GSN Announces TCA Shows

[cmjb13]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 02:12 PM\'][quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 10:55 AM\']And if this venture fails, I can hear the screaming already. "America's not ready for a show prominently featuring gays", "The homo haters killed this show", "The homophobes never gave the show a chance".
[/quote]
Fortunately, with Queer Eye being the runaway hit that it is, arguments like this simply won't hold water.

[snapback]91508[/snapback]

[/quote]
But of course, there's difference between Bravo & GSN.

Makes me wonder if that show would be a success on another channel.

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 01:05 PM\'][quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 12:36 PM\']Oh, and I really doubt limiting the panelists to those of the same-sex persuaison is really going to limit your talent much.[/quote]
It is, however, going to needlessly limit your audience.  There is going to be a significant chunk of your audience that is just not going to be interested in a fabulous version of IGAS.  Some will simply be homophobes, sure, but it's also a gimmick that severely limits the stories you can use.

[snapback]91500[/snapback]

[/quote]
My mom says God hates gay people.  That's why he smote the sodomies in France.

(ducking)

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 02:49 PM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 02:12 PM\'][quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 10:55 AM\']And if this venture fails, I can hear the screaming already. "America's not ready for a show prominently featuring gays", "The homo haters killed this show", "The homophobes never gave the show a chance".
[/quote]
Fortunately, with Queer Eye being the runaway hit that it is, arguments like this simply won't hold water.

[snapback]91508[/snapback]

[/quote]
But of course, there's difference between Bravo & GSN.

Makes me wonder if that show would be a success on another channel.

[snapback]91510[/snapback]

[/quote]
I thought Bravo became the "gay network" pretty much because Queer Eye was a success, not the other way around.  Or have I missed something?

[DrBear]

[/quote]
That's why he smote the sodomies in France.

(ducking)

[snapback]91511[/snapback]

[/quote]

Looks like he picked the wrong week to quit smoting.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 01:55 PM\']I was never a fan of the classic version of this program anyway but if it sees air, I'll give it a whirl and gay or no, if I like it, I'll watch subsequent episodes.[/quote]
Thing is, it was a "show about nothing" long before Seinfeld came along.  There's just nothing there.  The game completely rises and falls based on whether the stories ("secrets") they get are interesting and whether there's any chemistry to the panel.  As I say about the original on my website, the panel they finally assembled was about as good a mix as you're ever going to see, and the ratings reflected it.

As for the dreaded demographic, tell me that comedy club in LA isn't filled with the "perfect" audience on Wednesdays when they play WML? live.  J. Keith is showing that it can be done.  Gimmicks are for the desperate.

[Queen of Nerdocrombesia]

[quote name=\'dzinkin\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 01:55 PM\'][quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 02:49 PM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 02:12 PM\']
Fortunately, with Queer Eye being the runaway hit that it is, arguments like this simply won't hold water.

[snapback]91508[/snapback]

[/quote]
But of course, there's difference between Bravo & GSN.

Makes me wonder if that show would be a success on another channel.

[snapback]91510[/snapback]

[/quote]
I thought Bravo became the "gay network" pretty much because Queer Eye was a success, not the other way around.  Or have I missed something?

[snapback]91512[/snapback]

[/quote]

Perhaps it would be best suited on the new gay channel LOGO.  It may not be on many cable systems but it would fit right in.  It would also be a perfect addition to the gay-themed Orbitz game show commercial with Wink (which is different than the one seen on other channels).

It's a gimmick, as Matt seemed to intone.  If there's no panel chemistry, I don't think there will be anything to attract an audience.  It'll be hard, if not impossible, to duplicate the classic Secret comraderie, especially that of Bill, Garry, and Henry, even if they only really saw each other for the show.

[BrandonFG]

I think I first read this on Perfesser's site, but I would love to know what he thinks of this. Is this the first openly gay TV game show? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I seriously can't think of another show that would qualify.

[The Pyramids]

[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 10:35 AM\']  name if the show flops),  All seem depressingly usual...standard reality fodder. Why not sell these ideas to Bob Boden?
 

[snapback]91492[/snapback]

[/quote]

Thats the best way to put it.

[pacdude]

[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 12:14 PM\']Quote from Valentine:

"I think that it is a hook, but once you start watching the show, you'll appreciate the panelists on their own without being concerned about what their sexuality is."

Why not hook people in with a panel regardless of sexuality?

Hey, if it get's people talking, right?

[snapback]91502[/snapback]

[/quote]
Well, for one thing, thanks for citing my work. I appreciate that a lot. Second, I didn't bother to tell Ian (since I did that interview) that it was a needless hook. I personally think that if they have to rely on the sexuality of the panelists, then it's not a strong show to begin with. Let's hope between now and the time they finish the pilot and have a focus group, they'll see it's needless and they'll change the focus of the show.

[FOXSportsFan]

[quote name=\'pacdude\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 08:01 PM\'][quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 12:14 PM\']Quote from Valentine:

"I think that it is a hook, but once you start watching the show, you'll appreciate the panelists on their own without being concerned about what their sexuality is."

Why not hook people in with a panel regardless of sexuality?

Hey, if it get's people talking, right?

[snapback]91502[/snapback]

[/quote]
Well, for one thing, thanks for citing my work. I appreciate that a lot. Second, I didn't bother to tell Ian (since I did that interview) that it was a needless hook. I personally think that if they have to rely on the sexuality of the panelists, then it's not a strong show to begin with. Let's hope between now and the time they finish the pilot and have a focus group, they'll see it's needless and they'll change the focus of the show.

[snapback]91544[/snapback]

[/quote]

Odds are I have a feeling if the focus group's results find the hook needless, knowing GSN, IGAS will go the way of the Pictionary/Scrabble Challenge pilots...slipping away in the vast world of anonymity.

[Fedya]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 03:37 PM\']I think I first read this on Perfesser's site, but I would love to know what he thinks of this. Is this the first openly gay TV game show? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I seriously can't think of another show that would qualify.

[snapback]91519[/snapback]

[/quote]
What about Who Knows You Best, the apparent lesbian version of the Newlywed game, which is (or was as of a few weeks ago) being reshown on "Lifetime Real Women"?

(The only thing Who Knows You Best had going for it was the bonus round, which was a nice twist on the usual 10-in-60 deal.)

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 04:37 PM\']I think I first read this on Perfesser's site, but I would love to know what he thinks of this. Is this the first openly gay TV game show? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I seriously can't think of another show that would qualify.[/quote]
MTV very occasionally did same-sex episodes of Singled Out.  That's the only other example that comes to mind.

[CarbonCpy]

Phil Hellmuth Poker, eh?  If the Bill Fillmaff parodies are any indication, this could be great for entirely different reasons than what Cutler, Hellmuth, Soderstrom, and Bellin are hoping for.

[Unrealtor]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 10:15 PM\'][quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 04:37 PM\']I think I first read this on Perfesser's site, but I would love to know what he thinks of this. Is this the first openly gay TV game show? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I seriously can't think of another show that would qualify.[/quote]
MTV very occasionally did same-sex episodes of Singled Out.  That's the only other example that comes to mind.

[snapback]91560[/snapback]

[/quote]

They do same-sex versions fairly regularly on their current dating shows, Room Raiders, Next, and Date My Mom, as well. (I admit, somewhat shamefully, to liking the first two of them.)

Drifting OT, I'm not sure the Date My Mom format works as well for the same-sex episodes. On the hetero versions, guy takes girls' mothers out, and chooses one based on the interaction with the mothers. I can see this if you buy into the idea that women are similar to their mothers, but not so much when the mothers are trying to sell their sons to a male suitor.

Also, at least with the gay men, the potential suitors seem to wind up more interested in each other about one time in three.

[NickintheATL]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 15 2005, 01:37 PM\']And frankly (and maybe one of our gay members can correct me if I'm missing something here) if they market the show with a position like "Watch this show because everyone is GAY!" instead of "Watch this show because it's GOOD!", I think they're gonna be in trouble in a hurry.
[/quote]

Late reply...

I totally agree 100% here. If you try to go for the jugular with a niche audience, you're doomed to failure.  Look at The Popular Channe.... er... MTV and what they do, they constantly make the look of every show the same, with the same bad camera work, as if the young person watching thinks it's "rad" and "cool" to see stuff. Not only that, they load it up with sex. Yeah, sex sells anything... again, an example of a network trying to go after a niche demographic/audience.

If they're going to tap into the gay audience, they need to not just emphasize it on the gay audience, but, as everyone else here has said already, make it interesting, intriguing or whatnot.  The reason the original IGAS worked is because we had usual people with unusual secrets.  But, this probably won't happen.

Okay, enough, I'm off the soapbox.