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The Undercovers - JJ Abrams's Directing, NBC Cancelling

Lady EriLady Eri Registered User regular
edited January 2010 in Debate and/or Discourse
The Undercovers plays a bit like Burn Notice meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith. About a couple re-entering the espioniage world in less than ideal circumstances.

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/12/17/scoop-soul-food-spies-undercovers-gig/

http://screenrant.com/jj-abrams-undercovers-nbc-scottm-40994/

So this show just ended up on NBC after a bidding war, and I have very high hopes for it. However, I also hate NBC after the debacle of Kings. So if we want this high-concept, presumably well-directed, and hopefully good show to survive we are going to have to take pre-emptive action. Or it will end up premiering on Saturdays at 4am in the morning, and then NBC will move it to Fridays at 6am to burn off the rest of the episodes. Trust me, it will happen.

We don't have a premier date yet, but once we get times everyone needs to committ to three episodes, and we need to bring in friends on this. I doubt anyone here is a Nielsen household, but apparently the only way to reach Nielsen households is word of mouth. Hey it might suck, but it probably won't, and we need to be prepared. Three episodes, and bring a friend. Thats all I ask. Please don't ruin this for me.

Lady Eri on

Posts

  • fmz65fmz65 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Too late, I'm going to trash talk this series before it even hits the ground.

    I keed, I keed, I will do nothing to help or hurt!

    fmz65 on
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  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Man, between Alias, Lost, and Fringe Abrams hasn't proven he knows how to actually finish a show...his main schtick seems to be "keep the audience confused enough and they'll tune in week after week."

    Well, that and "just throw a team of writers in a room flinging shit at the wall, and see what sticks."
    I'm totally going to watch this anyway.

    mcdermott on
  • Lady EriLady Eri Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Well Abrams isn't getting any worse, which means he must be getting better?

    Lady Eri on
  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Lady Eri wrote: »
    Well Abrams isn't getting any worse, which means he must be getting better?

    Naw, he's just got the game figured out.

    Just jump the shark in the second or third episode, and never come back down.

    Supernatural semi-spoiler in that link, BTW.

    mcdermott on
  • Premier kakosPremier kakos Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited January 2010
    I got even odds that this show involves time travel. I mean, he somehow put time travel in Felicity; JJ Abrams can put time travel into anything.

    Premier kakos on
  • UnbreakableVowUnbreakableVow Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Man, between Alias, Lost, and Fringe Abrams hasn't proven he knows how to actually finish a show...his main schtick seems to be "keep the audience confused enough and they'll tune in week after week."

    Well, that and "just throw a team of writers in a room flinging shit at the wall, and see what sticks."
    I'm totally going to watch this anyway.

    Except this isn't the case with Lost at all so yeah

    UnbreakableVow on
  • Alistair HuttonAlistair Hutton Dr EdinburghRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Man, between Alias, Lost, and Fringe Abrams hasn't proven he knows how to actually finish a show...his main schtick seems to be "keep the audience confused enough and they'll tune in week after week."

    Well, that and "just throw a team of writers in a room flinging shit at the wall, and see what sticks."
    I'm totally going to watch this anyway.

    Except this isn't the case with Lost at all so yeah

    Have they explained why Ethan Rom lost his super strength yet?

    Alistair Hutton on
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  • SyphonBlueSyphonBlue The studying beaver That beaver sure loves studying!Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Man, between Alias, Lost, and Fringe Abrams hasn't proven he knows how to actually finish a show...his main schtick seems to be "keep the audience confused enough and they'll tune in week after week."

    Well, that and "just throw a team of writers in a room flinging shit at the wall, and see what sticks."
    I'm totally going to watch this anyway.

    Except this isn't the case with Lost at all so yeah

    Have they explained why Ethan Rom lost his super strength yet?

    Really? Out of allllllll the mysteries on the show, you're going to pull that one out of your ass to prove your "point"?

    SyphonBlue on
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  • Alistair HuttonAlistair Hutton Dr EdinburghRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    SyphonBlue wrote: »
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Man, between Alias, Lost, and Fringe Abrams hasn't proven he knows how to actually finish a show...his main schtick seems to be "keep the audience confused enough and they'll tune in week after week."

    Well, that and "just throw a team of writers in a room flinging shit at the wall, and see what sticks."
    I'm totally going to watch this anyway.

    Except this isn't the case with Lost at all so yeah

    Have they explained why Ethan Rom lost his super strength yet?

    Really? Out of allllllll the mysteries on the show, you're going to pull that one out of your ass to prove your "point"?

    Yes, it was the first moment of bad writing in the show. Super strong character suddenly becomes not super strong for no reason other than to have main characters capture him. If an explanation goes with it then that's just a mystery with a delayed answer. If there's no explanation then "A wizard did it". And wizard's suck. And by wizard I mean lazy writers.

    Alistair Hutton on
    I have a thoughtful and infrequently updated blog about games http://whatithinkaboutwhenithinkaboutgames.wordpress.com/

    I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.

    Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
  • tallgeezetallgeeze Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    So JJ has found his female lead for the show. I always like JJ's projects, so I have hope for this. After NBC cancelled Life I gave up on NBC in the drama department.

    I'm a fan of the Doctor Who and Spooks, but I don't recognize her.

    Edit: oh, it's Martha's sister. She looks really different in that article

    tallgeeze on
  • OlivawOlivaw good name, isn't it? the foot of mt fujiRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I am unconvinced Abrams knows how to properly end a show, but after watching Star Trek, Fringe, and most of the first season of Lost I am convinced he knows how to fucking direct some shit

    Might not be the best writer but he knows how to frame a shot, how to edit a sequence, and how to pace a story, that's for damn sure

    Olivaw on
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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited January 2010
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Man, between Alias, Lost, and Fringe Abrams hasn't proven he knows how to actually finish a show...his main schtick seems to be "keep the audience confused enough and they'll tune in week after week."

    Well, that and "just throw a team of writers in a room flinging shit at the wall, and see what sticks."
    I'm totally going to watch this anyway.

    Except this isn't the case with Lost at all so yeah

    Go back to season 3, and try saying that with a straight face. They only know where they're going now, because ABC sat them down three years ago, told them to get their shit together and find an ending.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • syndalissyndalis Getting Classy On the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Products regular
    edited January 2010
    Go back to season 3, and try saying that with a straight face. They only know where they're going now, because NBC sat them down three years ago, told them to get their shit together and find an ending.
    Don't buy that at all; pretty sure ABC wants lost to never ever end, and actually stretched the show out one season longer than wanted by the team... and now wants to make a "Lo2t" sequel/spinoff thing, with or without JJ.

    syndalis on
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  • Kipling217Kipling217 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Man, between Alias, Lost, and Fringe Abrams hasn't proven he knows how to actually finish a show...his main schtick seems to be "keep the audience confused enough and they'll tune in week after week."

    Well, that and "just throw a team of writers in a room flinging shit at the wall, and see what sticks."
    I'm totally going to watch this anyway.

    Except this isn't the case with Lost at all so yeah

    Go back to season 3, and try saying that with a straight face. They only know where they're going now, because ABC sat them down three years ago, told them to get their shit together and find an ending.

    Specificly look at the first 7 episodes of Season 3. They where brodcast in the autumn in a special batch. They sucked so bad the suits stepped in an gave them an ultimatum: "Start giving answers or else"!

    Its amazing how much Lost improved after this.

    Kipling217 on
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  • SyphonBlueSyphonBlue The studying beaver That beaver sure loves studying!Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Man, between Alias, Lost, and Fringe Abrams hasn't proven he knows how to actually finish a show...his main schtick seems to be "keep the audience confused enough and they'll tune in week after week."

    Well, that and "just throw a team of writers in a room flinging shit at the wall, and see what sticks."
    I'm totally going to watch this anyway.

    Except this isn't the case with Lost at all so yeah

    Go back to season 3, and try saying that with a straight face. They only know where they're going now, because ABC sat them down three years ago, told them to get their shit together and find an ending.

    Uhh...actually, it's the exact opposite. ABC wanted them to run it forever, the producers/writers then went to ABC and told them they wanted an end date or they were going to write more shit like Stranger in a Strange Land. ABC acquiesced.

    SyphonBlue on
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  • SyphonBlueSyphonBlue The studying beaver That beaver sure loves studying!Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Kipling217 wrote: »
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Man, between Alias, Lost, and Fringe Abrams hasn't proven he knows how to actually finish a show...his main schtick seems to be "keep the audience confused enough and they'll tune in week after week."

    Well, that and "just throw a team of writers in a room flinging shit at the wall, and see what sticks."
    I'm totally going to watch this anyway.

    Except this isn't the case with Lost at all so yeah

    Go back to season 3, and try saying that with a straight face. They only know where they're going now, because ABC sat them down three years ago, told them to get their shit together and find an ending.

    Specificly look at the first 7 episodes of Season 3. They where brodcast in the autumn in a special batch. They sucked so bad the suits stepped in an gave them an ultimatum: "Start giving answers or else"!

    Its amazing how much Lost improved after this.

    No, they didn't. THEY stepped up to the suits and demanded an end date.

    SyphonBlue on
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  • shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    SyphonBlue wrote: »
    No, they didn't. THEY stepped up to the suits and demanded an end date.

    Seriously. You people need to get your facts straight.

    ABC outright told them "If you try to end the series, we will just hire new writers to continue making episodes".

    The Writers/Producers/etc finally got ABC to acquiesce though and give them and end date so they wouldn't have to keep spinning their wheels.

    shryke on
  • OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I'm pretty sick of Abrams. If he hires a really great showrunner and just shows up every now and then to direct an episode, maybe I'll watch this. If he's intent on writing it himself, fuck it, it's not worth the disappointment when it "jumps the shark"; based on prior experience, it should take about two seasons for everyone to realize that he never knew what he was doing in the first place.

    OremLK on
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  • OlivawOlivaw good name, isn't it? the foot of mt fujiRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    OremLK wrote: »
    I'm pretty sick of Abrams. If he hires a really great showrunner and just shows up every now and then to direct an episode, maybe I'll watch this. If he's intent on writing it himself, fuck it, it's not worth the disappointment when it "jumps the shark"; based on prior experience, it should take about two seasons for everyone to realize that he never knew what he was doing in the first place.

    Lots of people have been telling me that Lost has been wrapping itself up really nicely

    I didn't watch Alias

    And Fringe was going somewhere last time I watched

    Olivaw on
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  • SenjutsuSenjutsu thot enthusiast Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Alias was pretty coherent

    Senjutsu on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited January 2010
    Senjutsu wrote: »
    Alias was pretty coherent

    And stupid. Literally everybody on that show ended up being double, and even triple agents. It was fucking absurd. I gave up midway through the third season. When I heard her boyfriend/romantic interest ended up being a double-agent, I knew I made the right choice.

    Bionic Monkey on
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