ANOTHER SEASON FOR BETTER, WORSE.Byline: Keith Marder Daily News Television Writer 1998 was the worst season in the history of television. No, wait, 1997 was. Or next year will be. Every year, naysayers complain about the quality of television. But, like everything else there was good and bad in television. Sure television had its share of flops. It didn't take long for shows such as Fox's ``Holding the Baby,'' NBC's ``Wind on Water'' and CBS' ``The Brian Benben Show'' to unveil their premature series finale. Some new shows will stick and probably be around for the year 2000. Among the winners are ``That '70s Show That '70s Show is an American television sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenagers living in Point Place, Wisconsin, a fictional suburb of either Kenosha or Green Bay<ref name="That'70sShowFAQs"/> from May 17, 1976 to December 31, 1979. ,'' ``Charmed,'' ``Felicity,'' ``Martial Law'' and ``Will & Grace.'' We have seen Jimmy Smits (Det. Bobby Simone) leave ``NYPD Blue,'' making room for Rick Schroder (Det. Danny Sorenson), who is, surprisingly, a better fit for the show. Luke Perry (Dylan McKay) came back to ``Beverly Hills, 90210'' just in time to fill the void left by Jason Priestley (Brandon Walsh), and Shannen Doherty and Aaron Spelling are back together again in ``Charmed.'' But, above all, television continued to do what it does best. Shows such as ``The Practice,'' ``The X-Files,'' ``NYPD Blue,'' ``Law & Order'' and ``Chicago Hope'' often surpass the big screen week in and week out for quality storytelling and character development. The following (in no particular order) is a look at the 10 best and worst things about America's most pervasive medium, as it played out in the past 365 days. Best Big Four no more: With each sweeps period come more reports of doom for network television. But the loss of audience share is the result of increased competition, which leads to better television. As cable channels continue to grow and offer more and distinctive programming, viewing choices become more abundant. Is that clear?: HDTV sets cost about $7,000 - out of the range of even many wealthy families - so this is not something most people will enjoy for a decade or so. But when the prices drop, millions of viewers will see sharper pictures, hear crisper crisp·er n. One that crisps, especially a compartment in a refrigerator used for storing vegetables and keeping them fresh. audio and see movies the way they were intended to be seen - in letterbox The effect of displaying a wide screen movie on a standard TV set the way it was originally shot in full panoramic format. On the TV, the image frame spans the full width of the screen, but because of the difference in aspect ratios of the two formats (wide screen movie vs. format. Freeway suicide: Overzealous news-gathering operations learned a valuable lesson in April when thousands watched what has become a routine occurrence in Los Angeles: police chasing a car on a freeway while news helicopters captured the drama. Daniel V. Jones Daniel Victor Jones was a former maintenance worker at a hotel in Long Beach, California, who is infamous for committing suicide in the middle of a busy Los Angeles transition loop between the Harbor and Century Freeways on live television in May 1998. , 40, of Long Beach, stopped his truck on a freeway, and with police keeping their distance, he spread out a banner criticizing HMO HMO health maintenance organization. HMO n. A corporation that is financed by insurance premiums and has member physicians and professional staff who provide curative and preventive medicine within certain financial, medical plans before shooting himself to death. After the graphic scene played out live at 3 p.m., local news directors took a step back and realized they had to be more cautious when covering an unpredictable event. So far, they have kept their word. The real McBeal: David E. Kelley is a workaholic work·a·hol·ic n. One who has a compulsive and unrelenting need to work. , and television is better for it. His series ``The Practice'' won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama, while ``Ally McBeal'' was nominated for Best Comedy. The double nomination proved the agile mind of Kelley. He writes almost all of the episodes of the two series and makes nothing but great television. Bakewell broiled broil 1 v. broiled, broil·ing, broils v.tr. 1. To cook by direct radiant heat, as over a grill or under an electric element. 2. To expose to great heat. v. `Pfeiffer': Although the reasons for disliking ``The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer'' were debatable - Danny Bakewell and the Brotherhood Crusade and the Rev. Jesse Jackson said the fictional show about Abraham Lincoln and his black butler/confidant was racist and made light of slavery - the bottom line is their efforts most definitely helped get this hideous program off television. The champagne and caviar boy: Adam Sandler's surprising box-office prowess has landed him $35 million studio deal for two movies. We're better off with him in two films a year than in a weekly sitcom. Public Ryan: Tom Hanks' successful movie career is also one of the best things to happen to television. Hanks used his clout to create an unparalleled miniseries for HBO Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) A form of oxygen therapy in which the patient breathes oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Mentioned in: Ozone Therapy - the 12-part ``From the Earth to the Moon From the Earth to the Moon Verne tale of a group who have a monster gun cast to shoot them to the moon. [Fr. Lit.: WB 13:650] See : Astronautics .'' Next up for the space cowboy will be a similar treatment of World War II. Last laugh: Mike Darnell is a Valley native and the Fox executive who brought us such Fox specials as ``When Animals Attack.'' NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. honcho Honcho A slang term describing the leader or person in charge of an organization. Notes: The CEO of a company could be referred to as the honcho or "head honcho." See also: CEO, CFO, COO, Insider, Leprechaun Leader Don Ohlmeyer called Darnell's specials snuff films, but then put some on the Peacock network when he saw what a financial windfall they were. Anyone who can make Ohlmeyer look bad (he doesn't need much help) is OK. So Sue me: Sue Costello, star of the dismal sitcom ``Costello,'' wouldn't know humble if it hit her in the head. She came in thinking she would change television. It was Costello who needed to change. After a few weeks, it didn't matter - because her show was gone. Worst The Phil Hartman tragedy: Phil Hartman was not only one of the most talented people on television, he enjoyed entertaining people and was just a nice guy. His life and career were cut short by a murder-suicide at his Encino home, and every rerun re·run n. The act or an instance of rebroadcasting a recorded movie or a recorded television performance. tr.v. re·ran , re·run, re·run·ning, re·runs To present a rerun of. of ``NewsRadio'' reminds us of what we're missing. Larry leaves: ``The Larry Sanders Show'' was a rare television example of a show leaving the air while still standing on strong legs. The three main characters - Garry Shandling (Larry Sanders), Rip Torn (Artie) and Jeffrey Tambor (Hank ``Hey Now'' Kingsley) - were all phenomenal. Watching real-life stars such as David Duchovny, Jim Carrey and Ellen DeGeneres lampoon themselves was always welcome, and the series finale was the finest episode in television history. Seinfeld goes to jail: The best broadcast series also picked last season to call it quits. Cast members turned down $13.2 million for another year, and Jerry Seinfeld said no to $5 million an episode. However, it was the right time for the series to leave us. The only problem: The final episode was flat and too long. Monica-gate: Just when news crews thought that the big news last January was in Cuba, word of Bill Clinton having sexual relations with a White House intern began to circulate. That set off a year to rival any soap opera with sex, intrigue and overkill. The story became so repetitive and boring that it played out like a bad ``Twilight Zone'' episode. The economics of medicine: Doctors in real life struggle as HMOs cut their earning power. Not so on television. Afraid to lose its top two shows in one year (see ``Seinfeld''), NBC ponied up $13 million an episode for ``ER's'' fictional doctors, who seem to lose a lot of patients. Scheduling geniuses: What would you do with a show that millions of people tuned into? Well, if you were a network programmer, you just might move it. Sometimes it works and audiences follow, as happened last year with ``The X-Files.'' But more often than not, it's a disaster. Take ``King of the Hill.'' Moving this smart sitcom from Sundays to Tuesdays has shrunk its audience. With so few quality shows, you'd think programmers could spread them out. Instead, we get nights like Tuesday when ``JAG judge advocate general (J.A.G.) n. a military officer who advises the government on courts-martial and administers the conduct of courts-martial. The officers who are judge advocates and counsel assigned to the accused come from the office of the judge advocate ,'' ``3rd Rock From the Sun,'' ``Buffy the Vampire Slayer,'' ``Home Improvement'' and ``King of the Hill'' all cannibalize can·ni·bal·ize v. can·ni·bal·ized, can·ni·bal·iz·ing, can·ni·bal·iz·es v.tr. 1. To remove serviceable parts from (damaged airplanes, for example) for use in the repair of other equipment of the same each other for eyeballs. On Monday, viewers are forced to choose between ``Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond is an American sitcom originally broadcast on CBS from 1996 to 2005. It is one of the most critically acclaimed American sitcoms of its time. ,'' ``Ally McBeal'' and ``Mad About You.'' Newsmagazine mania: Three developments should indicate that as the next millennium approaches, television newsmagazines are about to take over the world. ``Dateline'' is on as often as a soap opera; Fox has a news mag, and ``60 Minutes'' felt it necessary to show Jack Kevorkian kill a patient to grab ratings. Of sweeping and trash: We can blame sweeps for the following: a steady diet of reruns between sweeps, all of the good specials being lumped into a month, overhype o·ver·hype tr.v. o·ver·hyped, o·ver·hyp·ing, o·ver·hypes Slang To promote or publicize to excess: Promoters grossly overhyped the movie. , and sensationalism sensationalism, in philosophy, the theory that there are no innate ideas and that knowledge is derived solely from the sense data of experience. The idea was discussed by Greek philosophers and is shown variously in the works of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, George over substance on local newscasts. Erin go bye: A major theme of the season was Irish families, but alas, the green turned out to be moldy moldy animal feed overgrown with fungus; the feed may be harvested and stored or be still in the ground. moldy corn disease see leukoencephalomalacia, fusariummoniliforme. . Among the shows that inundated in·un·date tr.v. in·un·dat·ed, in·un·dat·ing, in·un·dates 1. To cover with water, especially floodwaters. 2. the tube were ``Costello,'' ``Wind on Water,'' ``Trinity'' and ``To Have and to Hold
To Have and to Hold is a 1900 novel by American author, Mary Johnston. .'' Meddling med·dle intr.v. med·dled, med·dling, med·dles 1. To intrude into other people's affairs or business; interfere. See Synonyms at interfere. 2. To handle something idly or ignorantly; tamper. executives: Ever wonder why so many shows, specifically sitcoms, are cookie cutter (``Call central casting. I need a wacky neighbor and a red-headed best-friend type.'')? That's because a small group of executives take your favorite shows and put them through what one producer calls ``The network deflavorizing machine.'' Meddling execs lead to the sameness that sends audiences running for cable when they're looking for something unique. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO David E. Kelley is the creative force behind ``The Practice,'' left, and ``Ally McBeal,'' two high-quality series about young attorneys. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion