Grantland's Andy Greenwald on AMC's future

Bradley Guire · Oct 21, 2013

I tried "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad." I just couldn't get into either show.

Dick Whitman · Oct 21, 2013

I'm surprised someone would have a hard time getting into "Breaking Bad." For a prestige show, it's incredibly entertaining and easy to follow, from episode 1. I get why people bail on "The Wire" and "Mad Men" and "Boardwalk Empire."

Alma's criticism that "Mad Men" is boring is interesting. The most valid criticism of the show, I believe, is that it is actually just a really nice-looking daytime soap.

Versatile · Oct 21, 2013

Breaking Bad seemed to lose people in the first half of Season 2.

Webster · Oct 21, 2013

Versatile said:

Webster said:

Rubicon had the potential to be a great show.
Click to expand...

I really enjoyed Rubicon, but it never was going to be a great show. It was too convoluted. The stakes were too high, too quickly. The fate of the world rested on Will Travers. (Aside: I remembered that off the top of my head.)
Click to expand...

I think they had some structural problems, especially the Miranda Richardson role, which brought down the early episodes and never made sense (which made her death less shocking than it should have been). I hated the reveal that his across the alley neighbor was involved in the spy stuff instead of being a civilian. Also, the stuff in the pilot about his late father-in-law never panned out.

If the show was the spy team, Arliss Howard and the big boss (Spangler?) staying in the shadows but possibly evil, it could have been excellent.

Second Thoughts · Oct 21, 2013

Versatile said:

Seemingly everyone who regularly watches Mad Men loves it, but there definitely are many people who gave it a shot and didn't.
Click to expand...

Me for one. Nothing against the show or those who love it. Just couldn't get into it.

I have friends who absolutely love certain shows that I couldn't stomach and I love some shows my wife even hates. To each their own.

Alma · Oct 21, 2013

Dick Whitman said:

Alma said:

Steak Snabler said:

We discussed this topic at length in the Breaking Bad thread, but now Greenwald has come out with a thoughtful piece about AMC's direction post-Breaking Bad/Mad Men, how The Walking Dead's crazy success has bought it some time and the reasons for the recent string of prestige-show failures:

www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9829683/the-state-amc

He makes an interesting point: that AMC's two critical smashes --- Mad Men and Breaking Bad --- were both rejected by other networks. Aside from The Walking Dead, nearly everything AMC has developed on its own --- Rubicon, The Killing, Hell on Wheels, Low Winter Sun --- has been a failure.

Also this:

The network does have two pilots in production for 2014. Turn is a period piece about spies during the Revolutionary War. Halt & Catch Fire, the more promising of the pair, is also set in the past, but at least it's a more recent and relatively unexplored version of it. Produced by Breaking Bad EPs Melissa Bernstein and Mark Johnson and starring the very talented Lee Pace (Lincoln) and Scoot McNairy (Argo), it's set in Texas's go-go "Silicon Prairie" of the early '80s.
Click to expand...

I guess the over-arching argument is ... as long as TWD is pulling in 7-to-8-figure ratings by hacking up zombies every week, do they really care that everything else on their network sucks?
Click to expand...

I'll continue to contend that Mad Men is a good show of a certain kind, by and for critics, but it is not, on the whole, a great audience show. Most people I know who have watched it find it tremendously boring.
Click to expand...

Most people I know who have watched it, including my wife and I, find it to be excellent. Proves nothing. Same as your field research.
Click to expand...

Well, I have the ratings on my side. The Mad Men season six finale got 2.7 million viewers. The Walking Dead drew 16 million Sunday night.

The shows aren't in the same stratosphere of popularity. Mad Men is comparable with Devious Maids, in terms of ratings.

Dick Whitman · Oct 21, 2013

Alma said:

Dick Whitman said:

Alma said:

Steak Snabler said:

We discussed this topic at length in the Breaking Bad thread, but now Greenwald has come out with a thoughtful piece about AMC's direction post-Breaking Bad/Mad Men, how The Walking Dead's crazy success has bought it some time and the reasons for the recent string of prestige-show failures:

www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9829683/the-state-amc

He makes an interesting point: that AMC's two critical smashes --- Mad Men and Breaking Bad --- were both rejected by other networks. Aside from The Walking Dead, nearly everything AMC has developed on its own --- Rubicon, The Killing, Hell on Wheels, Low Winter Sun --- has been a failure.

Also this:

The network does have two pilots in production for 2014. Turn is a period piece about spies during the Revolutionary War. Halt & Catch Fire, the more promising of the pair, is also set in the past, but at least it's a more recent and relatively unexplored version of it. Produced by Breaking Bad EPs Melissa Bernstein and Mark Johnson and starring the very talented Lee Pace (Lincoln) and Scoot McNairy (Argo), it's set in Texas's go-go "Silicon Prairie" of the early '80s.
Click to expand...

I guess the over-arching argument is ... as long as TWD is pulling in 7-to-8-figure ratings by hacking up zombies every week, do they really care that everything else on their network sucks?
Click to expand...

I'll continue to contend that Mad Men is a good show of a certain kind, by and for critics, but it is not, on the whole, a great audience show. Most people I know who have watched it find it tremendously boring.
Click to expand...

Most people I know who have watched it, including my wife and I, find it to be excellent. Proves nothing. Same as your field research.
Click to expand...

Well, I have the ratings on my side.
Click to expand...

When I want to evaluate the merit of a TV show or movie, the first thing I consult are the ratings.

Alma · Oct 21, 2013

Dick Whitman said:

Alma said:

Dick Whitman said:

Alma said:

Steak Snabler said:

We discussed this topic at length in the Breaking Bad thread, but now Greenwald has come out with a thoughtful piece about AMC's direction post-Breaking Bad/Mad Men, how The Walking Dead's crazy success has bought it some time and the reasons for the recent string of prestige-show failures:

www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9829683/the-state-amc

He makes an interesting point: that AMC's two critical smashes --- Mad Men and Breaking Bad --- were both rejected by other networks. Aside from The Walking Dead, nearly everything AMC has developed on its own --- Rubicon, The Killing, Hell on Wheels, Low Winter Sun --- has been a failure.

Also this:

The network does have two pilots in production for 2014. Turn is a period piece about spies during the Revolutionary War. Halt & Catch Fire, the more promising of the pair, is also set in the past, but at least it's a more recent and relatively unexplored version of it. Produced by Breaking Bad EPs Melissa Bernstein and Mark Johnson and starring the very talented Lee Pace (Lincoln) and Scoot McNairy (Argo), it's set in Texas's go-go "Silicon Prairie" of the early '80s.
Click to expand...

I guess the over-arching argument is ... as long as TWD is pulling in 7-to-8-figure ratings by hacking up zombies every week, do they really care that everything else on their network sucks?
Click to expand...

I'll continue to contend that Mad Men is a good show of a certain kind, by and for critics, but it is not, on the whole, a great audience show. Most people I know who have watched it find it tremendously boring.
Click to expand...

Most people I know who have watched it, including my wife and I, find it to be excellent. Proves nothing. Same as your field research.
Click to expand...

Well, I have the ratings on my side.
Click to expand...

When I want to evaluate the merit of a TV show or movie, the first thing I consult are the ratings.
Click to expand...

When I want to call a show a "great audience show" or not, I'll consult the ratings. What did you think I was talking about?

Mad Men's a PHD in Russian literature. I love Russian literature! But you'd better have the business school cranking its share.

3_Octave_Fart · Dec 15, 2014

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101147804

This is a big score for AMC, members and moderators.
It has smote the rock of international resources.
Abundant revenue hath gushed forth.
Only took 30 years.

Log in or Sign up

Grantland's Andy Greenwald on AMC's future

Bradley Guire Well-Known Member

Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

Versatile Active Member

Webster Well-Known Member

Second Thoughts Active Member

Alma Well-Known Member

Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

Alma Well-Known Member

3_Octave_Fart Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Grantland's Andy Greenwald on AMC's future

Bradley Guire Well-Known Member

Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

Versatile Active Member

Webster Well-Known Member

Second Thoughts Active Member

Alma Well-Known Member

Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

Alma Well-Known Member

3_Octave_Fart Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches