Forum Kultury Popularnej

gadz

04 04 2006
Melani McFarland dla Seatlepi.com

Right now, the sly dogs who put together The CW are mulling over the new network's fall schedule. Less than two months remain to lock in programming, and it must be a difficult task to decide what show stays and what showgoes. Think of the challenge of creating a single, attractive entity out of options on two networks -- The WB and UPN -- nearly nobody watches. Where does one begin?

You start by itemizing everything in each network's favor. Recognizable titles, names and brands come first. Enough people watch "Smallville," "Gilmore Girls" and "America's Next Top Model" to make them shoo-ins.

The creators of "Pepper Dennis" must hope to benefit from brand recognition, too. Doesn't matter that you'd probably never heard of the show; it doesn't premiere until tonight at 9 on KTWB/22.

If you are a young woman who wears underwear, or a young man who appreciates young women's underwear -- and that covers a good portion of the dead Frog's 12-34 core audience -- you have no doubt worshipped at the altar of Rebecca Romijn at some point.

Jury's still out on whether it'll be CW fare, but let's check over "Pepper's" assets, shall we?

One, Romijn admirably fills out a sweater. Two, her hair glows. Like the sun. Together, chest and coif should be code-named Bouncin' and Behavin' -- and wardrobe must do its utmost to accentuate each.

That proves they're taking great care to project a sense of realism, because good hair and a polished appearance are everything in the evening news biz.

Romijn, a former Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated model and sorta movie star, plays the lovely Ms. Dennis, a hard-nosed reporter for a TV news station in Chicago. Pepper is a driven career woman with dreams of becoming the next Walter Cronkite, female division, and no time whatsoever for a long-term relationship. Stop laughing.

When an anchor position comes open at the station, she lobbies hard for the job, believing she's a shoo-in. I said, stop laughing.

It's no shock that Pepper doesn't get what she wants.Worse, the seat goes to a guy with whom she had a one-night stand, the appropriately named Charlie Babcock (Josh Hopkins). Pepper melts inside at the thought of him. But her brain compensates for those gooey desires by transforming our Brenda Starr into a livid, sniping harpy whenever they're together.

But Charlie wants Pepper and tries to win her over by insisting that if she sleeps with him again, the chemistry of the evening newscast (with all those steamy house fires, sexy triple murders and reports on mall openings, mmm-mmm!) will become electric. To the show's credit, Pepper responds by egging a billboard with his picture on it.

Thus launches your standard Venus-Mars workplace war: In Charlie's corner is the slutty weather girl intent on sinking her hooks into the boy anchor. In Pepper's stands her loyal makeup artist Kimmy (Lindsay Price) and suddenly single sister Kathy (Brooke Burns).

Obviously this is not the Romijn your boyfriend knows and loves from his sock-drawer stash.

Neither is it the average prime-time viewer's cup of Stoli. However, one can envision a few starry eyed "Gilmore Girls" viewers finding "Pepper Dennis" to be surprisingly decent.

In that first episode, Romijn embodies the kind of career woman that girls would love to be when they grow up. Pepper has sass without drowning in it; she's sharp, fashionable and isn't afraid to fall into puddles or over tables and generally make an ass of herself.

Really. The pilot works.

Let's talk about the second episode.

I have heard, ahem, that people versed in adult-film rental tend to skip the "story" portion because, well, they ain't there for the acting. Next week's episode comes across a lot like the part of the porn script that begs for the fast-forward button. Seriously, it's all there -- beautiful women in tight outfits, thick innuendo, weak setups and thin plot progression.

On a positive note, guys, if you hang in till the end you'll get to see Ms. Romijn go undercover as a prostitute. This requires her to dress in a short, tight dress that accentuates her cleavage.

The other option is to hold out for "X3," in which the only thing between any horndogs out there and the woman's bare skin will be a thin layer of latex and paint. That may be a simpler choice than the one facing the person deciding whether "Pepper Dennis" will be with us in the fall or not. But at least he or she may join us in marveling at the powers of Bouncin' and Behavin'.

There are worse jobs.

Anuś

Hmm. Gadz co sadzisz o pilocie, widziales?

gadz

No właśnie nie mogę go ściągnąć a nawet znaleźć.

Anuś

ja jeszcze nie szukalam, ale nie wiem co sadzic po tej recenzji, bo slyszalam, a raczej czytalam sporo niepochlebnych opinii. daj znac jak moze znjadziesz i zobaczysz.

gadz

Ja czytałem bardzo różne opinie. Faktem jest że pierwszy odcinek miał wyższą oglądalność niż The Bedford Diaries, Related (wszystkie odcinki) i One Tree Hill

Anuś

wow, nie wiedzialam o tym.

gadz

Dokładne dane: premiera Pepper Dennis miała raitinigi 2.0/3 (tu zaszła mała pomyłka bo OTH miało też 2.0/3) w tym samym tygodniu Everwood miało 2.3/3, The Bedford Diaries 1.3/2, Reba 1.9/3, Modern Men 1.6/3. A Related (finał czyli teoretycznie powinno miec dużą oglądalność) miało 1.8/3, a Supernatural miało niewiele więcej niż Pepper Dennis 2.1/3, chociaż to można wytłumaczyć zmianą czasu emisji.

1.0 = 1,102,139 gospodarstw domowych.

Anuś

Aha
A w koncu przenosza relatedo do nowej ramowki? Aha, no i czy w koncu seriale nowe bede na 100 % w nowej ramowce, bo w tym tekscie bylo ze nie wiadomo czy bedzie na jesien....

dziunia

a czy ktos to w koncu znalazl i obejrzal??

Anuś

ja nie, nawet nie poszukalam w koncu.

gadz

Pepper Dennis ściągnął mi sięp ierwszy epizod w 7% i nic nie chce dalej:( A co do samego serialu to konsekwentnie ma wyższą oglądalność niż Veronica Mars i The WB obtrąbiło serial jako wielki sukces. Wg mnie po prostu uważają że będzie dorbym uzupełnienem America's Next Top Model. Ponoć oficjalna jesienna ramówka ma ujrzeć światło dzienne 18 maja.

dziunia

dopiero??

gadz

Tak. The WB i UPN czekają aż wyemitowana zostanie większość odcinków kończących sezon (poze Everwood i midseasons, wszystkie sezony kończą się do 13 maja), których oglądalność może ostatecznie przesądzić o wariancie ramówki (są 3). I related na pewno nie przejdzie gdyż oglądalnośc miało słabszą niż Pepper a miało silniejszy serial wprowadzajacy (oglądalność 7th Heaven jest wyższa niż GG)

dziunia

a GG kiedy sie konczy?? tez 13 maja??

gadz

koniec sezonu jest zaplanowany na 9-go maja