Media: Social and Otherwise

[David T. Cole]

Media-y!

[Lisin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQqozmwlE00

[Whimsy]

I saw a different trailer than the one above just the other day and it made the show look like a RomCom (one that I would totally watch).  Still totally looking forward to this, but it will probably be cancelled because everything I like is.

[photo fox]

An awesome article from NPR about casting John Cho.

[Eolivet]

Absolutely brutal ratings for this last night. I'm thinking it's gone by November unless they move it and it miraculously catches on:

 

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/10/01/tv-ratings-tuesday-selfie-manhattan-love-story-premiere-low-marvels-agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-forever-drop-person-of-interest-the-mindy-project-up/309151/

[thuganomics85]

Ouch.  Well, at least they left the door open for John Cho to come back to Sleepy Hollow, if this show suffers a quick death (then again, that show's ratings have also taken a hit).  If that happens, maybe he can find a role for Karen Gillan as well.  I know it's too early to already start digging a grave, but that really is pretty bad.

[Kromm]

Being paired with Manhattan Love Story had to be a huge interest killer.  I mean when a network REALLY wants to promote a show they pair it with an existing hit. ABC doesn't really have any real sitcom hits, but The Middle and Modern Family are the closest possible. The Goldbergs has the spot after The Middle, and probably deservedly, so the one and ONLY good spot up for grabs was the one after Modern Family.  And Black-ish got that.  Whatever other new sitcoms were in the schedule and had to be paired together on another night besides Wednesday were doomed.  I suppose there's also the Friday spot after Last Man Standing, but that's not really any better.  

[junemeatcleaver]

ABC could get better ratings by putting the DWTS results show back on Tuesdays than Selfie or that other sitcom.  The ratings have no where to go but down.

[FurryFury]

That's it, the show's DOA. Kind of a brutal night for all scripted shows, except the unsinkable NCIS (god, when will it be over).

[shapeshifter]

That's it, the show's DOA.

:(

Is there no hope (outside of everyone on The Voice getting laryngitis)?

[thuganomics85]

 

Is there no hope (outside of everyone on The Voice getting laryngitis)?

Well... it did get adjusted up in the final ratings (as did all of ABC's line-up), but it's still only 1.6 in the 18-49 demo, and short of 5.5 million total viewers.  Only excuse I've heard so far is maybe a lot of people caught the early screenings on Hulu, On Demand, etc., but I don't think that could count for such a low viewing.  And, since new shows tend to drop in their second week, it will take a miracle, IMO.

[kimberella]

Oh no! I was looking forward to John Cho on my TV for years to come :(

[thuganomics85]

Assuming this show doesn't get pulled too quickly, there will be a minor Go On reunion for John Cho: Allison MIller will be appearing as what sounds like a potential love interest for Henry.

Edited October 3, 2014 by thuganomics85

[mamey2422]

This is somewhat encouraging: ‘Selfie’, ‘Manhattan Love Story’ & ‘Forever’ Get Orders For More Scripts From ABC

[HoodlumSheep]

Yay! That is slightly encouraging, but now I'm having flashbacks of Back in the Game. I think they got a few more orders, but still got cancelled. :(

[Kromm]

It could just be recognition from ABC that Tuesday is impossible competition for them.

[Kromm]

This is more about Karen than the show, but it's an interesting read (particularly her take on a lot of things American):

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/10882369/Karen-Gillan-The-American-dating-scene-terrified-me.html

[mamey2422]

Nice article by TVEquals: The Hidden Depths of ABC’s ‘Selfie’

 

ETA: Very cute and short Q&A with John and Karen for People. 

 

ETA: Selfie was mentioned in this article about Manhattan Love Story being cancelled, which seems positive as it relates to ratings plus it sounds like two new episodes back-to-back in two weeks.  

 

 

Next Tuesday, a Halloween special fills ABC’s 8 o’clock hour. Then on Nov. 4, at least, Love Story’s spot will be filled by a second helping of Selfie (which has been averaging 4.1 million viewers and a 1.1 rating in Live+SD, and DVR boosts of 36 percent).

Edited October 25, 2014 by mamey2422

[arc]

Andy Greenwald on the dire circumstances of the American broadcast sitcom, has a lot on Selfie:

12. Nothing currently on the air better demonstrates the disconnect between pitching and actually producing than ABC’s Selfie. A modern-day version of Pygmalion (or, if you’re musically inclined, My Fair Lady) is a cute idea that plays well in a meeting. The concept is immediately familiar and the social media update — Eliza Dooley isn’t Cockney, she’s a living tweetbot — is flattering to cool-hunting suits in the executive suites. Awful title aside, where Selfie falters is in the execution. How could it not? The weight of all that exposition and all the surgical character modulation required to make such a hoary concept fly (remind me again why it’s OK for John Cho’s Henry to spend a large part of his time slut-shaming a twentysomething work colleague?) could crush even the most promising of shows. Selfie is a poster child for sitcoms green-lit only to slam into a creative wall of their own making. It was designed to make it through the minefield of pilot season, not an actual season of TV.

 

13. Except here’s the thing: Selfie is actually pretty good! Cho brings a wobbly dignity to what could be a dull straight-man role, and Karen Gillan takes a one-note character and turns her into an electric symphony. (Her reactions are especially great; her whole body vibrates whenever Eliza’s cell phone rings.) And, as she proved on Suburgatory, creator Emily Kapnek has a knack for turning cartoons into community: Supporting players Da’Vine Joy Randolph and David Harewood (clearly thrilled to be on a show more plausible than Homeland) have done much to broaden and brighten Selfie’s limited world. But I don’t know if they’ve done much to extend its life span. With so much expositional rubble to dig itself out from, Selfie faces a near-impossible road to coherence, let alone renewal.

 

[mamey2422]

Selfie got a nice mention on this article: What I Got Wrong About How to Get Away With Murder and Fall’s Other New TV Shows

 

 

 

Selfie
I said nice things about Selfie, but not enough nice things. The ABC sitcom based loosely on Pygmalion and My Fair Lady stars Karen Gillan as Eliza Dooley and John Cho as her Henry Higgins. This Eliza doesn’t have problems with her cockney accent, but with narcissism and social media. There is no reason this show should work: It’s based on the retrograde, misogynist idea of the improper woman turning to an all-knowing man to fix her, and it is setting itself up to be a frustratingly long-term will-they-or-won’t-they show. (Just recently, Henry gazed at Eliza longingly in a meeting. Sigh.) And yet, somehow, it’s funny. In a recent episode, Eliza, tasked with helping someone other than herself, agrees to babysit for her colleague Charmonique (Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who really does play a sassy black secretary, yet another issue this show has going against it). The rapport between Eliza, a big spazzy baby, and Charmonique’s son—a calm, supportive, baby—was fantastic, and so funny that I tried to pretend there wasn’t also a recurring joke about how the kid was constantly eating Chicken McNuggets. Cho is good, but he’s playing the straight man to Gillan’s Eliza, which helps redress the gender imbalance in the show’s premise. Gillan’s the one driving the series and its humor. She’s terrific.

[giovannif7]

Well, that's that - ABC cancels Selfie. Best of luck to John and Karen and company on their next projects.

[TobinAlbers]

Cancellation sucks. It was inevitable with their ratings but this show righted itself from the pilot and was SO cute.

 

Honestly, it'd totally work on NBC but since they're gunshy after A to Z and Marry Me, doubt NBC would try to snag it.

 

Man, I'm bummed.

[thuganomics85]

Can't say I'm surprised in the slightest, but I'm still bummed.  Was hoping ABC would at least give it a full season, but I guess I was hoping for too much.  I wonder if they've already shot all their episodes yet, or do they have time to give it some kind of ending?

 

Really hope John Cho and Karen Gillan get other gigs soon, and maybe even work together again.  At the very least, John could go back to Sleepy Hollow, but I'm not sure yet if that would be a good thing, since this season has been a bit hit or miss so far.  I guess Gillan at least can look forward to getting an expanded role.

[HotForBacon]

Seriously? John Cho needs to be ON a show that doesn't get cancelled because I NEED to see him every week. Like on a date or something. So bummed.

[FurryFury]

Yeah, this sucks. Wonder if they'll show all the episodes at least.

[pamplemousse]

I'm very disappointed. I was hoping against hope that ABC was going to give it more time, but ABC sucks what else is new.

 

Now I'm hoping against hope the remaining eps that have already been filmed will be shown (I think they've filmed through ep 13).

 

Really, really bummed about this.

[random chance]

Dammit! I was hoping they'd at least finish off the season.

[mybabyaidan]

I am upset.  I should know better by now than to get attached before the season is picked up.  I have been burned too many times.  I think if people got past the title (I know it almost prevented me from watching) they'd be charmed by it.  

 

I hope they air the remaining episodes at least.

[ohjoy]

Well, I was along for the ride, however short it was. Hopefully we'll get to see the episodes burn off with some decency for the storyline.

And at least I have the few episodes on my DVR to rewatch when I need cheering up. I held on to episodes of Common Law for a year after it got canceled; no way am I letting go of "Nugget of Wisdom" anytime soon.

[junemeatcleaver]

I thought ABC would wait until next week to see how low the ratings would inevitably go.  Oh well.  It was the right call, this show would have never found an audience no matter where it was placed on the schedule.  If people weren't turned off by the title, they were probably turned off by the (unfunny) Twitter speak the red head spouted.

[photo fox]

Damn, that sucks.  It had gotten SUCH good press lately that I was hoping they'd hold off for a bit.

 

I'm not sure I have the heart to try another John Cho freshman series, after this and Go On (which I loved, also).  He's so fantastic, and he deserves a hit, dammit!

[shapeshifter]

Stupid ABC.

[dbell1]

I saw the news today on Facebook and went " this is horrible" which caused people to come running into my office. It was like Eliza 'for reals'.

But honestly I'm bummed. It's a great show, laugh out loud funny with insanely good leads and supporting cast. But that awful media campaign over the summer and the misleading title doomed it as much as the Tuesday night graveyard slot it got.

Why put the $ and stars into a show like this just to dump it within a few months??

[BooBear]

Very sad to hear it. I hope it wasn't based on the ratings for this Tuesday. It was preempted in my area for the election. I bet it was in others as well.

 

CABLE -- HBO, Showtime etc, make a show for John Cho.

[HotForBacon]

Damn, that sucks.  It had gotten SUCH good press lately that I was hoping they'd hold off for a bit.

 

I'm not sure I have the heart to try another John Cho freshman series, after this and Go On (which I loved, also).  He's so fantastic, and he deserves a hit, dammit!

Don't forget Flash Forward

[Monx]

Man I’m so upset. I love John Cho and I thought Gillian was great too, hell the whole cast has been awesome. I was really hoping the positive press might save this show.

 

I place the blame squarely on those god-awful promos and the wannabe hip name.

 

There's not even any fan-fiction to keep me satisfied. 

Edited November 8, 2014 by Monx

[shapeshifter]

Very sad to hear it. I hope it wasn't based on the ratings for this Tuesday. It was preempted in my area for the election. I bet it was in others as well.

It wasn't pre-empted here, but until it started airing, the over-air broadcast schedule kept showing it was pre-empted. I missed the first 5 minutes because of it, and others have stated that their DVRs didn't record it.

I doubt this week's scheduling nightmare was solely responsible, but the scheduling in general seems to indicate that someone decided to axe it before the numbers were clear. No?

I had hoped they would spare it like The Neighbors, which at least got a second season, in spite of having terrible reviews and not-great ratings following a ghastly pilot.

I don't have any real knowledge of how these decisions are made apart from ratings (which can in part be manipulated by scheduling), but I'm guessing budgets are involved, and cuts have to be made, and at some point someone in a decision making position gets to make a choice based on personal taste--perhaps assuming that the audience shares that taste.

Edited November 8, 2014 by shapeshifter

[pembroke]

Can't say I'm surprised in the slightest, but I'm still bummed.  Was hoping ABC would at least give it a full season, but I guess I was hoping for too much.  I wonder if they've already shot all their episodes yet, or do they have time to give it some kind of ending?

 

Really hope John Cho and Karen Gillan get other gigs soon, and maybe even work together again.  At the very least, John could go back to Sleepy Hollow, but I'm not sure yet if that would be a good thing, since this season has been a bit hit or miss so far.  I guess Gillan at least can look forward to getting an expanded role.

 

Episode 13, which fulfills ABC's initial order, finished filming last night / early this morning. Warner Bros. probably will release all thirteen episodes eventually on one of the streaming sites. It was idiotic of WB not to put the show on iTunes; that may have helped to increase awareness.

 

I'm very disappointed. I was hoping against hope that ABC was going to give it more time, but ABC sucks what else is new.

 

Now I'm hoping against hope the remaining eps that have already been filmed will be shown (I think they've filmed through ep 13).

 

Really, really bummed about this.

 

According to Deadline and a few other Hollywood media sites, ABC stated that episode 7 will air on Tuesday, November 11, but airings of subsequent episodes  are undetermined. My guess is that if next Tuesday's ep garners a 0.9+ in the 18-49 demo, ABC will air two more episodes. Holiday specials will be airing on Tuesdays in December, so do not expect to see the final four filmed episodes aired on ABC.

 

Very sad to hear it. I hope it wasn't based on the ratings for this Tuesday. It was preempted in my area for the election. I bet it was in others as well.

 

CABLE -- HBO, Showtime etc, make a show for John Cho.

 

The double ratings of 0.9 this Tuesday certainly put the final nail in the SELFIE coffin. The cast and showrunner were live tweeting the episodes in a last-ditch effort to save the series, but alas, the election coverage did not help.

[pamplemousse]

There's not even any fan-fiction to keep me satisfied. 

 

I can't believe I'm typing this...but for goodness sakes, someone please write some, because I'm, like, going through all the stages of grieving at once (except the acceptance part).

 

Figures the one time I have ever liked a sitcom/romcom tv show, this would happen. Also, I'm afraid this might mean that having an Asian guy as leading man on American tv will not happen again for a long time. And not having John Cho on my tv every week. Just...UGH. Raaaaage.

[applecrisp]

Why can't they put it on Friday night like they did The Neighbors??  Is this a more expensive show?  I don't get it.  Cristela will probably be on for a while. 

 

I don't understand the network decisions. but it seems like a show with early promise has to perform right off the bat.  It is a huge handicap.

[Kromm]

Yeah, for me the problem is that ABC didn't even try out another timeslot. Not that they have a lot of room to move stuff around, but I wish they'd at least tried SOMETHING.

 

We can't blame this 100% on that.  The show creator shares some responsibility with the show title that turned a lot of people off automatically, and I don't think the promotions people at ABC marketed the show correctly.

 

Meanwhile, far worse shows are at least getting to air their full orders, or expanded ones.

 

I feel some consolation at least that The Goldbergs seems to be doing well.  At least one truly good comedy on ABC is holding on.

[HotForBacon]

The marketing of the show was really bad. The ONLY reason I watched was because of John Cho. I didn't even bother wiki-ing it so I was surprised that it was a retelling of My Fair Lady (Pygmalion) when I saw the Pilot. I really want more of John Cho and Karen Gillan has great comedic timing. I hope we get to see all the episodes.

[thuganomics85]

Yeah, I really thought the trailers for the premiere were really awful.  It just made the show look so obnoxious and silly.  Only reason I even gave it a go was for John Cho and Karen Gillan, so for anyone who wasn't huge fans of them or don't know who they are, I certainly didn't blame them for rolling their eyes at those promos, and deciding to skip it.

[BooBear]

I actually have a suspicion that this show was doomed because John Cho, and Karen Gillan are in demand right now and it was probably one of those, well if it is a BIG HIT, we will keep doing it but if not, I have other things to do.  One reason ABC didn't try things like better promos or putting it on Friday.  Even the pick up seemed odd and sometimes I think networks make these decisions on other reasons than ratings or lack of.

 

Though I was disappointed the best episodes aired this week I am sort of glad I know not to invest too much more time in the show.

[applecrisp]

I never really paid attention or even saw the promos-- I FF through lots of stuff.  The title was bad and I was not sure what the show was even about.  There was early buzz that was positive.  I watched.

 

The thing is I didn't  mind the pilot.

 

Bottom line for me, most of the new shows are not very good.  This and Gracepoint are the 2 new shows I am watching and fear the latter may be doomed.  Dammit where are all the Dr.Who fans??

[pembroke]

I actually have a suspicion that this show was doomed because John Cho, and Karen Gillan are in demand right now and it was probably one of those, well if it is a BIG HIT, we will keep doing it but if not, I have other things to do.  One reason ABC didn't try things like better promos or putting it on Friday.  Even the pick up seemed odd and sometimes I think networks make these decisions on other reasons than ratings or lack of.

 

Though I was disappointed the best episodes aired this week I am sort of glad I know not to invest too much more time in the show.

 

I doubt that is the reason. A TV series is a steady gig, and a lot of actors and actresses are juggling films and TV series. If anything, I can see both Cho and Gillan being picked for new pilots in early 2015.

 

The marketing for SELFIE was really poor. ABC also made it a self-starting show in a rough timeslot at 8 PM on Tuesday. It was a new series with no lead-in and little promo compared to other new series. In addition, for some reason, it was not available on iTunes. A series so heavily based around the internet should have had a stronger online and social media presence.

 

The title "Selfie" certainly did not help it either. A title like "My Fair #Selfie" or "Eliza and Henry" probably would have worked better.  

 

For someone who asked, I Googled, and there is a small amount of SELFIE fanfic on sites like fanfiction.net and ArchiveofOurOwn.org.

Edited November 8, 2014 by pembroke

[junemeatcleaver]

I think Selfie would have pulled worse ratings than it did on Tuesdays and The Neighbors behind Last Man Standing.  A "traditional" multi-cam sitcom about an old conservative guy and his daughters and a "hip" romantic comedy that relies on hashtag humor do not sound like they would go together.

 

Selfie would have been perfect a Hulu or Yahoo original.  A "quirky" romantic comedy that relies heavily on viewers knowing internet slang with leads with geek fandom ties might have fared better on the internet.  I think most of these shows that the Internet seems to be attracted to, and mainstream viewers flee from, should be online anyway.

Edited November 8, 2014 by junemeatcleaver

[Latverian Diplomat]

Selfie would have been perfect a Hulu or Yahoo original.  A "quirky" romantic comedy that relies heavily on viewers knowing internet slang with leads with geek fandom ties might have fared better on the internet.  I think most of these shows that the Internet seems to be attracted to, and mainstream viewers flee from, should be online anyway.

As long as the networks can pay more, they'll get the first crack at every idea. I'm not sure how much longer they'll be able to pay more though. They seem to have trouble filling even five days of programming any more (Saturdays are gone, and Fridays are only hanging in through low budgets and settling for small but targeted audiences).

Edited November 9, 2014 by Latverian Diplomat

[JayKay]

Aw man, I just started watching this show. I didn't mind the title but I thought it was going to be a romcom so I was late to get on board.

It was laugh out loud funny and John Cho and Karen Gillan were great together. Gillan especially surprised me because I only knew her from Dr. Who, which I don't actually watch.

Sucks that's it's cancelled already. I even downloaded the ABC app just to catch up. Uninstalled with prejudice!

[arc]

Selfie would have been perfect a Hulu or Yahoo original. A "quirky" romantic comedy that relies heavily on viewers knowing internet slang with leads with geek fandom ties might have fared better on the internet. I think most of these shows that the Internet seems to be attracted to, and mainstream viewers flee from, should be online anyway.

Maybe this is because I've only seen the first three or four eps of Selfie so far, but it seemed to me like the writers might have understood internet slang - maybe some kid from Tumblr gave them a crash course? - but I rarely if ever felt like the writers understood internet culture. So if this exact show had gone on Hulu or Yahoo Screen, I'm not sure it would have fared much better.