We've been busy with The Spin-Off! For our next edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, Joe and I chat with Salon's Sonia Saraiya about the latest TV headlines:
Given that spring is traditionally the season of rebirth, on this episode of The Spin-off we talk about a couple of big TV reboots that have made news recently -- Full House! The X-Files! And Mr. Show...sort of. While there’s a creative, nostalgic appeal to re-doing these shows, there’s also a huge commercial interest at stake.
It sounds like David Lynch may have pulled out of Showtime’s reboot of Twin Peaks, but in the long run, this may just prove to be a negotiating tactic. We ask how much of the original cast and creators need to be involved in order to pull off a successful revival.
And by now you've heard Comedy Central has named a new Daily Show host in Trevor Noah. There’s been a lot of talk and backlash about his appointment, but we’ll use that as a jumping off point for a larger conversation about just what we’re looking for in a news show...and if that varies if you’re talking comedy news or "traditional" news.
How did we come to a place where we’re holding comedy TV hosts to higher standards than politicians? And it’s a sign of strange times when John Oliver flies to Russia to interview Edward Snowden for his HBO show and the next day, Diane Sawyer announces she also has a big upcoming interview...with Bruce Jenner.
Finally, Mark Burnett’s AD opened strong on NBC on Easter Sunday, but didn't do nearly as well as his show The Bible did on The History Channel. It’s just one example that proves networks can no longer assume they’ve automatically got a huge platform, but many of them are still operating that way.
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