Save Point Pleasant

Simon | April 08, 10:14 CET

Once more I will probably find myself in the minority camp, but I am rather thrilled by the news that 'Point Pleasant' has found its way to C4. I had suspected that it would simply disappear from the schedules as a result of the early cancellation. Despite the negative reaction the show received in general I am still looking forward to seeing it and I have 'booked' the use of our television for that timeslot, much to the annoyance (and amusement) of my family.

alien lanes | April 08, 11:38 CET

Save Point Pleasant from itself

miranda | April 08, 12:59 CET

Heh, am I the only one who wants to know what is on the video tape?

Simon | April 08, 13:00 CET

I'm afraid so Simon. I'm surprised it wasn't relegated to an over-night slot somewhere.

brob1 | April 08, 13:36 CET

Heh, am I the only one who wants to know what is on the video tape?

No, you're not. Maybe next year Fox will cancel another poor new show, and air the rest of PP. I just think if they are going to start airing a show, at least finish the season. That tactic could have helped Wonderfalls garner interest and stay on the air. Ooh, what a concept. Stupid Fox.

electricspacegirl | April 08, 20:26 CET

I really don't understand the logic behind cancelling series without showing the episodes already filmed and paid for. Surely they have graveyard slots they fill with reruns? Is it pressure from advertisers?

I don't think I've ever known it happen over here in Britain.

Gill | April 08, 21:53 CET

Except with US imports. We only got as far as "Swimming With Boyd" here on the E4 run...

Craig Oxbrow | April 08, 23:30 CET

"I don't think I've ever known it happen over here in Britain"

It has happened on ITV

Last year ITV showed 3 out of 6 episodes of a drama series set on a warship if I recall correctly and unlike other programmes didn't bother showing the rest of the episodes at 1130 pm

garda39 | April 08, 23:59 CET

I was right, the first episode was cut to remove most of the death-by-insects scene.

Craig Oxbrow | April 09, 17:41 CET

Well, cuts or no cuts, I thought this opening episode was fine. This is the episode I have actually already seen before, but I really enjoyed it again this second time around. The faults are there to be picked at, but so are the indicators that the premise is interesting, given time to develop (which, of course, isn't going to happen now).

Herein possibly lies the problem. If every show is going to be judged on the first couple of episodes, slated and abandoned, and then left to the networks to cancel, surely we are destined never (or, at least, rarely) to see another decent long-running show. I appreciate that in the case of 'Point Pleasant' plenty of people stuck with it and still found little to praise. However, if we consider what seems to be a generally positive reaction to the second season episodes of 'Tru Calling' it does suggest that some of the negative criticism this show received in its first season was possibly a little bit hasty. I might be completely wrong, but it's just a thought that occurred to me.

alien lanes | April 09, 18:28 CET

Right there with you, dashboard. I think that a lot of viewers are hasty to dismiss shows before they are able to show us what their made of, just as network suits are hasty to discard a program when they don't see the ratings they want. What's even worse is when the network doesn't even like or understand the program, so they bury it, promote it wrong, or don't promote it at all. For example, Firefly. Fox paid so much money for it, yet didn't do their job in supporting it. It doesn't make sense. When are they going to hire the right people to run things, people who appreciate genre shows, and understand that it's the network's responsibility to find viewers, not the show runners? We need Joss fans to get jobs in TV so they can change things from the inside.

UPN's treatment of Veronica Mars, which, I want to add, was just picked up for a second season this week, is a great example of the way networks should be running things. We need to support UPN. If Joss came back to TV, his shows would be a lot safer on UPN than the WB or Fox.

Sorry for the rant. I just can't get over the idiocy that is the Fox Network.

electricspacegirl | April 09, 20:17 CET

I gotta admit, I stuck with PP for its entire run here. I'm not sad that it was cancelled, but I have to admit, I kinda enjoyed it. Was hoping to love it, but had to settle for liking it okay. I can't imagine an avid Whedon fan loving this show, yet I can't imagine them totally hating it either. It's not even BuffyLite really, it's an example of some good ideas that didn't translate well to the screen. If you watch PP you will find yourself thinking about what it lacks, such as genre mixing. But they didn't want to do that, ya know? I dunno really, I wouldn't tell anyone NOT to watch it. Kept me interested, anyway. Melrose Jake and the redheaded chick from Starship Troopers were especially fun characters, Elizabeth Harnois is a joy to look at, and the young priest is incredibly hot as well. Hey UK fans, please fill me in on what freekin happens, eh? Not like I'm gonna see it here. Then again, Fox could run the final eps this summer, to fill space. You never know with them. PP was far better than this terrible reality show they once cancelled after a few eps and they said they'd bring it back later but never did. Oh, I saw that one lonely Friday night during the timeslot of death. Something about the chick figuring out which of her potential dates were gay. Anyway, watch PP if it sounds like a cool storyline to you. You might find yourself sorta liking it, too.

WhoIsOmega? | April 10, 06:06 CET

Playing It Straight? Channel 4 just started a UK version. (I wish I was joking.)

We'll be glad to let you know what happens in Point Pleasant, if we get past episode eight this time...

Craig Oxbrow | April 10, 06:21 CET

omg yes! Playing It Straight. hee hee. Yes, it was another victim of the Fox Friday night timeslot of death, but believe me, was no loss whatsoever. Playing It Straight had to be the worst reality show I've ever seen. Then again, I'm glad to say I haven't spent much time watching them. I was incapacitated on the couch, if I remember correctly, and that's why I saw it once.

Edited to add: come to think of it, that stupid show was on around the same time as Wonderfalls, or perhaps my memory is fading. I had to have been watching Fox that night for some other reason. I only caught Wonderfalls once or twice but sure loved it. It's on my DVD must-buy list.

[ edited by April on 2005-04-10 04:30 ]

WhoIsOmega? | April 10, 06:26 CET