Linkslutting The Upfronts

WELL, IT'S all over for another year. And by that, of course, I mean it's just beginning. Now they just have to go out and make the programs.

Here's a roundup of some of the more interesting coverage I've seen about the upfronts.

One of the strange trends seems to be the number of Sci-Fi and Fantasy shows on for the fall, proving just how tortured TV's relationship with this type of programming is. (They don't want to marry it, but hey, when the chips are down, they'll always go for the SF booty call.) For the advertisers' first blush view at this trend, the NYTimes has this reaction. The most interesting passage of that seems to be:

The prevalence of supernatural plots “is reflective of increasing anxiety — personal, economic and national” that pervades the American mood, said Mr. Rash, who was in New York last week to attend the networks’ presentations.

The broadcasters also introduced spooky series for the 2006-7 season, Mr. Rash noted, but they made the mistake of offering plot lines “that were too close to home,” tackling subjects like domestic terrorism, kidnapping and hostage-taking.

Tellingly, none of those shows — which included “The Nine” on ABC, “Vanished” on Fox and “Kidnapped” on NBC — are returning.

Most of the coming new shows “are playing to viewers’ desire to be in fantasyland,” said Shari Anne Brill, senior vice president and director of programming at Carat USA in New York, part of the Carat division of the Aegis Group, adding, “The real world has become such a horrendous place that people are looking for magic to avoid the tragic.”

The series for 2007-8, Ms. Brill said, are “either about the fantastic world of the spiritual and the supernatural, or the lifestyles of the rich and heinous.”

Meanwhile, if you want to see clips of some of the newly announced shows, here's a link you'll like. Bill Carter of the NY Times also has a video report from the upfronts here. (The Carter clip focuses mostly on FOX, but also is notable since it features clips from two highly anticipated shows: The Kesley Grammer-Pat Heaton laffer "Back to You," and the N.O. Police show "K-Ville" (where "K" stands for "Katrina.") Actually, to tell you the truth, if you go to the video page for the NYTimes, Carter's day-by-day wrapup with clips is probably the best, most succinct distillation of what everyone's doing and how the advertisers reacted.

Much as I admire Mr. Carter's insight into the TV business, I'm afraid my writer-crush, Times division, still goes to Virginia Heffernan, whose daily blog from the upfronts was a snarky delight, and who turned in this report wrap-up on Saturday. Heffernan's article is the first time I heard about a certain CW show that I'll be tuning into, just because I've had a tiny bit of experience with the subject matter:

Setting up the preview for a show about a modern American family that moves to rural South Africa to escape its troubles, she described its audience in “American Idol” terms: the coveted (and perhaps imaginary?) “whole family.”

In spite of its suggestion that South Africa, of all places, might offer a break from modern life, “Life Is Wild” drew me in, probably because it seemed to split the difference gracefully between the two off-the-grid stories I liked as a kid: the happy, brainless “Adventures of the Wilderness Family” and Paul Theroux’s disturbing “Mosquito Coast.”

This could be interesting, or a right cringer. South Africans, if this show's a bowser, be sure to let us know.

Heffernan goes on to make a fine, "hear hear" point, triggered by the onscreen return of Cane's Jimmy Smits.

As a master of the medium, he had a presence that made clear what television has sorely been missing: experienced stars who really know how to command the small screen.

For a few seasons now, television has been pervaded by film actors (in dramas) and amateurs (in reality shows). Is it too much to ask that we get professional TV actors who know the particular demands of the medium — the minimal rehearsals, complex blocking, long hours and last-minute rewriting — in leading roles?

Entourage right now is playing out that hoary old storyline about the tension and lesser status of TV stardom, but for my money, an actor like Smits is always more interesting than even a Pacino -- precisely because he can create compelling art on a TV schedule, and offer a well rounded, poignant character study across TV's more expansive canvas. Smits' Presidential Candidate, Matt Santos, on the last two seasons of West Wing, went from polyanna congressman to Presidential so subtly that it almost banished the ghost of Bobby Simone altogether. Likewise, Mr. Gandolfini, I hate to say it, but I'm not too sure your movie career is waiting on line one.

It's been reported before, but if you're interested in the number of Brit actors on U.S. TV this fall (it's a real noticeable trend this year) Zap2It's got the roundup here .

Lisa De Morales notes that, contrary to popular thought, the serial drama isn't dead. Repeating it is. DeMorales also notes something that sort-of occurred to me when I saw ABC's schedule. They're really going after women. I felt guilty thinking this. But DeMorales is a woman, so all I have to do is link to her and I'm golden. See how that works? Wheeee!

Of course, The Futon Critic has a full schedule, night-by-night with clickable details on every page. Nice.

And Diane over at Unified Theories riffs off a San Francisco Chronicle piece about the children left behind -- the unbought and unloved pilots.

It's always intriguing to think of the what ifs. If pedigree doesn't ensure success, and neither does a good pilot (hello Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60), and neither does audience testing, what is the best indicator? Goodman's article suggests the networks need the numbers of audience testing, even if they mean nothing, to back up their decisions:

All those potential hits killed, all those misses on the air each season. Programming will never be an exact science, but it sure makes me wish the audience could at least have access to the dead pilots to see if our guts agreed with the network choices.

Wow. You mean, rather than give people stupid dials and ask loaded questions in artificial environments, we actually enable some mechanism where all viewers have direct input into which shows get on the air? That would never work, AND... it sounds suspiciously like... communism.

People never know what they're hungry for. In fact, the whole ludicrous suggestion reminds me of that famous exchange between a wise TV father and his well meaning but misguided eldest daughter:

Homer: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Ham?
Lisa: No!
Homer: Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal!
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.

Other than that, all I have to say is Jack Davenport as a swinger (Alan Poul's Swingtown) sounds...interesting, especially if you've seen the original British Coupling. And to steal a line from Heffernan, in many ways the best thing about the Grammer-Heaton show: It's got Fred Willard in it!

Fred Willard!

Now that's some heap awesome. And yes, Dix, that is Moon Bloodgood with Kevin McKidd (Rome) in this Journeyman photo.