Let's face it, the TV viewing experience isn't what it used to be. With hundreds of channels, competing media (computers, game systems & heaven for bid you go to the movie - more likely you'll rent it) & and the greatest invention (I'll cut my own loaf thank you) TIVO.
Advertisers, the ones footing the bill for the hours of television that you watch, are doing everything they can to keep you watching and try to get you to think about buying their stuff.
This is important to think about. They don't care if you watch the commercials they care about ROI (return on investment) and they are finally figuring out that the landscape has changed (it's still changing but it is currently a very different place from the three network system that reigned for so long).
My blog discusses TV shows because they are still on air (and many are very good) but there are dozens of sites that will give you a recap or synopses. I want to give you a fresh take with a wider scope than most.
So I just watched last week's Life. I'd put spoiler alert in big, bold, all caps but it's a procedural and I hope people are watching but I doubt enough people are watching to save this show, even if it survives the strike.
One quick note on the strike. Get better signs. I saw the news has the cool signs with the space to write your own stuff but the real strikers that I see on the streets have plain signs. Pun it up with, "Make it Write" or "Write is Never Wrong." Something since you're going to rob us of my little pastime.
But back to the main event. Life, the TV show (not the magazine, the cereal or the one you're living) is fun. I like the Zen banter and it's a good procedural. But from the professional standpoint I like their podbusters. Not to pull the curtain back too much I spend part of my day thinking about commercials, promos, snipes and bugs (those things on the bottom of the screen promoting a show or a green tip - the more you know) and lately with the perforation of Tivo's and DVR's into the homes of consumers we have been studying all sorts of ways to keep people through the commercial breaks.
Well, NBC got with Jerry and Ford and made some Bee Movie shorts (they lacked a little development but I guess if you're starved for Jerry) and Fox had some cartoon cab driver but these lacked integration into the program that they were trying to get you to keep watching. Heroes did it right with a Rogue (although when Hayden got all excited about getting the Rogue I was thinking about the old AMC wagon - I guess I'm dating myself). When thinking about podbusting we should be thinking about product placement.
As you might guess I don't get to go to our podbusting brainstorm meetings so I have to vent it hear and hope that my bosses read my blog and like the idea but don't identify it as me.
So this is where Life comes in. It has a great, well-integrated podbuster. Life's thru-story has to do with the setup that sent him to jail for the murder of his partner and his family. So the podbuster has a little tidbit of info on this story arc. And every one has a little call to go to the website for more conspiracy wall insight. Brilliant. But it could be Brilliant but may be cancelled.
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