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Herc's Got Something To Say About TALK TO ME!!
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here. Hercules is like me... he loves to tune in to first episodes of shows. He's the one who has been ranting and raving at me to tune in and check out NOW & AGAIN all season long. Many times, he's forced me to watch things that I've ended up enjoying all hell out of. In this case, he may be saving us all from that brain deadening experience that comes when you see a diabolically bad sitcom. If you ignore Herc's warnings, you do so at your own risk.
“Talk To Me” is, by any standard, bland, hackneyed, and dull-witted beyond reason.
A sitcom about a radio talk show host (Kyra Sedgwick) re-entering single life following the dissolution of a three-year relationship, it plays as if the makers of “Providence” finally saw Howard Stern’s “Private Parts” and thought it might make a spunky enough weekly sitcom -- if only they could just dial Stern’s
“Sopranos”-level libido down to that of “Sabrina The Teenage Witch.”
Like Stern, Sedgwick’s character feuds with a conservative radio psychologist, enjoys a dismissive relationship with the station’s combative manager, and employs a crew of in-studio stooges. Unlike Stern, she and her cronies have nothing interesting, amusing, controversial or original to convey to their audience. The sitcom’s creators have obviously taken great
pains to simulate spontaneous, free-wheeling on-air exchanges, and fail completely.
One of the show’s many problems is Sedgwick herself, an attractive presence in films like “Singles” and “Something to Talk About,” who seems utterly adrift in a live-audience sitcom environment; her stagey delivery overshoots every punchline as if she’s never worked in front of a camera before. (It probably
doesn’t help that Sedgwick has to play opposite “Mad-TV’s” mistress of mugging Nicole Sullivan, cast here as Sedgwick’s impossibly dim sister.
Not that any of this hinders the turgid script by "Frasier” vet Suzanne Martin, whose tedious dialogue is consistently devoid of wit or innovation. Here’s the first post-title-card exchange, setting the tone for the entire series:
SEDGWICK: “What are you doing today?”
SULLIVAN: “I’m volunteering at the shelter. I’m in charge of the oatmeal today, and do I -- have a surprise -- for them! Last night I went door to door
collecting other people’s raisins!”
(Sullivan hefts what looks like a plastic bag full of about 20 pounds of raisins)
SEDGWICK: “You didn’t tell them you were my sister, did you?”
SULLIVAN: “No, why?”
SEDGWICK: “No reason!”
It makes one wonder what other horrors now rattle about the development corridors over at Disney/ABC. Which pilot scripts could they possibly be turning down?
“Talk To Me” also makes one wonder why ABC isn’t more careful when it lucks into a gem of a series like “SportsNight,” the show “Talk to Me” pre-empts this
evening.
“SportsNight” -- brainy, witty, fast-paced, focused and frequently laugh-out-loud funny -- is the antithesis of “Talk To Me.” It’s written most weeks by Aaron Sorkin, who authored screenplays for two wonderful, seminal movies -- “An American President” and “A Few Good Men” -- as well as every episode of “The West Wing,” a colossal hit for NBC and probably the best-reviewed hour on television at the moment.
But unlike “The West Wing,” “SportsNight” has been sandwiched into a timeslot I wouldn’t give a monkey on a rock. “SportsNight” has had to follow the
underwhelming and incompatible “Dharma and Greg” and then go up against the muscular likes of “Just Shoot Me,” “Angel,” “Party of Five,” and “60 Minutes II.”
Not that anyone asked, but if I were programming ABC, I’d leave “Talk To Me” where it is and put “SportsNight” on at 8:30 p.m. Thursday -- just before
“Millionaire” and opposite “Diagnosis Murder,” “Smackdown” and especially “Daddio” (the latest endurance test NBC has concocted to make our journey
from “Friends” to “Frasier” as pleasure-free as possible).
And I’d leave it there.
We as a nation are starving for something decent to watch after “Friends.”
Call me crazy, but with “SportsNight” and “Millionaire” in tandem, ABC could make Thursday nights its own.
I implore you – do not oppose me!
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They're already shopping Sports Night to either NBC, or HBO. That's according to the actor who plays Casey. He said this on Kilborne about a month ago.
NBC should trade the rights to Freaks and Geeks to ABC, which then flips the rights to Sports Night to the Peacock Network.
Then, Must-See-Thursday would be so, with Friends, Sports Night, West Wing, and ER. No other network would touch the ratings of NBC those nights.
'Course Peter(the actor) said he wanted HBO for the swearing and nudity.... -
I love that friggin' show. Love it like I love my world championship belts. It's the smartest, fastest show on TV and the suits at ABC are a bunch of froot loops if they can't see it. They will renew Sports Night. I can feel it. Wooo!
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Excellent comments about Sports Night. It's definitely the best live 1/2 hour on television (still think the Simpsons is the best 1/2 hour--but the race is tightening). Sorkin is a genius. Look at how NBC nurtured The West Wing. Now it has great ratings and the reviews have always been terrific. Maybe ABC should cancel the show so that NBC can pick it up (as has been rumored) and put it at 9:30 Thursday after Frasier (as has also been rumored). I like the 8:30 Thursday idea on ABC better, though.
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All he could do was talk about her cans and how her ahem, private parts were waxed Brazilian style. That's the only reason I'd watch this show. Sitcoms are so old hat now. Everybody's been raving about Titus and Malcolm in the Middle (which is pretty funny). Titus sucked balls. It was NOT funny, mostly because it was trying so goddamn hard to be Roseanne meets Simpsons meets Married..w/ Children meets All in the Family. I certainly don't see what's got everybody in arms about Sports Night. Talk about boredom. Look, if it's a drama, give me drama. If it's a comedy, make it fucking funny! Please, oh please, stop trying so hard. Why is it that NBC's sitcoms of then and now work so well? They are week-in-week-out funny. Seinfeld and Friends NEVER failed. I'd still prefer to watch a Seinfeld re-run than Sports Night. WERNER-CARSEY!! WHERE ART THOU?!?!
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obviously Sports Night isn't the best show on television. people would be watching it. i thought Freaks and Geeks was the best show, but it too, obviously wasn't. what i don't understand still is the love of Seinfeld. the last few years were consistantly unfunny and overwritten. and, for a show supposed to be the anti-sitcom, incredibly formulaic. as for "talk to me", well, let's just let it die a quick and painless death.
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Why the hell is it ABC is putting on another tired sitcom with another "star" whose career is almost over instead of Clerks: TAS which has been gathering RAVE reviews from everyone under 50 that has seen it? ABC could have a Simpsons level hit on their hands, or at least King of the Hill level, but instead are opting for a show that will definitely fail and do so miserabley. NBC, buy Clerks for your 7:30 Thursday slot!!! For the love of all that is holy!
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Word up, yo. Is this show supposed to be "edgy, groundbreaking"? Harumph. Clerks would've been so much more than that. Isn't that what networks are after? Isn't that what Sports Night is supposed to be? I, like you Stormbringer, find that to be wrong. Sports Night is blase' on so many levels, I couldn't bring myself to finish watching.
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Well, maybe SN just isn't your thing. Personally, I think it's only real problem is that it doesn't conform to formula, so people get confused by it. Hell, I don't know what to call it -- dramedy not only sounds stupid, it really doesn't convey the depth of the show. All I know is I consistently empathize with the characters during that half hour and leave it with a huge grin on my face. The writing is fast and funny, and doesn't let the audience stop and wait for the setup/punchline cliche. Give it another chance, get to know the characters, and appreciate the nuance involved in the show; you might change your mind. Now, on to other business: has anyone seen the pilot/first episodes of "Then Came You" (I could have the title slightly wrong)? Talk about a steaming pile of crap. The horrible, horrible HORRIBLE expository writing of the pilot (which was not only HORRIBLE (did I mention that?), but set up an incredibly cliched cast of characters: independent woman in the city, her feisty female friend, the vivacious gay guy, bland romantic interest and his wacky british friend) alone should get the creators dragged from their houses and families in the middle of the night and locked away where they can't do any more damage.
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Sound like what is happening in America now is like what happened over here in Britian. Lack of comedy ideas. We had Red Dwarf and Ab Fab and that was about it. Now, thankfully, things are looking up. The Royle Family (if you ever get to see this, do. You may not understand it too much but it is great), The Grimleys, A Perfect World takes care of the sit-coms. A remake of Randal and Hopkirk (deceased) is the comedy/drama. And Trigger Happy TV is just pure class.
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ABC gave Clerks one test screening to a bunch of senior citizens and then buried it. I could believe it if it were CBS doing it, but I thought ABC was going after the 20 something crowd that the show is specifically tailored for. And it couldn't have done as badly as the screenings had to have been for a pile of utter horse shit like Talk to Me. The mouse has shot himself in the ass. But then again they never have known how to deal with good programming. Hell, the only thing on the network that isn't mediocre family programming is the brilliant "The Drew Carey show" (and to a lesser extent the underrated "Norm"). Disney is probably doing this to Clerks for the same reasons WB buried The Iron Giant after Quest of Camelot. Capitol Critters anyone?
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These are some of teh best that TV has to offer right now. F&G was canceled(hopefully it finds a new home), Wonderland got knockes off too (after only 2 episodes. Duh, it was opposite ER), Sports Night is bound to be removed because the idiot execs working for TV think the idiots watching TV want another night of Millionare. Why must this show send TV to a creative low right when shows like these were expanding the medium?! It is the stupid viewers of this country that are to blame (and the idiots that choose time slots).
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These are some of teh best that TV has to offer right now. F&G was canceled(hopefully it finds a new home), Wonderland got knockes off too (after only 2 episodes. Duh, it was opposite ER), Sports Night is bound to be removed because the idiot execs working for TV think the idiots watching TV want another night of Millionare. Why must this show send TV to a creative low right when shows like these were expanding the medium?! It is the stupid viewers of this country that are to blame (and the idiots that choose time slots).
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That's all I wanted to say.
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I actually like Talk To Me. Its not the best or greatest or anything, but I enjoyed it. I found it funny and well written. The acting wasn't very good but it hardly ever is for the first shows. As for SportsNight... lets just say that I don't enjoy SportsNight and will not miss it one bit if it goes to HBO. (which I don't subscribe to)
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What is MST2K?? I assume you mean MST3K. If not, what do you mean?
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Kyra Sedwick -- and ABC -- should be ashamed of themselves. Replacing one of TV's Ten Best with this hackneyed, redundant, pointless garbage? Typical.
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Apr 12, 2000 8:15:09 AM CDT
And WONDERLAND got canceled too???!?!?! Goddammit!! =( (NIM, I'm
by roguewriter
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I saw Talk To Me last night, and save for mostly bad, utterly cliche writing and acting, there were actually some pretty funny sequences. I'd say it's not any better than Sports Night, but I'd settle for anything. Sports Night: YAAAAWN. Waaaazaaaaap, Boredom. Y'all gotta check out Falcone. In the words of Bobby D., it's "verrry good".
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The reason "Talk to Me" is doing better than "Sports Night" is that ABC knows how to promote a ordinary, mediocre sitcom that is essentially a "Frasier" ripoff. They haven't had Clue One how to promote Sports Night, which is the best sitcom on the air these days, from the beginning (Remember the posters: "They're to sports what Charlie's Angels were to law enforcement."?) If they follow CBS' example with "Everybody Loves Raymond", and leave it on every week, it could be very successful in a year or two. Otherwise, it would be great on NBC Thursday at 9:30.
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