[Archived] Last Night on Telly I Watched.....

[Paul]

They've announced plans to end Lost at about 100 episodes...........

American, I watched Lost when it first arrived here and thought, well I still do, it had a really interesting plot. However I, and several people I know, lost interest and stopped viewing towards the end of the first, or early in the second, series because the show never provides any answers. It's a shame because the show went from one I wouldn't miss, to one I had to watch in case "something" happened to explain the story line, to feeling I'd wasted an hour of my life!

I'm surprised after 100 episodes the implication is the show is being pulled early. I thought the lack of answers meant people were likely to turn off way before that. Surely 100 episodes is very successful? We certainly have some long-running TV shows here but they usually contain many sub-plots that reach a conclusion over a relatively short period. Lost on the otherhand seemed to pad out the story to sell advertising as there were never any significant story lines outside of the basic plot.

[Wolverine]

Very true Paul.

They launched an interactive game between the US screenings of seasons two and three. This was essentially a vehicle for viral marketing (Sprite and Jeep featuring heavily to name but two).

This annoyed me to be honest.

I still enjoy watching the show, but it is something best done whenyou can watch several episodes consecutively. Had I been forced to watch it as it is aired I would no doubt have got bored by now.

Oh, and there are actually 24 episodes in every season. The last episode is generally a double episode, which is why it is often listed as 23 eps, but for the sake of syndication, it would actually be 24 one hour episodes.

That means they would have to screen four seasons and then make a four hour conclusion which could again be split into four one hour episodes.

Of course, they could just make seasons three and four last longer by extending some episodes into two hours, which could be split for syndication.

Anyway, enough of that American stuff - what about the best of British?

The start of the concluding series of Life on Mars starts on 13th February (90% sure), with Sam faced with the prospect of putting a killer away, years before he commits his first murder. But with his colleagues stunned at his uncharacteristic behaviour, is Sam worried that the criminal in question could be abouts to kill him as he lays in hospital in the future?

[Flopsy]

I do like Life on Mars - im rather excited (well as excited as you can get over a TV series that doesnt involved naked women or Doctor Who)

[ABBEY]

anyone been watching the lost room,saw the 1st episode last night.Its like lost v 24 v scifi

[American]

American, I watched Lost when it first arrived here and thought, well I still do, it had a really interesting plot. However I, and several people I know, lost interest and stopped viewing towards the end of the first, or early in the second, series because the show never provides any answers. It's a shame because the show went from one I wouldn't miss, to one I had to watch in case "something" happened to explain the story line, to feeling I'd wasted an hour of my life!

I'm surprised after 100 episodes the implication is the show is being pulled early. I thought the lack of answers meant people were likely to turn off way before that. Surely 100 episodes is very successful? We certainly have some long-running TV shows here but they usually contain many sub-plots that reach a conclusion over a relatively short period. Lost on the otherhand seemed to pad out the story to sell advertising as there were never any significant story lines outside of the basic plot.

The show is still tremendously popular, high rated and highly profitable. Very rare does a show end this soon when it has all of those elements. One comparison the creators made was the X-files. They didn't want the show ending up like that where questions are answered, the original producers are replaced and the show goes downhill and dies leaving people with poor memories of the last couple seasons. By ending it when they are talking about, they are leaving tons of money on the table.

The original article I read was http://community.tvguide.com/thread.jspa?threadID=700016603

(for those interested in American TV, I'd recommend bookmarking the Ausiello Report on tvguide.com.)

[Paul]

That's an interesting comparison and I see excatly how it works on one level. The X-files was compulsory viewing in our house, the interaction bewteen Mulder and Scully was great entertainment, and that each episode had a plot line, perhaps inside the main plot, made it good entertainment. Gillian Anderson was a definite plus for me! I don't recall X-files without those two, so either it never reached the UK or it was poor and we switched off.

The problem I have with Lost, and I keenly anticipated the early episodes, is it quickly raised many questions but provided so little explanation I got bored. Even felt I was simply being sucked in so the show could earn more money. I haven't watched since perhaps No 2 or 3 in the second series and to be honest I'd long given up following it. Interesting the producers refer to Seasons 1, 2, 3 etc having specific themes but I don't recall any of the themes being concluded..................

...............so if anyone can tell me why they are on that island it would extend my life by several hours!

[stuwilky]

...............so if anyone can tell me why they are on that island it would extend my life by several hours!

Cos the plane crashed Paul. Thats why they are on the island.

I love it, watched Series 1 in about 4 days - all 24 episodes, currently upto episode 11 in Series 2, need to watch the remaining 13 or so, and then the first 6 of series three before it resumes on Sky next week (apparently).

[Nelsta]

At the moe i'm completley hooked on prison break.Sheer class.

And i got the Mighty Boosh live witch is'nt as good as i hoped it would be.

[Jordan]

At the moe i'm completley hooked on prison break.Sheer class.

And i got the Mighty Boosh live witch is'nt as good as i hoped it would be.

Yeah Prison Break is ace. Pleased it is back.

[Cocker]

I watched Louis Theroux's Weird Weekend - in vegas. Very entertaining and some of the money going round made me feel sick. Some of the people who kept loosing were saying it didnt bother them but you could see it in their eyes that it did.

There was a woman who pretty much lived in the casino and has spent about 4m in her years there - JUST ON THE SLOTS.

[Flopsy]

anyone watching Jericho on Hallmark? I think its rather good. Also to our colonial cousins across the pond - has House series 3 started yet?

[Biddy]

anyone watching Jericho on Hallmark? I think its rather good. Also to our colonial cousins across the pond - has House series 3 started yet?

House season 3 started on 5th September 2006 and they have just had episode 13. Linky

[Rovermatt]

I bought HBO's Entourage. I'm really enjoying it-fresh, funny and original.

[Flopsy]

House season 3 started on 5th September 2006 and they have just had episode 13. Linky

any news on when it may be on over here?

[ABBEY]

i watched the torettes programme last night and they showed an operation on this fellows brain whilst he was awake..my g/f nearly piked hahaaha

[Ozz]

BBC4 tv last night at ten had a new run of Charlie Brookers Screen Wipe, which is very amusing and occasionally insightful too. Last night unsuprisingly he waded into the Cel Big Bro farce big time, which was hilarious.

Then straight after that at 10.30pm I watched Life On Mars for the first time, which was not bad too. My main complaint about that was about every 5 minutes he would drop in a 2007 reference to illustrate that he was from another time. YES WE KNOW!! Har har he knows all about Cocaine and stuff! How? Cos he comes from the future!!

[Billy Castell]

I watched an interesting show called Egomania, which was about Narcissistic something (shortened to NPC). Apparently there are 9 key personality traits linked to this condition (e.g. Arrogance, sense of grandeur, lack of empathy), and a person who has NPC has at least 5. Apparently many cult leaders are seen as having this condition, whilst the British murderer Mr. Blackwell ticked all 9 boxes. Mr. Blackwell was the young man who murdered his parents with a hammer and knife a few years ago, and then went to New York with his girlfriend to supposedly play in a tennis tournament. It also turned out that one of the professors they had got to describe the condition had all 9 traits as well. But he hasn't pretended to be a pro tennis player. Or killed his parents.

Aslo watched Charlie Brooker's Screen Wipe. Great show, as he articulate a lot of feelings that I have but cannot say.

[cletus]

Caught the arse-end of a comedy called Benidorm ont telly last night. Thought it looked bl00dy good anole! i`ll be keeping an eye open for it from now on.

[Grabbi Graeme]

I watched Top Gear on Sunday night , it was an American special where they each got a second hand american car and drove round the USA doing various challenges.

I thought it was one of the best one's they have done for a while, especially where they had to camp out and only could eat any animal that they found dead at the side of the road, thought it was funny when Clarkson came back with a dead cow strapped to the roof of the car, no doubt the BBC will get complaints about the dead cow and the way they got it off the car roof.

[Flopsy]

AS much as I like the little films, Im quite sure most of what they do which appears to be spontaneous is actually well scripted and rehearsed, such as the Petrol Station incident, where the people in the filling station were told what was going on and asked/payed to act accordingly.

Id quite like them to do some stuff on cars I might be able to afford (ones for say £2.50)

[Jim J]

Caught the arse-end of a comedy called Benidorm ont telly last night. Thought it looked bl00dy good anole! i`ll be keeping an eye open for it from now on.

I've been watching it and think its superb.

Clicky clicky....

3rd episode is on tonight at 10pm.

[lockers]

Its a pity benidorm clashes with skins, as in an ideal world (or if i could afford the sky plus upgrade as well as my impending mortgage) id be able to watch both! however as it isnt an ideal world im choosing to stick with skins which i have really enjoyed so far, apart from last weeks pretty banal episode

[Cheshireblue]

Id quite like them to do some stuff on cars I might be able to afford (ones for say £2.50)

I like the way they don't do items on cars that Flopsy can afford. Who really gives a hoot if the new Micra has 45 bhp and can do 100 miles on a thimble of petrol.

Much more fun to road test supercars and do silly things with them. And besides, they are catering for a slightly different car buying market

[Sparky Marky]

I agree on the Benidorm thing....Very true to life (in my experience) and very funny....The granny on the motorised wheelchair is class.

[booth]

Curb Your Enthusiasm, the episode where Larry's manager breaks up with his wife over porn and inidelity so Larry has to go over to his house to pick up his things.