Saturday, September 24, 2005

"Arrested Development" Is A Very Funny Television Program

by Tom Bozzo

Please watch it. Well, actually 4.6 million people did, according to the Nielsen ratings, but that's probably considered a disappointment — even if Suzanne and I are worth at least a couple dozen "American Idol"-watching teenagers in actual purchasing power.

In a way, what the show needs is a cable channel that would consider a 2.0 rating to be a bonanza, or a Seinfeldian lead-in to compliment.

Anyway, it's hard to pick a favorite moment from the season premiere. I might choose one not mentioned in this summary: the "Mission Accomplished" banner at the party to celebrate an upgrade of the Bluth Company stock from "sell" to "don't buy." Then again, I love the show in part for its extended allegory of the Bush years.

Really, please watch! Especially if you are part of the Nielsen panel.

Mondays, 8 P.M. Eastern, 7 Central, on Fox.
Comments:
Time? channel? -- moronic, questions, I am sure, but for those of us who are not TV junkies, we need some guidance. I don't have a box monitoring my TV watching habits, which is just as well as I'd feel too much pressure to flip on the set for programs that I thought needed my support.
 
Oops! I meant to mention the time.

Since you mention it, if Nielsen families *did* turn their sets on to register their 'votes' for quality programming, they're either doing a poor job of it, or have weird ideas as to what constitutes quality.
 
I love AD too, but haven't watched it as religiously as I should -- mostly because I kind of took a long break from watching TV this past summer. David Cross is one of my favorite comics. He is hilarious. And I've been a fan of Jason Bateman since he co-starred on Silver Spoons. Overall, it's a creative and well done show with fine performances all around.

So, thanks for the reminder that the new season has begun. I'll set my TiVo to catch it.
 
I liked 3 years, 5 months... and was wondering what they had done since.

Serious response: That's a lousy timespot for a show of its reputation, when many of its target audience are thinking about getting the kids into bed.

More serious response: You may have the PP of a couple dozen _AI_ watchers, but they actually spend on products other than Huggies and Legos.

Most serious response: I was selected to be a Nielsen "family" in late 1982 or early 1983. At the time I was making a decent living (three jobs helped), but living on 175th Street East of Broadway--not the greatest location in the world.

A couple days after agreeing to take the box and the diary, I got a call from the Nielsen organization apologizing, but noting that they would not send a box into my neighborhood.
 
My favorite moment in the kick-off episode: the intermittent bits of dialog heard through the prison intercom when Michael visits Oscar in prison.
Sadly, I was a Nielsen rater last year during the second week of my maternity leave. Not only had the new season of AD not started, but my parents were in town & I had to report things like the Apprentice that they watched. It killed me.
 
Cathy: I'll have to re-watch the tape of the premiere -- it's easy to miss details like that.

Ken: I'd view the AI demographic as more impressionable, which would make them a natural target of marketers. But marketers will also pay big bucks to access tough-to-crack nuts, no? We don't spend *that much* on diapers (shocking as the sum is), and there are even some chain stores we don't reflexively avoid. Also, between her Harvard Law degree and tween son, Tonya's household may have the marketing value of two or three of ours.

As for your most serious comment: Jeebus. It's useful, at least, to have a reminder that the bravery of corporations only goes so far.
 
Post a Comment

<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?