So the other day I was watching Entourage, and during the last scene Ari tells Vince that he's got a potential job offer to be a studio head and get Vince any job he wants. Vince answers back saying that it's great, but he thought they would end what they started. As he says the line, the Radiohead's Fake Plastic Trees qued in the background, and portrayed the uncertainty that both Vince and Ari were feeling in the scene.



skip over to the 2:00 min mark or so.

The scene was very poetic, and it made me wonder about music and tv, and how they two have had a brilliant relationship over the past ten years or so.

Now I'm not going to go into detail about general background music in shows, though those are just as important, but actual songs in TV shows.

Teen dramas are rife with examples. Imagine the opening of Dawson's Creek or The OC without the music that accompanies them. Those songs set the tone for the show before a single line was even uttered.

And what about the bands whose music is part of these series? Well they just introduce themselves to a whole new fan base

Take the example of Scrubs. Here is a show that uses a lot of music to portray how the characters are feeling. Long before Grey's Anatomy used the Fray's How to Save a Life for its commercials (a move that helped make the song one of the most downloaded ever!), the song was used in a crucial scene on Scrubs. But that's not the point. The point is, during the making of the DVD for season 1, songs were omitted from episodes and replaced with others as a cost cutting measure.

Fans were outraged. Putting pressure on the creator to make sure future DVDs didn't have the same issues. What makes this so impressive is the fact that season 1 of Scrubs came out in 2005, a full four years after the show premiered. The episodes weren't even in syndication! Clearly, fans of the show were so moved by the music that they wanted the same songs to portray the same emotions they felt when they first saw the episode.

Subsequent DVDs for Scrubs and other shows with strong musical influences have stuck to the same songs they used in the original run. Some series, like any show on the CW, have sections of their official website that informs viewers of what tracks were played in what episodes. Thus allowing the band to feed off the fanbase of the show.

I'll leave you with some of the best music moments in Scrubs.



Till the next time, why don't you tell me some music/tv moments that moved you.

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The new season is well underway, and there have been some interesting trends in the world of TV.

Fringe is the second new series, after 90210, to get a full season order. Lead in House has definately helping push the show to gain an audience every week.

I haven't seen it, but the Mentalist generated some great numbers in its debut episode. CBS watchers really love their crime investigative shows, don't they!

However, sophmore shows like Chuck, Dirty Sexy Money, Private Practice, and Pushing Daisies are returning to lower ratings than their premiere seasons. Which I have to say is unfortunate because I enjoy all these shows. The long, writers strike enduced, lay off of no new episodes really seems to have viewers looking elsewhere for their favorite shows.

Even fanboy favorite Heroes is experiencing trouble. After a second season cut in half, the series experienced its lowest rated episode this past Monday (October 6th, 2008). As a friend pointed out to me, once you start playing around with time travel, things can get very convoluted for the viewers.

In each of the cases, not including Heroes, the loss seems to be about a million viewers or so. That is a lot, but when you consider the 10 months these shows have not been on the air, that's pretty good retention.

All shows have come back with bang creatively. All have managed to keep their tone, as well as get rid of any kinks that annoyed viewers last season.

The question though, is will the networks stay dedicated to these shows if ratings either stay the same or fall.

One of the main reasons people have been switching from networks to cable in recent years is due to the knee jerk reactions of network tv.

HBO, Showtime, and now AMC, are being looked at as the place to view great programs. Even basic cable stations like TNT, USA and FX have given us some gems over the years. The reason? Series are allowed to develope and grow. They are allowed to create a connection with the audience and have the time to develope their stories. Examples? The Sopranos, Dexter, Mad Men, Nip/Tuck.

Network tv on the other hand, doesn't seem to understand this phenomenon. A lot of the time, they are quick to get rid of shows based on a few weeks (some cases days) old. On the flip side, they are quick to pick up on orders on the same idea.

But there have been a few cases where networks have worked on the "cable style" system and in the process found some TV classics

From Last Place to Where Everybody Knows Your Name!

Back in 1982, NBC was in bad state. The network had a lot of dramas on their last legs and very few sitcoms. A new sitcom debuted on the station that built around the concept of friends meeting at a bar detailing troubles at work and home. The show was called Cheers. One of the most successful shows in the past 50 years, anchoring the stations "Must See TV Thursday" lineup, as well as spinning off another NBC hit, Fraiser. But did you know that pilot episode of this show was DEAD LAST in the ratings. Network programming head Brandon Tartikoff felt the series has legs and kept it around. Now imagine if the show was taken off the air based on that one episode. Gone would be famous opening anthem, the screams of Nooorm, and the extra eleven years were were given by Fraiser!

The Chronicles of Nothing!

1989. A TV show called the Chonicles of Seinfeld premiered on NBC. The pilot was not well recieved and numbers weren't great. NBC actually offered the show to FOX, but they refused as well. The series was headed to the cancellation heap when late night and special events head Rick Ludwin decided to take money from his budget and fund the next three episodes of the show. Those three episodes, with the lead in from the aforementioned Cheers, drew big numbers, and led to the show getting picked up and eventually replacing Cheers on the "Must See TV" line up. on the season 1 DVD box set, Jerry Seinfeld even goes as far as saying that the decision making process and freedom he got from NBC in those early days has only been replicated at HBO. Hmmm, conicidence? I think not!

Today NBC finds itself in a similar situation as it did back in 1982. With the finales of Friends and Fraiser, NBC lost a lot of ground to CBS with its mix of procedural dramas and reality tv. The network consistantly sees itself in fourth place, with the exception of its highly rated late night programming (there we go again!)

There are other examples of networks pulling for shows that are creatively strong, but come out a little too early for the public. However, they seem to be few and far between, and in a lot of cases, shows aren't even given the time to develop or find an audience. I understand the business is about having the ratings to sell time to advertisers, and these in turn help pay for the shows, but in certain cases, a good show with good writing and good acting should be given a chance. And then if the audience isn't there, fine, it's time we call it a day.

Case in point: Friday Night Lights. A brilliantly written show with some great acting (Kyle Chandler is a standout), has really struggled to find an audience despite a lot of good press. NBC really seems to like this series, mainly due to the fact that the people who do watch it fall within a wealthier demographic. So, this season it is splitting costs with satelitte company DirecTV. The subscription channel will premiere the new season, and then three months later the show will debut on NBC for the rest of us regular folks (and hopefully Global, here in Canada). NBC is really hoping that this will somehow help the show find its footing.

Any shows that you were falling in love with that got brutally taken away?

Do tell in comments

Note: So I just found out that Beverly Hills Chihuahua made $29 million dollars over the weekend. The shows above are losing viewers, and some how this movie manages to make a ridiculous amount of money. C'mon people! The shows I'm mentioning are free!!! Wow, just wow!

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Hey M,

How you been? I know, I haven't been around lately. I'm sorry... it's just that, well, things are different now. And as hard as this is to say, I think it's time that we moved on.

Remember when we first met almost fifteen years ago. Things were much simpler then. I'd hear a song on the radio, and there you were showing me the video. Whenever there was an act in town, there they were at your place, hanging out, telling us what was going on. I loved the parties you used to throw, huge bashes that focused on music or movies. They were absolutely crazy!


Then things started to change a little. We were both growing up, trying new things out. I started hanging out with some of the networks, you started toying around with this concept called reality tv. It was a nice change at first. You mixed a little of that young music flavour with people like myself. Oh how I enjoyed the seeing people from The Real World or chilling with Beavis and Butthead.

But then, somewhere down the line, I began to notice that things were changing altogether. All of a sudden there weren't any music videos and that there was more and more of this reality stuff. Sure if we were out late, it would be like old times, but that was the extent of it. In fact it got so bad, I had to hang out with Much (who seems to have since been following your lead!). To your credit you tried. After we talked, you introduced TRL.

As the years went on though even that didn't work. I tried to get into some of the things you were into. I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed hanging out with some of the kids from Laguna Beach. I tried a Shot of Love with Tila Tequila but it wasn't for me. I enjoyed Pimping My Ride, adn Punking people. Ahh, those were fun times. Hell, I even tried moving to The Hills with you, but after a year of nothing happening, I really didn't want to stay there much longer.

I did enjoy our time trying to turn Gs to Gents . I thought perhaps maybe we could communicate on a new understanding. Perhaps try and educate through entertainment rather than exploit. But then things took another turn for the worse.

Now you want to find a new BFF for Paris Hilton???!! C'mon man, what is this all about? I didn't even have time for the actual event, I just joined in for the casting special. This is what you have to offer me? I've given you fifteen years of support and this is how you repay me. I'm sorry, but this is what is breaking this camel's proverbial back.

But I think you sensed this happening. Come November I hear your getting rid of the our olive branch that is TRL.

Hopefully we can still be friends. I'm sure I'll see you around at the parties. I'm still one of the few that enjoy those. And I'm sure we'll run into each other at Much's place.

But other than that, I'm going to say that this is the end. It's been a fun ride, but I think this might be it for the both of us.

Best Wishes,

DGN


PS: Here are some better times :)

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