Live TV Dramas

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If they brought back Sunday night live TV drama, would anybody watch?

Like the old GE Playhouse and Westinghouse Theater, when great writers like Paddy Chayefsky, Rod Serling and Gore Vidal created brilliant one-hour teleplays, performed live with multiple camera angles. Costume changes during the commercial breaks, etc. An anthology style show where every week had a new story and a different cast. "Requiem For A Heavyweight," "Marty," etc...

What if Sean Penn and Angelica Houston were on TV instead of Claude Aiken and Paris Hilton? Gritty, powerful, contemporary one hour dramas, with the added edge of knowing that it's live and could fall apart at any time? Budding screenwriters would have a chance to do something besides X-Men sequels, and new actors could fight their way to the top based on skill instead of a pretty face...

Would anybody tune in?

― andy, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 18:37 (twenty-two years ago)

like "Roc" right?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 18:52 (twenty-two years ago)

{Crickets chirp. A coyote howls in the distance. A tumbleweed slowly rolls by.}

Okay, then... {Grins nervously, tugs at collar.}

― andy, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 19:10 (twenty-two years ago)

actually andy, I made a joke but I was just discussing this the other night with my friends (we were watching "the front"). we were talking about how much we loved the look of those live tv dramas, "american playhouse" and the like.

I never saw george clooney's "foolproof" but I loved the idea.

(we also brought up the live ER they did--remember that? they were watching the cubs [i think] game that was actually on at the time and ad-libbing about the score...)

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, it would seem that George Clooney tried a little one man revival of the genre a few years back...

What prompted me to think about it was the revival of the prime time quiz show, which started with "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and has now morphed into the godawful reality shows. The prime time quiz show was a staple of early television - if it would work, are there any other older formats worth revisiting? I think a super quality live show would attract top-notch actors who are up for the challenge and want to keep their visibility up between films; you could have guest directors, amazing set designers (Tim Burton, even?), maybe Stephen King could write a creepy little story... I don't know, I think it would be a great outlet for genuine "Golden Era" television of the family sort... but not lame PAX TV tripe.

And they could tackle contemporary issues about class, what to do with an aging parent you don't want around anymore, etc.

― andy, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 20:16 (twenty-two years ago)

well I don't know if that would set the ratings on fire, but I'd definitely be into it. and this coming from a guy who loves reality tv.

(I accidentally typed "reality tb")

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 20:17 (twenty-two years ago)

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