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Is ABC’s OCTOBER ROAD Paved With Gold Or A Dead End??
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
It’s a drama, from writer-producers Scott Rosenberg (“High Fidelity,” “Impostor,” “Kangaroo Jack”) and Andre Nemec & Josh Appelbaum (“She Spies,” “Fastlane,” “Alias”), about a successful novelist who returns to his hometown after 10 years to discover his old friends aren’t too happy about the way their fictional counterparts were depicted.
It stars Brian Greenberg (“Unscripted”) and Laura Prepon (“That ‘70s Show”). And, oh, hey, it co-stars Tom Berenger, who was in “The Big Chill” with “Raines” star Jeff Goldblum!
ABC did not forward Ain’t It Cool a screener but the reviews are … not good. Perhaps “October Road” was made for all those talkbackers who hate “Andy Barker”?
TV Guide gives it a 0 (out of 10) and says:
… Every you-can't-go-home-again cliché is recycled in the comically pretentious saga …
USA Today gives it one star (out of four) and says:
… An appalling combination of precious and pretentious … Every line of dialogue adds to your pain. The confessions no one would make, the conversations no one would have, the friendships no one would want, the strained efforts to be clever or arty in lines like "Once I stayed away, staying away became a way." It's like water dripping on foreheads. …
Entertainment Weekly gives it a “C” and says:
… achingly sincere, deeply unbelievable … The characters talk either stiltedly (''Which begs the question, Why did you run out of here?'') or slangily (''Your eyes are off the hinge!''). The series strains for a small-town, quirky vibe — think Ed crossed with Everwood — but lacks charm. …
The New York Times says:
… exists as the kind of bad soap opera that quickly allows you to see what makes a good one. … Suspense hangs essentially on whether Nick will be able to secure genetic proof of his own narcissism. He may need to see the test results, but you won’t.
The Los Angeles Times says:
… Some high-quality TV trauma drama ensues … and some genuinely cringe-worthy moments too. The cringe-worthy moments involve air guitar and tennis rackets and some song by Boston, and Eddie pretending to be a squirrel in a tool shed, an old trick that charms the ladies. But by Episode 4, I was getting ready to declare "October Road" my new guilty pleasure.…
The Chicago Tribune says:
… This wretched show not only features a lead character who is an unredeemable nitwit but dialogue that manages to be leaden, preposterous and pretentious all at once. …
The Washington Post says:
… as commercial and mechanical as an entry-level Mercedes, but not as emotionally involving. … Whatever corny, maudlin and hokey things could happen to someone in Nick's situation manage to happen …
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer says:
… To put it mildly, and succinctly, it's appalling. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
… just unfortunate … It's a coming-of-age story so overwrought and emotionally predictable, it's -- what's the word here? -- unwatchable. The writers beat you on the head with John Steinbeck's typewriter and a bloody-edged iPod full of tunes meant to punctuate the story lines. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
… "October Road" is perhaps one of the most clumsily plotted, illogical drama pilots to be produced in years. Too much of it simply makes no sense. …
Variety says:
About as tired as a premise gets… … What separates "October Road," albeit to a modest extent, is an unusually appealing cast, though that's relatively small compensation for the banality of the central character's situation. …
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… would have been better off left on the conference table at the pitch session. … there's practically nothing unexpected in the script … As a result, network promos are a lot more exciting and promising than the series itself.
10 p.m. Thursday. ABC.
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Reviews are terrible
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How come no one on this weBsitE is talking about the most kickass show on TV. Does everyone hate this show????
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Was never really a great actor. Though his role in "Platoon" was excellent. Hasn't really done much since.
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I can't remember.
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Laura Prepon(did I spell that right?) I will not be watching this crap. Seems like a grown up Everwood. I vote dead end!
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Watch it again there was some awesome dialog. Rosie on "real" women, Michael Rappaport on Supermodels.
The whole scene after Matt Dillon gets beaten up and the kid saves daddy. -
Show looks dull and tedious. No quirkiness like Men in Trees.
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Even the trailers look terrible. Guys leaves for "6 months" and everyone waves; comes back 10 years later after never having contacted any of them but wrote a tell-all book about them. What a load of horse hockey.
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For one thing it was one of the last adult growing up movies. Just about that time they started switching from twenty somethings to 18 year olds.
It had a number of great scenes and excellent dialogue. Michael Rappaport crying when he plows his ex's driveway illustrates his characters growth and maturity.
The Cracklin Rosie sing along.
All the Anna interplay with Tim Hutton.
The whole Matt Dillon plot.
After that it was a teeny boppers world. Adults weren't allowed to play anymore. -
Tv needs dumbed down for the general public. Look at Wonderfalls or Firefly or Profit well beyond their times and much smarter.
FX seems to be writing smart stories for adults to watch. Same with some of the TNT stuff like Closer and Saved (pity it was cancelled and a slap in the face to throw another medical show on).
Sitcoms have particularly become stupid and unwatchable. Same with tv "drama". -
It's got to be at least better than Fez's "Yo Mamma" show right?Oh yeah which do you prefer Prepon as a blonde or redhead?
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This show looks absolutely horrible, but that doesn't mean that those of us that know Andy Barker will have about as much success as NBC's "Four Kings" did last year will watch this piece of junk. I can't understand how you like Heroes, the Wire, 24, and other well written shows, but are also into Buffy and Gilmore Girls. Only two possible reasons: You're getting kick backs or you are taking estrogen injections.
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Those are some pretty unanimously scathing reviews. And Outrider, not every brilliant show has to have shit blowing up and people getting shot. Sometimes well developed characters are actually entertaining all on their own. You should try it sometime, if it won't threaten your manhood.
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That's like two thumbs down right up the ass, if that's even possible.
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..and his addition to this cliche-fest will continue it.
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Shows like this are destined to fail and it has nothing to do even with how good or terrible it is. The guy comes home to pick up his ex and make amends with buddies. Wow...that is one season and then what? What happens then other than reverting to being just like every other romance-drama show EVER. Look at hit shows like Lost or Heroes. they can do pretty much anything they want because the basic idea is so simple. ONe has superheros and the other has people on an island. On the other hand a show like OCtober Road has too strict an initial premise and therefore ends up being more chained by it than aided.
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Who's with me? She's a million times better than the "let's kill Spider-Man" girl. Oh, and definitely red.
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That wasn't a very nice thing to say, but if you look at my examples, Heroes has very entertaining characters, and in the Wire, while people do occassionally get shot (albeit very rarely), nothing ever explodes and its mostly a character and story driven show. However, if you want more evidence that I'm not soley a shoot em up fan, I also love the Shield, Friday Night Lights, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Boston Legal. All of which are often touted for their strong characters and writing. To clarify, I do not watch Gilmore Girls, The OC, Leguna Beach or any other show that targets its marketing to 12 year old girls.
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but I definitely prefer Prepon as a red-head. Remember when she used to be the new Alicia Witt? *** As for this show, I did a book report on "Return to Peyton Place" back in high school (and I'm 54 now) so I've seen it.
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Yes, it's not particularly original, but I like the characters and I'm interested to see what happens next. It gave me a bit of an Everwood feeling.
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Blonde Prepon is boring, just like this show looks.
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Anyone who saw this show last night and continued to watch after the air guitar band scene is a sick, sick fucker. This is the worst TV I have seen since 'In Case of Emergency'.
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im pissed i missed the first episode
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I saw the promo and thought I might catch it if for no other reason than watch Laura Prepon do something other than Donna. But then I saw bits of the Air Guitar Band (or, to be fair, Air Guitar on a Tennis Racket Band). And I thought, no, I don't think I could ever watch that. But I'm scared to thik that if this show gets cancelled ABC will replace it with "Battle of the Celebrity Tennis Racket Air Guitar Bands" (hosted by Pauly Shore and Kimmy from Full House).
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to see if it was as bad as I thought. First off, the lame Air Guitar band scene I saw in the ads was not the one in the show. What they showed was lame, but the one to come has them on stage with the kid with them - lame to the Nth degree. As for the episode, the whole "is the kid his" storyline is so poorly done. The guy has had no contact with any of his friends, probably not given any them a second thought in 10 years, but as soon as he meets his old girlfriend's kid he immediately thinks it must be his. Dude, you took off to Europe for the summer and she didn't think you would ever be coming back. Did he do the math down to the exact week on how old the kid was in relation to exactly when he left? Second, the kid has a peanut allergy, so what? It's kind of a common thing these days. It's like saying he has brown hair so he must be my kid. And how big an asshole is this guy? He goes to Europe for the summer, comes back and abandons all of his friends and only returns because he has writer's block. One more thing, the music. They make reference to their REO Speedwagon albums and even play a song. People, the guy left in 1997, not 1987, get the right frickin' decade!
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