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Boomtown Bust
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Posted by: philw1776

First most stations across the country lost the 1080i Hi-Def after the 1st commercial and the show went to the annoying letterbox format. For this many local stations to have problems the network has to be culpable.

Worse yet, the story. Where's the reporter babe? This premiere was sterile and formulaic. Lost is the originality that made last season great. Instead we get the standard been done 100,000 times cop story. And Vanessa Williams is simply not at all believable as a hard-boiled police detective. C'mon people!

OK, Rebecca DeMornay is still hot even after all these years as the guest star crook, but buying into her role as the arch-criminal cold blodded killer also requires suspension of reason .

-p

Posted by: panictivo

We got the annoying letterbox in windowbox on the HD channel in Minneapolis, too. There was a slight lip-sync problem, also.

Vanessa Williams was better than I expected. She might grow into that role. I'll reserve judgment.

I liked Rebecca DeMornay as the cold blooded crook. It is something different than the standard young minority punk or old grizzled gangster. This is a different type of criminal who will do unexpected things.

>This premiere was sterile and formulaic.
>Lost is the originality

There was a concern that last year's plots were too original and interesting. People stopped watching because they were confused. I worry that this show will become just another ordinary cop show in an attempt to appeal to more viewers.

The premier episode is a big step down from last year's superb "Execution" episode.

Posted by: cwoody222

Was the crime that killed the two cops the same one from the 1st season episode "Storm Watch"?

Posted by: tonyoci

The reporter babe (Andrea Little) is no longer in the show, I read that in the newspaper. In case you are really missing her.

http://members.fortunecity.com/boom...nagarbiras.html

Haven't watched it yet.

T

Posted by: Mr. Soze

quote:
Originally posted by tonyoci
The reporter babe (Andrea Little) is no longer in the show, I read that in the newspaper. In case you are really missing her.

http://members.fortunecity.com/boom...nagarbiras.html

Haven't watched it yet.

T

Bummer. She was a babe indeed. I thought her relationship with McNorris was one of the best recurring themes in the show.

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

I thought it was a decent episode--I was happy to see them start to play with the timeframe a little bit, althoguh they did it in a more linear manner than before (if that makes sense).

And the bit with McNorris at the end was magnificant--any fear that his character would be neutered by treatment was instantly washed away.

Posted by: Graymalkin

H'mm. I'm thinking Boomtown/L&:CI crossover where Olivia D'Abo's and and Rebecca DeMornay's criminal mastermind characters team up. Whoo hoo!

Posted by: jwjody

I'm just finishing the show and I liked it. I do miss the jumping around from different characters perspectives.

Thought the line by Stephens was good...If there was any question if I could bring you down, I'ld put a bullet in you right now.

J

Posted by: tonyoci

I still like the show though I thought it was better in it's original format. This show is strong in a way that, lets say, Star Trek Enterprise, is not. It has very strong and likeable characters, even if they are flawed. The show has at least 5 strong, different, interesting characters.

T

Posted by: hookbill

quote:
Originally posted by jwjody
I'm just finishing the show and I liked it. I do miss the jumping around from different characters perspectives.

J

Yes, that was what seperated Boomtown from other crime shows! It was suppose to be a view of what was going on from each character. For whatever reason they decided to stop doing that.

I too was dissapointed that the reporter chick is not returning. Nice eye candy! I thought the episode was good, I give it a
:up:

Posted by: jwjody

quote:
Originally posted by Medieval Guy

And the bit with McNorris at the end was magnificant--any fear that his character would be neutered by treatment was instantly washed away.

McNorris is my favorite character. I'm looking forward to see more development of what they do, and can do with him. If the show makes it.

Has anyone heard if they're going to go into more about Vista Heights this season?

J

Posted by: GoodN

I thought this episode was pretty weak, but it looks like it was just setting up the action for next week. I read on TV Guide Online that they had shut down production on the show for a couple of weeks because the network wanted the stories to work better as stand alone episodes for reruns. I hope it isn't going to be a short season for the show.

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

I believe it was shut down specifically because of a two-parter set to air later in the season, which NBC thought was too continuity-heavy; they needed to regroup and fill the hole in the schedule.

Posted by: GoodN

Here's the info from Ask Matt on tvguideonline.com

"Question:
Could you please explain to me what's going on with Boomtown? I heard the network shut down production for two weeks because they didn't want a two-story arc. It sounds to me like Jeff Zucker wants to turn it into another Law & Order show and as far as I'm concerned, there are too many of those on the air now. Boomtown will be on for longer than six weeks... won't it? Please say yes! It's the best show on network television! ? Sasha

Matt:
I'm a huge fan of Boomtown as well, and am also troubled by this news of a production shutdown this early in the season to address the network's concerns that the show was going to overtax viewers who might miss an episode in its lousy new Friday-night time period. The show barely got renewed in the first place, and now I'm worried that NBC will force it to be dumbed down, which would likely result in a drop in what's already a shaky viewership and thus confirm the network's own lack of enthusiasm toward its longterm prospects. I'm hoping I'm wrong. Homicide thrived in this time period for a number of seasons, and a show as offbeat as Ed has been allowed to survive into its fourth year. Anything's possible. But I think we have our work cut out for us on this one."

And check out the Watercooler! Its hilarious.

Posted by: JYoung

quote:
Originally posted by tonyoci
I still like the show though I thought it was better in it's original format. This show is strong in a way that, lets say, Star Trek Enterprise, is not. It has very strong and likeable characters, even if they are flawed. The show has at least 5 strong, different, interesting characters.

T

you said it.. ;)

I agree that the network is trying to dumb it down and succeeding somewhat.
(mustn't overtax the brains of the sheep.... oooh let's show boobies.......)

However, it's still better than most other cop shows.....

Posted by: MikeekiM

I liked it... Not sure I agree that it was weak...

I guess it's been a long TV drought during the summer... Just good to see all the characters back together again...

Posted by: ClutchBrake

Donnie Wahlberg needs to shave his half-ass goatee. He has too much of a baby face to pull it off.

Posted by: cwoody222

I liked Donnie's goatee.

Posted by: coldtoes

quote:
Originally posted by philw1776
This premiere was sterile and formulaic. Lost is the originality that made last season great. Instead we get the standard been done 100,000 times cop story. And Vanessa Williams is simply not at all believable as a hard-boiled police detective. C'mon people!

Agreed; it's extremely depressing to see some of my favorite shows <coughwestwingcough> going down the tubes, apparently with nothing worthy to take their place. But you have to admit watching hard-boiled police detective Williams run flights of stairs in those ridiculous shoes was worth the price of admission. Four-inch heels are always practical on a stake out.

Posted by: billypritchard

Another vote for bust. Though I wasn't totally bummed, it just wasn't the same. The style was lacking, the dialogue seemed less crisp, and the crime lord thing was just weak.

Give me the old Boomtown. Please.

Posted by: Maui

Well, i have watched the first two episodes and in episode 2 theydid the little title cards with the character names on them that used to signal a change in perspective but the show has become such a straight ahead drama that I don't really see the need for them any more.

Posted by: fmowry

I thought the second episode was much better than the first. Still not up to the "style" of the first season though.

Frank

Posted by: FatherTed

quote:
Originally posted by hookbill
Yes, that was what seperated Boomtown from other crime shows! It was suppose to be a view of what was going on from each character. For whatever reason they decided to stop doing that.

I was part of a multi-part focus group for Boomtown and they were constantly revisiting the multi-threaded view to the same point in time aspect. They were constantly asking questions about how I felt about it (which I happened to like) and if I found it confusing.

As the week by week group questioning progressed it was obvious that there must have been a lot of people who got confused by the whole simultaneous timeline aspect. Then, one week they revealed that to be the case and began asking how I liked the new format.

It was interesting to see the lines of questioning. I would have assumed that the episodes were produced well in advance but there were week by week questions about characters, plots and perceptions and it seemed like the responses were made as changes to the episodes a couple down the line. It was very odd to see a significant line of questioning about certain aspects and then suddenly see that aspect change within a couple weeks. It sure makes it difficult on the writers to develop a believable plotline when the network is constantly slamming them with changes. Kind of like management by committee. I just don't see the level of inspiration in the writing that was apparent back when the multiple points of view existed. Now it just seems to be an ordinary run-of-the-mill cop show driven by public opinion.

I'm quite sure the reporter got axed due to the focus groups. They were constantly asking questions regarding characters, their roles and any changes that should be made. I could see a progression in the questioning that looked like they were trying to remove her after they got negative comments. NBC did the same thing with Good Morning Miami and the nun. They asked a lot of character questions on her and then poof, she was gone.

I'm interested to see where Whoopi goes. They started doing the same type of questioning with regard to that show. I haven't heard anything recent but they questioned heavily on the first episode.

Posted by: philw1776

I'll say that episode 2 was much better. The strong DA character helped. There was some innovation in the scenes where they showed what he WANTED to say vs. what he did say. Helped illustrate the inner conflict. Then again, I was a big fan of the original format.

Interesting that 2 main caharcters are from Eastern MA.

Posted by: SRW

Agree that "what he wanted to say vs. what he said" was interesting. But personally, I give this show one more week. If it is as clear then as it seems now that they've completely scrubbed the show's reason for being in order to expand the audience, that's one less hour of tv a week I will be watching.

Posted by: MacThor

It would really be a shame if NBC's dumbing down of Boomtown causes it's cancellation.

Neal McDonough was born to play David McNorris. (hmm.. N McD playing D McN...just noticed). Much like Andre Braugher was meant to be Frank Pembleton. He is reason enough to watch this show.

I also enjoyed the dual perceptions of what McNorris said vs what he wanted to say, but I had a different take on it. The REAL McNorris would have said what he was imagining he'd say...but to change perceptions, back to "reality"...where the FAKE McNorris was talking.

Mac

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

quote:
Originally posted by MacThor
It would really be a shame if NBC's dumbing down of Boomtown causes its cancellation.

To be fair, NBC's dumbing down of Boomtown is what SAVED it from cancellation. The question is, would it have been better off dead? That remains to be seen...

Posted by: MacThor

quote:
Originally posted by Medieval Guy
To be fair, NBC's dumbing down of Boomtown is what SAVED it from cancellation. The question is, would it have been better off dead? That remains to be seen...

True. Good point. NBC is hoping to expand the audience. However, it seems, from reading this thread, that Boomtown "loyalists" are abandoning the show which will reduce the audience. Making it "just another cop show" on Friday night will make the show easily forgettable. See "H:LOTS" the last two seasons.

Posted by: JYoung

quote:
Originally posted by MacThor
I

I also enjoyed the dual perceptions of what McNorris said vs what he wanted to say, but I had a different take on it. The REAL McNorris would have said what he was imagining he'd say...but to change perceptions, back to "reality"...where the FAKE McNorris was talking.

True, and I also liked the way they did this too.

So what's this about Teresa enrolling in the Police Academy?

Posted by: Hippster

According to the news ticker on CNN tonight... Boomtown has been yanked off the air by NBC.

Posted by: tonyoci

11pm California time, I searched everywhere and could not find anything to suggest that Boomtown is being yanked ? Could be true but I cannot find any confirmation.

T

Posted by: brookzy

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/g...ewswire&id=6185

It's official.

Posted by: brahamt

Too bad they "changed" this show. I watched S1 religously, but have yet to watch the second episode yet, as the first on bored me.

Too bad they messed up this show. I'm not that upset that it is yanked, and more upset it changed.

Posted by: MacThor

Perhaps NBC can resurrect the show by repackaging it thusly:

"Boomtown: BSIC"

I predict an immediate ratings surge. All it needed was a colon and an acronym right?

Take your pick what the letters would mean; the first two leave open plenty of possibilities. The best printable one I thought of was Boring Standard Issue Cop drama.

Mac

Posted by: hookbill

quote:
Originally posted by MacThor
True. Good point. NBC is hoping to expand the audience. However, it seems, from reading this thread, that Boomtown "loyalists" are abandoning the show which will reduce the audience. Making it "just another cop show" on Friday night will make the show easily forgettable. See "H:LOTS" the last two seasons.

I don't see how anyone can come to the conclusion that "loyalist" are abandoning the show from a thread containing about 20 responses. I wasn't giving up on the show, as a matter of fact I thought last nights episode was very good.

But alas it seems it is cancelled. I tried to see upcoming episodes and there doesn't appear to be any on my TiVo.

Posted by: Jeff Edsell

I guess the bottom line is that, with all the talented people involved, even if Boomtown becomes a "standard cop drama" it will still be much better than most standard cop dramas. I liked the first two episodes of this season on those terms, but I'm still sad about the intelligence and innovation that have been lost.

I'm still amazed when I hear how easily "confused" or "unhappy" focus group members seem to become when confronted with anything even slightly unfamiliar, and how much stock network executives place in these studies, when testing doesn't seem to produce good shows. (The focus group tests for Seinfeld, for example, were notoriously bad.) As an industry insider said when interviewed on Trio's Brilliant But Cancelled: "Testing does not favor the new and different."

At least Boomtown isn't on Fox -- if it were, I'd give up all hope of ever seeing it again. At least with NBC there's a good chance it will return, even if it's in a terrible time slot.

"That's not why people watch TV. Clever things make people feel stupid and unexpected things make them feel scared." -Fry, Futurama

Posted by: kyote

I think what you have to remember is that they are trying to market to the lowest common denominator. The average person doesn't want to think IMHO, they want to sit in front of the tv, turn their brain off, and veg. Me, personally, I like smart intelligent shows and tend to shy away from really stupid stuff (for instance, the mullets). However, I also enjoy Family Guy so go figure.

jas

quote:
Originally posted by Jeff Edsell
I guess the bottom line is that, with all the talented people involved, even if Boomtown becomes a "standard cop drama" it will still be much better than most standard cop dramas. I liked the first two episodes of this season on those terms, but I'm still sad about the intelligence and innovation that have been lost.

I'm still amazed when I hear how easily "confused" or "unhappy" focus group members seem to become when confronted with anything even slightly unfamiliar, and how much stock network executives place in these studies, when testing doesn't seem to produce good shows. (The focus group tests for Seinfeld, for example, were notoriously bad.) As an industry insider said when interviewed on Trio's Brilliant But Cancelled: "Testing does not favor the new and different."

At least Boomtown isn't on Fox -- if it were, I'd give up all hope of ever seeing it again. At least with NBC there's a good chance it will return, even if it's in a terrible time slot.

"That's not why people watch TV. Clever things make people feel stupid and unexpected things make them feel scared." -Fry, Futurama

Posted by: philw1776

NBC apparently surveyed their viewing demographics and got

Nothing But Cretins

-p (apologies to all cretins offended by reading this)

Posted by: hookbill

My wife said she read somewhere that the show is on "hiatus" for 3 weeks. I couldn't find where she got this info but frequently when this happens shows don't return.

If anyone is interested here is a link you can go to to help save the show:
http://www.saveboomtown.com/

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

quote:
Originally posted by hookbill
My wife said she read somewhere that the show is on "hiatus" for 3 weeks. I couldn't find where she got this info but frequently when this happens shows don't return.

Production had been suspended for two weeks just a couple of weeks ago, because NBC freaked at a continuity-heavy two-parter they were shooting, and made them stop. That might be what she was thinking about...

Posted by: cynthia

I just wonder why with all the really bad dramas and comedies that keep getting renewed, why they would cancel something like Boomtown that was (last season) original and interesting..

I guess because it didn't appeal to the masses.

Posted by: ufo4sale

If you go to TVtome and look up boomtown it would give you all the information that you need.

Posted by: ufo4sale

you might want to read this it talks about why they made changes to the show. http://www.saveboomtown.com/