The Morning After: Any Port in a Storm

I'm sticking with Kings, I find the alternative world/history/timeline thing fascinating, and although the dialogue can be a bit forced, Ian McShane is fantastic on this show and he makes it worth watching.

@James - It seems a show like this would benefit from a "Lost" type commitment from the network (i.e. we're commiting to x number of episodes and a complete story arc) that way people are more inclined to tune in b/c they know they won't get hosed if the show is cancelled. Is there any movement towards this in the industry? It seems like Kings is burning through plotlines really quickly in order to keep things intense and get ratings, but I wonder if they'll be left with anything for later seasons if they get that far. It would be interesting if a network came along and picked a show like this up initially and just committed to 50 episodes over 2-3 seasons and made it almost like a super duper miniseries

ok 50 sounds like a lot, maybe 30 is a more reasonable number...

I am sticking with Kings. This episode felt too plot heavy. The new Leslie Bibb character as Rupert Murdoch with heels could be good, but I have doubts. I cannot see her and Silas having an affair, and I hope it stays that way.

Dollhouse is 1 and 7. They are blatently playing the low expectations game. I once heard a definition of a page-turner as there being nothing on the page (so you keep turning to get to something) and Dollhouse fits this bill. We keep waiting for a new idea, better developed characters, and plots that don't make you ask practical questions like "If Sierra confronted her man, wouldn't she, per the sedative program, fall asleep then, and not until Victor redeemed himself?" and "If they don't know who they are, have lost all their memories, how can their unresolved trauma take complete hold of their brains, rather thanm say, a desire for a cheeseburger?"

This identity inoculation the actives went through was a clunky way of providing backstories which, since the premise of the show requires a glitch in them every episode, was pretty meaningless. They will have the same problems next week. I also did not care a whit about Chesty Neighbor's (thanks, Lev) trauma. The difference between this show and the fun Fringe, besides being better conceived, written and executed, is one of degree of self-importance: Fringe has a guy turning into a giant hedgehog while Dollhouse reenacts Plato's Allegory of the Cave with prostitutes.
I keep waiting for this revered god, Whedon to amaze and so far he hasn't.

@sulliclm - The trouble with picking up a show initially for 30 episodes: what if it's bad? Yeah, there are plenty of good shows that just don't get a shot, but what if they had agreed to 3 full seasons of the Knight Rider remake, convinced that it was just that good, despite what ratings it would have gotten from the start?

i'm sticking with kings for as long as they'll air it.

I am with rosseau in regards to Dollhouse, though I didn't actually watch eps 3-5, 'cause Whedon said I didn't have to.
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With the ratings being what they are, and Terminator likely getting the axe, Dollhouse likely has only 5 episodes left. Can we please get to the part of the show with engaging plots, or character developments that last for more then 30 seconds, or revelations or *something*.

@Dave: Yeah I agree it can be hard to make that kind of commitment up front to a show, which is why i'm sure no one does it. Although I don't think anyone thought Knight Rider was going to be good did they? I'm thinking more about serials that likely to be lower rated but still quality shows...
The other thought it gives me is whether or they'd do a slimmer version, a quick one season serial, essentially a long miniseries that they commit to showing and it has a plot arc that has an "end". Then if the show does well they can figure out a way to bring it back...

I'm sticking with Kings as long as it remains on the air. Kings certainly doesn't execute everything as well as it should, but there is no doubt it is different than everything else on the air at the moment. And there is no chance this will be back next year, so my vigil will not be lengthy anyway.
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Actually, it is surprising just how many middling-rated shows there are this year that are intriguing (but not awesome) and doomed; between Reaper, Dollhouse, Kings, Pushing Daisies, and possibly Chuck, ratings failures have never been more interesting...

Tom brings up an interesting point: considering what's happening to network TV, are we going to see some of these ratings failures that have loyal audiences get renewed on the premise of, "Well, at least we won't have to pay to find something new."?
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It's so depressing for me to watch Chuck and think how awesome the last few episodes have been, then see that they're the three worst-rated episodes in the show's run. Maybe I'm just being stupidly optimistic, but maybe they'll pick up Chuck for a third season and resolve it nicely for us.

I'm enjoying Kings more and more. I know it won't be picked up, but I'll stick with it.

I loved all but the last 5 minutes of Dollhouse. Ah well. Still really enjoy that show, and have convinced myself there is a 50-50 shot it comes back, which is much more optimistic than I've been.

KINGS would have worked as a miniseries IMO. It would have had more buyin from people had they made it a miniseries and given an end-date. Then, if it picked up a substantial audience, they could make it a show. I actually don't know why they don't do that more: 13 episode miniseries with the possibility of creating a show around these movies. They could brand the miniseries w/a corporate sponsor and build the sponsor up throughout the run and it would be cheaper and a good way of testing product.

I am really trying to stick with it. It continues to make it more difficult every episode. With every misstep, the story: While I understand not everyone is as familar as I am with the biblical story they have taken too much liberties in adapting it to the modern era. Thye almost lost me at the great fight between "David" and Goliath. While I am not one to force direct translation, some creative licencing is encouraged, but that was a pathetic concept. While difficult to conceptualize a mixture of the ancient and modern would be nice. The philistines in the Bible are found by scholors and archelogists to be from the one of the greek isles and so the challenge of man to man combat to weight an entire battle on the victory of that single combat was not unknown or uncommon and to bring that to the modern would have be visceral and fantastic. A dual between the two greatest solders.

Then there is the dialouge, taking what is said in the story and trying to seek it into NBC's story as if the line of dialouge belongs there. But the lines just fall flat. What was meant to punch and meaning is proven to be haphazardly placed, proving that NBC had a story and then attempted to incorporate the Biblical story of David and Co. as if it was its plan all along. It seems more and more that its not, because I am seeing less and less of the story or any themes if any.

Mythology. The world that the story takes place in should be intreguing and mysterious, foregin. but it doesnt. They introduce characters, like the imprisoned brother/brother in law, I dont remember, as if we know the depth and weight of the past, It doesnt resonate dispite great performance between both actors in the scene. The substance of the world is missing. I can only assume that they are trying to do what no show has done successfully save one, which is Lost, add so much mystery, hidden meaning-though I see none, confussion and questions that bring fans back.

But I am toughing it out. Ian McShane is the show. If it wasnt for him I think that the majority that are sticking it through would have giving up on the show long ago.

I will say this, as what has been said already, if the writers and producers mapped out the entire story arc they may have been able to save it. How "David" ends up on the run from "Saul", lives with his enemies to hide, going to war, etc... It could have been interesting show. Oh and the whole annointing of the King, flat, please, While reverand should be more pivital character he is given lines that are from the story but robbed of their meaning because perhaps the network doesnt want to sound or appear too religious or Jewish, or Christian. And in on top of that a writer/producer called it a Christian story in an interview. I was insulted. I am a Christian but it is just a Jewish story as it is a Christian if not more so considering it takes place in and to Israel.

In regards to my previous comment:
In what should be a surprise to no one who has seen the ratings, NBC has exiled Kings to Saturdays at 8pm after their next episode.
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Speaking of Saturday cast-offs, ABC announced that the last three Pushing Daisies would air starting on Saturday May 30th at 10pm.
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And Fox has pushed back the start of Mental by one week, meaning that all the Dollhouses will air in their usual slot (minus one or two pre-emptions for Prison Break) - no DVD-only shenanigans here either.
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Any other ratings cellar scheduling news I missed?

I'm really enjoying Kings and I will stick with it till the end. I did, however, know from the very first episode that this was immediately going to get the axe. It just doesn't make sense for network TV, although I do appreciate them for making the effort. I was also glad to hear that they had already shot all 13 eps when Ian McShane was on The Daily Show. That made me breath a sigh of relief that I would actually get to see the rest.