There are articles about Arrested Development in magazines all the time and it's got a great timeslot on Fox's schedule -- why do supporters of the show think that the show is failing because of a lack of exposure? Isn't it possible that a lot of people just don't find it entertaining?
I think a lot of it is the fact that it's a very "dense text"; it demands a lot more attention than the average half-hour sitcom, kind of like Futurama did. There are a lot of in-jokes, callbacks, and other references, both internal and external, in each episode.
Although I do think mgrasso's points are very true (it's too intelligent a show to ever please the sort of mentality that thought that Everybody Loved Raymond was the apotheosis of good comedy), it was up against Desperate Housewives last year and Law and Order: SVU and Alias during its debut season. I'm not sure that was all that great a slot.
None of those three shows are targeting the same demographics as Arrested Development, so I find that excuse lacking -- there are no completely vulnerable timeslots. And I think the show tries too hard to be "intelligent" and ends up being dull and condescending to most viewers.
Honestly it IS too intelligent for a mass audience proven to like their jokes obvious, their punchlines prolific, and their plots uncomplicate.
However - The Office seemed to pick up some steam, and it's the same type of deadpan tongue-in-cheek humor - so maybe there's hope and maybe audiences are starting to get it?
I've never seen the show. And I never got the big deal over Charlize Theron. She's just not very attractive to me. She just...doesn't look interesting. I see Charlize Theron and my mind sees "generic actress." I don't really know why.
Some friends of mine believe that Charlize Theron and Ashley Judd look alike. I love Ashley Judd, and I disagree that they are at all alike. And they tried to prove it by pulling up pictures of her from the web, but could not find any picture in which she looked like Ashley. I don't know what that means but I thought I'd throw it in there.
I've never been overwhelmed by Theron either, but if it brings new fans, I'll be happy enough. I suspect that a big problem I have with Theron is that she's done very little truly interesting work. I haven't seen Monster, and almost everything else she's done has been mediocre at best.
You know, you're probably right. I don't think much of her because I haven't seen her in anything exciting. I've actually only seen her in _Devil's Advocate_ where the only thing I remember is her crawling on the floor after her uterus had fallen out. I still haven't decided if I want to see in _Aeon Flux_. I never cared for the show.
By the way, is there any chance you might have those books we discussed a while back at the con?
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(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-30 03:26 pm (UTC)::jumps over shark::
(Nah, just kidding, really; I just can't resist using that line. :D)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-30 03:37 pm (UTC)chickens don't clap! chickens don't clap!
Date: 2005-08-30 03:38 pm (UTC)I miss that show terribly right now. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-30 05:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-30 05:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-30 06:07 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-30 05:54 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-30 06:06 pm (UTC)Intelligent shows that go by the wayside
Date: 2005-08-30 10:09 pm (UTC)However - The Office seemed to pick up some steam, and it's the same type of deadpan tongue-in-cheek humor - so maybe there's hope and maybe audiences are starting to get it?
(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-30 06:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-30 06:28 pm (UTC)Some friends of mine believe that Charlize Theron and Ashley Judd look alike. I love Ashley Judd, and I disagree that they are at all alike. And they tried to prove it by pulling up pictures of her from the web, but could not find any picture in which she looked like Ashley. I don't know what that means but I thought I'd throw it in there.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-31 12:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-01 01:04 am (UTC)By the way, is there any chance you might have those books we discussed a while back at the con?
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-01 01:38 pm (UTC)I've got the package sitting by my desk (and yeah, I really really suck).
But we're not going to D*con! :-(
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-01 01:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-02 09:51 pm (UTC)