Memphis Beat -- "Run On" -- 07/27/10
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Memphis Beat -- "Run On" -- 07/27/10
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Episode 6 of 10
So I've stuck with this show and I know most of you who tried didn't like it, but it's a decent 1 hour time waster. Definitely not "Must see" TV by any means. The humor is really dry and doesn't really work in most instances, but Lee's character and his partner are good. I also enjoy Alfre Woodard as the boss.
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Re: Memphis Beat -- "Run On" -- 07/27/10
I think we can probably stop with the episode threads and move to a "one and only" thread structure here. I don't know about overall viewership, but few viewers seem to post here.
The show is rounding into form, but it's not a very likable form if you ask me. I appreciate that Jason Lee has stopped with the fucking "MPD" stuff and now identifies the department as Memphis PD. I also appreciate that the show figured out Jason Lee looked absolutely ridiculous badly lip synching Elvis covers as though he was singing them and has gone to a more general Memphis sound with plenty of singing help and what sounds like Jason Lee actually (helping) to sing the songs they feature.
I do not appreciate the tendency for the show to involve some very important this or that. It's the stupidest plot choice ever for a police show and makes it appear the Memphis PD only gives a shit when somebody has some kind of special status. I also think the writing fails the show a lot. In this episode, they gave us way too many family members in some hope they could get a good whodunit going. All they ended up doing was making dialogue impossible to understand because whole bits involved characters whose names we didn't give a shit about and who did or did not do what. It was too difficult to follow, which is sad because the plots themselves are so transparent that my wife "solves" the mystery before the first commercial break.
Finally, I find the Alfe Woodard character to be laughably wrong for her position and the show in general. She doesn't have to be Claudette Wyms, but acting in some manner like a higher up in a law enforcement agency would be a good start. This is a complete waste of the excellent Woodard.
The overall effect seems to me to suggest that they're trying to make a cop show for women that their husbands won't mind watching. I know my wife likes the show a lot better than I do even though she shares most of my complaints. Am I biased by my household dynamics, or does this seem likely to the rest of you?
The show is rounding into form, but it's not a very likable form if you ask me. I appreciate that Jason Lee has stopped with the fucking "MPD" stuff and now identifies the department as Memphis PD. I also appreciate that the show figured out Jason Lee looked absolutely ridiculous badly lip synching Elvis covers as though he was singing them and has gone to a more general Memphis sound with plenty of singing help and what sounds like Jason Lee actually (helping) to sing the songs they feature.
I do not appreciate the tendency for the show to involve some very important this or that. It's the stupidest plot choice ever for a police show and makes it appear the Memphis PD only gives a shit when somebody has some kind of special status. I also think the writing fails the show a lot. In this episode, they gave us way too many family members in some hope they could get a good whodunit going. All they ended up doing was making dialogue impossible to understand because whole bits involved characters whose names we didn't give a shit about and who did or did not do what. It was too difficult to follow, which is sad because the plots themselves are so transparent that my wife "solves" the mystery before the first commercial break.
Finally, I find the Alfe Woodard character to be laughably wrong for her position and the show in general. She doesn't have to be Claudette Wyms, but acting in some manner like a higher up in a law enforcement agency would be a good start. This is a complete waste of the excellent Woodard.
The overall effect seems to me to suggest that they're trying to make a cop show for women that their husbands won't mind watching. I know my wife likes the show a lot better than I do even though she shares most of my complaints. Am I biased by my household dynamics, or does this seem likely to the rest of you?
Last edited by Jimmy James; 07-29-10 at 04:59 PM.
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Re: Memphis Beat -- "Run On" -- 07/27/10
^^ I agree with you. I watch the show, but it's not must see TV at all. I think after the 10 episodes conclude I'm done with it. It's a pretty mundane procedural and there isn't a hell of alot to talk about.
I've kept up with the ratings and this episode got 3.2M viewers and 0.8 in the 18-49 demos. Compared to TNT's other procedurals like The Closer or even their new show Rizzoli and Isles, those numbers suck. The only way this gets renewed is if it's a really dirt cheap show to produce.
I've kept up with the ratings and this episode got 3.2M viewers and 0.8 in the 18-49 demos. Compared to TNT's other procedurals like The Closer or even their new show Rizzoli and Isles, those numbers suck. The only way this gets renewed is if it's a really dirt cheap show to produce.