Welcome the First official review for the website: Channel101.com. I’ve been wanting to start doing this for awhile now- but was waiting for a good chunk of new shows to review before starting up (which is difficult due to the format of the site…) Also- what better way to kick off the process than with the Halloween specials!?
For those of you who don’t know what Channel 101 is, you’re missing out. For the majority of the year, this website is better than anything you’ll see on TV; much more creative, entertaining, and takes up a lot less of your time (especially if you’re behind and need to play catch up… I mean- these shows are no more than 5 minutes a piece, compared to trying to catch up on 8 seasons of 24- you can see the difference in commitment- plus- if a show is garbage, it doesn’t come back- Channel 101, the site as afraid of commitment as you are!)
What is Channel 101 and how does it work? I’m glad you asked… Each month, regular Joe’s submit a 5 minute (or less) TV pilot, if said pilot is accepted (or your show is a returning Primetimer) then your show is put up for review by a scrutinizing live studio audience, who then vote on their favorites. here’s the clincher- only 5 shows (returning prime time shows included) will make the final cut and be put up on the site as “Prime Time” shows… (the stench of competition fashioned by this formula is thick, I tell you… THICK!)
The process is simply represented in this easy to read flow chart:
Enough of this tomfoolery! On with the reviews:
This month’s line up is ridiculously strong- with a some minor imperfections… imperfections are part of the reason I love this site- but those imperfections aren’t my concern… I’ll discuss as I get to them. (note: I will never comment on the visual quality of the shows themselves as a negative… that is part of this low-budget world)
Top Failed Pilots
I love watching everything that makes it to the site- I mean, some times the failed pilots are better than what the audience voted for- another thing that endears me to c101… seeing people rise from the ashes of rejection to hit the Prime Time.
Devil Men
An animated nonsensical journey into… WTF? There is a reason Devil Men wasn’t voted into PT, it… was… well- what the hell was that? I’m not sure- My best guess on to how it made it to the live screening is there was obviously quite a bit of effort put into the animation and sound design (I mean, you know how long animating that would have taken?? Go ahead- try animating a short, I dare you)- but the thing that missed the boat was its senseless nature… there wasn’t a plot- fair and simple. And even thought there are plenty of shows on C101 that seem nonsensical and pointless… there are some that work because there was at least an effort put into trying to make a point… I don’t know. It is one of those things that your co-worker would show you and laugh hysterically at the entire time… but as you sit there, you can’t help but wonder to yourself what you did to make this guy think you had the same sense of humour as him…
Fireball 27
The low budget nature of Mike McCafferty’s submissions is what makes them work… they aren’t about the graphics, or the “in depth” plots- they are about the satire, the cynicism and the dry dry dry humor that his show’s are chalk full of- in fact… it kind of seems like he gets his kicks off of creating “one time only” shows. Shows that are designed to ‘fail’. Its like- if his shows get picked up for a second episode- he begrudgingly makes the next episode… i.e. The Quest, something that he never intended to go as far as it did… but, much to our delight, it did- and it became a matter of “how far can he take this??” As for this latest show- There is literally no need to see a second episode of Fireball 27…er… 28, because he wrapped everything up in this first pilot… (everything… including the main character’s string of jokes.) I want to see his next, one time episode… p.s. best joke: “Are you slow or something?”
Which brings me to the biggest surprise of this entire month:
The Knight
What is surprising about this? Well, this is a strictly dramatic piece (Ikea Heights doesn’t count- because conceptually, its hilarious…) that made it in front of the live audience! This is huge. I love the comedy on C101, I really do- its everything from smart, crude, slapstick, dry, cynical, etc, etc, etc. But that’s it. Comedy. Nothing else- which, makes a whole lot of sense- comedy is way more entertaining than drama… and people like to be entertained. But, I’ve seen drama work on Channel 101… on several occasions, I’ll be watching one of the longer running series and its inevitable that the main character has to deal with some drama… or has to say goodbye- and, I’ll admit to it- I have been choked up before. I have seen the character building lead to an investment- I have been genuinely sad when Laser Fart said goodbye. There I said it.
But that’s not the point. the point is- I want to see a healthy mix of dramatic in with the comedy. Everyone loves to laugh- but everyone needs to cry once in awhile. The Knight even though it could have been executed with a bit more pace and adventure- could be the door that leads to more dramatic pieces gracing primetime… which- I see as the ultimate challenge: cheap laughs vs. genuine investment vs. genuine laughs.
Is there someone out there that can do it? CAN it be done?
Canceled Shows
There were only two shows canceled this month- one was self canceled. Let’s start there.
le typewriter
They claim on C101 that to cancel your own show is a privilege earned. And I’d say that after a 6 month run of a show- le typewriter has certainly earned said privilege. I doubt there is a comparable feeling to being able to complete a story arch, close it out, and move on to whatever is next. le typewriter is also a prime example of a successful dramatic piece! It may be high concept, in french, and shot stunningly- but that is a case in point to someone addressing the challenge of making drama work… they used high concept and visuals. in a manner- that- if they hadn’t self canceled- would probably keep them going next month, the month after, and etc.
I’ll be sad to see it go- but, then again, excited to see what Kate Freund and Kyle Reiter come up with next!
Toon Wolf
This was a well paced, cleverly timed, interesting show- with a rather high production value- I’m not entirely disappointed to see it go- I think the audience could sense it starting to stretch for ideas… but, it was enjoyable enough that I’m glad it saw the light of day- even if only for a short time.
Prime Time
Here it is- this month’s cream of the crop…
Punks #1
Punks was written incredibly well (Jess Lane… of course), directed well (David Seger), acted decently… but… its editing/pacing made it fall slightly short in my eyes- I can see its potential- and I guess I can see why it got a shot at Prime Time- but I am very cautious with this one.
On a side note- anything Jess Lane touches is usually gold… she was definitely gold in this. Actually- now that I’m thinking about it- everybody was gold in this except Jim Klimek, don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t as good as everyone else… I guess it seemed that he was trying so hard to be a punk, that his deliveries were forced and cartoonish- but not good cartoonish like Randall Park’s ‘Jimmy Chun’… Punks seems to be playing on the stereotypical culture that is being a punk by portraying the culture with…wait for it… stereotypes. But, Klimek crossed the line from stereotype to caricature.
One thing I really enjoyed, however, is how they handled the exposition aspect of a pilot- by making us feel like we’ve been with this crew since they started- they dropped us smack dab in the middle of their lives without actually showing us how they came to be, but gave us all the information we needed to follow along… very Clerks-esque in that regard.
Gardening Warz #5
This is a delicate one for me… because I am morally opposed to reality television- and anytime C101 does a reality show spin off, I quietly chuckle along- but never want to see it go more than an episode or two… and, although the execution of this show is tight and spot on to the genre… (and the fake commercials help) Gardening Warz isn’t an exception to my feelings on the subject- I think it is relying too heavily on the ‘celebrity’ of its channel 101 contributors and using it as a gimmick for the audience to see their favorites “as themselves”… The first challenge was more than enough for me- and I can’t see Sam Lembeck and Dean Pelton wanting to keep producing this month after month…
Although, I will say that I enjoy seeing each filmmaker getting a chance to flex their comedic improvisational muscles.
The Parent Experiment #1
By far my favorite of the month! The simplicity of the idea makes it utterly brilliant. I consider myself a creative type- and the only thing I could think while watching it is if I had approached my mom with this… the timing on this is BRILLIANT! The assembly of it is so natural and the joke isn’t overdone.
I love how the older generation wants to see a story play out- and then the way we, as the next generation interpret it, a point summed up by the last two lines of the episode “Yeah, we don’t have to do the stuff that they like…” “Well then you’re not gonna get voted.” I’m incredibly curious how Estelle reacted to the inaugural episode… if she laughed, if she was upset, disappointed, confused. I love social/artistic experiments like this- and so far… its a big ol’ win! I cannot wait for next month’s episode.
McBusters #2
This is a perfect example on how animators submitting to Channel 101 can get it right. Great concept- funny content- lovely pace… I just feel that it is played out perfectly in 2 episodes… seeing as how each episode mirrored the films they are loosely based upon. Unless episode three blows the audience away, I’m afraid this was their last month.
This leaves us with the last of the line-up- deservedly Number one in the Prime Time slot.
Everything #12
By far my favorite show to EVER hit Channel 101… and this episode just so happens to be the ONE YEAR mark. Consistently being the show that entertains, thrills and excites like none-other… I won’t really delve more into it than this… you can just read up on the overview I did in a previous post if you want to know more of my thoughts on this show.
This particular episode, was, disappointingly not my favorite. Like I said Earlier- my number one pick this month was The Parent Experiment- but, this one was a close second. My only problem with it was that the sub-films couldn’t decide whether it was a Halloween special or not- part of the fun for me with Everything is trying to figure out each month’s theme, although, I have no idea if each month has one, I can usually come up with a theme for each episode… helps me get a lot more out of it than I normally would I guess.
But, still- I hope this show runs for another year at the very least- let’s make Everything the show that beats Yacht Rock… PLEASE!
Does anyone want to get me an Everything t-shirt? I’d wear the hell out of it… (pun intended)