Utopia Review
Fox is putting a lot of faith into their new reality show, Utopia, not least simply because the “contestants” are signed up for living there for a year. It probably isn’t a bad bet, because ratings over the last few years (and decades) have shown nothing more than the fact that people will tune in for any sort of crazy that a network will air. Reality shows are practically can’t lose efforts, because if things go far enough to one side, then people tune in to hate watch, and your network is still making money.
That’s good, because Utopia, which also offers live feed online viewing between episodes, is not so much a social experiment as it is a test of security protocols and the near perfection of the theory that there is nothing so dumb that you won’t find people to sign up for it,...
Fox is putting a lot of faith into their new reality show, Utopia, not least simply because the “contestants” are signed up for living there for a year. It probably isn’t a bad bet, because ratings over the last few years (and decades) have shown nothing more than the fact that people will tune in for any sort of crazy that a network will air. Reality shows are practically can’t lose efforts, because if things go far enough to one side, then people tune in to hate watch, and your network is still making money.
That’s good, because Utopia, which also offers live feed online viewing between episodes, is not so much a social experiment as it is a test of security protocols and the near perfection of the theory that there is nothing so dumb that you won’t find people to sign up for it,...
- 9/9/2014
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Fox is going big with its newest reality show: "Utopia" will send contestants to a remote location for an entire year and enlist them to build their own civilization -- sort of like a combination between "Survivor," PBS' "Frontier House" and "Lord of the Flies."
The network announced the ambitious new project in a press release on Thursday (Jan. 23). "'Utopia' will be the largest, most ambitious social experiment on television, and I'm thrilled that Talpa Media USA has chosen Fox as its U.S. broadcast partner," says new Fox reality head Simon Andreae. "The series offers people from all walks of life the chance to start all over again and rewrite the rules of civilization as we know it. It addresses fascinating and fundamental questions about human law, morality and social structures, wrapped in an irresistible and truly forward-thinking television format."
The show, from producer John de Mol ("The Voice...
The network announced the ambitious new project in a press release on Thursday (Jan. 23). "'Utopia' will be the largest, most ambitious social experiment on television, and I'm thrilled that Talpa Media USA has chosen Fox as its U.S. broadcast partner," says new Fox reality head Simon Andreae. "The series offers people from all walks of life the chance to start all over again and rewrite the rules of civilization as we know it. It addresses fascinating and fundamental questions about human law, morality and social structures, wrapped in an irresistible and truly forward-thinking television format."
The show, from producer John de Mol ("The Voice...
- 1/24/2014
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Merthur kicks off their final season with tonight's season premiere of Merlin.
News
Typically, the words "Yes, Dear reunion" wouldn't get me excited but in this case we're going to get to see Mike O'Maley (along with Liza Snyder) on Raising Hope, as reported by EW. They'll play a couple that finds the sex tape Burt and Virginia lost.
IFC's getting into the animated comedy business. Out There will follow three socially awkward boys living in a small town, with a voice cast that will include Megan Mullally, Linda Cardinelli, Pamela Adlon and Fred Armisen.
In an interview with Vulture, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan says that Casablanca provides the bar for Breaking Bad's finale, "No one gets everything they wanted. The guy doesn’t get the girl, but he has the satisfaction of knowing she wants him. And he doesn’t get her because he has to save the free world.
News
Typically, the words "Yes, Dear reunion" wouldn't get me excited but in this case we're going to get to see Mike O'Maley (along with Liza Snyder) on Raising Hope, as reported by EW. They'll play a couple that finds the sex tape Burt and Virginia lost.
IFC's getting into the animated comedy business. Out There will follow three socially awkward boys living in a small town, with a voice cast that will include Megan Mullally, Linda Cardinelli, Pamela Adlon and Fred Armisen.
In an interview with Vulture, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan says that Casablanca provides the bar for Breaking Bad's finale, "No one gets everything they wanted. The guy doesn’t get the girl, but he has the satisfaction of knowing she wants him. And he doesn’t get her because he has to save the free world.
- 1/4/2013
- by LyleMasaki
- The Backlot
LONDON -- Shed Media, the independent production house behind Supernanny, Fat March and Footballers' Wives continued its spending spree Thursday, saying it has acquired leading British rival Wall to Wall Prods. for 25 million pounds ($51.2 million).
Shed, which acquired Twenty Twenty Prods. for 19 million pounds ($39.1 million) in September and also owns Ricochet, said that Wall to Wall will be "an excellent fit" for its burgeoning U.K. and stateside business.
"Wall to Wall has some of the most successful television brands around, and Alex Graham, who joins the Shed board with immediate effect, will make a great contribution to growing the group," Shed CEO Eileen Gallagher said.
Added Graham: "What I like about Shed is that it understands that commercial success is built on long-running program brands, and I'm looking forward to playing my part in creating the next generation of hit Shed shows."
Wall to Wall is one of the U.K.'s most respected production companies, creating the hit genealogy show "Who Do You Think You Are?" as well as such factual hits as Frontier House and award-winning dramas including A Rather English Marriage and Our Boy.
Founder Alex Graham will reap 5.7 million pounds ($11.7 million) in shares as part of the deal
Shed said that pretax profits totaled 8.5 million pounds ($17.5 million) on revenue of 43.6 million pounds ($89.8 million) for the year through Aug.
Shed, which acquired Twenty Twenty Prods. for 19 million pounds ($39.1 million) in September and also owns Ricochet, said that Wall to Wall will be "an excellent fit" for its burgeoning U.K. and stateside business.
"Wall to Wall has some of the most successful television brands around, and Alex Graham, who joins the Shed board with immediate effect, will make a great contribution to growing the group," Shed CEO Eileen Gallagher said.
Added Graham: "What I like about Shed is that it understands that commercial success is built on long-running program brands, and I'm looking forward to playing my part in creating the next generation of hit Shed shows."
Wall to Wall is one of the U.K.'s most respected production companies, creating the hit genealogy show "Who Do You Think You Are?" as well as such factual hits as Frontier House and award-winning dramas including A Rather English Marriage and Our Boy.
Founder Alex Graham will reap 5.7 million pounds ($11.7 million) in shares as part of the deal
Shed said that pretax profits totaled 8.5 million pounds ($17.5 million) on revenue of 43.6 million pounds ($89.8 million) for the year through Aug.
- 11/30/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SYDNEY -- Film Finance Corporation Australia, the country's principal source of government funding for production, has announced it will back Australia's first reality-style history series, The Colony. The six-episode series will have a similar format to the BBC's Living in the Past and PBS/Channel Four's Frontier House, both of which placed modern-day participants in historically accurate settings, producers said. In this case, The Colony will focus on 20 people from Australia, England and Ireland, using the social, cultural and political backdrop of New South Wales circa 1800, a settlement established not long after Australia's discovery and colonization by the British. Mirroring the times, there will be British free colonists, the military, Irish refugees and convicts, FFC said.
- 2/12/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film Finance Corporation Australia, the country's principal source of government funding for production, has announced it will back Australia's first reality style history series, The Colony. The six episode series will have a similar format to the BBC's Living In The Past and PBS/Channel Four's Frontier House, both of which placed modern day participants in historically accurate settings. In this case, The Colony will focus on 20 people from Australia, England and Ireland, using the social, cultural and political backdrop of New South Wales circa 1800, the first settlement to be established not long after Australia's discovery and colonization by the British.
- 2/11/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bravo has unveiled a programming slate of new series, specials and pilots for next year. The NBC-owned cable channel will look to repeat the success of its breakout hit Queer Eye for the Straight Guy with programming that balances cutting-edge flavor with mass appeal, Bravo senior vp programming Frances Berwick said. "We're trying to find shows that have a unique twist and perspective that can be as popular as 'Queer Eye, ' " she said. Bravo has ordered 13 episodes from Wall to Wall Television (Frontier House) of a one-hour reality series titled Things I Hate About You, in which couples provided with video cameras capture each other's annoying habits. The network also has ordered another 13-episode batch from performance troupe Cirque du Soleil.
- 11/13/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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