MyNetwork only 36 mins! AND I'm switching to weekly viewing

Out of curiosity I timed the episodes Thursday & Friday, because it
seemed like there was very little new material. Subtracting the "last
time" and "next time" segments, I timed:

Only 36 minutes of new material.

Wow. I though it was annoying when shows cut back from 51 (1970s) to
only 42 minutes per hour, but 36 minutes reaches a new low. No wonder
the FOX chairman said it was cheap to produce these programs.

.

On that note, I've decided to only watch the weekly shows. Two
reasons: I don't have 10 hours of free time to loyally watch every
show. And two, the weekly Saturday show does a good job of presenting

Steven L....

AFAIK, you are the first person on this NG to reveal himself to be a
regular viewer of MyNetwork's telenovelas. Their ratings are so low,
they're probably happy if you only watch even once a week.

evwill...

Most My viewers are only expected by the network to watch several
nights a week anyway, thus the extensive use of recap footage.

Everett W.

the story w/o losing the plotline... so no need to watch the daily
program.

Invid Fan...

Ok, I gotta ask... why bother? Only watching the weekend shows is the
same as keeping up with a novel series by only reading the "story so

videonovels...

.

Actually it's more like watching an edited version of a novel... still
enjoyable to watch, but all of the boring scenes (padding) have been
cut-out.

Invid Fan...

All that foolish character development and such :) I doubt I'll ever
watch these soaps, but the non-plot stuff is usually the reason I enjoy
a show.

videonovels...

Nope, in the case of these telenovels, I definitely had it right.
"Padding". There is no other reason for scenes of a girl swimming
half-naked, or a guy lifting weights and flexing muscles, except to
fill empty space & fill the hour.

Invid Fan...

You do understand that the plot is the excuse for the half naked men
and women, right? If they could, they'd drop the other stuff and just
show that.

Subtract the padding, and you have a decent weekly show.

Invid Fan...

Right, get rid of the plot!

far" prolog in each volume. Sure, you get the info, but if your intent
is not to actually enjoy the show why do you need to keep up with the
plot? Just skip all of it.

Obveeus...

If you skip watching on Saturday you will have even more free time.

These shows are getting horrible ratings...and I just don't think that
months worth of 'build' will change that. These shows are going to continue
to flounder. What I wonder is: why didn't they just go all out and make
fill these programs with nudity? A soap opera with nudity might actually

Steven L....

They couldn't do much more than NYPD Blue did, due to FCC "indecency"
guidelines. And viewers have already become used to that level of adult

videonovels...

I'm not sure why people are so "down" on these MNT shows. The Spanish
version of "Desire - Table for Two" was extremely popular in the
Spanish areas of the world.

And here at home, Univision regularly plays telenovels. Why can't it
work for English-speaking America too?

Steven L....

It can--but since it's a new concept here, it needs better production
values to sell the concept for its first introduction to Anglo America.

These MyNetwork telenovelas, as you yourself admitted, are made on a low
budget, hurriedly directed and acted, with mostly inexperienced actors,
many of whom aren't very good. Also, stripping the serial 5 nights a
week (which is not an inherent part of the telenovela concept) has made
it more difficult for viewers to watch regularly--they would have to
forgo all other prime-time TV from 9 to 11 PM.

ABC's "Ugly Betty," based on the also popular "Yo Soy Betty La Fea," has
higher production values. And "Ugly Betty" is weekly, like a
traditional dramedy. It has a better chance to sell Americans on
telenovelas than the MyNetwork shows.

entertainment.

get watched...after all, most of the various Spanish channel programming
uses risque footage to capture ratings.

Steven L....

A truly R-rated soap opera could only be shown on cable and satellite.

:-)
________
2- | _____] 2258: "Signs and Portents"
time | | ___ 2259: "The Coming of Shadows"
Sci-Fi |__|[_ \ 2260: "Point of No Return"
Achievement B A _B Y\ L\ O N 2261: "No Surrender, No Retreat"
Awards ( \__/ | 2262: "Wheel of Fire"
Winner \______/
A TV NOVEL (available on dvd)