Review: On the Lot 101 – 105, Last Comic Standing 501
It’s nice to see fresh content on the airwaves throughout the summer, and while we’ve expected the cable channels to do so, the big networks aren’t sitting idly by. Reality shows also continue, and first up is Fox.
On the Lot is a Burnett/Spielberg production, with Burnett (Surviver, Apprentice, Contender), naturally, taking care of the reality side of the show, while Spielberg has the cinematic input. And it had potential during the pilot. Directors from all over the place, filmed during their creative process. Very interesting to see them working and creating. Judges (a guest director, Carrie Fisher and Garry Marshall) filter the good from the not so good. But then simplicity kicked in, the money making takes over. Already in the second show all of the pilot elements have vanished, and you’ll get served with the short contending movies followed by a vote off round. There’s even a show that only rehashes previous quotes from the judges followed by the eventual elimination (with money made by people voting by phone and sms, and other forms of woven-in ads). Quality wise, it’s a slap in the face, knowing Spielberg’s name is attached to it. But the some of the short movies are interesting and funny, so in this TV low season, I’ll just keep on watching a bit more.
Last Comic Standing seems to have found a permanent home at NBC during the summer months, and it’s very much like previous seasons. Now going wider (including the UK and Australia), most comedians are able to make me laugh quite a bit. As long as the keep the “reality” part low key, and the comedian’s performances high, there’s no reason not to watch.