Placing the Must See back in NBC.

Placing The Must See Back in NBC.

Conan Joked about the Glory day’s of NBC on the Emmy’s. Days when Seinfeld, Frasier and Friends were keeping NBC profitable. But ever since TiVo replaced sitcoms with week to week Drams, NBC has fallen short.

Fox has 24 and The OC, ABC has Lost and Desperate Housewives, CBS has several versions of CSI. But as far as good dramas on NBC, well, I never watched any of the several Law and Orders, and never did get into The West Wing. I guess a lot of other people didn’t watch either judging on them being ranked lowest of the top 5 stations, last year.

So NBC decided this year, they are changing the game. First of all there are tons of shows coming out on other networks, but do we really know what they are? It may just be me but NBC has really pushed the marketing campaign this year to build hype for there almost entirely new season.

Here is what NBC Plans to Deliver.

Heroes

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

30 Rock

Kidnapped

Friday Night lights

20 Good Years.

I have been privileged to preview 3 Titles of the ones above. I would like to do a quick preview and make my prediction for NBC this year.

Kidnapped…

I have to say I got this preview courtesy of Netflix along with Studio 60. I didn’t care for Studio 60 but hey it was on the DVD as well, I was incredibly excited about Kidnapped. So much so I ran to Radio Shack (My Current Second Place of Employment) to get a Universal DVD remote. I couldn’t wait till Sunday for the church to open back up. (I left my DVD Remote at Church because I haul my DVD player back and forth to show DVD’s for bible study for my youth group….anyways)

Clearly taking the queues from Fox’s Prison break, kidnapped is the story of a high ranking government official who has his son stolen, Instead of using the conventional FBI the father hires a sort of hit man who conveniently specializes in returning stolen kids..

Well that is about it. The preview doesn’t give us any more information then that, and at the end of the Pilot we are left asking if we really want to continue with another episode. Now supposedly I get the idea that the Son is incredibly smart and will actually free him self. But that’s not real clear yet.

In all honestly it left me bored. It wasn’t exciting, nor did it have the rush of 24 or prison break. It left you empty in a way that didn’t leave you asking for more. Disappointed I decided to fill my empty holes by watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Ok, so it didn’t go so well for Joey. After being pushed and pushed NBC finally decided to cancel the spin-off leaving the first Friends cast member’s, after friends attempt at television a, failure. It was beginning to have the famed Seinfeld Curse that Julia Louise Dreyfus just broke.

Then the creators of the West Wing hired Matthew Perry to do Studio 60…

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is NBC’s First joke of themselves. Studio 60 is about two writers who get a job writing for the failing “Friday Night in Hollywood� the National Broadcasting System’s wannabe Saturday Night Live. That’s right I said National Broadcast System or NBS. In this make believe world, there is ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and oh yea the NBS.

NBS hires a new female president played by Amanda Peet who has just come from get this, An amazing ratings success at NBC. I couldn’t make that up if I tried. Her first day on the Job starts off when an elder writer for “Friday night…� interrupts a live taping and goes on a rant about how corrupt corporate broadcasting is.

Amanda Peet decides to make the NBS look good, by hiring two incredibly talented writers, who well hate the NBS and have had several bad past experiences. I really want to get into the plot more, because let me just say there is literally Christian meaning in here, Christianity happens to be the focus of one of the main characters, but I don’t want to give anything away. I will do a full review once Studio 60 is out, and people already know the basics of it.

Let me just start off by saying, this show disappointed me tremendously. Not because of the bad writing, or poor actors. It didn’t have any of that. I was disappointed because I have to wait till October for the entire show to come out so I can see the next episode.

I think the reason I like it so much is because it gives me such an inside view of where I want to be. Transplant Ministries is (ww.transplantministries.com) is the passion of my soul right now. Creating quality Christian Television and eliminate the crappy televangelist scum from the face of God’s planet.. So anyway it’s like Studio 60 is my internship.

It is very West Wing. It is Very Good. NBC should be proud of there competitor the NBS. It’s not exciting to watch, it’s not edgy or raw. It is just good screenwriting, and it is fun to watch. They didn’t leave anything out, you have the cast of the show, the production staff, the president and board, even actual guests which happened to be Felicity Huffman and Three Six Mafia.

The studio like the White House is very busy, with a lot going on. I love it.

I am glad this came with the Kidnapped DVD, it really made my day. This is the show that will be left long after Kidnapped is cancelled, and quite possibly the head Emmy winner next year. (That is if 24 just randomly disappears of the face of the earth)

Heroes.

Unless you have been living under a rock lately you probably know by now that NBC is going to have a Lost like show called Heroes.

Heroes is the story of several people, who have gained Super Hero Powers. Like X-Men, actually a lot like X-Men the whole bogus Evolution line is in there as well. Millions of years, through evolution blah blah blah. Besides the obvious origins difference I have with the show, this show is really quite good.

And you will hear that it is like unbreakable, you will hear it is like X-Men but in the words of my brother “How many new ways are there to make super heroes�

This show is like Lost. Not because people are stranded or there are secret magical numbers, but because it has that many many mysteries feel to it. If you havnt watched Lost you will know that it keeps you hooked because it has several different plots and story lines only a few get attention every week, so you are literally starving for answers. Heroes has lost written all over it.

It is just intriguing. I love Super Heroes. They are awesome. They remind me of Old Testament bible characters. I cant get enough of them. Just watch Heroes, I don’t think you will be incredibly disappointed.

30 Rock

Next, we have 30 Rock which I have not seen but I know that it is like ‘The Office� but is jokes NBC. This is the Second Joke of NBC, except unlike Studio 60 who makes fun of a fake studio. 30 Rock makes fun of NBC. That’s right, themselves.

30 Rock stars several Saturday Night Live cast members Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, alongside of Alec Baldwin, who might as well be considered a Saturday Night Live Cast member. He has his Own Best of SNL DVD anyway.

I haven’t seen it yet, I am hoping the release a preview. I cannot wait. It looks a mixture of Arrested Development and The Office. So Right on NBC, keep it up.

Friday Night Lights.

Finally there is Friday Night Lights based off of the movie which as based off of the book which is based off the true story of a football team in Texas. I have to say I do not know how this is gonna end up, I want to watch it I can’t wait to see it. It is directed by the same people that made the movie. So it can’t be that terrible can it. I mean it’s about Football…

NFL on NBC

Not much to say here, It has been said a station without NFL coverage is a station that has no future. SO now the four major networks has some sort of football coverage (ABC still does it’s just technically on ESPN which is technically the same thing.) So that was just an obvious move on NBC’s part. Granted Ratings. Which also means people are guraneteed to see the previews of your shows during the commercials.

So we have a winner NBC. Keep up the good work and thanks for giving me no reason to do anything after work but watch TV.