Posted on 07/30/2010 9:09:01 AM PDT by rhema
Four and a half million Americans tuned in earlier this month to watch the second-season premiere of USA network's series, "White Collar"—a high number by any cable-channel's standards. The tale of an ex-con, forger and thief extraordinaire who partners with the FBI to solve white-collar crime, the series seems to have it all—big money, high society and dangerous villains. But the show is missing two ingredients seemingly inherent to modern television: sex and violence.
You might also notice that absence in the rest of USA's summer lineup. From "Royal Pains," about a concierge doctor treating Hampton's aristocracy on the fly, to "Psych," about a police detective masquerading as a psychic, USA's shows could easily feature carnality and carnage of one kind or another. But they don't. Even "Burn Notice" (about an ex-CIA agent) and the new "Covert Affairs" (about a budding agent) keep the gore and gunshots to a minimum.
According to the president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, Bonnie Hammer, that's no coincidence. She told me that when NBC purchased USA and assumed command of its programming six years ago, her team developed a "filter" for the station's content that aimed to create "smart, fun escapism." Every USA program emphasizes that essential mission.
"USA shows don't purport to be anything other than enjoyable, hopefully intelligent TV," says "Burn Notice" creator and writer Matt Nix. "There's an audience for that kind of unapologetic television."
Apparently so. USA's filter-certified products secured it a record 15th-straight victory over fellow cable stations in quarterly viewing ratings earlier this year. A wilderness of repeats and wrestling less than a decade ago, the network has used its lighthearted model to conquer the cable world.
USA's accomplishment is all the more remarkable because it comes in the midst of a cultural moment on television teeming with
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
In another episode it had one of Chavez’s lackeys skimming oil company profits to fund FARC and other terror groups, so I thought that made up for it.
Also Piper is pretty cute.
CSI Miami doesn’t look like Miami because it’s filmed almost entirely in Southern California. Same for CSI not looking like Las Vegas, probably the same for NY. Both shows use second-unit footage of the real locations for added reality.
Yes, I know. That was my central point. Almost all of these USA shows are actually shot in places that they are set. As such, the location becomes a central character in the story. White Collar looks like NYC because it is NYC.
They haven’t been showing Monk reruns recently, but up until a month ago, you could catch them on Thursday mornings one after another. I love watching them even though I have seen every episode at least 6 times. I suspect they’ll start showing them again in the Fall. They’ve been catching us up on Burn Notice, Psych, and Royal Pains recently.
The only one I really dislike and always turn off is House. I know other people really like that show, but I can’t warm up to it. I’m not fond of Psych either, but I can tolerate it. I can’t even tolerate House.
I watched Burn Notice for the first time yesterday on the marathon event USA televised. I noticed the lack of deaths too and remarked to the wife the producers went out of the way not to build a show around killing. While a bit cheesy and some of the scenes were kind of improbable I kind of liked the show.
I've been checking out Psych too and that show has been growing on me.
One of the worst networks is WB.
If you’re not a college-aged, trendy, spoiled, self-centered, sex crazed, stuck-up little snob, WB doesn’t want you, apparently. That seems to be the only group their shows are aimed at.
I have episode 3 on my DVR still, so I will give it a look.
Is anybody else relieved that they gave Caffrey a haircut? It needs to be shorter. Please use all your power and influence....
Every time I hear ZZ Topp's "Sharp Dressed Man" I mentally see Jeffrey Donovan in the peach colored shirt.
But with qualifications like those, our last two Democrat administrations would covet you ardently.
P.S.As long as we’re on the subject of lovely women, my main reason for watching NCIS (beside the fact that Mark Harmon is a class act) is just to see what Abby is wearing, if you haven’t seen her done up as Marilyn Monroe you have missed a real pleasure...
My main problem with the USA drama lineup is that they seem to think that Jesus and God need to insulted at least once every episode. Most programs use God irreverently as a matter of course, but now Jesus is specifically targeted as a curse word. Neither is acceptable to me, but “god” has some generality, whereas Jesus is a very specific attack.
For the most part, the shows are relatively clean for this day and age, and I look forward to seeing what’s next. White Collar’s Peter and Elizabeth are one of the best married couple portrayals I’ve seen in a long time.
As the one who posted the article, I have to plead comparative ignorance. I’ve watched most of the episodes of Psych and about a half dozen reruns of Burn Notice, but I haven’t seen the other programs yet. (My wife and I have gravitated more toward this summer’s broadcasts of the Minnesota Twins and the Tour de France.) Guess we’d better get acquainted with the other USA shows.
It was that gleam in her eyes when she asked, “Can we shoot tham?” that had me right there. Forever. That delivery was one for the ages.
Yes, Bruce Campbell is the sidekick.
We’re watching “Monk” on DVD from Netflix, having given up cable many years ago. We’re also watching “Kings,” which seems to have originated on NBC. Very interesting, good cast.
Mr. Monk is our 9-year-old, unfortunately. I couldn’t get him out of the library today until he had the checkers game *perfectly* arrange to a pattern clear only to him.
The exception is Covert Affairs, which shoots in Toronto because—who’d have guessed?—boom town Washington DC is prohibitively expensive.
I think that Tony Shaloub is a brilliant actor. His nuances are subtle, but oh, so perfect. And the writing on that show is excellent.
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