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New Amsterdam Question
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:55 am
by peacock2121
I have avoided that thread. I have the show on tape. I do not want to be specifically spoiled.
Here is my question:
Is it worth my tape space?
yes or no would be fine.
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:04 am
by starfish1113
Based on the promise of the premise, yes. Based on what I've seen in the first two episodes, no. I'm giving it one more shot. Maybe 2. If the acting and situations don't improve, I'm gone.
Re: New Amsterdam Question
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:15 am
by MarleysGh0st
peacock2121 wrote: Here is my question:
Is it worth my tape space?
Our opinions may not match your own. ( Is that obvious or what?

)
Best way to determine that for yourself is to watch an episode you've already taped before adding to the backlog.
BTW, this show moves to its "regular" slot, Mondays at 9 pm, starting tonight.
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:34 am
by MarleysGh0st
Out of curiousity, how many hours of videotape do you stockpile before catching up on all your shows?
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:40 am
by starfish1113
Videotapes? They still sell those things?
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:02 am
by peacock2121
starfish1113 wrote:Based on the promise of the premise, yes. Based on what I've seen in the first two episodes, no. I'm giving it one more shot. Maybe 2. If the acting and situations don't improve, I'm gone.
If the acting is as bad as that on CSI Miami, I will be gone the first week.
Re: New Amsterdam Question
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:03 am
by peacock2121
MarleysGh0st wrote:peacock2121 wrote: Here is my question:
Is it worth my tape space?
Our opinions may not match your own. ( Is that obvious or what?

)
Best way to determine that for yourself is to watch an episode you've already taped before adding to the backlog.
BTW, this show moves to its "regular" slot, Mondays at 9 pm, starting tonight.
If I could do that, silly boy, I would not have asked the question.
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:05 am
by peacock2121
MarleysGh0st wrote:Out of curiousity, how many hours of videotape do you stockpile before catching up on all your shows?
I don't stockpile, I tape and then put in them in the order in which they were taped.
Sometimes I have as many as 50 hours sitting there waiting.
The writer's strike just allowed me to catch up a bit.
I just wanted YaoMan get voted off the island this morning.
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:06 am
by peacock2121
starfish1113 wrote:Videotapes? They still sell those things?
You can bite me.
And then listen to my 8-tracks.
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:07 am
by starfish1113
peacock2121 wrote:
I just wanted YaoMan get voted off the island this morning.
Wanted? Or Watched?
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:08 am
by peacock2121
starfish1113 wrote:peacock2121 wrote:
I just wanted YaoMan get voted off the island this morning.
Wanted? Or Watched?
oopsie - watched.
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:13 am
by MarleysGh0st
peacock2121 wrote:MarleysGh0st wrote:Out of curiousity, how many hours of videotape do you stockpile before catching up on all your shows?
I don't stockpile, I tape and then put in them in the order in which they were taped.
Sometimes I have as many as 50 hours sitting there waiting.
Sounds like a stockpile to me. An inconvenient stockpile, at that.
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:15 am
by silverscreenselect
The premise is interesting and the possibility of flashback sequences to any number of earlier times is good as well.
However, the bulk of this show is still a cop series which is very similar to dozens of others we have seen in the past. Imagine a summer stock version of the cop part of Law and Order and you get the general idea. In both of the first two shows, the identity of the killer was very easy to guess the first time the character appeared onscreen.
The only interesting aspect of the police part of the show is the fact that Amsterdam drops comments about having been around for hundreds of years that everyone thinks are jokes but which are literally true. On a better show, he would use the wisdom he has accumulated over the years or his knowledge of arcane bits of New York history to help solve the crimes, but that doesn't seem to have happened so far.
In contrast, Moonlighting, a similar premise about a vampire P.I. brings the vampire theme strongly into nearly every episode. Killers are vampires or vampires are involved in the plot somehow which makes the show a lot more interesting than what I've seen of New Amsterdam so far.
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:21 am
by starfish1113
silverscreenselect wrote:
In contrast, Moonlighting, a similar premise about a vampire P.I. brings the vampire theme strongly into nearly every episode. Killers are vampires or vampires are involved in the plot somehow which makes the show a lot more interesting than what I've seen of New Amsterdam so far.
Either I missed a MAJOR plot element in one of my favorite dramas of the 80s or somebody had the bright idea to name a new show after on of the most iconic series of the last 25 years or SSS got the name wrong.
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:09 am
by peacock2121
starfish1113 wrote:silverscreenselect wrote:
In contrast, Moonlighting, a similar premise about a vampire P.I. brings the vampire theme strongly into nearly every episode. Killers are vampires or vampires are involved in the plot somehow which makes the show a lot more interesting than what I've seen of New Amsterdam so far.
Either I missed a MAJOR plot element in one of my favorite dramas of the 80s or somebody had the bright idea to name a new show after on of the most iconic series of the last 25 years or SSS got the name wrong.
sss added an 'ing' to the name of the new show. The new show is Moonlight.
I have not even taped that on. That did not sound the least bit interesting to me.
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:12 am
by silverscreenselect
peacock2121 wrote:
sss added an 'ing' to the name of the new show. The new show is Moonlight.
Oops.
Mea culpa.
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:14 am
by tanstaafl2
I find the premise sufficiently interesting to watch so far. I will watch again tonight. I think the acting is better than Moonlight (and much better than the "so bad it is campy" acting of CSI: Miami) although as I noted before that isn't saying too much. If they can work the flashback portion in a bit better it would help the show in my opinion. The way the character cavalierly tosses his past life around still strikes me as unbelievable. Not unbelievable he has lived 400 years, I can suspend my "disbelief" for that premise. I have a hard time believing he can be so cavalier about it and not pay consequences at some point for doing so.
If the whole "I've met the right one" plot line goes soap opera-ish that will be a negative as well.
Another downside is whether it has any hope of being picked up for next season. Otherwise you are investing in a show that will be just a "one off" as it were with no opportunity for any conclusion, rather like the unfortunate fate of Journeyman which was generally a superior show at least to me.
The fact that there are few new shows right now helps it a bit as well. Of course "Dancing" starts next week so the Tivo (and the VCR, I have never gotten around to investing in a DVD recorder so I tape many shows to send to my girlfriend in Zambia. She has been gone 3 months and I am working on my 22nd tape to send! I have been sending them in bunches of 3-5 since she left.) will be getting a workout.
I will probably watch New Amsterdam to the end of its run (it is going to Zambia as well) now that I have started. If I can stick it out through Kid Nation I can pretty much stick it out through this. But it will help me decide if I will watch again if it does happen to get picked up.
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:17 am
by MarleysGh0st
tanstaafl2 wrote:If I can stick it out through Kid Nation I can pretty much stick it out through this.
