Ask Matt

Matt Roush: Sorry for not weighing in sooner, but I was out of the country when the movie opened, and it took me a while to find a block of time long enough (more than two and a half hours!) to see it. Bottom line: I guess I enjoyed parts of it. With those stars, how could you not? But beyond being tragically overlong and thoroughly unnecessary — although given the box-office results, seemingly millions of fans were more than happy to reunite with these ladies — it felt to me as if HBO had stubbornly ordered one season too many, resulting in desperately contrived break-up/make-up twists (I'd almost use that jump-the-you-know-what expression) that were as unpleasant as unentertaining to sit through, and then crammed the whole misbegotten season into a 140-plus minute movie. When the various relationships started to fall apart at the midpoint of the movie, so did my attention start to wane. If I wanted to see a depressed Carrie… well, I really didn't. To address your other questions, briefly, I'd remind other producers turning their shows into movies that brevity is the soul of wit and that continuing the series' story should be worth their and our time. If a show ends its run on its own terms, as Sex and the City did — as well as, notably, The Sopranos — I think we should all be satisfied to leave it as is. Also, most shows that I enjoy on TV I feel are best suited for that medium, but the sci-fi and action genres probably lend themselves best to the epic movie treatment. I'd love to see a Farscape movie in the tradition of Serenity, but I'm not holding my breath. Ditto a new Alias adventure. That would look amazing on the big screen. And I'm counting the days until I get to see the new X-Files movie. That one makes total sense to me.

Matt Roush: Does it help that Fox is planning a Family Guy spinoff built around the show's African-American character Cleveland? Probably not. (Although Fox did have a critical success with its claymated and very ethnic The PJs a while back.) Anyway, perhaps you've noticed how few comedies altogether are on the fall lineup. Reality is the new comedy, I'm sorry to say — and bad comedy at that, if summer hits like Wipeout is any indication — and when the whole genre suffers, so do comedies with a minority cast. All is not lost, though. Fox is developing a new comedy with Bernie Mac, with whom they had great success just a few seasons ago, and there may be others in the pipeline I'm forgetting. But believe me, we are talking about this, and especially lamenting how the CW, entranced by its new addiction to upscale teen soaps like Gossip Girl and 90210, has "ghetto-ized" its few remaining African-American comedies to Fridays. I'd also point out that TBS on cable has a hit in Tyler Perry's House of Payne, but that might sound like I'm recommending it. But honestly, it's almost better to have no minority representation on TV than to have it executed that terribly.

Matt Roush: I feel reasonably confident in saying that nothing Desperate Housewives does is remotely affected by anything that happens on One Tree Hill. Separate universes. But seriously: One Tree Hill's flash-forward eventually had to happen. No way could these overripe actors be even remotely believable as the ages they were playing anymore. It's a much bigger risk for Housewives to jump the story ahead so far, disorienting a number of fans (according to my mailbox from May) and reinventing a truly popular show just as it had regained some confident momentum.

Matt Roush: I agree that a show merely being on HBO gives it a better shot at being noticed in Emmy world. There are exceptions (John From Cincinnati), but for the most part, the HBO label conveys an aura of being hip, cutting-edge and superior, even if it isn't actually true — as it certainly isn't where Entourage's most recent season is concerned. Although quite often it is true, given HBO's track record, which is why the aggravating situation exists. I've often felt that some shows on HBO wouldn't be nearly as well regarded if they aired on Showtime — although that's not quite as true anymore, now that Showtime has come into its own — or basic cable (again, thanks to Mad Men and Damages, that perception may be changing as well), or — horrors! — on network TV. It's almost a handicap now for a show to air on a network or, if you're a comedy, dare to be done in the classic multi-camera/soundstage/laugh-track style. I don't really begrudge Two and a Half Men's standing with Emmy voters — it can still deliver big belly-laughs, although it often stoops to achieve them — but I think Mother, Big Bang and Christine were more consistently funny this season. The bottom line here, as it generally always is with the Emmys, is that the nomination process is terribly flawed because of the lazy mentality of the membership not keeping up with a current season's quality. The fact that the blue-ribbon panels hold as much sway as they do, judging off of a single episode, can be so discouraging — and poor them and poor us, if they're confused by "The Constant" episode of Lost or challenged by The Wire's series finale. If they can't be bothered to see the bigger picture, I wonder why they volunteered for a job they're clearly not qualified for in the first place.

Matt Roush: Matter of taste, my friend. I'd actually put Mad Men, Lost and The Wire on even billing if I could, but I also have to factor in a little intangible called entertainment value. And while I admire The Wire to no end, this season had one element — the lies perpetrated by Scotty Templeton and the newspaper bosses who turned a blind eye — that eventually began to ring a bit false for me, especially toward the more melodramatic end. And overall, I found the world of Mad Men so exceptionally compelling and fresh — harking back to the last question, of "HBO quality," as it were — that it still ranks as my No. 1 show of the last year (as it did in my best-of-2007 wrapup). Lost's comeback also felt so extraordinary to me that when Television Week recently conducted its Critics Poll (covering the first six months of 2008), I put it ahead of The Wire, but not without some serious internal debate. And I won't be the least surprised, or disappointed, if The Wire actually tops the list when it's released soon. Like you, should push come to shove, I'd love to see The Wire win the top drama prize after years of Emmy neglect. But I'd be lying if I didn't say that Mad Men, in my estimation, deserves it more.

Matt Roush: Thanks for the feedback. Getting the early look at Dr. Horrible was one of the highlights of my year, especially when you consider how I worship the "Once More With Feeling" episode of Buffy, which still ranks in my top tier of best TV episodes ever. When I was invited into the room for the sneak peek, I know it wasn't merely for my own enjoyment but also to help get the word out. We'll have an item in the upcoming Sci-Fi edition of TV Guide as well, so that ought to help, too. Anything to bring eyeballs to this experiment in fun-fun-fun. (And by the way, Felicia Day is quite the discovery as Penny.) While I defer to Steve Battaglio in all matters concerning the business of TV, I'll wrap by saying that I hope this is successful, but that as in all things creative, it may not be all that easy to duplicate, although I bet it will inspire others to try. Not everyone has the creative relationships of a Joss Whedon, and pulling off something of this scale in the brave new world of Internet production is pretty awesome. I'm just glad they're pushing forward with an eventual DVD release. The idea of a completely original musical commentary track still makes me smile a week after I first heard of it.

Matt Roush: I've seen the pilot episode (premiering this Friday), and while calling it "un-terrible" feels like damning with faint praise, I think that's a fair description. Enrico Colantoni is fine, but there are several other promising actors in the ensemble as well, and while Flashpoint does at times have a generic feel in its hostage-negotiation-crisis opening plot, I was intrigued by the show's attempt to tap into the emotional consequences of the job, including at home with family (or not, depending on the character). I'll watch it again, and hope to be able to discuss it in more depth later this summer.

Matt Roush: Anything else on your mind? Whew. Briefly: Yes, the networks are taking into account DVR and online viewership, but the bottom line is that the real money is still in more-or-less real-time viewership, so that still counts for a lot in determining a show's survival. "Save this show" campaigns are more successful if they start taking shape before a show is officially canceled, but even so, once a show's in danger, it can be very difficult to actually "save" a show if the network no longer believes in its potential for growth or profit. Cable shows often appear more interesting because they can afford to target a specific niche or taste, not as concerned with the "mass" reach of broadcast networks, and a show can look like a "hit" on cable when it would be branded a disaster on network TV. Cable networks can also focus more marketing muscle on a fewer number of shows, and thus have a vested interest in keeping their signature shows on the air, even if they're not instant hits. As for The Riches: Last time I checked with FX, which was quite recently, no decision had yet been made.

Matt Roush: More fun. Less creepiness. Add "less predictability," and you may have a future as a network development executive. Great notes. I like your point that, according to this show, adults were having all the fun while the kids moped around and went to Beckett plays for a summer lark. Bizarro '70s, if you ask me. As someone who's roughly the same age as you, I'll merely say that, fashions aside, some of the teen behavior I observed in the mid-'70s in the Midwest would challenge CBS's standards and practices far beyond the coy flirtations of Swingtown's so-called "adults." (That '70s Show, for all of its silliness, feels more true to me.) And yes, I agree that anyone taking Swingtown too seriously is barking up the wrong tree.

Matt Roush: Consider the word spread. I'm sure the numbers will be pitiful on Saturday night, but between repeats and online exposure, and the eventual DVD release, every little bit might help this show survive the sophomore jinx. I'm rooting for it — but then, I have been from the start, and as you noted, it only got better from there. Thanks for pointing it out (and you weren't alone).