The good news is—autumn is here and TV is finally back!
But the bad news is that a terrifying brain parasite appears to have infected the network executives responsible for arranging this year’s new programming.
Okay, this might be a bit harsh, but weird Things are happening here, and we’re going to get to the bottom of it!
The trouble started last week, when the pilot episode of Penguin totally blew us away.
(Sorry for the misnomer. The less said about Colin Farrell taking off his socks, the better.)
Now, as a TV site dedicated to fostering discussion, and as fans of shows who like to spread word of mouth, we’re generally opposed to the Netflix/Hulu habit of releasing entire seasons of shows at once.
That said, we were very frustrated to find that we had to wait the full ten days Watch the second episode of Penguins.
Kathy Bates’ Matlock gets even worse with its reboot/reimagining/redesign.
CBS released the show’s premiere episode last night to critical acclaim.
But if you’re one of the millions of people who can’t wait to see what further adventures Ms Bates’s intrepid lawyers will face – well, I’m afraid we have some bad news…
The second episode of “Matlock” won’t air until October 17.
It has been more than three weeks since today.
Here’s a fun little experiment for Northern Hemisphere readers. Look at the nearest tree. Now picture it vividly in your mind. Pretty, lush, green, huh?
When Marty Matlock appears on your screen again, those leaves will turn brown and fall to the ground.
And don’t cause anything funny to happen by looking at palm trees or pine trees. This is not a botany class!
We just emphasize that 25 days is Way The wait between the first and second episode of the show is too long.
We might sound like Abraham Simpson, pumping our fists to the sky and shouting for more Matlock. But seriously, what is going on here?
The technical answer to this question is this:
Last night’s episode was a “sneak peek,” an “encore demo” of the Matlock pilot that will air a week before the second episode.
But all this PR jargon justification doesn’t make the decision any more confusing.
So people who watched and enjoyed Matlock’s “sneak peek” will now either remember the events of that episode for a full month, or rewatch the pilot before the second episode?
Needless to say, this is a bit crazy.
While the wait for more penguins isn’t quite as long, it could be just as problematic.
The show will likely take the form of a 10-hour movie to tell a TV story.
Of course, that’s fine. But most shows that go the superserial route, like FX and Hulu’s Bears , drop all episodes at once.
They certainly weren’t going to use the week and a half break to make viewers forget all of these important plot details.
In case you missed the awesome pilot, Penguin isn’t your average superhero franchise.
It’s a twisty, dark gangster drama that opens with no mention of the Caped Crusader at all.
As for “Matlock,” its pilot’s third-act twist may shock most viewers.
This kind of ending is perfect for building anticipation for the next episode—which you can watch sometime next season.
Hey, maybe marketing gurus know something we don’t. Maybe giving these shows extra time to build buzz is a stroke of programming genius.
But frankly, we hope that’s not the case. Because we don’t want to see this kind of scheduling become an industry-wide trend.
TV fans, what do you think? Is it cruel and unusual punishment to make us wait so long between episodes?
Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts.
