When I was a 13-year-old girl, I watched the pilot movie, "Big Time Audition". I was very impressed because the boys were cute and sounded like they could sing. They were confident and fun. I liked the show for the reasons you would expect -- not for its quality, but because the boys were cute singers.
They don't show reruns of the pilot movie very often, but even being 16, I'm still impressed by it. The actors sounded very natural in their line delivery. They all had great chemistry, and the script was fun for kids but real enough to draw in viewers my age. Even though it was extremely unrealistic, there was enough about the pilot, something charming, that would draw in people like me. They found creative and relevant ways to integrate the band's theme song into the plot.
The best part about the pilot movie was that there weren't a bunch of wacky sound effects and stupid stunts drawing attention away from the dialog and the plot. If the whole series was like that, it would be far better.
Starting with the first actual episode of the series, everything that was charming and real was discarded in favor of wacky sound effects and stupid stunts. Now, every time a character makes a wacky facial expression, horns blare in the background. The same irritating sounds play with similar effects, like a rapid pop rock song playing when a character is running or rushing, a soft rock song when a character has a revelation or a "down to earth" talk with someone, and a guitar lick when James is commenting about his good looks, among many others.
Those actors who sounded natural in the pilot now sound forced, extremely exaggerated, and unnatural. The characters scream almost all the time now -- not really at each other, but they just scream their lines spontaneously. Now, the writing is significantly weaker, and the band's latest songs are forced into the plot like puzzle pieces that don't fit. In the first season, it wasn't as bad, but now, it's almost like they want to integrate the EPISODES into the SONGS more than the other way around. It makes the show seem like an advertisement for the band, rather than a show. It gives the whole show a cheap, prosthetic feel.
All of these qualities join together to make the show seem like it's prosthetic and forced. These are qualities that plague every episode. They had a nice and decent pilot movie. I don't know why they didn't keep that formula and discarded it for an exaggerated, painfully unrealistic, cringe-worthy, mediocre, and unimpressive television show... but hey, the band is still selling. Why? Because other teenage girls, like me 3 years ago, are still in love with this attractive boy band. Needless to say, I don't watch the show anymore, much less remotely enjoy it.
They don't show reruns of the pilot movie very often, but even being 16, I'm still impressed by it. The actors sounded very natural in their line delivery. They all had great chemistry, and the script was fun for kids but real enough to draw in viewers my age. Even though it was extremely unrealistic, there was enough about the pilot, something charming, that would draw in people like me. They found creative and relevant ways to integrate the band's theme song into the plot.
The best part about the pilot movie was that there weren't a bunch of wacky sound effects and stupid stunts drawing attention away from the dialog and the plot. If the whole series was like that, it would be far better.
Starting with the first actual episode of the series, everything that was charming and real was discarded in favor of wacky sound effects and stupid stunts. Now, every time a character makes a wacky facial expression, horns blare in the background. The same irritating sounds play with similar effects, like a rapid pop rock song playing when a character is running or rushing, a soft rock song when a character has a revelation or a "down to earth" talk with someone, and a guitar lick when James is commenting about his good looks, among many others.
Those actors who sounded natural in the pilot now sound forced, extremely exaggerated, and unnatural. The characters scream almost all the time now -- not really at each other, but they just scream their lines spontaneously. Now, the writing is significantly weaker, and the band's latest songs are forced into the plot like puzzle pieces that don't fit. In the first season, it wasn't as bad, but now, it's almost like they want to integrate the EPISODES into the SONGS more than the other way around. It makes the show seem like an advertisement for the band, rather than a show. It gives the whole show a cheap, prosthetic feel.
All of these qualities join together to make the show seem like it's prosthetic and forced. These are qualities that plague every episode. They had a nice and decent pilot movie. I don't know why they didn't keep that formula and discarded it for an exaggerated, painfully unrealistic, cringe-worthy, mediocre, and unimpressive television show... but hey, the band is still selling. Why? Because other teenage girls, like me 3 years ago, are still in love with this attractive boy band. Needless to say, I don't watch the show anymore, much less remotely enjoy it.