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Old April 15th, 2005, 02:50 PM   #1
Sci-Fi
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Muffit TV goes on a crime spree

Interesting comments about fan campaigns.

Frim Metromix:

TV goes on a crime spree

By Maureen Ryan
Tribune staff reporter

April 15, 2005

By my count, there are 22 scripted crime or detective dramas on network television and another nine on cable TV. There are more to come -- TNT is readying two new cop shows, one of which debuts in June, and this fall we'll no doubt see a dozen or more new crime dramas on the network TV schedule.

Add to that glut the dozens of unscripted cop programs and criminal-justice documentaries all over the dial, and it's clear we've got a crimefighting epidemic on our hands.

Please, officer, lay off !

Why is TV so infested with cops, crime-scene types, undercover agents and detectives?

Because these shows are a scriptwriter's dream. You take your good guys, your bad guys, put the bad-guy-doing-bad-things plot in motion, have the good guys catch the bad guys, and then, bada- bing, you're done! And just look at the Nielsen top 20 -- that formula sure can be successful.

Sure, the most imaginative and thoughtful variations on the standard copshow themes can be incredibly entertaining, but it's getting hard to tell all the police and detective shows apart. Even TV producers have realized this and are trying to tweak the standard "CSI" and "Law & Order" formulas; new shows feature blind detectives and cops who wield calculators. What's next, ballerina detectives? Psychic spies? Traffic cops who clog dance? Cop shows should take a page from the best mystery novels, which are studies in the darker reaches of the human heart, not just formulaic lock-'em-up-while-uttering- a-few-wisecracks fare.

Better yet, TV executives should realize that there are other human endeavors that are worth examining on the tube. "Taxi" created a classic TV show from the lives of cab drivers. "M*A*S*H" and "China Beach" told great stories about war. "Buffy" and "Angel" proved supernatural drama could be anything but formulaic.

Current shows such as "Everwood," "Gilmore Girls" are examples of how great (and quietly successful) TV shows about small-town life can be. And if it's mega-hits executives want, well, ABC created a smash out of a show about suburban moms.

Surely that proves there's dramatic potential in just about anything.

RETURN TO `MARS': Chalk up another victory to the fans.

Rob Thomas, creator of UPN's "Veronica Mars," gives a lot of credit for the show's second-season renewal, which was announced Monday, to a vociferous fan campaign, much of which was centered around several fan-run Web sites, especially SaveVeronicaMars.com, MarsInvestigations.net and TelevisionWithoutPity.com.

In fact, the first person -- outside of the show's cast and crew -- that Thomas called with the news of the show's renewal was the "Couch Baron," a.k.a. John Ramos, the moderator of the "Veronica Mars" message boards on TelevisionWithoutPity.com.

"The people at Television Without Pity have been such huge supporters of the show -- mailing letters, sending faxes, putting ads in the trade papers -- I thought I owed them an early heads-up," says Thomas, who also credits the efforts of the other fan sites as well.

"I think that sort of rabid cult following has an impact [on network executives], as did the critical response," Thomas said by phone on Tuesday. "I think our renewal is due equally to the fan base and the critical response, and to the fact that UPN wants to get younger and more female [viewers], and we are that show."

POWER TO THE PEOPLE: Speaking of fan campaigns, the campaign to save "Arrested Development" is going strong. This week, folks at saveourbluths.com sent Peter Liguori, the new head of Fox, 115 custom-made bananas, along with handwritten letters asking him to renew the Emmy-winning comedy.

Over at syfyportal.com, "Battlestar Galactica" fans are collecting donations for ads in support of a grass-roots campaign to get the Sci Fi show some Emmy nominations. There's a similar effort under way at watchfarscape.com, where fans are organizing a "Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars" Emmy campaign.

One campaign has run into some snags: Paramount, the studio behind "Star Trek," has spurned the efforts of "Trek United," a fan campaign that has been soliciting money to fund a fifth season of UPN's "Star Trek: Enterprise." So far, "Trek United" fundraisers say they've raised more than $3 million from fans and deep-pocketed anonymous donors, but Paramount adamantly denies that another "Enterprise" season will happen under any circumstances.

"The decision to end the show is final," a Paramount executive told Sci Fi Wire, and a statement on the official "Star Trek" Web site says, in part, that "there may be [fan] campaigns underway to save [the] show that request a monetary donation. We would urge caution before you part with your money as these groups have no connection to Paramount, nor are their activities condoned in any way by the studio."

TRUMP TRIMMED: Thank goodness the bigwigs at NBC came to their senses and have decided the "Apprentice 3" finale on May 19 will only be one hour long. After the bloated horror show that was the "Apprentice 2" finale -- three hours of my life I'll never get back -- it's good to know that someone at NBC has cut the Donald down to size for once. Trump says it was his idea, but I have my doubts.

Anyway, if ABC would follow suit and make the next "Bachelor" finale 60 seconds long, we'd really be getting somewhere.

ONE TREE STARLET: I think Mercedes was robbed on the WB's "The Starlet" -- given her gorgeous movie-star looks and her impressive acting ability, she totally should have won -- but come Tuesday, I'll grudgingly watch winner Michelynne on "One Tree Hill" (a guest spot on the show was the main "Starlet" prize).

HOPE THEY DO A DUET: In a match made in country-music heaven, Dolly Parton guests on the WB's "Reba" (8 p.m. Friday, WGN-Ch. 9). Parton plays a hotshot real estate agent who interviews Reba for a potential job.

CLIMB THIS: The Sundance Channel is offering several opportunities for viewers to catch up with its riveting documentary series, "The Staircase." Theeight-part series examines the 2001 death of telecom executive Kathleen Peterson and the subsequent trial of her husband, Michael, in exhaustive and fascinating depth.

You can catch parts 1-4 of "The Staircase" at 7 p.m. Friday on the Sundance Channel, and all eight episodes will air May 1, starting at 1 p.m. Visit www.sundancechannel.com for additional air dates.

DVD WATCH: Speaking of "JAG," which ends April 29, why isn't it out on DVD yet? After 10 seasons, you'd think the studios responsible for the show would have begun cranking out DVDs by now. Hmmm.

- - -

Best, worst crime shows

Five best

"The Shield" (FX): Meaty character drama and twisted plots -- not to mention great acting -- set this show apart.

"Waking the Dead" (BBC America): A fiercely intelligent and complicated Brit version of "Cold Case."

"Without a Trace" (CBS): Two words: Anthony LaPaglia. He makes this missing-person drama riveting.

"24" (Fox): In four seasons, we haven't yet missed an episode, because for every dippy cougar incident, there are 10 terrific plot twists.

"The Wire" (HBO): Like a richly textured cop novel put on film.

Five worst

"CSI: Miami" (CBS): Maybe David Caruso's bizarre speaking style wouldn't be so annoying if the rest of the show had any originality.

"Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (NBC): Maybe Vincent D'Onofrio's bizarre speaking style wouldn't be so annoying if the rest of the show had any originality.

"Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye" (Pax): Squeaky clean and deadeningly predictable.

"Kojak" (USA): This remake proves that you can't always improve on the original -- in fact, you're more likely to mess it up.

"Blind Justice" (ABC): At least they tried for something slightly different -- a blind detective. Too bad the rest of the show is a by-the-book chunk o' cliches.

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