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How reality TV hurts sitcoms: "Well, if you do the math on it, one (hour-long) reality program replaces two sitcoms, which in fact represent probably six pilots," explains NBC West Coast president Scott Sassa. "That right there is 24 scripts. . .So right away, you have a whole economic chain that changes how many people are (working) out there."
"The talent pool has been spread so thin that there's a lot of really bad stuff," says one producer. "But there's an audience for a lot of really bad stuff."

Why it's OK to watch "Temptation," "Mole": "No one is watching these shows to uplift the spirit," says Rich Heldenfels. "They're a cagey blend of game show and soap opera. We want to see conflict, arguments, finger-pointing, betrayal, bleeped curses and close-ups of tears."
We'll find out this week if new batch of reality shows has viewers hooked

"The Mole" contestant seems modeled after the "Survivors"
Although there's no Richard, Susan or Rudy, Jennifer Christman says each "Mole" contestant seems to fit a certain "Survivor" profile. Here's how she describes each "Mole"-ster: "The Scruffy Hipster (think 'Survivor's' Greg), The Self-assured Black Woman (think Ramona), The Mr. America (think Joel), The Old Guy Who Thinks He Knows Everything (think B.B.), The Lawyer (think Stacey), The Chatty Older Lady (think Sonja), The Artsy Chick (think Kelly), The Dud (think Dirk), The Level-headed Plain Jane (think Gretchen) and the Charismatic Black Man (think Gervase)."
"The Mole's" first victim says: "When I got executed, I said, 'Wait a minute. You can't do that. I'm the first Mexican on a reality show.' So I'm calling Johnny Cochran tomorrow."
"Mole" producer: It's the "simplest game (format) you could possibly have"
"The game's cleverest insight . . . is that there's a very thin line between mole and moron," says Robert Bianco.
"The show's creators have clearly missed out on an opportunity to exploit the emotional minefields they're creating in each contestant," says David Kronke.
"'The Mole' certainly isn't Masterpiece Theater," says Kevin D. Thompson. "But it is a fun whodunit. A fun who-is-it, is actually more accurate. And it definitely beats a now stale Regis barking, 'So, is that your final answer?'"
"'The Mole' resembles an amateurishly shot home movie," says Hal Boedeker.

"Buffy" feud revisited: "The TV networks are putting TV critics to work as intermediaries to deliver threats and demands to competing networks," Joanne Ostrow writes of the battle between Fox and the WB over the Vampire series. "Specifically, they're using the critics' meetings here as a forum to trade shots over the license fees for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
"Will all the acrimony affect 'Buffy'? Probably not," says Rick Kushman.
Some of the comments between the two executives were exaggerated

NBC to expand "Friends" by 10 minutes to fight off "Survivor 2"
Then from 8:40 to 9 p.m., the network will broadcast live "Saturday Night Live" skits. "Obviously, it's probably going to take some (audience) out of Friends, but we couldn't put anything stronger against Survivor," says NBC president Jeff Zucker.

-Monday, January 15, 2001-

Study: When kids watch less TV , they act less violent
The Stanford research, conducted on third and fourth graders, also found that 43 percent of kids surveyed had TVs in their rooms. "When kids reduced their exposure to videotapes, TV and video games, they become less aggressive," says Thomas N. Robinson, who lead the study. "What this says is there is something you can do in a practical way, in a real-world setting, and see the effects."
Homer Simpson and the "Friends" make kids fat, says another study

"The Simpsons": A religious show?
"In the cultural debate over Hollywood values, a show once maligned for steering America's youth astray is garnering serious attention for its groundbreaking attitude toward the importance of religion in Middle America," writes David Briggs of the Religion News Service. He goes on to say that despite some of the profane religious references, the show "remains unique among situation comedies in the central role faith plays in the lives of its characters."

The Dramedy: The TV formula that thrives
From "Hill Street Blues" to "Ally McBeal," viewers always flock to the "tricky blend" of comedy and drama, says the LA Times' Mimi Avins. "The reasons dramedies have endured are what makes Dickens still a great read: Good stories, well-told, peopled by complex characters, are irresistible," she writes. "While attention-grabbing fads come and go, a rare, ticklish breed of programs that audiences make weekly appointments with keeps ticking, beating so steadily that it has come to seem like prime time's telltale heart."

TV critic admits: I wish "Millionaire" was on every night
In a SF chronicle article on guilty pleasures, TV critic John Carman says: "I hate what it's done to ABC, but I wish 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' was on seven nights a week, three hours a night... I die a little with the blaring signal that the show has ended." Also, TV critic Tim Goodman confesses his love for Martha Stewart and movie critic Wesley Morris reveals his guilty pleasure of watching skinemax star Shannon Tweed.
More guilty pleasures: "I'm obsessed with the ... 'Antiques Roadshow,'" says counterculture icon Wavy Gravy.

"Queer as Folk": "A breakthrough? It seems more a setback"
Writing in the NY Times, classical music critic Anthony Tomassini, who is gay, says he's distressed with the message the Showtime program sends out to Middle America. "As portrayed here, the characters seem the same familiar roster of exasperating stereotypes," he says.
"Queer" creator: "They were going on telly saying, 'This is disgusting.' Like they'd never had sex in their lives. Although looking at them, that could be true."
Earlier: Comparing "Queer as Folks": the British one is sexy while the American version is immature, says writer.

-Friday, January 12, 2001-

Producer: George W. Bush asked to play "pizza delivery guy" on "West Wing"
Aaron Sorkin says the Bush campaign approached him with the request more than a year ago. Although "very tickled," Sorkin turned down the offer. "My first reaction was, 'God, somebody is watching our show!'" he says. "We would have done it but for the fact it's wrong for West Wing." Sorkin says that Bob Dole has also asked for a cameo appearance.
"NYPD Blue's" David Milch says he impersonated Bush when they were both students at Yale (2nd item)

Initial fears over reality TV have already been realized
"Temptation Island," with the revelation this week that a coupled had lied about having a child, is the latest in a string of reality shows that "have consistently been plagued by unexpected revelations regarding contestants," says the LA Times. Previous controversies, as you might remember, involved Kelly from "Survivor," Will Mega from "Big Brother" and, of course, Rick Rockwell from "Marry a Multi-Millionaire."
Critic: "There sure are a lot of weak Survivor clones out there"
"Fox not only has its entertainment network, it also has a cable news network on which all manner of conservative talking heads regularly denounce liberals for their lack of respect for 'traditional values' and 'decency,'" writes columnist E. J. Dionne Jr., referring to "Temptation Island."

"Dawson's Creek" has become a "prime-time joke," says high school student
Lauren Robeson, who used to "worship" the WB show, now finds each episode "cringe-worthy." In a Sacramento Bee guest column, she offers producers advice on how to improve the show: "Lose Dawson. I know this makes me sound insensitive, but let's face it: This character is dragging the show down."

"Friends" showrunner: Audience loses from "Survivor" showdown
"We both have established a really great audience, and in an age when everybody's complaining about how little there is worth watching on network television, it's a shame that CBS had to make this move, where two audiences, two really good shows, they both deserve their shows," says Kevin Bright, one of the "Friends" executive producers. "I think the audience loses."
CBS: Super Bowl Sunday will be the biggest day ever for a network's ad revenue
The "Survivor" contestants already know who won (last item)

What the American Music Awards show is really like: Critic Ricardo Baca got the chance to sit among the celebrities on Monday night, and he found the show's most "intriguing moments" occurred during commercial breaks. "I witnessed people hurdling other people in an attempt to visit the restroom in under two minutes." Also during the break, he says Dick Clark gave the audience pep talks to prepare them for the return from commercials. "It's kind of a forced happiness, but still it looks clean to the television audience."
Music critic: Britney Spears deserves "Absent Host" award

Why is sports viewership down? "Is the lack of larger-than-life personalities part of the reason for the continuing drop in sports ratings?" asks Martin Renzhofer.

Get ready for the XFL: NBC's Dick Ebersol and the WWF's Vince McMahon discussed the new sport to critics yesterday. The Extreme Football League, they say, is designed to be everything the NFL is not. This means cameras will be on helmets and in the locker rooms. And cheerleaders will perform special "skits."
Broadcasters, including Jesse Ventura, will sit in the stands
Critic: "I just don't get XFL Football"

"Popstars": "Like gawking at one giant cheerleading tryout"
"There are the tears, the hysteria and the unshakable feeling that everything hangs on a 10-second audition," says Amy Amatangelo, in a negative review of the WB show. The first episode, she says, "is jam-packed with vocal histrionics, overly dramatic hand gestures, hideously revealing outfits and bad Christina Aguilera imitations."

"It's a show to make you feel disheartened about the music industry, if listening to the top hits isn't reason enough," says Hal Boedeker.

"'Popstars' is watchable, at least as television's clearest example of blind ambition this side of most people occupying the guest-co-host chair on 'Live! With Regis,'" says David Bianculli.

"I Will Always Love You" was sung 3,000 times

"Nominally a talent search, the show is actually about what Joni Mitchell called the 'star-making machinery behind the popular song,'" says Joanne Ostrow.

"The first amazing thing is how little talent it takes to persuade yourself to try out," says Manuel Mendoza. "I'm not sure what it says about the evolution of the sexes, but at the 'Making the Band' auditions it was rare for a young man to embarrass himself. Not the case with 'Popstars.'"

The group is revealed in episode 6

"I will admit that it's always better when a group finds themselves rather than when you find them," says David Foster, who wrote "I will always Love You" and is involved with the show.

-Thursday, January 11, 2001-

Why it's hard to clone "Survivor": "No one really knows why any television show catches fire (otherwise every network would have its own 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire')," writes Julie Salamon. "So the copycats seize on the latest successful gimmicks and hope for magic. That's why it's dangerous to extract broad sociological conclusions from the success of a couple of television shows from a particular genre (especially when you're ignoring the failure of other, similar enterprises)."
Earlier: History shows there is a small copycat survival rate

Explained: Why"Spin City" proves popular without Michael J. Fox
Since Fox's departure last May, the ABC sitcom's ratings have slightly gone up with his replacement, Charlie Sheen. This doesn't mean that Fox was unessential to the show, says Dan Brown. It's just that viewers, he says, "are almost always willing to give a fresh face a chance. Instead of being mortally wounded, 'Cheers' got a new lease on life when Kirstie Alley replaced Shelley Long; whenever Dennis Franz gets a new partner, 'NYPD Blue' keeps on rolling; Robert Patrick right now looks like the best thing that's ever happened to 'The X-Files.'"

Despite "Survivor" threat, Jeff Zucker is confident in NBC Thursdays
The network's new entertainment chief is hoping the hit CBS reality show brings in more viewers to TV in general — while leaving "Friends" alone. To shore up the timeslot, he's also betting on "Friends" visits from Jason Alexander and Susan Sarandon. As for 8:30, Zucker says something "special" will soon be announced.
Critic: Zucker faces big challenge in turning around "must-flee TV"
Zucker: Youths are crucial
The entertainment president's "big-tent philosophy" is to incorporate more reality without losing site of dramas and comedies
In other NBC news. . .

Is CBS betting too much on "Survivor 2"?
CBS has "tinkered dangerously" with its schedule by pitting its top new hit "CSI" in the post-"Survivor 2" slot against "Millionaire" and "Will & Grace", says Tim Goodman. "That's like keeping your password too close to your ATM card." But CBS President Les Moonves remains confident in the show, saying, "I've seen the first episode. It's pretty darn exciting."
Instead of saying "voted off the island," Jeff Probst will now say "voted out of the tribe."
Asked if a chef contestant meant better meals, Probst responded: "There's not less weight loss this time."
Video review: "Survivor Season One: The Greatest and Most Outrageous Moments" is a ripoff

"Gary & Mike": Mature claymation comedy
Debuting tonight after "WWF Smackdown!" the stop-motion animated comedy features two claymation figures on a roadtrip across America. Either you'll like it or you won't, depending on your taste. "(It) is a joke-a- second claymation comedy for Howard Stern-iacs with no taste compunctions and a thirst for stinging lampoonery," says Diane Werts. "It's likely young male fans could be cautioned there is nothing so nasty on this planet as naked clay people, but they'd only chomp harder at the bit to see them. "

"(It's a ) slacker comedy that I cynically predicted I would hate but actually found endearing, not to mention funny enough to actually laugh at," says Adam Buckman, who was especially mesmerized by the claymation process.

"The attempts at humor are in bad taste but they aren't funny," says Tom Jicha.

"(It's) a pulpy mass of repetitive, outrageous- for-the-sake-of-outrageousness lines and scenes as amateurish as the show's fictional characters," says Eric Mink.

"Gary & Mike" co-creator recalls his youthful days on a road trip

Report: This is how "Temptation Island" ends
A source tells World Net Daily if anybody eventually succumbed to the island's trappings.
The couple's ouster will be shown in a future episode
"'Temptation Island' is just another proof of the age-old theorem that the way to a young man's wallet is through his lurid imagination," says a NY Times editorial.
A rundown of last night's episode
"Wholesome, it's not. But give the devil his due — it†s wickedly watchable," says Tom Feran.

-Wednesday, January 10, 2001-

Wednesday at 9: "A Classic TV battle for the American soul," says critic
There is "Jazz" vs. "Temptation Island" vs. "West Wing," and critic Jeff Simon doesn't know which one to record and which to watch. "I know I should be ashamed to admit this (but I'm not): I'm going to be tempted to watch 'Temptation Island,'" he says. "I'm going to have a long workday on Wednesday and by the time 9 p.m. rolls around, my brain may be fried enough that a new entry in TV's Sleaze Sweepstakes may look good. Even so, I still can't get the question out of my mind: Why do we ask for so little excellence from TV? Why does it make us so uncomfortable when it's there?"
Scroll down for "Temptation Island" reviews

"The Mole": "excitement-free" or "irresistible" TV?
The ABC reality series tries to emulate "Survivor," but lacks that show's charm, says Manuel Mendoza. "While on 'Survivor' the challenges were just one part of the game, on 'The Mole' they're everything, despite the producers' attempts to edit in tension, bonding and other social dynamics," he says. "The small arguments and budding alliances are fleeting, as if taken so out of context they didn't add up to anything." Meanwhile, Drew Jubera says it's "dopey enough to be irresistible," despite starting off looking like a bad "X-Files" episode. By the way, the first contestant "executed" was also the first Latino to appear on the recent series of reality shows.
"'The Mole,' like its reality TV predecessors, sure mirrors reality in one key way: Old people and minorities are quickly lined up for disposal," says Salon's Bill Wyman

Putting "reality" in reality TV: NY Times columnist Maureen Dowd wonders what "Temptation Island," "The Mole" and "Chains of Love" would look like if they featured the current and future crops of Washington politicos.
It appears that all reality TV show contestants are being tested for STDs
The British are also facing with an "assault" of reality
What reality TV producers can, cannot and shouldn't do
Why the copycats aren't likely to survive

MTV goes dark for 17 hours to combat hate crimes
Tonight the network will broadcast "Anatomy of a Hate Crime," a 90-minute dramatization of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard. Then after a 30-minute news special following the movie, the network will cease all programming and scroll the names of hate crime victims for 17 straight hours. Of the movie, Terry Morrow writes: "'Anatomy' is not a celebration of life or a sympathetic play for emotions. It's a social diagram with lessons to teach, and 'Anatomy' does quite well. It is a rare TV movie that will stick in your memory long after viewing it."
"Is (the scroll) likely to affect viewers more than the music channel's repeated replays of videos by Eminem . . .?" asks Rich Heldenfels.
"Your blood will boil" during some scenes, Christine Champagne writes on Gay.com. She also notes that this isn't "the Official Matthew Shepard Story." That version, which comes from Shepard's parents, is scheduled to air on NBC sometime this year.
The network will lose $2 million in ad revenue

"Ed" co-creator describes how the show is growing: "I don't think we'd be able to sustain this show just as a romantic comedy between Ed and Carol," says Jon Beckerman in a wide-ranging Q-and-A. "I would like to see the show get to the point — and we have to a certain degree — where we can have Ed and Carol hanging out without having either one actively chasing after the other."
Beckerman named Ed's parents after his own

What it'll take to keep "X-Files" on Fox: Full support for "Lone Gunman"
Creator Chris Carter is still unhappy with Fox's quick cancellation of "Harsh Realm" last season, and he wants to make sure the network won't do the same for the "X-Files" spinoff.
"No matter what happens this season to Agent Mulder (David Duchovny), it looks as if agents Scully and Doggett will have time to get to know each other a little better," says John Levesque.

Bette Midler considers adding a new husband each week
The diva calls it "the Bewitched route," where rotating actors will play the role of her husband. "This week as Roy, Fred Willard!" she jokingly told critics. "This week, Martin Short! This week, Chris Rock!" (That's not actually going to happen, one CBS exec wanted to emphasize.) Midler has been wondering what to do since her original TV husband quit last year. With tonight's episode, Bette will cede more of her story time to her co-stars in an effort to take some of pressure off her. "I think it's a freshman show that's looking for its legs," she says.

"Pay-to-Be-Viewed TV": "Politically Incorrect's" auctioning of guest spots "establishes the distasteful precedent of allowing people to purchase exposure on TV shows," says Brian Lowry.

From "Survivor 3" to "Survivor 20": CBS has ordered a third and fourth edition of the hit reality show. The third installment, which is scheduled for the fall, will likely be filmed in Africa or South America. Also, CBS announced that "Big Brother" may come back and that "CSI" will occupy the post-"Survivor 2" slot. And CBS' president said he wouldn't mind seeing the show make it to its 20th installment.
Las Vegas oddsmakers are betting that a 32-year-old soldier will win this round of "Survivor"
More backstabbing? "Richard Hatch would have been eaten alive by this group,'' says Jeff Probst.
The players all fell into the same old traps, says Mark Burnett
More Burnett: "The great lesson about humans is that we think we've got great strategy and a great plan, and we continually mess up."
Les Moonves criticizes the production of "Big Brother"
"Survivor" Greg signs deal with modeling agency

"Grounded for Life" may have potential
Although it appears to be a "Malcolm" clone, the new Fox show is actually better than the promos make it look, says Alan Pergament. "The episodes are more amusing than funny," he says.

"'Grounded for Life' isn't groundbreaking, but its characters are appealing and the writing varies from sharp to serviceable," says Ed Bark.

"Grounded" is thankful "Survivor's" on Thursdays

One problem with the show: The mother looks just two years older than the daughter.

"(It's a) nigh-unwatchable hunk of sludge about a standard-issue dysfunctional family," says David Kronke.

"While 'Malcolm' is bitingly funny with a delightfully off-center point of view, 'Grounded for Life' is just plain loud and not funny enough," says Kevin D. Thompson.

"Where the family on 'Malcolm' is an absurd cartoon of reality, the Finnertys of 'Grounded' act crazy, but there's no sense of absurdity," says Rob Owen. "And that makes them pathetic.

"Temptation Island": Does it live up to its name?
The players will receive no reward; just a $3,000 stipend and a vacation. Matthew Gilbert describes the show as "a carefully constructed pastiche of naked navels, six-pack abs, blindingly white teeth, and psychological hot buttons that is calculated to become a ratings hit." While Robert Bianco warns: "Don't let the ads or the protests fool you: 'Temptation Island' is not salacious and does not pose a threat to Western civilization and American morality." And Tom Shales says on the first episode, "something might happen at any moment but never quite manages to do so."

Fox kicked off one couple, Taheed and Ytossie, after lying about not having a child

Newspaper tries to track down one contestant — a Playboy model turned doctor

Sorry, Jeff Probst: "There's ... one incredibly smarmy host/pimp, Mark L. Walberg, who has cribbed a few pages from the Jeff Probst playbook but clearly doesn't know what to do with them," says David Kronke. "He gets faux-cosmic, faux-sensitive and faux-empathetic. Basically, he's just faux. Jeff: Please forgive us for ever mocking you."

Fox's president doesn't consider this a reality show

"Nothing could persuade truly mature committed couples to subject themselves to this public humiliation," says Joanne Ostrow. "Immature couples on the verge of separation seem more likely to volunteer."

"'Temptation Island' is destined to be the show you will love to hate," says Rob Salem. "And probably hate yourself for loving."

"It's far worse (than 'Survivor'), cynical to the max and ethically, if not morally repugnant, too stupid to even pass as unintentional humour," says Alan Kellogg.

"The players are obviously there to further their careers," says Ricardo Baca. "Some of the contestants (and the majority of tempters) are actor-, model- and artist-types."