Are you ready to save the new television show "The Inside"? Ready to join all the e-mail drives, boycotts and letter campaigns to demand that this quirky, intelligent show be kept on the air? OK, granted, "The Inside" won't actually debut for two more months or so, but having seen how the Fox Network operates I figured starting the petitions early would just save time.
Alas, it's doomed from the start. "The Inside" is being produced by Tim Minnear, co-producer and writer for such weird and wonderful shows as "Angel" (canceled too soon), "Firefly" (canceled even sooner), and "Wonderfalls" (canceled almost before the opening credits). So you know he'll bring some familiar faces to both sides of the camera and it'll be witty, surprisingly dramatic, and almost impossible to describe.
See? Doomed. But I'm not worried because I've finally figured out Fox's cunning plan: obviously they want people to stop watching television altogether. It's a radical method of beating the other networks once and for all, in a we'll-all-go-down-together sort of way, but it's the only possible answer.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Great column! I especially appreciate that you got the facts right about the various shows you mentioned (for instance, not saying that Tim Minear was involved with Buffy. You'd be surprised at just how many reporters have done this).
I am excited about "The Inside", because (a) TIM!!!, (b) the premise sounds interesting, (c) familiar, beloved actors, (d) TIM!!!! But yes, I worry that it won't last long. Though IIRC Tim sounded more positive about its treatment from the network than he did about Wonderfalls or Firefly. I'll see if I can scare up some quotes.
[edit]: Okay, some Tim quotage about "The Inside" here. Doesn't really mention the network, except to say that they had a table read for the network and "it went great".
posted
*sniff* Thank you. I've wanted to say it for so long I...*sniff sniff* You're the....greatest, man!!!
Posts: 3003 | Registered: Oct 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
So imagine my surprise when I go to link this column to another forum that might be interested, only to find out they are already talking about it!
They pointed out that Tim's name is mispelled. It's Minear, not Minnear. I should have noticed that when I read it.
There's also a few people who are feeling because they feel you are trying to tell people not to bother even watching the show. I don't think that was your goal, though--I think you were just trying to be funny. Am I wrong?
These are some people who know Tim personally, so they are VERY defensive of him.
While I'm rather upset at their upset (not because I think it's unfounded, but because I like them and I like you and I don't want anyone to be upset by each other), I'm also secretly thrilled that your column is getting notice. Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Great column! Funny and to the point. And I totally agree with you.
How do they judge a show's popularity these days anyway? Is it all still Nielsen ratings? If so, how accurate are they? I know I PVR just about everything I watch, even if I'm watching it in the timeslot it's airing (so I can skip commercials.) As this becomes more prevalent, how will they possibly know what people are watching?
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Since I only get TV with Rabbit ears, I miss out on most of the frustration of trying to find a TV show I like.
It does seem like they cancel most of the good tv shows very early. Some are really good to begin with, and others (I'm thinking Kingdom Hospital) start too slow. By the time they get good, nobody's watching.
The Kingdom Hospital pilot had some heavy lifting, and a blow-by-blow replay of Stephen King's horrible accident I could have done without, but the show itself had some nifty things. The actor who played Dr. Hook was perfect, and the creature Antubis was truly great and terrible, in the vaguely numinous sense of the phrase. Diane Lane(?) was funny as the batty psychic and the egotistical doctor blindly perpetuating his own agony was amusing and, on some level, true.
They ordered, what? maybe 13 eps because of Stephen King's name, I bet. It tanked, mostly because the opening was a little too cryptic. On DVD, though, the Beloved and I have enjoyed (except for the crucifictio/ressurrection of the street mission preacher - that smacked a bit to much of religion for my beloved's liking, though I enjoyed it).
The cool thing about horror is that it can be so morally clear (at least the way King writes it). Which may be one reason it doesn't do so well on TV.
Posts: 1664 | Registered: Apr 2004
| IP: Logged |
I went to post it to whedonesque early this morning, hours after it was published, only to find it was already there. Those people are quick!
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Buffistas.org, in the Minearverse thread. And they probably got it from Whedonesque. Don't know how Whedonesque found it, though I wouldn't be surprised if someone's got a google alert on "Tim Minear" or "Joss Whedon".
I can link to the exact post, if you like. I didn't because I winced when I first read it, and I don't know how well you take criticism. Person who had initial complaint has dropped it, since most others have not read the same interpretation she had of it.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Olivetta, I tried to like Kingdom Hospital, but it was just so very slow that I couldn't get into it.
I still think the biggest travesty is the cancelling of Andy Richter Controls the Universe. I can't wait until that come out on DVD.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
A note about the members of this particular board: they've done a heck of a lot for the fandoms of Joss Whedon and Tim Minear. They were the people behind the Firefly & Wonderfalls DVD campaigns. They've put ads in Variety to try to get Mutant Enemy shows Emmy nominations, or to thank ME for all their hard work. They run fansites for the writers of the shows. Some of them know Joss and/or Tim personally, so they can be very touchy about subjects relating to Joss and Tim.
The initial comment's pretty harsh, but it comes from someone who loves Tim's work, has met him on several occasions, and is uber excited about "The Inside". She's very protective of the show, so her responses can be pretty, er, passionate.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
And I see from the comments at Whedonesque that you've already been having a conversation with Allyson, so I guess I didn't need to worry about posting the link.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Mrs. M- It didn't really pick up until the second disc or so (we Netflixed it). I doubt we'd have gone looking for it even if we'd had cable or still had DSS. But coming to our mailbox, it was okay. I think we still have one disc to go, and I expect it to be singularly unsatisfying, since I'm sure the story isn't wrapped up by then.
Posts: 1664 | Registered: Apr 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I've decided to write about nothing but projects from Joss Whedon, Tim Minear, and their friends.
This column was the most-read article on our paper's site Wednesday and I think it picked up after that. It's been spread over lots of fan sites and even the BBC website and gotten me more mail than the last year's worth combined.
Gee, if only someone could come up with shows that all these people liked. Oh, wait, someone did...
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Cry]](graemlins/cry.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
It's Minear, not Minnear. I should have noticed that when I read it.![[Grumble]](graemlins/grumble.gif)
because they feel you are trying to tell people not to bother even watching the show. I don't think that was your goal, though--I think you were just trying to be funny. Am I wrong?![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Person who had initial complaint has dropped it, since most others have not read the same interpretation she had of it.
