This last week's episode of Bones, a favorite of mine, had Bones and Booth heading out to Florida to find a body. Booth then says, "I've got a friend who can help us." At this point, the entire show is taken over by a pilot for a new show about a new character from a different set of books. The Booth and Bones characters (and a couple of others) show up briefly during the episode, and then are back to bookend the "Bones" episode and wrap it together.
This irritates the shit out of me. I watch Bones because I like the show. I don't necessarily want to see the pilot for a new episode, starring new characters and actors.
Now, it so happens that I found the trio quirky and interesting and may give them a chance when "The Locator" comes to a TV screen near us (either this summer or next fall). But the point is moot, as I would have been just as happy to check out the real pilot when they released it and given it a chance on its own merit. The fact that they, in essence, pre-empted the show I enjoy with a different show irritates me enough to consider boycotting what may otherwise be a decent show just to voice my displeasure. The fact that the Locator appears to be some sort of cross between Psyche and Burn Notice also makes the choice of whether to watch a little easier, as I already watch both of those original shows and, if this is just going to be a knockoff of them, I don't really need to add it to my viewing list.
Criminal Minds did this recently as well. I tuned in for what I thought would be an episode of one of my favorite shows and, instead, I watched a new group of specialists take over. In this case, however, I hated the new crew from the outset, especially the lead (played by Forest Whitaker-- an actor I usually enjoy), so it made the decision not to watch the new show very easy.
Some shows have organic means by which they grow the brand. NCIS spun off recently and it made some sense (and worked pretty well). I chose not to continue with NCIS:LA because I didn't have any characters I liked, not because they "pre-empted" the source show or took it over. They managed a much more organic and interesting means of segueing the new characters, placing them in the world but making them their own entity, and then breaking away from the source. Both teams played important roles in the origin show.
In a case like the Bones episode, and the Criminal Minds spin off, I'm left wondering just whose show I'm watching, anyway?
I wasn't overly impressed that they basically pre-empted the Bones show, but Van & I probably wouldn't have checked out the new show otherwise.
ReplyDeleteWe too found them quirky. We didn't know exactly that there was a pilot, per se...we knew they were a trio/crew, we knew that they were probably hoping for a spin off, but didn't know that that was already a show in development.
I'm not against spin offs by any stretch of the imagination. I for the most part enjoy spin offs (Laverne & Shirley, Trapper John MD, etc...well, not Joey LOL) but it just seemed very...surprising. No lead up, we had no idea abou the Locator, but figured it out fairly quickly in. I think that it could have been handled better and perhaps the audience could have been better informed of what was going on, but then again they risk people not tuning in at all.
I'm much more interested in whether or not they are going to write in her real-life pregnancy and if so, is it going to be with booth or the locator? LOL!! Typical celeb watching female, I know!
But yeah. It was odd, slightly off putting, but they weren't the most horrid trio. Fun stuff and I'm wanting to know a bit more about all three of them before I dump them completely.
EXACTLY! Not only could I not believe what was happening, but all I could think is ... will Bones dump Booth again??? It seems that plot line is headed in a together direction (which I'm not sure is value-added to the Bones storyline), so why have yet another smooth-talker come along and derail it??
ReplyDelete*fones: really!! Perhaps a "phony bones" plot????
I don't watch the show but I wonder how many product placements are done each episode. This was no different than a blatant can of coke in the hand of the star, it just took up more time. Disappointing.
ReplyDeleteI get worried when I see the content of a movie or show derailed by advertising. I am reminded of that silly movie with Stalone where he is frozen in time and unthawed a hundred years later to find that ad jingles ARE the content...
Hey - thought of you last night and this posting. On American Idol, on the results show they had the last 5 contestants cook with Gordon Ramsay promoting Hell's kitchen AND Jennifer Lopez (judge) decided to not only sing her song but also cross promote her new single coming out soon.
ReplyDeleteIs it still content with it is just a bunch of clever ways to sell us stuff?? I wonder.