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How iTunes saved NBC's 'The Office'
Our old friend Dave pointed us to a Newsday article discussing how iTunes essentially took NBC's The Office off the chopping block, where it was headed last year after disappointing Nielsen ratings, and catapulted it to "the Seinfeld of iTunes." If you're not a Seinfeld fan that might be meaningless to you, but trust me when I say It's the BEST, Jerry! The BEST!* Only recently did The Office cede the top spot to Lost as the single most downloaded program weekly, not to mention nabbing an Emmy (well-deserved, IMO) for Best Comedy. Angela Bromstead, president of NBC Universal, which owns and produces The Office had this to say: "I'm not sure that we'd still have the show on the air." The network had only ordered so many episodes, but when it went on iTunes and really started taking off, that gave us another way to see the true potential other than just Nielsen. It just kind of happened at a great time." Of course Nielsen is getting hip to the power of iTunes + iPod itself these days.Newer shows like 30 Rock and Jericho are also expected to be a big iTunes sellers when/if they hit the iTS, despite their currently poor Nielsen showings and may save their respective fates as well.The article goes on to talk about what doesn't sell well on iTunes. "Nielsen hits such as CSI: Miami or NCIS are no-shows in the top 50. The Simpsons? Nada (which is not on iTunes at all... even though Prison Break is a stalwart). What does any of this mean? Who knows - except, perhaps that serials and guy-oriented shows are the biggest beneficiaries of the iTunes effect." Personally I think iTunes is only part of this revolution. The networks themselves are getting smarter about putting their shows online, on their own websites, which may not be as convenient or trendy as iTunes, but it's certainly a start. With all the timeshifting and placeshifting going on these days anyway, Prime Time Television as we have known it for many years is going away sooner rather than later. iTunes is really only the beginning of the revolution. It's not the be all and end all.Thanks, Dave! *It's purely coincidence that I had not one, but two opportunities to reference Seinfeld today. Life is good.
NBC looks to resurrect Must-See TV with all HD lineup
NBC is shuffling its lineup and to make Thursday a "Must-see TV" night again, it is pairing two of our favorite HD comedies My Name is Earl and The Office, with returning -- and now HDTV-ready -- series Scrubs, and new show 30 Rock. There's also some show called E.R. at 10 p.m. but does anyone really watch that anymore? 30 Rock moves to Thursdays beginning November 16th as it joins with Earl and The Office in super-sized 40-minute episodes, but the block trule comes together on the 30th with the arrival of Scrubs in the 9 p.m. slot. That seems like a pretty powerful lineup to us, but it remains to be seen if easter eggs, emo hipster doctors and a british comedy transplant can bring back memories of the Seinfeld / Friends lineup of yesteryear.[Via TV Squad]
HDTV Listings for September 28, 2006
What we're watching: The Office and My Name is Earl of course, although Shark (a.k.a. court-House) gets attention as well. ABC is premiering all-new series Ugly Betty at 8 before Grey's Anatomy and Six Degrees. The CW checks in as they kick off new seasons of Smallville and Supernatural. ESPN-HD has SEC football on tap for tonight as Auburn faces South Carolina while ESPN2-HD features the Orioles vs.Yankees.Our traditional high definition listings continue below.
HDTV Listings for September 21, 2006
What we're watching: All-new tonight is the series premiere of Shark on CBS, featuring James Woods as a defense attourney turned prosecutor who doesn't lose his underhanded style of winning cases after switching sides. Our old friend Grey's Anatomy steps into its new night on ABC, first with a series recap and then the season premiere at 9, followed by new series Six Degrees. NBC brings back My Name is Earl, The Office and E.R. for another season, we'll keep our eyes peeled for more easter eggs, you've gotta figure there will be one sooner or later. Damon Wayans' The Underground is new tonight on Showtime, no word on if it's any funnier, while college football lights up ESPN HD as Virginia takes on Georgia Tech.Our traditional high definition listings continue below.
HDTV Listings for May 25, 2006
What we're watching: Yup...summer is pretty much here. The AC is on and repeats are playing. On NBC the repeat of Will & Grace's series finale is on, followed by previously-shown episodes of Earl and The Office. NBA Playoffs action continues with Game 2 of Pistons vs. Heat, with the Pistons facing a must win at home after dropping Game 1 (Go Pistons). Otherwise you can check out the Charlies Angels sequel on ABC, but don't forget to check out an encore presentation of the satellite launch Clint pointed out on HDNet.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
HDTV Listings for May 11, 2006 - DVR ALERT
What we're watching: Just making sure everyone is aware, two of our high definition mainstays, My Name is Earl and The Office are doing things a bit differently tonight for their season finales. Instead of slotting a rerun in the place of the now-departed Four Kings, Will & Grace, Earl and Office will all be 40 minutes long, shifting the start time earlier by ten minutes for the latter two. Please adjust your DVRs -- and your lives -- accordingly.Also ending their season tonight are Smallville, Everybody Hates Chris, Love Inc., Eve and Cuts.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Washington Post on Apple and product placement
The Washington Post has an interesting article about all the 'free' product placement Apple has apparently received in TV shows and movies in recent years. The article states that Apple doesn't pay for all that publicity, but the company won't discuss how their products end up helping CSIs track down their suspect or how the iPod helps employees of The Office land a punchline.However, the article goes on to mention that product placement is often "arranged through some kind of barter in which the show provides exposure in exchange for products or services" - doesn't that mean the placement is still being paid for?Semantics aside, let's hope the Hollywood writers and Apple's tech evangelist don't go too overboard; the producers of NBC's The Office "pride themselves on being real" and seem to understand proper placement: "Indeed, actors on the show's drab workplace set do not use snazzy Apple computers, but rather black, generic desktop PCs." Hooray for the real world.[via Slashdot]
HDTV Listings for April 13, 2006
What we're watching: She's no Dennis Haysbert, but Geena Davis returns in a new episode of Commander in Chief tonight. Usually we'd opt for the Earl/The Office 1-2 combination however they are stuck in repeats, but if you somehow missed the "dundies" episode of Office do yourself a favor and check it out anyway. Luckily UPN is filling with all new shows, starting off with Everybody Hates Chris.There is also a replay of the unfortunately-cropped Crash on Showtime and for sports fans you can choose from MLB action on INHD or a doubleheader of basketball on TNT-HD.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
HDTV Listings for April 6, 2006
What we're watching: Heat vs. Pistons of course, the premiere Eastern conference rivalry plays out once again as time ticks down towards the playoffs. The Heat are shorthanded with Jason Williams and James Posey injured, so Dwyane Wade and Shaq will have to pick up the slack at 8 p.m. on TNT. Also, the game is at Miami, so crowd watching in high definition is highly recommended.Elsewhere, NBC has committed the terrible sin of replacing The Office with Teachers at 9:30 p.m. so don't be fooled. Instead, if you didn't get enough Debra Messing during Will & Grace, switch over to HBO and check out The Wedding Date.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
HDTV Listings for March 30, 2006
What we're watching: With "unmissable" new episodes of My Name is Earl and The Office tonight on NBC, plus Mr. 81 points a.k.a. Kobe Bryant on TNT-HD taking on the World Chumps Champs, San Antonio (Go Pistons), this is a packed night of high definition viewing. Even with all that, we'll find time to check out the amateurs during the NIT Championship on ESPN and Shrek 2 at 9 p.m. on HBO.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Behind the scenes of filming "The Office" in HD
Even though tonight's episode of The Office is a rerun, you can get some more info on the world of Jim, Michael, Pam & Dwight in this article posted earlier this month. The Production Manager and Director of Photography go a bit into what it takes to shoot and produce each episode of the show. As some of our commenters continually remind us, in Europe the TV shows have long been in widescreen, and that was part of the reason they kept shooting it that way for the show here (you hear that Scrubs?).[Via DV Guru]
Web only episodes of the Office this summer
It looks like NBC is embracing 'non-traditional' media thanks to its success in iTunes. This summer NBC will be releasing several web only streaming episode of their hit comedy, The Office.No word yet if these episodes will be available for purchase from iTunes, but if I were a betting man my money would be on yes.
Moral of the story: Don't lose your iPod
Julio Ojeda-Zapata of the St. Paul Pioneer Press has posted an amusing story to his blog regarding a lost iPod. Apparently, someone had misplaced an iPod in the office, and a good Samaritan tried to return it to its rightful owner by sending out the following email:"I found an Apple iPod on top of the coat closet by the elevators at 4:45 today. This is the big, expensive model, not the smaller iPod Shuffle. Email me or call (me)."Julio goes on to say that, just a short time later, a follow-up email was sent out, which said (in part), "...In about two minutes, I got 19 responses to the email about the lost iPod, including several half-hearted and quite funny attempts to claim it..." *Yikes! That sounds like a script from The Office. The moral of the story: Don't bring your iPod to the water cooler. *It was eventually returned to its rightful owner.
The Office Boss picks romantic songs on iTunes
Speaking of corporate synergies, it looks like Apple and NBC are now best buds thanks to the stellar performance of The Office (iTMS link) on iTunes. Take a look at Michael Scott's (he's the boss on The Office, played by Steve Carell) Valentine's Day Romantic Playlist (iTMS link).It is in the customary 'celebrity playlist' format with a quick quote from Michael for each of the 13 tracks. My favorite has to be what he has to say about 'The Chanukah Song.'Check it out, it is good for a giggle, and any playlist with a-ha and Soft Cell on it is ok in my book.
Credits intentionally clipped in iTunes TV Episodes?
Remember how that one episode of the Office downloaded sans credits? Well, today, I finally received an email reply from the iTMS support team: "Dear C.K., Thank you for contacting the iTunes Music Store. We sincerely apologize for the delay regarding this issue. The iTunes Music Store team has researched the issue you described in your email message. We have confirmed with the artist that the video you received is as it was intended. The credits are not included as intended."So, it wasn't an iTunes Music Store screw up, but an NBC screw up. Odd.Let us know if you've noticed any similar malformed TV episodes in the comments and tell us about any replies you may have received from the iTMS support team.
HDTV Listings for January 19, 2006
What we're watching: I don't know what NBC's Thursday night lineup is doing for their overall ratings, but it's definitely a boon for HDTV watchers. NBC may attribute The Office's higher ratings to iPod downloads but I say keep lining it up with the easter-egg packed My Name is Earl (btw, keep an eye out tonight, the name of the epsiode is "Stole P's HD Cart", so you know they're going to be up to something), and you can't possibly do better for 1080i humor.From 8 to 10 p.m. I know what channel I'll be watching, although we'll also check out ABC's new show Crumbs, not to mention new episodes of CSI and Everybody Hates Chris. Those Snapstream guys may be on to something with that 11 tuner DVR. After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
