Dismayed about good press for Reaper

[agt_spooky]

You know, I've never wished a show ill will before. But all this positive press that Reaper is getting is really dismaying me. Because it's going to be sitting pretty in OUR old spot on Tuesday night, anchored by the successful Beauty and the Geek. Whereas we get thrown to the wolves once again on Thursday night.

This just reminds me of Sentinel all over again. After the regime change at UPN, the new guy wanted TS gone, because it wasn't "his show", even though it was the second highest rated show on UPN. And he ended up getting his wish, after we fought hard for an additional eight episodes.

The same thing seems to be happening with CW, where, guess what, Dawn Ostroff just happens to be from UPN. She's already said she "doesn't get" Supernatural. So what does she do? Introduce a new supernatural-type show of hers that she must be dumb enough to understand, since it seems to be some type of comedy that doesn't appear to require any thinking while watching.

I'm worried for Supernatural, I truly am. If our ratings continue to suck as bad as they did at the end of second season when third season starts, we're in serious trouble. Especially if Reaper pulls in big ratings.

I'm tired of us being stuck on Thursday nights and getting chewed up and spit out. If Ostroff is so big on her stupid reality shows, why not put one of them on Thursday night?

[sigh] Anyway, here are a couple of the articles that I'm referring to:


From Entertainment Weekly, issue 936, dated June 1, 2007

MOST PROMISING

Reaper (the CW) On his 21st birthday, our hero (The Loop's Bret Harrison) discovers his parents have sold his soul to Satan (24's Ray Wise). From Kevin Smith, it boasts a humor that's a study in perfect timing.


From Ad Week (written by Marc Berman, of all people!)

http://www.adweek.com/aw/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003590913

Special Report: Ruby Tuesday
May 28, 2007
By Marc Berman/Mediaweek

NEW YORK Outside of the competitive Thursday night waters, there is no time period as brutal as Tuesday 9 p.m., which features ABC's Dancing With the Stars Results Show, Fox sensation House and CBS' male-driven The Unit. That means that there may not be too much room left for NBC's Chuck, which tells the story of a nerdy computer tech who becomes the government's most powerful weapon, and supernatural CW drama Reaper. While Reaper's 21-year-old slacker-turned-bounty hunter might sound awfully familiar (think failed 1998-99 Fox drama Brimstone), what sets it apart is the humor. The pilot adeptly mixed drama with good old-fashioned chuckles. What could make Chuck a potential standout, meanwhile, is one of its creators, Josh Schwartz. The force behind Fox's The O.C., he knows how to tell tales that appeal to a young adult audience. Although the buying community was buzzing about Chuck, viewers may not find it en masse unless NBC finds a better time period. But is there a place on the network's troubled lineup that could give it more exposure? Reaper won't have the same sized support out of the relocated Beauty and the Geek as Chuck will out of returnee The Biggest Loser. However, the potential appetite for this Buffy, the Vampire Slayer-like type of storytelling makes Reaper a potential sleeper. Neither Chuck nor Reaper is likely to set the ratings on fire. But if fans missing Buffy and Angel discover Reaper, and NBC miraculously manages to find a more advantageous hour for Chuck, there could be hope. Patience could potentially pay off for both hours.

~~~~~

And the kicker? They showed a commerical for Reaper during Supernatural last night! I nearly choked and fell off the couch. From what I saw, this looks incredibly stupid. Did anyone else see the commerical last night?

I keep thinking I read where Kevin Smith is only directly involved with the pilot of Reaper, so the humor may fall flat in subsequent episodes if that's true.

So what do you guys think about Reaper and it's potential? Am I worrying for nothing?

Comments

[jamesinboots.livejournal.com]

anchored by the successful Beauty and the Geek.
Beauty and the Geek might have been a somewhat successful 8-episode midseason show, but I have the feeling airing it in the fall is going to kill it - most shows are already starting to suffer from overkill by having two cycles a season, and BatG is probably no exception. The show tended to premiere big, fall a lot in the middle, and do okay (in comparison to the premiere) in the finale. I don't what The CW is planning to do with it next season - presumably, they'll extend it from one cycle to two cycles (fall and winter/spring). That's only 16 episodes, so I'd bet they're going to extend each cycle from 8 episodes to 13 episodes. Those are some pretty big scheduling changes and could be disastrous for BatG, if the whole "too much of a good thing..." shtick holds.

Last season, BatG averaged 3.79 million viewers for new episodes, which was significantly below Smallville or Gilmore Girls' new episode average. BUT it did do very well in the demos, particularly the target demo (Adults 18-34). I think Reaper and BatG will be very compatible, given the humor elements and the primarily male audiences, but it's still dangerous to give a new genre show a lead-in with so few total viewers. I can completely see Reaper premiering big with a good 80-90% of BatG's audience, then falling off severely in the following weeks.

OR both shows could surprise us next season. But given The CW's complete failure to launch two dramas now (Runaway and now Hidden Palms - did you see how HP completely bombed, despite having promotion out the ass?), I wouldn't bet on it. The CW has to be freaking out - they have 3 dramas and 2 1/2 hour reality things to promote. I really don't see them being able to give Tuesday nights the push they need to not completely fail. (Also worth noting: BatG had a huge promotional boost before its premiere last season, mostly because it was a midseason show, and nothing else needed major promotion at the time - it won't have that luxury in the fall.)

So what do you guys think about Reaper and it's potential?
No potential for me watching, that's for sure. Comedies aren't my thing, self-professed campy isn't my thing, the previews/clips I saw did nothing for me, and I don't like the lead actor (Bret Harrison - and found him annoying long before his "we know we're just a stupid horror" comment - proof being a post I made (http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?act=ST&f=714&t=3119077&hl=uber&view=findpost&p=7314845) at TWoP a while back). And I don't like Kevin Smith; though, you're right, he's only involved with the pilot, and the little he contributed to the series will be gone by episode 2.

Am I worrying for nothing?
I honestly don't think that, even if this series succeeds, it means bad news for Supernatural. Genre/sci-fi shows were always a big hit for The WB, mostly because they have loyal audiences (Smallville is more mainstream, obviously, but you get the picture), so The WB usually kept around 3 at a time. And Smallville is on its way out - it only has 1-2 seasons left, tops. If Reaper lasts, I see no reason why Supernatural can't last as well. They aren't in competition with each other - whether they last or get cancelled really depends on how they hold up in their timeslots, how profitable the shows are, and so on.

So? I'm not worrying, and you shouldn't either. Don't worry all summer about it, there's really no way of knowing how Reaper will do until after it airs 2-3 episodes. If it's any consolation, buzz before upfronts had it that Reaper didn't go over so well with test audiences, and all signs pointed towards Kevin Smith's influence being the only thing the series had going for it - with Smith gone after the Pilot, audiences might leave, too.

Anyway, sorry for hijacking your LJ and ranting for far too long. I love your news posts (and your fic!); friended you for them if you don't mind ;)

[khek.livejournal.com]

I don't think you're worrying for nothing. In the past, Dawn Osteroff has proven herself to, at best, ignore shows she doesn't "get", and at worst, actively try to replace them with something she does "get". I don't understand the whole network politic thing, but it's not smart to underestimate it.

I also think Reaper looks dumb. Unfortunately, the American public seems to enjoy dumb, based on what's popular on TV at the moment. My hope is that Reaper does worse in the ratings than Supernatural. What will it be up against? Can I hope for new episodes of American Idol or whatever the big sitcom of the moment happens to be?

I really, really hope that Supernatural's ratings grow over the summer, both on Sunday and Thursday. Maybe that will show the CW that they need to either do more promotion, or put it in a different timeslot.

[fergus80.livejournal.com]

I am worried about Dawn. Not about Reaper. From what I hear, from friends in the business that have actually seen the pilot, it's good and FUNNY. It's not supposed to be that serious. It's NOT like SN. Actually, what WOULD be good, is if they put that on at Tue at 8 and SN on afterwards.

I don't want Reaper to fail, because it is a Sci-Fi type show. I hope that it might show the CW to keep those type of shows and get rid of the reality crap. One could only hope. But then again, we aren't running it, stupid people are.

[taynney.livejournal.com]

I don't think we have to worry a lot. I mean, I've seen the Directors clips and everything and it just... isn't that funny. Kevin Smith may be directing it, but if the actors aren't that funny, and the writing isn't that great it'll bomb. I think it'll have a huge turn-out the first week, and a few less the second and when it's NOT directed by Smith the Smith fans will be like, Jesus H. Sanchez, this show SUCKS and then Dawn will be all "OMGWTFBBQ!" and we'll all be like "HAHA, now, let's put taynney in charge of The CW cause she'll do a great job!" (Shameless self promotion there :\)

[aphrodite33.livejournal.com]

Found my way here via a link someone provided. Reaper won't make it period! It's going against House and it's nothing like Buffy or Angel. I am sick of people trying to compare Reaper to Buffy and Angel. Those shows had very little humor but heavy on the drama side, how is Reaper compared to them?

I saw the preview for it and it talked about Fart jokes and how it was funny. It wasn't funny.

House will Kill it.. Don't worry. ;) Tell your friends to watch anything but Reaper.

[mayphoenix.livejournal.com]

As aprodite33 said, House will slay anything on across from it. So it's suicide from the get-go.

Also, Kevin Smith is brilliant but his past attempts (most notably the animated Clerks) failed because his work is too "out there" for network TV. The moment they start telling him to cut this or change that, he'll be gone -- and then go to his website where he'll bash the living shit out of TPTB who wronged him.

MARK MY WORDS, Reaper doesn't stand a chance.

[green-key.livejournal.com]

I think Reaper looks decent, and really, *anything* Kevin Smith's name is attached to is going to draw the fanboys in droves, no matter how good or bad the previews look.

I don't know enough about network workings to guess if SPN is in trouble because of Reaper, but I do remember the whole TS thing and how that went down. If a similar situation arises and SPN doesn't pick up some viewers, it could be a bad end. :-/

Oh Jesus. (NOT my Robin Williams imitiation...)

[feldspar2.livejournal.com]

Berman's comparing Reaper to Brimstone?? Please. I LOVED Brimstone. It had atmosphere, good storytelling, and John Glover made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. If Reaper had been done with half the serious intent of Brimstone, I might give it a chance. I saw the promo and laughed my ass off. House is gonna send it down the crapper(YAY!). But I agree that we SPN lovers have to band together and watch--I STILL celebrate SPN Thursdays even for the reruns--since Dawn Ostroff, the witch, seems to "get" America's Top Model, and not SPN!!!

[demonessjo.livejournal.com]

hi! *waves*

I'm completely mixed. :\
I don't know what to think because...

On one hand: If executed correctly, Reaper could be really good. I like my humor in horror, and if that's the direction they're taking it then it could be quite yummy. I love the funny parts of Buffy and Supernatural. Also, I'm a big fan of Keven Smith (though not so much in recent years), and he knows how to do comic booky stuff (he's written quite a bit for Marvel) as well as the good funny stuff. If it's like what he's saying it will be (something in the spirit of Shaun of the Dead), it could be unbelievably awesome. And maybe if it's a hit it'll push the CW into recognizing the potential and cult fan base of other horror shows *hopes against hope, crosses fingers*

On the other hand: If executed poorly, Reaper could be really stupid. The idea's been floating around pilot circles for years now according to rumors, so unless it has some intensely creative writing team that breathed new life into it, that doesn't really make a good impression on me. Plus since Kevin Smith is only involved with the pilot (he directed it, I don't think he'll do more), then I doubt it'll remain funny and good for the rest of the episodes.
AND, like you, I saw it first as a Supernatural replacement. Which ticks me off, because if I do turn out to love it, but it results in the death of Supernatural, I'll be very very bitter. Why not have 2 good supernatural shows? Why not more? Dawn Ostroff makes me want to hit my head against the wall... *sigh*

I so missed the commercial! I'm trying to see if it's been posted anywhere... hrmm...

[anakin415.livejournal.com]

I just got through posting a big fuck you to CW over Reaper and its promo versus Supernatural ands it on the Cw Source blog. I used the name Roxanne on there I didnt grab the link to the page

[cosmicbubble.livejournal.com]

I don't think I'm going to be inviting this Dawn lady to my b'day party *childish pout*

heh..but in all seriousness - if it's up against House then it's gonna be hard work...

*chokes on snack* at the thought of them advertising it during an episode of SN!!!! *grr*

:o)

[sonicbookmark.livejournal.com]

STOP SCARING ME, BARB, SERIOUSLY.

I was a HUGE Buffy fan (Angel turned retarded in the 3rd season) and I doubt I'll be watching Reaper. It sounds way too sitcomy for me and I really can't stand shows like that anymore.

It was the fans who brought La Femme Nikita back from the dead, maybe we could do the same for SPN if/when (great, now I'm depressing myself) it comes down to that.

[sen1995.livejournal.com]

Barb, I typed one of my long, rambling answers to this post and your questions above, hit *post comment* and lost everything due to a busy server or some such thing, so you've been saved another diatribe from me because I couldn't recreate it if I wanted to! So I am going to just try to hit the highlights:

This just reminds me of Sentinel all over again. After the regime change at UPN, the new guy wanted TS gone, because it wasn't "his show", even though it was the second highest rated show on UPN. And he ended up getting his wish, after we fought hard for an additional eight episodes.

Yeah, there are some similarites in the two situations, TS and SPN, so I certainly understand your concern. I'm hoping the result, however, won't be the same.

The same thing seems to be happening with CW, where, guess what, Dawn Ostroff just happens to be from UPN. She's already said she "doesn't get" Supernatural. So what does she do? Introduce a new supernatural-type show of hers that she must be dumb enough to understand, since it seems to be some type of comedy that doesn't appear to require any thinking while watching.

First, let me say that any show that proudly proclaims that its hero is a "slacker" is not one that I would have any interest in. I went and watched the clips at cwtv.com and agree that it looks like a fairly juvenile comedy, the type of show made primarily to appeal to those 18-year-old males in the audience. But secondly, I want to mention something I read on one of the SPN lists I'm on about the supposed comment from Dawn Ostroff that she "doesn't get the show" (I hope this might put your mind at ease a little) - there is apparently some confusion about Jensen's statement and to which "woman in charge of the network" he was referring. According to the person on the list who actually heard an MP3 of the Q&A where Jensen made this statement, she believes he was referring to the woman in charge of the station in Japan that is running SPN. She states that the sentence directly before Jensen makes the comment was about SPN being shown in Japan and then leads right into him talking about how the lady in charge of the network doesn't 'get' the show. The text of the Q&A then goes on to say that he [Jensen] couldn't "remember her name" [the name of the woman in charge of the network], and she believed it was unlikely (and I agree) that Jensen wouldn't remember Dawn's name. So hopefully it's not Dawn who said she "didn't get the show."

I'm tired of us being stuck on Thursday nights and getting chewed up and spit out. If Ostroff is so big on her stupid reality shows, why not put one of them on Thursday night?

I have to agree with you again here, but as much as I hate it, I hope that it's a vote of confidence to have SPN on Thursday nights. I would love to see them try out their other shows on Thursday to see how they do in the hell spot, but I doubt we will see that. I always thought they should stick the wrestling show on Thursdays - I bet those fans would follow the show anywhere it was put.

I want to believe that, if Reaper does well, it will be paired with SPN in the fall of 2008 when Smallville ends its run at the end of the coming year (which has been predicted in numerous places).

And the kicker? They showed a commerical for Reaper during Supernatural last night! I nearly choked and fell off the couch. From what I saw, this looks incredibly stupid. Did anyone else see the commerical last night?

As I mentioned in another post, I was in Boston on Thursday night and the hotel where I stayed did not play a station that carried SPN, so I didn't see the episode then, but I did see a Reaper commercial during tonight's show. The kicker for me, however, is, out of the multitude of names out there, they had to name their demon hunter "Sam"!

One last thing - I swear I read somewhere (and I wish I could remember where) that Warner Brothers (the studio that owns SPN and is a part owner of the CW) wants SPN to run for at least 100 episodes to make it more attractive for syndication after the run of the show. I so hope this is right and that we get at least 100 episodes.