October 31, 2008
After it premiered a couple of weeks ago on NBC, Crusoe has not exactly been a critical favorite. The reviews have ranged from lukewarm to scathing, but the overall consensus can be summarized in a single word: silly. Prior to its airing, some have expected some sort of a Lost vibe for Crusoe, but they realized the only thing it has in common with the ABC hit are the flashbacks. Lost didn’t have any pirates or cannibals. It had its own share of weird, fantastical elements, but for some reason, it had been capable of making the whole thing work and seem believable, whereas Crusoe, heavily promoted and anticipated on NBC’s fall line-up, jumps from being poignant and dramatic to something out of Saturday morning children’s fantasy.
Now for the numbers. Crusoe’s two-hour premiere managed to reel in 7.4 million, and if critics are to be believed, disappointed viewers. True enough, its second week saw a drop of 1.5 million viewers to 5.9 million. Judging from the reviews, it looks like the boat is sinking for the NBC freshman. Apparently, its multi-million pound budget (yes, it is being made by a London-based independent production company) cannot buy creativity for the series. Already, some critics are predicting a sunken ship on the horizon.
October 24, 2008
As a strongly-promoted segment of NBC’s fall line-up, one can’t help but think of Crusoe as a program of epic proportions. Shot in multiple locations and featuring a stories cast (Phillip Winchester, Tongayi Chirisa, Anna Walton, Sam Neill and Joaqium de Almeida, among others), you’d think that it’s one of the more worthwhile programs to find itself on your television screens this season.
After the two-hour premiere aired last week, though, it felt that there were second thoughts about the series. In summary, it’s been described as a lavish production with terrible pacing and terrible faith in the original story, Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe. As BuddyTV’s Oscar Dahl simply put it, it “has its charms, but [it’s] ultimately unsatisfying unless you’re a 12-year-old boy.”
October 17, 2008
Crusoe. I get it. NBC wants an exotic adventure series, something that can appeal to kids and adults. It's a worthy endeavor, though one difficult to pull off. There is certainly a place for old-fashioned entertainment in a network landscape increasingly cramped with high-concept modern fare, but you have to nail the execution. NBC did not. Crusoe (whose two-hour premiere airs tonight at 8pm) is based on the classic novel Robinson Crusoe, about a man stranded for decades on an island in the middle of nowhere. It isn't a deserted island, however, as pirates and cannibals are bound to show up and wreak havoc. Crusoe is an example of a network having a solid idea but not knowing what to do with it. Unless, that is, they want to appeal to 12-year-old boys and only 12-year-old boys.
October 14, 2008
BuddyTV recently previewed the new NBC series, Crusoe, which debuts October 17 at 8pm. Our very own John Kubicek described the show as something that “looks and feels like a movie,” adding that it “has far more in common with HBO's Rome or Showtime's The Tudors than it does with other major network dramas.” Recently, the star of Crusoe spoke to Deadbolt to share his thoughts on the new series, which exude action scenes such as that of the Pirates of the Carribean.
Philip Winchester, who stars as the titular character, admitted that one of the biggest challenges he had to overcome was “he physical and emotional stamina, because we’ve been [shooting] in such a short amount of time and...there’s been a lot of physical demands on everyone.”
August 18, 2008
For exclusive on-set videos and hot features on the new TV season, check out BuddyTV's Fall 2008 Preview.
From Errol Flynn in the early days of film to Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean, swashbucklers have always been sexy. Television finally gets its own in British actor Philip Winchester, playing the titular role in NBC's historical drama Crusoe. The notion of a man shipwrecked on an island, longing to return to his wife and family while keeping treasure-seeking pirates at bay is the thing of romance novels, and Winchester perfectly fits the bill. With his rugged good looks and British charm, there is little doubt that Supernatural's Sam and Dean will have a new Winchester competing for the adoration of female TV viewers.
August 18, 2008
For exclusive on-set videos and hot features on the new TV season, check out BuddyTV's Fall 2008 Preview.
It's hard to get excited about a show you haven't seen. I get it. The failure rate of new series (both ratings and quality-wise) is so high, that you never want to get your hopes up too high before a new show premieres. This season's new batch of shows aren't very inspiring (at least to me), and I'm kind of happy about it. If I enter into the season with low expectations, I can only be pleasantly surprised. There will be at least one show that you expect little of that comes out of nowhere to impress. Last season, for me, it was Dirty Sexy Money. You don't want to write any show off, but until the new season begins, I'm going to keep an even keel. While reading my top five selections, remember this: I don't expect too much from any of them, but see serious potential in all.
August 18, 2008
For exclusive on-set videos and hot features on the new TV season, check out BuddyTV's Fall 2008 Preview.
Network: NBC
Premiere: Friday, October 17, 8pm
Cast: Philip Winchester, Anna Walton, Joaquin De Almeida, Tongay Chirisa and Sam Neill
Premise: Based on the novel by Daniel Defoe, Crusoe follows Robinson Crusoe, shipwrecked on an island, facing obstacles like pirates and the dangerous creatures of the island. His story is paralleled by visions of his homelife and the family he longs to get back to.
August 6, 2008
In an effort to give audiences the best in entertainment, television networks are investing significantly in production of favorite television shows, as well as new ones they hope will be loved as well. The result is a plethora of programs that are epic in proportions, either in the actors that star, or the locations they shoot in, or the story itself. To do just that, they need money. Obviously.
NBC, for one, is premiering Crusoe on October 17. Already the program is getting a significant amount of hype: the retelling of Robinson Crusoe stars Philip Winchester, Anna Walton and Sam Neill, and is shot in different locations around the world, such as South Africa, Canada and the United Kingdom. To aid the network in the show's production, it has struck a deal with British production company Power Entertainment, which is also distributing the show internationally.