The Black Donnellys
Apr. 9th, 2007 11:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wook77Below the cut are my thoughts and opinions of The Black Donnellys and what they can build on to make the show better. These are the word of wook not the word of god... so don't take this as the end all be all, they're just my opinion. And yes, I'm looking at you, Joey Ice Cream Fans.
If you can, please to be going to nbc.com and streaming the newest episode. Get that hit count up so maybe this show can be brought back somewhere. I'll be watching the show tomorrow when I'm not on dial-up.
1.) Less characters. Every week, we get more and more characters. There are so many people that we, the watchers, don't get an opportunity to bond with any of them because we're being inundated with new characters. Please, for the love of God, stop adding more characters. Do we really need all of them? There's the assistants, the assistant of assistants, there are the four different bad guy Italians that are all fighting over each other and they don't know it. There's the congressman/senator that had been friends with Huey and Whozzisface the Italian guy that got killed. We keep getting more girlfriends and more random dudes and Jesus God if Tommy had time for all those girls, he surely didn't have time for school. Please, I'm begging you, fire a few of the extra players here.
2.) Less convoluted plot. This goes hand in hand with number one. Basically, the plot keeps changing from what was advertised at the very beginning. Now it's all about Dokey buying Jenny's diner and Jenny's dad being forgetful and this betting pool and that loan shark and Nicky getting bashed. Can we focus here? Give us the main overarching plot and stop with all these subplots that don't add to the overall story. The time for random subplots is NOT when you're trying to get your audience established.
3.) More focus on the brothers. That's right – brotherS. I'm tired of the "Now I love Jenny, Now I don't, Now I do, Now I don't" focus of the show. There are four brothers… can we get to know them? Please? Can we get a bit of focus on why Jimmy's shooting up (if he's still shooting up because that's a plotline you all dropped)? Perhaps a bit into why Kevin just goes along with whatever or how he feels about being the pinball between Tommy and Jimmy? I really liked how you're fleshing out Sean after ignoring him for a few episodes. Let's keep that ball rolling.
4.) Remember your overarching plot. Similar to number 2 but a bit different. For example, when is Tommy going to try to take over the neighborhood? Because right now, he's just running around solving Jenny's problems. Did you all write the whole season out before this or are you just winging it? Then we've forgotten about the Tommy running over Jimmy's leg thing. The promised overarching plot was the brothers and Tommy taking over the neighborhood and taking on the Italians. That's not what I picked, that's what you set up in the first convoluted episode. Can we focus on that?
5.) Have a show contain what you advertise in the previews. It's a simple thing, really. When we, the audience, watch the previews for the next episode, we'd really really like to see what's in the preview. Example – Monday's episode's preview had shown a knife fight in a dark alley except… um, where was it? Not there, nope. Can we please see what you promise?
6.) Research. I know I've said this before but, for the love of God, if I'm watching the show and notice that the Catholic characters are obviously saying a Protestant prayer instead of a Catholic one, than don't you think that an assload of your viewers are going to notice? Have you all done any sort of research into the neighborhood and culture at all? I would've sworn that this was set in Boston except you all labeled it as New York once. You're not showing any of the distinctive bits of being in Hell's Kitchen. Hell, a bit of research shows the cultural makeup of the neighborhood.
7.) Stop with the Joey Ice Cream. This is more personal but - he annoys the piss out of me as a narrator. He can't tell a story. He's constantly inserting himself in where he wasn't and, ok, it was funny the first gadzillion times it happened but now? It's just a schtick that annoys me. There's an unreliable narrator and then there's an annoying self-important dick. Guess which one I think he is?
8.) If you choose to not stop with the Joey Ice Cream, could you please explain why he's ratting out the brothers? Cause I spend half my time wondering why the frell the cops are talking to him. Why is he ratting them out? Why did the Donnelly brothers ever trust him if he's so free with their secrets? Hints to keep us intrigued would be lovely.
9.) Advertise. See, it used to be that tv viewers would just tune into whatever you, the network people, put out because there were only a couple of channels. Now? You have to make us aware that the show is out there. It'd be just peachy if you'd actually advertise the show where people can get to know it. Radio, tv, newpapers, magazines and the internet. It works for American Idol, it'll work for you too.
10.) Make the characters likeable. Jimmy's such a prick, Kevin's a clueless moron, Sean is an empty shell and Tommy is a fuck up. Jenny's a user, Joey Ice Cream is an annoying moron, Nicky's judgemental and stupid, Dokey's trying too hard to be skeery, Kate's too trusting considering what her husband did. Can we have one character that has good qualities that outweighs the bad qualities? Please? Can Tommy, who's supposed to be really smart, stop making bad decisions all the fucking time? Can Kevin show a spine every once in a while? Can we have less Joey Ice Cream (ok, so I already said that in number 7)?
A bunch of those five things memes coming up. I have about 6 written, gotta love an uneventful day at work.
If you can, please to be going to nbc.com and streaming the newest episode. Get that hit count up so maybe this show can be brought back somewhere. I'll be watching the show tomorrow when I'm not on dial-up.
1.) Less characters. Every week, we get more and more characters. There are so many people that we, the watchers, don't get an opportunity to bond with any of them because we're being inundated with new characters. Please, for the love of God, stop adding more characters. Do we really need all of them? There's the assistants, the assistant of assistants, there are the four different bad guy Italians that are all fighting over each other and they don't know it. There's the congressman/senator that had been friends with Huey and Whozzisface the Italian guy that got killed. We keep getting more girlfriends and more random dudes and Jesus God if Tommy had time for all those girls, he surely didn't have time for school. Please, I'm begging you, fire a few of the extra players here.
2.) Less convoluted plot. This goes hand in hand with number one. Basically, the plot keeps changing from what was advertised at the very beginning. Now it's all about Dokey buying Jenny's diner and Jenny's dad being forgetful and this betting pool and that loan shark and Nicky getting bashed. Can we focus here? Give us the main overarching plot and stop with all these subplots that don't add to the overall story. The time for random subplots is NOT when you're trying to get your audience established.
3.) More focus on the brothers. That's right – brotherS. I'm tired of the "Now I love Jenny, Now I don't, Now I do, Now I don't" focus of the show. There are four brothers… can we get to know them? Please? Can we get a bit of focus on why Jimmy's shooting up (if he's still shooting up because that's a plotline you all dropped)? Perhaps a bit into why Kevin just goes along with whatever or how he feels about being the pinball between Tommy and Jimmy? I really liked how you're fleshing out Sean after ignoring him for a few episodes. Let's keep that ball rolling.
4.) Remember your overarching plot. Similar to number 2 but a bit different. For example, when is Tommy going to try to take over the neighborhood? Because right now, he's just running around solving Jenny's problems. Did you all write the whole season out before this or are you just winging it? Then we've forgotten about the Tommy running over Jimmy's leg thing. The promised overarching plot was the brothers and Tommy taking over the neighborhood and taking on the Italians. That's not what I picked, that's what you set up in the first convoluted episode. Can we focus on that?
5.) Have a show contain what you advertise in the previews. It's a simple thing, really. When we, the audience, watch the previews for the next episode, we'd really really like to see what's in the preview. Example – Monday's episode's preview had shown a knife fight in a dark alley except… um, where was it? Not there, nope. Can we please see what you promise?
6.) Research. I know I've said this before but, for the love of God, if I'm watching the show and notice that the Catholic characters are obviously saying a Protestant prayer instead of a Catholic one, than don't you think that an assload of your viewers are going to notice? Have you all done any sort of research into the neighborhood and culture at all? I would've sworn that this was set in Boston except you all labeled it as New York once. You're not showing any of the distinctive bits of being in Hell's Kitchen. Hell, a bit of research shows the cultural makeup of the neighborhood.
7.) Stop with the Joey Ice Cream. This is more personal but - he annoys the piss out of me as a narrator. He can't tell a story. He's constantly inserting himself in where he wasn't and, ok, it was funny the first gadzillion times it happened but now? It's just a schtick that annoys me. There's an unreliable narrator and then there's an annoying self-important dick. Guess which one I think he is?
8.) If you choose to not stop with the Joey Ice Cream, could you please explain why he's ratting out the brothers? Cause I spend half my time wondering why the frell the cops are talking to him. Why is he ratting them out? Why did the Donnelly brothers ever trust him if he's so free with their secrets? Hints to keep us intrigued would be lovely.
9.) Advertise. See, it used to be that tv viewers would just tune into whatever you, the network people, put out because there were only a couple of channels. Now? You have to make us aware that the show is out there. It'd be just peachy if you'd actually advertise the show where people can get to know it. Radio, tv, newpapers, magazines and the internet. It works for American Idol, it'll work for you too.
10.) Make the characters likeable. Jimmy's such a prick, Kevin's a clueless moron, Sean is an empty shell and Tommy is a fuck up. Jenny's a user, Joey Ice Cream is an annoying moron, Nicky's judgemental and stupid, Dokey's trying too hard to be skeery, Kate's too trusting considering what her husband did. Can we have one character that has good qualities that outweighs the bad qualities? Please? Can Tommy, who's supposed to be really smart, stop making bad decisions all the fucking time? Can Kevin show a spine every once in a while? Can we have less Joey Ice Cream (ok, so I already said that in number 7)?
A bunch of those five things memes coming up. I have about 6 written, gotta love an uneventful day at work.
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no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 01:14 pm (UTC)I can't stand the fact that they aren't focusing on what they put forth in the first two damn episodes. It was like after that they just tossed the script and went with whatever struck their fancy. I've also wondered about Joey for the longest time and being all "What's his point? Why is he doing this? Clues would be nice, people."
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 09:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 10:03 pm (UTC)