TV chat with Matthew Gilbert, Dec. 7, 2006

Matthew_Gilbert: Greetings on this spring afternoon. Heh.

ljlkj: When is someone going to pull the plug on ER?
Matthew_Gilbert: Not in the near future. The show has had an unlikely ratings spike, now that Without a Trace is no longer opposite it. NBC is in no position to pull the plug on a strongly rated show, no matter how ... tired it is.

shark_: Hi, Matthew. Do you know if there is another VH1 Surreal Life season planned? If so, do you know who will be the "celebrity" houseguests?
Matthew_Gilbert: Oh Shark. Surely you are posing a rhetorical question in order to point up the absurdity and existential monotony inherent in the current state of reality television. Right? RIGHT?

Toeknee: Hi Matt. Any hopes that "The Nine" will resurface in some fashion? If it doesn't would the creators/writers/producers ever reveal the key events that actually happened in the bank?
Matthew_Gilbert: Good question, T. I'm thinking ABC is going to let go of the show, and run the rest of the filmed episodes online. In which case the creators might well be willing to describe what their plans were. CBS and the creator of Smith did that after the show was cancelled.

frustrated: I was wondering why all the networks seem to run commercials at the same time. It's very frustrating to a channel surfer like me.
Matthew_Gilbert: It's a conspiracy, my friend. ilovejim: Do you watch all your tv during the day or do you also watch at night like th rest of us?
Matthew_Gilbert: I watch day and night, ilj, to do my best to protect you from brainsuck. When I watch live TV at night, though, I usually time it so that I can zap through ads with my Tivo.

Ms__Fit: Why do shows like The Nine and Smith get the boot while shows like...blocked the name of it for some reason...that insipid little Friday night "drama" about ghosts with that insipid brunette get renewed.
Matthew_Gilbert: A good question, Ms., and a complicated one. A show's ability to hold onto the audience from the previous show is an important part of whether or not it survives. So is the cost to make a show -- an expensive series needs more viewers to justify its existence. Plus, "Ghost Whisperer" does attract viewers, despite its abunant insipidity. No accounting for taste.

grover: Studio 60 seemed uneven at first but of late the scripts have been funny, tight and coherant. It's doomed, isn't it.
Matthew_Gilbert: No, it's not doomed, despite the mediocre ratings and its expensive price tag. Studio 60 attracts wealthy viewers, for one thing, and that's always desirable to advertisers. Plus, it's a prestige show that NBC hopes to build slowly. Maybe the network will move it to a more advantageous timeslot. Fingers crossed.

haretoday: No questions, but I wanted to let you know that I find your one sentence descriptions of shows completely hilarious and usually more entertaining than the shows themselves! Thank you for being such an articulate critic as well as a darn good writer!
Matthew_Gilbert: Oops. How did that comment get onto the chat???

smosh: oh, the nine was cancelled? i didn't know that...I'd been saving up episodes for a marathon.
Matthew_Gilbert: ABC, smosh. All But Cancelled. It's not on the air right now, but the network has stopped short of saying it's gone for good.

looseends: I agree with your comments in the Blog that 9 pm is a better time for Lost. My main concern is that we'll no longer be treated to an extra 1, 2, 5, or 10 minutes of the show, because they won't want to run into the local 11 pm newscasts. Or will they?
Matthew_Gilbert: Your concern is valid. The whole move is just too bad as far as I'm concerned. The show will probably lose as many viewers as it would have lost at 9 p.m. opposite American Idol. Harumph.

Greema: Do you think if Grey's Anatomy continues to nurture a romance with Derek and Meredith to the brink of marriage, it will suffer from the "Rhoda Syndrome" and lose its audience enthusiam?
Matthew_Gilbert: "The Rhoda Syndrome"? I SO love that and may have to steal it from you, Greema. Yeah, I do think the show will lose an essential fantasy element if they get too serious. Why don't the writers spend next season moving them into marriage, then conclude the series at their wedding???? Oh, yeah, ad money. That's why.

bt: What is the fate of Friday Night Lights? My husband and I are addicted to it.
Matthew_Gilbert: That's music to my ears, bt. I can't believe Friday Night Lights is as consistently good as it is. The president of NBC entertainment, Kevin Reilly, has already said he is committed to giving FNL a fair chance at survival, and I'm inclined to believe him. I gather the network may move the show (to Weds?) in an effort to find more viewers.

Jim: Might want to call it "The Ross and Rachel Syndrome" for those of us under 60.
Matthew_Gilbert: Well then I guess you didn't see the 2000 TV movie "Mary and Rhoda," did you, huh? Rhoda is timeless.

myboypat: What are your thoughts on Big Day? IMO it's one of the funniest sitcoms I've seen in a long time.
Matthew_Gilbert: I try not to think about Big Day, myboypat. All due respect, but it irks me. I love Wendie Malick, but the show's farces all feel tired to me, like the writers just watched too much "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "Betsy's Wedding" and "Wedding Crashers" etc etc.

mandala: Is there anything new and good on that can save us from reruns?
Matthew_Gilbert: A new season of "Sleeper Cell" starts on Sunday at 9 on Showtime. It's like "The REAL 24." Very tense suspense, but also very enlightening about fanaticism.

kmkmkmkm: I am afraid that shows with complicated storylines will not be possible in the future. I invested time and intrested in both the Nine and Kidnapped. Now they are gone (or going) with any answers to their storylines. I now think twice before getting invested in one of these types of shows. I don't watch Daybreak for this reason. Do the networks realize that they are hurting future shows by cancelling solid programs. I am sure I'm not the only one.
Matthew_Gilbert: The networks are learning that viewers can handle only so many serial dramas. But Heroes is thriving, as are Desperate Housewives, Lost (more or less), Ugly Betty, and Grey's Anatomy. So expect to see more attempts come next season....
Matthew_Gilbert: PS: Have you talked to your therapist about your commitment issues, km?

Ms__Fit: Did you watch the last Prime Suspect (sorry if I missed your review)? I loved that ending when she just puts on her coat and walks out on her own party. Perfect!
Matthew_Gilbert: So, am I to understand that you didn't read my review? (Deep Breath). Anyhow, YES! It was a great finish to a great character. Helen Mirren can do no wrong, as far as I'm concerned. If you haven't seen "Elizabeth I" on HBO, rent it at the video store or get it on demand. It's breathtaking.

car: do you think 24 can continue being compelling next season?
Matthew_Gilbert: 24 surprises me every year. The writers have learned how to build suspense despite all kinds of crazy absurdity and illogic. Pam_Besley: What direction do you see the writing taking with Pam & Jim & Karen in the Office? Which I love!!!
Matthew_Gilbert: Clearly, you are on Team Pam. I'm hoping the writers will continue to keep the romantic stuff low-key. To me, that understatement makes the Jim-Pam material more powerful. Have you seen the great British version of the series? The Jim-Pam-equivalent was extremely subtle, and better for it.

emmet: How come Scrubs gets ignored come awards show time?
Matthew_Gilbert: It has been nominated two or three times. Which is pathetic. It has one of the best comedy ensembles on TV, and the writing and editing are hyper-imaginative and original. It deserves as much if not more recognition than Will & Grace. I wonder if voters find it too hip and young, particularly with all the surrealism? Dunno.

smosh: yay tv chat is back!
Matthew_Gilbert: Yay! You're back too!

chikt: How do you compare the Networks vs. Cable (FX, USA, HBO, Showtime, etc.) Do you see a trend toward better shows on the Cable outlets vs. Network TV? I certainly do, I find that I'm more hooked on shows like Dexter, Deadwood, Weeds, and Nip/Tuck. Also where do you see the new CW going?
Matthew_Gilbert: I gotta say, chikt, I feel like the networks vs. cable competition has made everyone work harder to come up with better shows. I too love Dexter, the Closer, Nip/Tuck, etc, but I'm also impressed by the quality of more mainstream network shows like Friday Night Lights and The Office and Earl and Heroes. Now the CW, I don't see it going anywhere very special. Those folks need to have a good long meeting in the near future.

Jim: In the British version, Tim and Dawn get together until she goes to LA to write for Studio 60. Too bad, they made a great couple.
Matthew_Gilbert: Very clever, J. I love that bit of casting on Studio 60! (The actress who played the Pam character on the British Office is now on Studio 60).

LAH: Do we know when Rome is coming back to HBO?
Matthew_Gilbert: Yes, in January. Enjoy; it will be the series final season. (sob).

jkstraw: Is it a prerequisite for everyone on ?Brothers & Sisters? at some point in the show, to sit at a table and drink wine?
Matthew_Gilbert: Not sure about the table, jstrawfromwitchitaw. But the WHINE is required.
Matthew_Gilbert: PS: Thanks a lot for reminding me of Sally Field and Calista Flockhart overacting together. It was going to be a nice day.

Swayer: Heros, I'm addicted - why are studios following the Lost, 24, no rerun rules! I want no break, I fear the break will water down the audience
Matthew_Gilbert: I hear you, sway. But reruns can erode an audience, too. If the show is well-done, viewers will return. They wait plenty for the good stuff on cable, right? Just get through the holidays and you'll be fine.

shortstop: Glad someone else mentioned Friday Night Lights... I'm totally hooked. But do you think it survive past this year ... some of the cast has to graduate, right?
Matthew_Gilbert: Tell everyone you know about FNL. If it can gain momentum this spring, it could survive. Remember, clear eyes, full hearts, many viewers, can't lose!

jkstraw: Wow...Only 5-6 episodes into the show and "Sunset Strip" is impregnating one of its main characters. Is that an admission that the White House has more storylines than a TV studio?
Matthew_Gilbert: It's an admission that Amanda Peet got knocked up and Sorkin decided to write it into the script.

Ms__Fit: Do you think Nip/Tuck can survive with Christian turning into the "good" guy? Where do you see that going?
Matthew_Gilbert: Nip/Tuck, it seems, can survive any plot twist. The gooding up, and then badding down, of Christian and Sean has been a staple of the series since it started. By the way, Rose O'Donnell may join the cast next season as the rich white track lottery winner. She'd own the surgery business.

jkstraw: How did "Smith" become "Alias Smith..." so fast?
Matthew_Gilbert: Jkstraw, you've got me. Give us all the answer to your riddle.

squirty: TIVO doesn't show any upcoming episodes for Studio 60. Will there be more?
Matthew_Gilbert: Yes, there will be more. THing is, the holidays are going to get in the way of everything for the rest of the month. Hold on tight and rent It's A Wonderful Life or something.
Matthew_Gilbert: Well, no word from jkstraw about his riddle. And it's one, which is the time for me to bid farewell. See you next time and thanks. MG