The TV Series discussion thread

OK, reached the walking dead episode where Rick's gang rescue's Glenn and Maggie from the governor. This was the first episode where I really saw the cheapness. The whole way in which they get rescued is pretty naive and convenient. And the awful CGI muzzle flashes just look awful. The whole setup was a mess imo, and should've been handled differently if they really don't have the budget for this sort of stuff.

Originally Posted by Carnifex
Yeah, my expectations for that System Shock show will be extremely low.

What, "written by the Mortal Kombat guy" isn't an endorsement for you?

Originally Posted by danutz_plusplus
OK, reached the walking dead episode where Rick's gang rescue's Glenn and Maggie from the governor. This was the first episode where I really saw the cheapness. The whole way in which they get rescued is pretty naive and convenient. And the awful CGI muzzle flashes just look awful. The whole setup was a mess imo, and should've been handled differently if they really don't have the budget for this sort of stuff.

Idk, I think TWD set the bar pretty high for FX, especially for a show on AMC. You can't expect every episode to be perfect though.

That said, they did seem to get lazy the longer the show went on.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Idk, I think TWD set the bar pretty high for FX, especially for a show on AMC. You can't expect every episode to be perfect though.

That said, they did seem to get lazy the longer the show went on.

I read the whole falling out with Frank Darabont was over the fact that they wanted to cut his budget and make him produce twice the amount of episodes on that lower budget, than what he had to work with during the first 2 seasons (actually half of season 2; i believe he left during the second one?). So it made sense to me that corners were taken later on.

Originally Posted by danutz_plusplus
I read the whole falling out with Frank Darabont was over the fact that they wanted to cut his budget and make him produce twice the amount of episodes on that lower budget, than what he had to work with during the first 2 seasons (actually half of season 2; i believe he left during the second one?). So it made sense to me that corners were taken later on.

As I understand it, he was fired. He sued and got a shitload of money as well as continuing royalty payments.

The show didn't seem to suffer from his absence though. It wasn't until much later that it went into decline, imo.

Originally Posted by JDR13
As I understand it, he was fired. He sued and got a shitload of money as well as continuing royalty payments.

The show didn't seem to suffer from his absence though. It wasn't until much later that it went into decline, imo.

I only skimmed the article, but indeed AMC cut the budget by quite a bit, and then asked for double the episodes in season 2.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne…-fired-221449/

Sources say last fall, even before the first episode of the show had aired, AMC let it be known that it would effectively slash the show’s second-season budget per episode by about $650,000, from $3.4 million to $2.75 million. AMC cut the budget and pocketed a tax credit previously applied to the show. An AMC source says the size of the cut cited by sources is “grossly inflated� and that the second-season budget represents a more typical and sustainable number for a basic cable show.

What remains a central mystery, even to those closely involved, is what triggered AMC’s move to fire Darabont. As noted, AMC’s decision to cut the budget dated to the previous fall, when the network instructed Darabont to produce 13 episodes for a second season, up from six for the first season, for less money. Not only would the show get a lower budget, but AMC also decided that Walking Dead would no longer reap the benefit of a 30 percent tax credit per episode that came with filming in Georgia. Now the network was going to hold on to that money.

But this source says that AMC had its own ideas about how to make the show more cheaply. The show shoots for eight days per episode, and the network suggested that half should be indoors. “Four days inside and four days out? That’s not Walking Dead,� says this insider. “This is not a show that takes place around the dinner table.� That was just one of what this person describes as “silly notes� from AMC. Couldn’t the audience hear the zombies sometimes and not see them, to save on makeup? The source says Darabont fought “a constant battle to keep the show big in scope and style.�

It is a bit of he says/they say, but personally AMC's behavior sounds like classic corporate, trying to cut anything they can to reduce the budget.

Personally, I found the first and second season best so far. I might be biased, since I know Darabont was directly involved with those, and I generally love his movies.

Anyway, I'll keep on watching and see how I feel. But this episode, with the assault on Wood bury, was the first one where I really noticed it. Especially the muzzle flashes. Those looked pretty bad, and I don't usually notice these things. Good thing they didn't use those cheap blood splatter effects. That wouldn't been even worse.

Originally Posted by danutz_plusplus
I only skimmed the article, but indeed AMC cut the budget by quite a bit, and then asked for double the episodes in season 2.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne…-fired-221449/

Yeah, I wasn't saying that didn't have anything to do with it. I was already aware of that situation. I'm just saying he was fired. He didn't leave of his own accord.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Yeah, I wasn't saying that didn't have anything to do with it. I was already aware of that situation. I'm just saying he was fired. He didn't leave of his own accord.

Yeah, I believe I read he brought over a lot of people he usually works with, so it would also be kind of crappy to bring people over and then leave, since I imagine not everybody can pickup and leave as easily if he did just quit on the spot.

Anyway, imo it's a real shame they lost him. I was kind of impressed that a guy with his portfolio would work on a zombie tv series. And hope to see what he would bring to the table.

Originally Posted by danutz_plusplus
I was kind of impressed that a guy with his portfolio would work on a zombie tv series.

Have you seen The Mist? It's probably his least popular feature film, but I really liked it. If you haven't watched it, you should. It has multiple cast members that end up in TWD.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Have you seen The Mist? It's probably his least popular feature film, but I really liked it. If you haven't watched it, you should. It has multiple cast members that end up in TWD.

Yeah, I did see it. I also loved it. I hear the netflix tv series is pretty bad. I would've loved a good tv series around that idea.

The Mist was really good. I've seen it a few times and know I'm likely to re-watch it again. The Walking Dead telly series never approached that kind of goodness, at least in my opinion. I can be rather picky about horror shows though, I tend to hold them to a very high standard.

Originally Posted by danutz_plusplus
Yeah, I did see it. I also loved it. I hear the netflix tv series is pretty bad. I would've loved a good tv series around that idea.

I had to Google the tv series. I never even heard about it.

It was actually on Spike, and yeah, it seems like it was pretty bad. They cancelled it the same year it started.

Yeah, I tried to watch the Mist telly show when it first aired. I think I bailed out in under twenty minutes, never to return.

The Mist (movie) is one that I can watch over and over. It's one of my favorite monster movies.

Yeah, if I didn't make it clear above, the Mist version that I enjoyed was the film. Just thinking about it now makes me want to revisit it again!

It was clear.

The last Bosch series is very good, I'm up to episode four and enjoying it more than expected. I'll be sad to see it go, though I remember reading somewhere that there's going to be a spin-off show, which I'll be certain to check out.

After watching a slightly below average movie last night, I needed something that I knew was likely to be more pleasing, so I watched the third episode of the current series for All Creatures Great and Small. Yes, this story has been told many times on the screen, yet I find this current production rather satisfying, they've a great cast and it doesn't look like it was shot on some farcical lot. The cast is also top-notch, and I include some of the animals in the compliment!

Anyone still keeping up with The Book of Boba Fett? The last episode made me feel like they're already close to jumping the shark. It's pretty obvious what's going to happen in the next one.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Anyone still keeping up with The Book of Boba Fett? The last episode made me feel like they're already close to jumping the shark. It's pretty obvious what's going to happen in the next one.

I have been and will continue to skip the crap out of it. I like the sort of milk that comes out of a cow, but the diminishing returns that come when franchises get mercilessly milked for $$ don't appeal to me. Too many good shows out there.