Jerry Bruckheimer used to be my hero. If you add up the box office receipts from all his films, you'd probably exceed any other producer by a factor of at least 4. No, none of his stuff won any Cannes awards or achieved a great deal of artistic recognition, but, he put bodies in seats, and, for the most part, provided a thrilling ride. The man knew how to please the masses.
TV has been no different. The first season of CSI, was, by far, the best TV of it's time. When the screen went black and "Executive Producer Jerry Bruckheimer" flashed, it would send a shiver down my spine. I'll admit it, I worshiped at the man's altar.
Like all great runs, though, it has come to an end. Either he's lending his name to other people's projects or his Midas touch has vanished. Whatever the reason, the magic is gone. There is no better proof of this than the epic failure of Eleventh Hour.
I say epic, not because the show is completely horrible, but because of the exalted expectations of a Bruckheimer production and the heightened buzz of the TV press- who would have us believe that this would be the THE show to watch this season.
How did it fail? Well, quite simply, it plays a lot like the UK original- a show that, although it has it's fans across the pond, is pretty mediocre when compared to big budget American TV standards. UK TV has it's strengths- great acting and solid writing, but, for the most part, it just isn't thrilling. I think a part of the lack of thrills is a shortage of resources/money, but another factor is a more conservative/older UK audience. It's just a different animal. Comedies can successfully make the jump to the American market, but in order for British dramas to be successful here, they need substantial reworking. Needless to say, this was almost a carbon copy.
Canadian dramas- same thing. Regenesis (another very similar show), as popular as it was there, would fail miserably in the US. Sorry Regenesis fans, but that's the truth.
I'll still continue to watch, but with far diminished expectations. Like I said before, the show isn't horrible, just not up to the Bruckheimer mold. Sewell and Shelton both have the potential for some great performances and it's possible that after they've completely mined the 4 episodes of UK material it might get more original/thrilling. I'm not holding my breath, but anything is possible.
As far as other Bruckheimer productions are concerned, my excitement is considerably tempered. He may not be down for the count, but achieving his former glory, at least from my perspective, might be impossible.
Mr. Bruckheimer, you're one of the greatest movie/TV producers of all time, but if this show is indicative of the quality of work you're going to put out in the future, your era is at an end.
TV has been no different. The first season of CSI, was, by far, the best TV of it's time. When the screen went black and "Executive Producer Jerry Bruckheimer" flashed, it would send a shiver down my spine. I'll admit it, I worshiped at the man's altar.
Like all great runs, though, it has come to an end. Either he's lending his name to other people's projects or his Midas touch has vanished. Whatever the reason, the magic is gone. There is no better proof of this than the epic failure of Eleventh Hour.
I say epic, not because the show is completely horrible, but because of the exalted expectations of a Bruckheimer production and the heightened buzz of the TV press- who would have us believe that this would be the THE show to watch this season.
How did it fail? Well, quite simply, it plays a lot like the UK original- a show that, although it has it's fans across the pond, is pretty mediocre when compared to big budget American TV standards. UK TV has it's strengths- great acting and solid writing, but, for the most part, it just isn't thrilling. I think a part of the lack of thrills is a shortage of resources/money, but another factor is a more conservative/older UK audience. It's just a different animal. Comedies can successfully make the jump to the American market, but in order for British dramas to be successful here, they need substantial reworking. Needless to say, this was almost a carbon copy.
Canadian dramas- same thing. Regenesis (another very similar show), as popular as it was there, would fail miserably in the US. Sorry Regenesis fans, but that's the truth.
I'll still continue to watch, but with far diminished expectations. Like I said before, the show isn't horrible, just not up to the Bruckheimer mold. Sewell and Shelton both have the potential for some great performances and it's possible that after they've completely mined the 4 episodes of UK material it might get more original/thrilling. I'm not holding my breath, but anything is possible.
As far as other Bruckheimer productions are concerned, my excitement is considerably tempered. He may not be down for the count, but achieving his former glory, at least from my perspective, might be impossible.
Mr. Bruckheimer, you're one of the greatest movie/TV producers of all time, but if this show is indicative of the quality of work you're going to put out in the future, your era is at an end.