am: I spy Eye president Nina Tassler embracing a reporter prior to walking on stage. Is that ethical? Oh, wait, this is coming from someone who reserves judgment on a show until after the tie-in swag is delivered.9:14 am: Stop the presses! In her opening remarks, Tassler drops a bombshell: "It's [been] a "really great year at CBS for us!" 9:22 am: With no major controversies swirling around CBS, the initial questions lobbed at Tessler are decidedly tame. Where's a good Big Brother scandal when you need one? Speaking of which, did anyone watch the live video feed last night? Maybe someone got stabbed, and we don't know it! (Hey, a guy can dream.)9:29 am: Things may be picking up. Citing the demise of Fox's Reunion as an example, a reporter asks Tassler if she's worried that viewers might thi...
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Question: First 24, then Lost. I love that we're going to see more of these high-end productions, but do you think the networks will cause viewer burnout since every major network will have new serialized dramas to tout in the fall? I'm sure that money has everything to do with their breaking into new platforms for these shows. Even Lost will have toy figures for its characters!
Answer: It's a fact that just about every network wants to have a show that commands as much media attention, viewer loyalty and branding possibilities as the best of the serial thrillers tend to generate. (It helps when you have breakout stars like Prison Break's Wentworth Miller; you should have heard the screams at the Fox upfront.) It's also a fact that there are going to be a few too many of these continuing mysteries on the fall schedule, more than most will be able to keep up with. Call it a glut. And they sound almost indistinguishable: Vanished. Kidnapped. Runaway. There may well be burnout, and I
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