SpoilerTV's Weekly Round Table: 24th Edition
Big Little Lies
MK
SpoilerTV Article
Supergirl
The Flash
Transparent
WRT
Another week another WRT we prepped for you guys. This week I'm (MK) joined by Samantha (SB), Milo (MI) and STV newbies Beth (BW)
and Claire (CS). Enjoy the read and join the discussion in the comment section down below.
1. CW delivered another scheduling surprise and benched SG for spring after a short winter run. Was this to be expected with Showrunner AK fired and will this hurt both Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow.
SB: I don't think the situation with Andrew Kreisberg has anything to do with this. There is already speculation that maybe the production could benefit from some time off to get caught up/adjust in the wake of recent events, but I honestly don't buy that. Most fall show writers rooms are probably making their way through the second half of the season. Filming will still be rolling until whenever the break for the holidays is. The show is still returning in January for just under a month. If the break really was so they could make changes in light of his departure, I don't think they're changes that can be made over a months Christmas break especially if they're to make sense. The show would need to come back at least a month or 2 later and it's not. Plus given the news on Kevin Spacey's departure from House of Cards and production being halted so the writers could rework the season in light of that, am I really supposed to believe The CW would be able to keep the true reason of the scheduling quiet? Nope. The scheduling just reaks of The CW's incompetency. It was said back during upfronts that they had too many shows on their schedule & not enough room to air them all so there'd need to be quite a few cancellations to fit in the renewals & new shows. That didn't happen and this is what you end up with.
It reminds me of back in the day when The CW had just been created, and they pulled a similar stunt with One Tree Hill and an American Next Top Model spin-off. There were rumors for weeks that One Tree Hill was going to get shafted to make way, but The CW refused to say anything and I don't believe the cast or crew knew either. Then after 4.15 which ended on a brutal cliffhanger, the show went on hiatus for 3 months and the last 6 episodes aired from May through till June. It was completely stupid, One Tree Hill lost a lot of momentum and I see the same thing happening to Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow. Casual fans are not going to be keeping up to date with which show is on which week. Those on the Internet may know, but even then it's still hard to keep track of and I'll be extremely surprised if both shows don't end up with record low viewing figures by the time the season's end.
BW: Honestly, I had not thought about the situation with AK when I saw this news. What I thought was that The CW had too many shows, and not enough slots so some of the DC shows will have to take a hit. I am happy LOT will come back in February and think it has a stable base but worry about how this will hit SG. This is also a catch 22 because I am a fan of two shows that we are waiting with bated breath for premiere dates, The Originals and The 100. So my other thought was maybe one of these will benefit from this 'creative scheduling'. But I quickly crashed back to reality and realized that their other new midseason show, Life Sentence needed a slot and tag teaming Legends and Supergirl probably was the quick fix to free up Valor's spot when it ends its one and done. Either way, it is a blessing and a curse that the CW is so generous with renewals because we as fans must be patient with their schedules.
MK: It is a messy situation and raises up so many question marks why and how the future will look for both shows. The "Era" of Superhero shows is slowly coming to an end on broadcast and it obviously shows. Is this AK related? Maybe but overall this is very sad cause Supergirl surprisingly found it's groove. A 4th season is guaranteed for both show but how many eps and how many seasons after this is quite a mystery at this point.
2. Big Little Lies officially scored the 2nd season. Does money trump the notion of Limited series or is this second season something necessary?
SB: I don't really have a horse in this race, but I very much think the decision to bring it back is about the money and accolades. When season 1 first finished they were all very keen to stress it was a one and done, which many were happy about. Then of course with the awards and the constant speculation, the mood started to change and now we've got a confirmed season 2. They'll be a lot of pressure to maintain the same quality of season 1 and not look as those they're continuing for the sake of the accolade and for the show's fans, I hope it is a success. From my own personal point of view, I've already read 4737594395 articles on this show, which will only get worse now that season 2 has been confirmed and I'm not looking forward to it.
I feel this is cheating a bit, delaying the announcement of Season 2 so they could treat it as a limited series and get a better chance with awards. It's easy to see why HBO has done it though after True Detective being put in the main category and losing out because it went up against Breaking Bad. I'm really excited for a season two though, not only because the cast is great but also Andrea Arnold makes the jump from film to the small screen. I loved American Honey so am really excited to see what she can do at the director's chair here - especially after Jean-Marc Vallee did such an incredible job following up on the excellent Dallas Buyers Club, Wild, and Demolition.
BW: I am conflicted on this renewal. I LOVED BLL and thought the story was so compelling and of course, with that bank of talent, anyone would want more and this is evident by HBO wanting to keep the money train rolling. But, I also worry about no more source material to work with, they may stretch the story a little thin and it will not live up to the huge expectation it has. I guess since this is a go, I will hope for the best and believe that with such A-list talent eager to return it is not just about money and that the script has to be A+, but I am still a bit apprehensive at how they match their first season success.
CS: Big Little Lies was an amazing limited series and wrapped up perfectly. Why mess with perfection? But like everything, it is about the money. It was popular and award-winning and people begged for more.
3. Jeffrey Tambor has (apparently) second thoughts on his exit from Transparent. Why didn't Amazon react already?
SB: It's really hard to comment on this situation because there's obviously a lot going on that we don't know, but I did find his statement very surprising. It's not a situation that I think Amazon has handled well at all and I can only assume more will come out on this in time.
CS: Jeffrey Tambor is just another example of a man in Hollywood who thinks he can do whatever he wants. Amazon should follow Netflix’s example in their firing of Danny Masterson. Tambor has to learn the hard way that it’s a brand new world in Hollywood and America.
MK: Surprised and saddened by the lack of action on Amazon's side. I found it a decent move from Jeffrey to exit without any fuzz but not that he twitched his tail between his legs, I'm quite annoyed by Amazon for not stepping up.
4. Critics Choice awards! Winners and obvious snubs? Thoughts?
SB: Having been wowed by the trailers it isn't surprising that Lady Bird & The Shape of Water are up for best picture. I'm also really glad Baby Driver is nominated for best action movie because it was an absolute delight & I can't wait to rewatch it. Also, really glad Girls Trip was nominated for best comedy and it's a film very much on my watchlist (my local cinema refusing to show this over Minions will never not annoy me) Adam Sandler being amongst the best actors in a comedy is beyond a joke. Guy hasn't made a film that is actually funny in years. On the TV front if The Crown doesn't win it will be an absolute travesty. I could settle for This Is Us or The Handmaid's Tale, just no Game of Thrones or Stranger Things (sorry but I think those shows are massively over-rated). How on earth The Sinner hasn't gotten a limited series nomination I don't know, but Jessica Biel has got an actress nomination and she deserves to win. She was absolutely beyond phenomenal on that show. Rick and Morty being up for animated series also please me. Season 3 might've been a gigantic mess, but it's still the best-animated series around. The fact that Brooklyn Nine-Nine and indeed Andre Braugher aren't up for the comedy awards is quite honestly a disgrace. Especially when you've got Modern Family & The Big Bang Theory nominated.
I have a lot to talk about here, movie and TV-wise. A lot of the movies I haven't seen yet don't actually come out in my country until next year or didn't air in my cinema altogether - but the ones that I have seen - The Big Sick, Get Out and Dunkirk was incredible and certainly deserve their place. I feel like Blade Runner 2049 was snubbed though and should have been in with a shout over Darkest Hour - it looks like a standard awards-baity biopic, but I could be wrong. Seeing Patrick Stewart and Dafne Green get a supporting actor/young actor/actress nod for Logan is excellent too. At this point, Modern Family is pretty much guaranteed a spot on best comedy series and I really wish the awards nominees would move away from that - as evidenced by their best actor in a comedy series nominations there's so much potential to replace it like Master of None and Brockmire. And how The Big Bang Theory got nominated over Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Veep and Silicon Valley, I'll never know. The drama series line-up is a mixed bag too, with some deserved nods for Stranger Things, The Crown and The Handmaid's Tale, with a welcoming surprise nod for American Gods, but Game of Thrones has been below par this year and The Leftovers not getting nominated is the biggest snub of the year. The show has been incredible this year and to see it left out is a crying shame indeed as it should have been a clear winner. It's great to see Tatiana Maslany get a nod for best actress in her final year on Orphan Black though - can't wait to see where she goes next. Better Call Saul getting snubbed but Bob Odenkirk getting a best actor nomination is a peculiar choice as well, that show has been on fire this year. Seeing as Outlander and American Gods both got some nominations, I would have loved to have seen some love for Black Sails - especially considering it is better than both. And in the limited series category, it's great to see Godless and American Vandal get some love too as I really enjoyed both.
CS: The Critics choice awards Modern Family has not been a good show since season 3 WHY is it still getting nominated? The young actors on that show are horrible. The young actors in the middle are SO much better. Modern Family will be off the air for years and it will still get nominated. It’s 2017 people, not 2010!
MK: My biggest snubs are in the comedy categories. No love for B99, The Middle, and Megan Mullaly is just pure nonsense.
That's a wrap. I hope you?ve enjoyed this Edition guys and join the discussion in the comment section down below. Till next week.
Another week another WRT we prepped for you guys. This week I'm (MK) joined by Samantha (SB), Milo (MI) and STV newbies Beth (BW)
