Kindle Worlds is billed as “new stories inspired by books, shows, movies, comics, music, and games people love”. Amazon Publishing has secured licenses from Warner Bros. Television Group’s Alloy Entertainment for Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries, with licenses for more Worlds on the way. Writers will be offered royalty reports and payment for any works they publish, with the ebooks sold for between $0.99 and $3.99. Authors will receive 20% of net revenue.

Interestingly, authors will retain the copyright on any original elements that they bring to the fan fiction, but cannot then take those original elements and use or license them as their own properties. Amazon retain the exclusive license to any original elements created. So while the author owns any original work, it doesn’t mean that they can then back-door pilot a character into their own licensable works. It does, however, mean that, say, The Vampire Diaries wishes to include an element from an authors work into the TV series, the fan fiction author does lay ownership over those elements and can therefore expect to be paid for them.

There are content guidelines in place which are inevitable, but will restrict the proliferation of certain often-explored fan fiction genres. Kindle Worlds prohibits pornography, offensive content, illegal and infringing content, excessive use of brands, and no crossovers. This means that any plans that you have for Mulder & Scully visiting a swingers resort where they shout racial epithets at Steve Urkel while drinking Pepsi Max is probably a no-go. It also means that anyone with plans to publish some Gossip Girl Chuck/Nate slash fiction are not going to be able to use this platform.

Content holders often look the other way when it comes to fan fiction (on the proviso they’re not doing it for profit). Upsetting the hardcore fans of a show, especially in this day and age of the Internet, usually leads to battles not worth fighting. A shift in recent years has seen creators fully embrace some of the fan-driven narrative films and TV series being produced. Star Wars creator George Lucas each year selected a winning film in the Lucasfilm sponsored The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards. More fascinating is the way that creators and the actual stars of the shows/movies have begun getting involved in fan productions. Star Trek New Voyages is among the more high profile ongoing productions and continues the five year mission of the crew of the original series Star Trek Enterprise. While new actors inhabit the roles from the original show, Star Trek actors like Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov), Grace Lee Whitney (Janice Rand), and George Takei (Hikaru Sulu) have reprised their original roles on the series. Actress Denise Crosby has also appeared as the grandmother of her Star Trek: The Next Generation character.

The difference between these fan film/TV productions and what Amazon are doing is that the Amazon Kindle Worlds program is fully licensed and is intended to generate revenue. This is not fan service, but rather a commercial venture. If this proves financially viable without being detrimental to the brands of the licensed content, expect to see many more licensed properties open up their IP walls to the fans. And being driven by Amazon, no doubt this will extend further to their Amazon Video platform and provide a venue for the (aforementioned) fan films & TV shows. And if that happens, it will mark an entire change in the way that content is produced and licensed – why would Paramount create a new Star Trek TV series, for example, if high quality fan productions can continue to deliver solid profits in perpetuity for them?

The launch of Amazon Kindle Worlds marks a great day both for fans and for license holders.

Lincoln Lewis, in town to discuss Foxtel’s Express From The US effort to broadcast US TV shows in as short a timeframe as possible here in Australia, also takes the time to discuss some of the TV shows that he enjoys watching. The answer to this may surprise.

At Televised Revolution, we look forward to receiving your mail and check us out on the Twitter. You can also find the podcast on iTunes (please leave us a review, it helps people find the show).

The opening story on Vive Cool City defines the show in a way that I suspect the producers of the show hadn’t intended. Story one has co-host Ryder Susman visiting a nudist gymnasium. What follows is a collection of scenes of Ryder wandering around the gym meeting regulars while using the equipment on offer (gym equipment, that is. Not…). The sight of old, flabby nudists were unfortunately visions that we’ve all seen before. Anyone who’s watched enough trashy Friday night SBS doco’s or episodes of Real Sex back in the day on thecomedychannel would be well acquainted.

The story needed to go further. Get past the obvious amusement of the nudists and maybe question how the venue is accepted by neighbouring business’, or even delve into how the gym makes money. The gym was obviously fairly dilapidated, so one would presume that a nudist gym isn’t the most profitable of business’. There didn’t seem to be all that many customers on site – was that because there were no customers, or were they just scared off by the camera? It isn’t readily apparent by what is depicted on screen. Personally, I wanted to know at least a little bit about the policy regarding using towels on the gym equipment. By not delving deeper than a cheap excuse to show off some wrinkled older nudists, the segment came off remarkably flaccid.

(Yeah, I went there).

Other stories featured on the first episode included a man who excavated a tunnel beneath his home, an attempt to sell ice-cream using breast milk, an afternoon with a heroin user, and a story about therapists who are horses. And this is where the show manages to infuriate and disappoint. The subjects covered on the show are marvelous and unlike anything else on TV. The subject matter is unique, edgy, and wholly compelling – especially in this bite-sized short form doco format. Where the show fails is simply that they don’t go far enough into the world of each of their subjects. It’s just too superficial and surface. The only story that really worked to the strength of the format was the afternoon with the heroin user. It was such a small, personal story about consumption habits that worked well because they focussed on a micro aspect of the subjects lifestyle. It made for a highly compelling segment on the show.

Vive Cool City is a show with a lot of promise. The subject matter offered in this first episode was varied, wild, and extreme. Where the show is let down is by the shows lack of willingness to actually explore the subjects at any real depth. There is a tightrope that Vive Cool City need to walk in maintaining a fashionable and aloof distance from the subject (don’t forget, this is a show that is just as much about the aesthetic as it is about telling a story), while also seeking to explore its subject matter in an engaging manner in the short running time allocated. The balance isn’t achieved in this first episode, but it is within its grasp.

Vive Cool City airs on SBS2 Tuesday nights at 11:30pm.

At Televised Revolution, we look forward to receiving your mail and check us out on the Twitter. You can also find the podcast on iTunes (please leave us a review, it helps people find the show).

VIDEO:

AUDIO:

Dan and Prue both found that they were touched by the series despite some of the problematic issues regarding its final seasons and with the show finally reaching the end, they recorded their thoughts on the series as a whole and whether the final episode provided the resolution they were after.

AUDIO:

VIDEO:

Dr Christian will be fronting the local version which, thankfully, will continue the ooh-err tradition of saucy puns when the UK bring their shows to Australia. “I’m very much looking forward to once more pulling on the rubber gloves and having a good delve down under!” Dr Christian Jessen said.

Those who want to make an appointment with the Down Under doctors can visit: www.Lifestyle.com.au/embarrassingbodies

Media Release: Friday May 17, 2013

Foxtel announces new local production EMBARRASSING BODIES DOWN UNDER

Britain’s hit medical television phenomenon, Embarrassing Bodies, is heading down under with Foxtel announcing today it has commissioned a local version of the daring and provocative health series.

Hosted in the UK by the renowned Dr Christian Jessen, Embarrassing Bodies is an award-winning show that tackles obscure medical conditions people are too embarrassed to talk to their doctor about.  The series currently airs in more than 100 markets around the world (including Australia on Foxtel’s LifeStyle YOU), with local versions produced in Belgium, Holland, France and now Australia. 

In a major coup, Dr Christian is coming to Australia to appear in the new series.

The charismatic presenter, who also appears on the successful series Embarrassing Illnesses and Supersize Vs Superskinny, trained in general medicine, infectious disease, travel medicine and sexual health/HIV, graduating from University College London in 2000.

He now practices at Doctorcall, on the world famous Harley Street in London, looking after general medical and sexual health patients and will join Foxtel’s expert team of GPs as they dispel myths and break down the taboos surrounding these blush-inducing conditions.

“I’m very much looking forward to once more pulling on the rubber gloves and having a good delve down under!” Dr Christian Jessen said today.

“Australia is the perfect location for this new series and I can’t wait to bring Embarrassing Bodies and its unique way of spreading important health messages to the Aussies in their own version!”

Hannah Barnes, Foxtel’s Head of Programming and Commissions – LifeStyle Group, said: “Embarrassing Bodies is one of LifeStyle YOU’s most successful properties, so it is a huge win for Foxtel not only to have secured the rights to a local version, but also to have Dr Christian involved in this new production.”

“Embarrassing Bodies is a groundbreaking lifestyle format that has become a global hit. The franchise continues to grow here in Australia in terms of ratings, which shows that Aussies are more than ready for a local version,” she said.

EMBARRASSING BODIES DOWN UNDER will be produced by Shine Australia exclusively for Foxtel’s LifeStyle YOU channel, with production on the series to commence next month. 

Mark Fennessy, CEO, Shine Australia, said: “Embarrassing Bodies has become a health and lifestyle phenomenon in the UK. Together with the fabulous Dr Christian and a talented team of local Doctors we look forward to making it appointment to view television for the Australian audience.”

Just like its UK counterpart, EMBARRASSING BODIES DOWN UNDER will feature an array of highly embarrassed patients, young and old, who suffer from visually shocking and personally mortifying conditions, and are all desperate for some much needed medical attention.

The series will give an intimate insight into both the sufferer’s treatment and their attempts to cope with the emotional and psychological impact of their illnesses.
EMBARRASSING BODIES DOWN UNDER joins a stellar lineup of Australian lifestyle programming including River Cottage Australia, Paddock to Plate, Location Location Location Australia and Marion’s Thailand.

Would you like an appointment with the EMBARRASSING BODIES DOWN UNDER doctors?  For more information, head to www.Lifestyle.com.au/embarrassingbodies.

CBS is known for maintaining a stable schedule. Its viewers skew older than the other network and their shows tend to be more conservative in tone. They take fewer risks and that suits their audience. CBS have just the six new shows on their schedule across 28 timeslots.

The Millers

Unless you are Christian Slater, two failed TV series in a row can often lead to sitcom jail, which is where we find Will Arnett. Arnett stars as a recently divorced guy who finds, after his divorce inspires his father to leave his mother, his mother moving in with him and thusly cramping his newfound bachelor lifestyle. Margo Martindale plays his mother, Beau Bridges his father, and JB Smoove his best friend. That is four talented actors all wasted on this show.

The Hostages

A doctor and her family are taken hostage by a group of people wanting to see the President of the US dead. The doctor is expected to operate on the President the next day, with his life in her hands. With just 15 episodes, The Hostages is a limited run series that will air in the US uninterupted (US series frequently have repeats of series air throughout the season). Limited series like this are a great trend that I’m hoping isn’t a short-lived fad.

The cast of this show is pretty incredible with Toni Collette and Dylan McDermott serving as the shows leads, with Tate Donovan and Rhys Coiro supporting.

Mom

Anna Faris, Allison Janney, Nate Cordry, and French Stewart star in this new sitcom about a woman whose mother decides to move in with her. The mother has had a history of drug abuse. Sounds hilarious. It’s a great cast, yes. But the show is from Two & A Half Men’s Chuck Lorre.

The Crazy Ones

Anyone who claims to be wacky/zany immediately isn’t. The same principle applies for crazy. So, a show that purports to be about “crazy ones” is immediately on thin ice. And that ice gets even thinner with Robin Williams as the shows lead. Williams stars as an advertising genius who works with his daughter, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. James Wolk moves on from Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce to this ad agency,Hamish Linklater (The New Adventures of Old Christine), and Amanda Sutton (The Mindy Project) rounds out the shows main cast.

This might be worth a look, but only for James Wolk.

We Are Men

Four men who have been divorced live in the same apartment complex act as a support group for each other as they navigate the world of dating and relating with the ladies. The show stars Tony Shalhoub, Jerry O’Donnell, and Kal Penn.

There is no way that this is worth anybody’s time. Televised Revolution is ready to call this as the first cancellation of the 2013/14 TV season.

Intelligence

One of the most fun sequences in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol had Josh Holloway (Lost) as an international spy jumping off a building and acting all James Bond. He fit the role like a glove. As such, it’s great seeing Holloway turning up here as the lead in this action/adventure show about a spy who has been implanted with a chip that allows him to always be connected online. The shows premise is a little ridiculous and the visual cues to show him accessing information are silly, but Holloway is a charismatic guy who might just make it work.

* * * *

Modern, yet very traditional TV series are the bread and butter of CBS, so there wasn’t a whole lot here that did much to interest me. The Hostages may well turn out to be one of the few great drama series to come out of network broadcast television in the US. As long as it isn’t too confined by the restrictions of being on a broadcast network content-wise, it offers considerable promise. Intelligence may turn out to be fun, and goofy casual fun. The Millers has an awesome showrunner behind it, but there is a sense of desperation to the show that is difficult to get past. Mom will perform very well for CBS, likely the breakout comedy hit of the season. CBS have again played it relatively safe and it’ll work out just fine for them.

The 2013/14 schedule for ABC feels more stable and consistent than the Fox and NBC schedule, but there are still quite a few more new programs on the schedule this year. ABC have scaled back Dancing With The Stars to air on just the one night, opening up their schedule to new shows like the highly anticipated Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is an interesting proposition as it represents true synergy between Disney’s movie division and their TV broadcasting division. The series is a spin-off from the Marvel superhero films, specifically their billion dollar 2012 Avengers film. If the show proves successful, expect to see a stronger bond form between the ongoing narrative structure of their shared universe between their film and TV properties with the TV end of things being used to develop future films.

8 new shows are on the schedule for the commencement of the season out of 23 timeslots with just four series scheduled as midseason replacements.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

For a series with so much attention and expectation set upon it, the most striking thing about the trailer for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is just how much it looks like a standard Joss Whedon show. It seems that after years of his shows building intensely loyal and passionate fanbases without capturing mainstream interest, his flavour is now in vogue. 

Clark Gregg reprises his role from the Marvel films as the now-deceased Agent Coulsen who heads up a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who focus on the fringe superhuman activity taking place in the Marvel Universe. Ming-Na Wen (The Single Guy, ER), Chloe Bennet (Nashville), and J. August Richards (Angel) also star. It is yet to be confirmed as to exactly who J. August Richards is playing, but it is strongly rumoured that he may be playing the Marvel comics character Luke Steel.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is promising and should do well to build a strong following among the usual genre enthusiasts. Whether it builds a wider audience will be fascinating to see. The only question remains how long they’ll keep its dumb name before switching it just to S.H.I.E.L.D.

Once Upon A Time In Wonderland

The second new series from ABC with a clunky name, this is not the spin-off from the ABC series Once Upon A Time that you would expect it to be. Rather, it seems to be completely independent from OUAT and is instead a sequel of sorts to Alice In Wonderland and simply uses the Once Upon A Time brand. This fits in nicely as a means to continue using the brand long after the original Once Upon A Time series has wound down. It also seems fitting as a brand on a Disney-owned television channel.

Where OUAT never interested me all that much, Once Upon A Time in Wonderland has captured my attention. It repositions Alice as a girl who has been placed in a mental institution several years after her adventures in Wonderland. In this it is not all that different from the opening of the 80′s Wizard of Oz sequel Return To Oz. Added to the story is a genie that Alice had fallen in love and adventured with that she must now rescue. While the genie aspect feels tacked on and convoluted, the trailer for the series looks interesting, if not perhaps a little bit good.

Super Fun Night

There seems to be considerable goodwill for Super Fun Night, but whether audiences will stick around for it a few episodes in is questionable.  This single camera comedy is about three dorky friends who set aside every Friday night as a ‘super fun night’, but after a decade of weekly fun nights they decide to step it up a notch. The show stars the heavily promoted Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids, Fat Pizza) and includes the very funny Liza Lapira (Don’t Trust The B—- In Apartment 23) in the cast.

 The Goldbergs

The phrase ‘Brilliant But Cancelled’ seems ready to be applied to this single camera comedy about a family from the 80′s. The premise of the show seems overly familiar – it seems that every 3-4 years we get a retro flashback to a loving but snarky and/or quirky family as viewed through the eyes of one of the children. Despite this well-trod premise, the cast in The Goldbergs are quite good with Wendi McLendon-Covey (Reno 911, Bridesmaids), Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm, By The Way: In Conversation with Jeff Garlin, Daddy Daycare), and George Segal (Just Shoot Me, Rollercoaster). The show is created by Adam F. Goldberg and produced by Seth Gordon (King of Kong) who together created the show Breaking In.

Familiar, but promising.

Back In The Game

James Caan and Maggie Lawson (Psych) lead this single camera sitcom about a woman who has to move back home with her father. When her own son proves inept at playing baseball, she offers to take over coaching a team of equally inept kids. There isn’t a single joke that lands in the trailer for the show. While I’d love to watch a show with either James Caan or Maggie Lawson in it, this isn’t doing anyone any favours.

Lucky 7

The Australian show Winners and Losers explored what happened to a group of friends following a lotto win. While that sort of money can change people, it’s nothing compared to the sort of money won by Americans in some of their lotteries. Lucky 7 is based on a UK series The Syndicate and follows seven petrol station staff who win big. The show stars Isiah Whitlock Jr (Senator Clay Davis from The Wire…”shiiiiiiit”), and the should-be-a-star-by-now Matt Long (Jack & Bobby, Mad Men).

The show looks like entertaining, but disposable television. There is always the potential that the audience may find themselves actually caring about the characters.

Betrayal

David Zabel, also responsible for Lucky 7, is the creator of this limited run series about an unhappily married photographer, Sara, who has an affair with a lawyer, Jack. Following the murder of Jacks father-in-laws sisters husband (who may or may not have passed out at 31 Flavours), Jack finds himself proesecuting the case with Sara’s husband as the Defending lawyer.

As an ongoing series, this would be a complete write-off. It is claimed to run as a limited run series, however, so there may be some trashy value to this show. If the show is successful, don’t be too surprised if ABC turn this into an ongoing series – they are being quiet on just how many episodes this is scheduled to run.

Trophy Wife

This is a show getting by on the strength of its casting.

Kate (Malin Akerman – Childrens Hospital, Watchmen) marries older man Brad (Bradley Whitford – The West Wing, Adventures in Babysitting) and then has to contend with a life filled with his many children and two ex-wives. Obviously, hilarity ensues on this single camera comedy. The trailer looks funny enough, but it’s the cast that truly shines. Akerman is destined for greater exposure and this may well do it for her. It’s also great to see Marcia Gay Harden on the show as one of the ex-wives. The Middleman’s Natalie Morales is also cast in the show.

Mixology

You know how scenes set in loud bars on TV shows always feel awkward and just never really translate all that well to the screen? Well, imagine how that will work on Mixology – a TV series that follows 10 young people as they all meet and interact in the one bar across the one night (presumably in real time?).

This looks as good as it sounds. The cast are largely unknown, but this is created by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore who wrote The Hangover.

Resurrection

Based on a yet-to-be-published novel by Jason Mott, Resurrection is a high concept drama series with an interesting conceit. A boy from Missouri dies at the age of 8 in a drowning accident. 30 years later the boy turns up in China. The immigration agent (Omar Epps – House) who returns him home gets caught up in the mystery. This feels again like a limited run series, but it’s one heck of a strong idea for a show.

Fans of TV character actors will be enthused that the great Kurtwood Smith and Frances Fisher are among the leads.

Mind Games

This is the obligatory Christian Slater soon-to-be-cancelled series of this TV season. In this he is teamed up with the far-too-good-for-this-show Steve Zahn as two ne’er do-well brothers who open up an agency dedicated to changing people’s minds about things.

Yep.

But it is written by Kyle Killen (Awake, Lone Star), so maybe it has something going for it.

Killer Women

With what seems at first like another Karen Sisco TV show, Killer Women is instead a remake of the Argentine series Mujeres Asesinas. This sex and guns driven show stars Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as a former beauty queen cum Texas Ranger. Supporting her in the cast are Marc Blucas (Buffy), Alex Fernandez (Without a Trace), and Michael Trucco (Revenge, How I Met Your Mother, Battlestar Galactica).

The trailer looks like it might be ridiculous fun. Or blatantly terrible. For some reason ABC seem to think “From Executive Producer Sofia Vergara” is marketable. They may well be right.

* * * *

There’s little here that seem like a guaranteed home run. Once Upon A Time In Wonderland will likely do quite well and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. seems pretty safe. There are several shows on this schedule that look potentially like a lot of fun. Killer Women, Super Fun Night, and The Goldbergs may be worth your time. Resurrection is the biggest wildcard. It will either fizzle out after the first 1-2 episodes, or it may well prove to be televisions most emotionally effective show of the season.

Fox have taken a number of severe hits with their new scripted series in recent years, which explains their decision to revive 24 as a limited run season. While that show will not be on the air immediately, it will no doubt generate a disproportionately high level of attention during the US TV off-season as well as in the months directly leading to its return.

Fox are also interesting in just how much of their schedule is dedicated to The X-Factor, Junior Masterchef, sports, and animation. Also, with Fox not programing for the 10pm timeslot, it means they actually have limited real estate left that they need to program for.

Of the 15 timeslots Fox do program for, they do have 3 new shows launching at the commencement of the TV season, with a further 3 set to launch in November. Fox then have a further 5 new shows set to launch as mid season replacements – Us & Them, Rake, Gang Related, Surviving Jack, and Murder Police.  The Following and American Idol are also due to return in early 2014.

Sleepy Hollow

What was so surprising about NBC’s Dracula is on full display here in Sleepy Hollow. Where Dracula surprises by keeping it as a period-set drama, Sleepy Hollow transplants the story of Ichabod Crane to the modern era with Crane as a man from another time. It’s modernist rubbish that just feels cheap.

In Fox’s Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane finds himself in 2013 where he must join forces with local law enforcement to stop the headless horseman who has followed him from the past. But is this the ongoing plot of the series, or will Crane face off against a different supernatural force each week? It’s unclear from the outset and the answer to that question isn’t all that interesting.

The show is from Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci, two hot writers who have been involved with multiple film & TV properties with differing levels of success. Most recently they ran Fringe for Fox.

Dads

From Seth MacFarlane (Ted, Family Guy) comes this sitcom about two guys who run a video game company who find their lives upended when their respective dads move into their homes. The show stars Seth Green and well-regarded (*cough*) comedian (*cough*) Giovanni Ribisi, with Martin Mull and Peter Riegert playing the fathers.

Based off the trailer, this feels like an overly familiar sitcom that fails to really do anything sharp or interesting within the multi-cam sitcom format. The dialogue lacked any sparkle, and with a contrived premise, Dads seems like a dud.

Brooklyn Nine Nine

I fear speaking too early, but this is shaping up to be the best new show of 2013. Parks & Recreation’s Mike Schur and Dan Goor are responsible for this single cam comedy about a new by-the-book boss (Andre Braugher) who is trying to pull into line a young detective who doesn’t take life seriously (Andy Samberg).

Beyond the very strong crative pedigree behind the show, the cast of the show is top-notch. Beyond the (amazing) Braugher and Samberg (who may finally have scored a role that perfectly suits his comedic strength and charm), Brooklyn Nine Nine has the very funny Joe Lo Truglio and Chelsea Peretti. Terry Crews is also a welcome presence in the show.

Almost Human

There is a whole lot to like about this TV show, but the general premise of the show is concerning. Set 35 years into the future, LA police detectives are teamed up with robot partners. Detective John Kennex (Karl Urban) hates robots, but is teamed up with one from a troubled production line after being physically hurt while on the job.

Almost Human is created and run by JH Wyman (Fringe) and Exec Produced by JJ Abrams, placing it on a solid standing as far as a creative sci-fi production is concerned. The cast is also quite strong with Karl Urban (who has won a lot of goodwill following well-received turns as ‘Bones’ in the recent Star Trek films and as ‘Judge Dredd’ in Dredd), Lili Taylor, Mackenzie Crook (The Office – UK), Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights), and Michael Ealy (Sleeper Cell).

Despite all the good talent involved, there is somethink that just rankles about the premise of a human cop being teamed up with an android. We’ve seen this repeatedly before in a number of forms (there’s something decidedly Alien Nation about this take on the premise), and it just feels a little overdone by now. If there’s one episode that has the robot trying to understand human love, that might be all it takes for this reviewer to jump ship. “What is…love….?”

Enlisted

Much like Sleepy Hollow, it’s difficult to see exactly how this is an ongoing series. Created by Kevin Biegel (Cougar Town) and Executive Produced by Mike Royce (Lucky Louie, Men of a Certain Age), Enlisted is about three brothers among a larger group of loveable misfits who are left behind to look after a Florida military base after all the other soldiers are deployed overseas to war. Enlisted is essentially Stripes meets Police Academy.

The trailer for the show looks pretty fun and highly reminiscent of 80′s high concept screwball comedies, but in watching it it is difficult to see how much material they can mine from the show. Enlisted does look lightweight and unique enough to at least stick with it for a few episodes to see how the show fares.

Rake

Local reaction to Rake, a remake of the Australian series by the same name, can almost write itself. “Can’t the Americans come up with their own ideas?”, “Why remake it? The original is the best?”, “Doesn’t anyone remember how they ruined Kath & Kim, eh? Eh?”.

Rather than dwell on any of that, I’d just state: Peter Tolan knows how to run an entertaining show, Greg Kinnear is a charismatic guy who is often miscast but looks pretty good in this, and the production design looks rather charming. I’ll be giving it a look.

* * * *

The 2013/14 Fox lineup looks reasonably strong, if somewhat limited due to its reality event show and sport commitments. It’s interesting to see just how traditionally male the channel is skewing, along with just how broad their shows are getting conceptually nowadays. The shows seem like they’ve all been greenlit with international audiences in mind.

1978’s Hooper is a movie about making a movie that focuses on the nutcases who put their lives on the line for the sake of our cheap thrills. From the team who brought you Smokey and the Bandit, it’s an action-comedy starring Burt Reynolds as Sonny Hooper: “The Greatest Stuntman Alive”, with the operative word being “alive”.

Veteran daredevil Hooper is known as the ballsiest stuntman on the lot, but there’s a new kid in Tinsel town, “Ski” (Jan-Michael Vincent). Working side by side on an action-packed hodge-podge called The Spy Who Laughed at Danger, it doesn’t take long before the stunt work escalates into the ultimate pissing contest, as master and protégé go stunt for stunt in a death-defying display of machismo and madness.

Director Hal Needham had gotten his break in Hollywood as a stuntman, so he understood better than most the true meaning of “laughing in the face of danger”. And yet, like his main character, Needham is capable of putting on a serious face during the sombre moments.

The notable support cast includes Sally Field, reprising her role from Smokey and the Bandit as Reynolds’ girlfriend; Adam West, as the star for whom Reynolds is stunt doubling; and Robert Klein, as the unbearably pompous film director.

Perhaps because it followed directly after the hugely successful Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper was deemed a letdown, even though it was among the Top 10 highest-grossing American films of ‘78. It has remained in relative obscurity ever since. Needham and Reynolds went back the drawing board and came up with the inspired idea of Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), which they followed with the Cannonball Run movies.

See the black sheep of the family, Hooper, screening on Channel 9 this weekend.

Z.

Trailer:

Film: Hooper
Year: 1978
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Jan-Michael Vincent, Sally Field, Brian Keith, Robert Klein, James Best, Adam West
Director: Hal Needham
Writer: Thomas Rickman, Bill Kerby (screenplay), Walt Green,
Walter S. Herndon (story)
Channel: 9
Date: Sunday May 19, 2013
Time: 2:15am [AEST]