Not Doing the Business

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The 6 'P's. Know the Market. Watch trends. These somewhat pat phrases sum up 'Business Nightmares' BBC2, an entertaining overview, or re-hash, if you will,  of corporate marketing disasters and failure. The 'New Coke' fiasco? Hear more about it from embarrassed executives and talking head contributions from the likes of Richard Branson and James Dyson. Persil launch underpants-shredding washing powder? Too good to be true, but yes, it did happen. Polaroid not being able to handle to rise of Digital? A sad piece tempered by the fact that the company is making a comeback. Presented by Evan Davies in his usual amiable manner, 'thetvreviewguy' liked the editing and production values in 'Business Nightmares' and liked Davies' potted MBA Strategy module. However, an obvious question is how the BBC were allowed to essentially give free advertising time to mega-brands? Perhaps because the programme was a co-production with the excellent Open University television unit? There really wasn't any new information imparted; no great insights, no killer lines, no exclusives. 'Business Nightmares' is, of course, destined for extensive re-runs in Business Schools for the next couple of years. Essentially, we 'learn' that you have to speculate to accumulate and that successful entrepreneurs do their best to calculate and then minimise risk. The rise and rise of the 'Brand' continues unabated and until consumers learn or, more practically, have time to de-code a barrage of corporate messages and narratives, we will continue to buy brand over quality; most people blind testing the new Coke preferred it to the Old but when told how they would feel about it replacing their favourite sugar water, there was a resounding 'No!'. The next set of results from 'Business Nightmares' is out next week and 'thetvreviewguy' will be tuning in, if only to see how he's not the only one who makes mistakes.

Karl Pilkington - Philosopher for Our Times

Ricky Gervais - huge star. Stephen Merchant - movie career apace. Karl Pilkington? If you're to believe the first two, he's a blithering idiot, moron, twat, arsehole...and these people are his friends. Yet, as fans of Karl will know, he has a unique world-view; stunning in its banality, absurdness and naivety and a laugh-riot. In the animated 'Ricky Gervais Show' (HBO/Channel 4), Pilkington gets the almighty piss taken out of him by Gervais and Merchant, and truth be told, it can be hilarious. Yes Gervais overdoes it on the laughometer and yes the humour can appear cruel and mean...but if Karl's in on the joke, then it's better than 'The Office' for hee-haws and giggles. The thing about Gervais is this; he's creative, funny and smart but his callousness and cruelty grates with 'thetvreviewguy' - he frequently takes a joke too far. 'The Ricky Gervais Show' walks this particular tight-rope. Karl Pilkington wouldn't be the most well-read of blokes, if indeed, he's read any books at all, yet, despite this, he occasionally comes out with an absolute gem of wisdom amongst his moronic and bizarre and guffawable opinions on everything from evolution to philosophy. Ricky Gervais surely knows that Pilkington is the star of the show. While 'thetvreviewguy' won't't be lining up to worship at the 'Genius' Gervais Deity, he likes 'The Ricky Gervais Show' a lot and would particularly like to have a pint with Karl and ask him what's it all about?

In my Humble Opinion

'Opionated' (BBC2) is not a new format; it's a vehicle for Frank Skinner to ramble on and as such is watchable but not compelling. Like a lot of topical/news chat/quiz shows, the envelope has been pushed years ago. So, if you're prepared to watch a format that's been varied to death over the years, you may take your entertainment from the added value from the guests and host but not the structure. Skinner is old by tv standards but can still coin a good phrase and poke at some good targets; he has a genuinely thoughtful relationship with his studio audience, and, with his age and experience, knows not to act the diva. For 'thetvreviewguy', Skinner can still come up with a killer line in his clever monologue. He has become a witty, after-dinner speaker-type comic (on telly anyway), rather than a grenade-throwing provocateur and perhaps, for Skinner, this is no bad thing; it's very hard to maintain an 'Enfant Terrible' persona into middle and later age without seeming tiresome. A master of timing and an intelligent man, Skinner seems like a man at peace with himeslf; he makes presenting look easy and is relaxed enough not to let much bother him. And he has easily out-lived his former comedy partner David Baddiel as 'Talent' on network television. 'Opinionated' may not have a mean and hungry look but it makes 'thetvreviewguy' laugh. Chortle TV.

Modern Times

Take a Colombian babe, Al Bundy from 'Married with Children', his gay son, his high-maintenance  'Soccer Mom' daughter, the three family units they're part of and you have the nuts and bolts of a 'Modern Family' (SKY One), an eponymous tale of family life told with affection, humour and sharp observation. It's a cosy, relaxing evening's viewing and always leaves 'thetvreviewguy' comfortable in the knowledge that all families are dysfunctional, especially the ones on television. 'Modern Family' is a move away from 'Blue Collar ' Comedy at a time when recession/depression is making a thematic return to the mainstream; the three families are well-off by Irish standards; indeed, they're positively Cosby-esque in their lifestyles. But 'thetvreviewguy' isn't judging them on their household income but on the quality of the writing and 'Modern Family' doesn't disappoint. Characterisation is key and the writers don't invent zany, ludicrous behaviours out of character with the dramatis personae; every plot line has a reason and the lack of a studio audience makes this feel very un-sit com like. And, if like 'thetvreviewguy', you're reaching mid-life, well, it provides a wry view on life's quirks and mishaps. To paraphrase Homer Simpson, Modern Family is an excellent portrait of 'whatever year it is we're in now'. It's also effortless comedy and is another welcome addition to 'thetvreviewguy's' increasingly long list of Sunday evening wind-down TV.

How to Get Ahead in Advertising

Is it the era when men wore hats and women wore skirts, the often excoriating view of consumer capitalism, the brilliance of the writing or the quality of the acting the makes 'Mad Men' a leading brand in in modern televison? Who wouldn't want to start drinking in the office at 11 in the morning and smoke their lungs out all day while working? 'Mad Men' works brilliantly as satire, entertainment and, more profoundly, as a mirror to corporate and real life asking us to question what is real and what is appearance. Don Draper is highly sucessful and creative at the same time as he is miserable and conventional; as an ad man on Madison Avenue his job is to both bend reality by selling an illusory view of the world and to make the his target market feel comfortable and secure in a familiar milieu. 'Sterling Cooper' is about making money, not art; sure, Don gets to be more creative in a single week then most of us manage in a year but it's always with a view to the bottom line - there's no room for luxuries such as 'Art for Art's sake when promoting Lucky Strike. The characters are all too human: petty at work and at home, ethically compromised status obsessed and superficial in many aspects. However, it's also fair to say that the 'Mad Men' are funny, generous, considerate and admirable when they want to be. The series explains more, amuses more and moves more than most other tv dramas. A complete box set is essential to prepare for the coming fifth series; 'thetvreviewguy' suggests if you want to know how the mythmakers are the hidden persuaders in selling us all our daily bread, watch 'Mad Men'.

You're Nicked!

 'Law and Order UK (ITV) ' is yet another variation of the seemingly endless franchise that has grown hydra-like from the original US series going back over 20 years now. While 'thetvreviewguy' hankers after phrases like 'has she been mirandised?' or 'he's gonna lawyer up', he enjoys the new version where 'guv' has replaced 'loot' and a D.A. is a barrister and other localisation phrases (in the London edition, 'Man One' and 'Man Two' are more likely to be stage/character directions than statutory charges). The British and American legal systems are very different and it would be great for DPP lawyers if they got to act like detectives tracking down and questioning a witness. But the adherence to the structure of dividing the episode between 'Law' - the cops - and 'Order' - the court advocates - makes for easy and entertaining comparisons with their US counterpart. Programmes like 'Law and Order' go as far as they can in the hour-long, one-off, no-swearing formats that they have. Serious issues, moral dilemmas if you like, get a brief but often serious examination in the limited time available. Bradley Walsh, sans silly glasses, is a good little actor, and the cast is always loyal to the ensemble nature of the script; no grandstanding here. And the verdict from 'thetvreviewguy'? To the charge of fast-moving, watchable crime drama; guilty.

Hope and some Joy

Did you like ‘Raising Arizona’, the Eighties Coen Brothers flick? Did you think ‘this is a very funny movie’? Did you also think; ‘hmm, this is so good, I’d like to see it turned into a tv series’? Probably not.Yet this is precisely what has been done with ‘Raising Hope’ (SKY 1). They’ve even taken the first part of the movie title, spot what they’ve done there? Alright, maybe ‘thetvreviewguy’ is being too critical; it’s a not too bad, nowhere near ‘The Simpsons’; it's trailer-park comedy that has endearing characters and some excellent lines. However, homage, imitation and plagiarism are all related concepts and it can be hard to know where one flows into the other. ‘Raising Hope’ is funny and reflects the down-turn zeitgeist; money is too tight to mention for this amiable family of eccentrics and the humour is affectionate and not mocking. Slices of Americana have always appealed to ‘thetvreviewguy’ and this is no different; not, as stated, highly original but nevertheless and good take on the American white working class (more likely now, sadly, to be working part-time or being unemployed). ‘Raising Hope’ is perfectly acceptable as Sunday evening fare; it should raise a few laughs too.