March 25 2009
TV: What Are You Watching?
posted by Ana Samways at 10:37 am
In Case Of Vampire, Snap Here: An ad for Prime’s True Blood, by DraftFCB, Auckland has gone viral on the web
After watching the first episode of True Blood on Prime, I realised most of my appointment viewing is on the little channel that could. Not only did Prime TV score Flight of the Conchords (TVNZ could hardly screen it after turning the duo down for their own show) they have the subtle masterpiece Mad Men and the brilliant new season of Weeds.
Other than going to C4 for 30 Rock and nipping across to the other networks for news and Coronation Street, my viewing pleasure is mostly on Prime.
The deeper pockets of the big networks don’t have much to inspire in their prime time line-ups. When compared, doesn’t their schedule seems a bit old hat?
TV One’s fascist reality TV trifecta on Monday — Coastwatch, Border Patrol and Cops with Cameras — is all very same-same. On Tuesday, Real Crime – Beyond the Darklands, with understated recreations of the terrible childhoods of real New Zealand criminals, is ironically a bright spot in the week. Mid-week, Cold Case is resurrected and along with Criminal Minds it’s so terribly formulaic and predictable you don’t even need to watch beyond the first 10 minutes to know how it’ll all pan out.
Over on TV2, the female demographic has been grossly underestimated with a schedule packed full of franchises which are nearing the end of their shelf life — Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy (and that dire spin off Private Practice) and the overblown Brothers and Sisters. Lost is a keeper, but any true-blue fan has probably seen it on their other screen.
Over on TV3 things aren’t much better. Although New Zealand’s Top Model looks promising — a former junkie admits to shooting up four times a day and racial tension is skilfully edited in. They proudly cling to the CSI brand which is a dead-in-the-water franchise and then there’s House — a recycled Quincy ME and arguably the worst show on television. Hugh Laurie is a one trick pony and that trick’s getting really old. The best dramas have great ensemble casts. Underbelly: The Mr Asia Story is a ripper, but like Lost … die-hard fans won’t wait to see it. And Californication, with David Duchovny playing a horny old smart arse is no X Files.
That’s how I spend my non-computer screen time … how about you? Did I miss any good shows? Or any awful ones? What do you make of what’s on offer on New Zealand TV? How will it all change with the Charter going west?
Here’s a great Law & Order (formerly on TV3) parody, called “Chicken Detectives”.
March 26th, 2009 at 8:43 am
Totally agree re Prime TV, especially ‘Mad Men’. As a former pilot I also enjoyed ‘Mayday’ (and similar air crash investigation documentaries), and of course Top Gear. When I feel like laxing out, ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’ is still a good option.
Excluding ‘Darklands’, ‘Grand Designs’ and ‘Boston Legal’, it’s my default channel of choice. Five years ago I couldn’t have imagined this being the case.
March 26th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Having said all of that ‘Prime News’ remains a waste of space.
March 26th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Just to be a cynical little so-and-so, isn’t ‘the little channel that could’ owned by Sky? Hardly a little channel… as for TV watching, I do all my by way of DVD…
March 26th, 2009 at 10:39 am
A lot of C4 for me – “The Daily Show”, “South Park”, “30 Rock”, new eps of “Family Guy” too, and new eps of “The Simpsons” on 3.
TVNZ 7 has a few things too – “World News with Charles Gibson” is my nightly news, and – depending on the topic – “Media 7″, and “This Week with George Stephanopolous”.
March 26th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Yeah, having TVNZ 7 on Sky will be great for viewers and programme makers alike.
March 29th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
It is obvious that Prime is a ‘Free to air’ TV station owned by a pay TV parent.
Why else would every other large-scale FTA channel subscribe to Satellite & Terrestial transmission, while Prime remains analogue terrestial, and encrypted digital by satellite.
There are programmes I would probably watch on Prime, but as I now mainly view all my TV through my terrestial Set-top-box, I don’t see Prime in my EPG, or while I’m ’surfing’ the channels.
It would be great if there was a law requiring all national FTA broadcasters to supply their programming to Freeview.
All I can assume is that Sky keep it this way to try & entice people to Sky. Sorry guys, but the reverse is happening with me, and quite a lot of my friends who can’t justify the cost of Sky.
So Prime is becoming less & less of our ‘usual’, and now very rarely viewed.
March 30th, 2009 at 6:47 am
And Antiques Roadshow,Black Books and The Dog Whisperer. But as for Millionaire, it’s all repeats – well, for that matter so is Black Books.
Coro St, Boston Legal, Underbelly, Spooks (now that Rush is finished). But there is such a preponderance of blood-and-guts violent rubbish, mostly American, sometimes even watching those last two makes me slightly uncomfortable. Oh please, someone bring back Green Wing!
March 30th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Prime doesn’t really feature with me for the same reasons as Sean. It’s not on Freeview, so other than Top Gear, it just doesn’t cross my mind (& the quality is hard to put up with after Freeview). It does also seem that we’re in the middle of a bit of a programming drought.