Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, February 29th, 2024

I am inventing the new TV genre "episodic informercial"

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, February 29th, 2024.

I'M INVENTING THE NEW TV GENRE 'EPISODIC INFOMERCIAL'
I happen to really enjoy the music of both Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. I even bought Brook's often painful In The Life Of…Chris Gaines album release, a move that should illustrate my willingness to give the musician every chance to prove his creative judgement.

But like any modern-day music superstar, Brooks - as well as wife and fellow superstar Trisha Yearwood - are often more of a brand than a musical act. Every public moment is tightly managed, every move weighed to provide the perfect combination of brand safety and upsell possibilities.

Now, I don't begrudge anyone's attempt to make a buck and I will also admit that I am likely to be a lot more cynical about the television business than the average TV viewer. But as much as I enjoy Brooks and Yearwood, I am finding it hard to imagine a scenario in which I'll willingly watch their new Prime Video "docuseries" Friends in Low Places.

There are so many layers of brand marketing built into this project that I have trouble drilling down through all of them. But here are the highlights.

Friends in Low Places of course refers to the Garth Brooks 1990s hit single of the same name. And this series is built around the planning, construction and opening of the new four-story bar on Lower Broadway in Nashville's Music City called...wait for it... "Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk." Or maybe it's "Friends Bar & Grill," which seems to be the name that is used in about half of the marketing material.

But there's more...

If you wonder how this thinly-disguised episodic informercial ended up at Prime Video, I have a strong suspicion that it has something to do with a deal last fall that had Brooks headlining the "first-ever Black Friday Amazon Music Live (AML) special on November 24th."

The concert was "livestreamed from the grand opening of Brooks’ new Nashville bar, Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk," and the AML Black Friday special aired after Black Friday Football—the first-ever NFL game played on Black Friday in history, also streaming on Prime Video.

The live stream was also tied into a new deal that made the bulk of Brook's catalog available on Amazon Music for the first time.

All of this is obviously part of a big-ole package deal and that's fine. But given all of that, I can reasonably predict that Friends in Low Places will have all of the spontaneity of an arranged wedding between two mob families. The episodes will show the "unfiltered" moments of the couple that have been signed off on by a layer of publicists, managers and hangers on. 

Reading the statements released to the press by Brooks and Yearwood left with me the sinking impression that AI had already made it into the ranks of music publicists and managers:

“This was so much more than I bargained for! With that said, what we have built is far more than just a business. This is by far, the craziest ride I have ever been on."

Is far more than a business? What does that even mean? And the fact that the crazy unpredictability of the bar's opening is highlighted twice in three sentences is the tip off that each moment of unpredictability will have been ground out of this episodic informercial. 

But don't take Brook's word for it. Yearwood's statement also highlights just how "crazy" the experience was for the duo:

"We started down this road fueled by passion, dedication, and a shared vision. I’m really proud of the team that has built the Friends Bar and Honky Tonk. We are excited to share the culmination of everyone’s efforts. It’s even bigger than we dreamed!"

Now I know what you're saying. "Rick, I'm sure you are being over skeptical. Sure, that photo of the duo at the top of the page has all the subtly of an image that had photoshopped together by a team of monkeys. But you are just taking things out of context!"

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the group photo of the "team" behind Friends in Low Places:

Is there the slightest part of this image that comes off unexpected or real? And it certainly doesn't scream "Hey, this would be an interesting show to watch." 

This photo is not one of a group of people having a good time with friends in low places. This is the picture of a team of people celebrating the launch of their new Bravo series The Real Bar Owners Of Nashville.

There is a recent trend among all the major streamers to sign on to specials and series that are carefully constructed marketing exercises. They are more often than not produced by the celebrities involved and they offer up this carefully curated look at their lives that might please hardcore fans. But they aren't real and more often than not, they're not even all that interesting.

I suspect that there was an interesting story to be told about the launch of Friends in Low Places. But I am also pretty sure you won't see it in this upcoming Amazon Prime Video branding exercise.

NO MATTER THE INDUSTRY, COMPANY EXECUTIVES ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO HIDE THE PROFITS
Every time on of the big media companies releases their quarterly earnings numbers, you'll see a wide range of reactions. In part because financial data is complicated. But also because company executives (and their accountants) are very good at hiding things.

This piece in the Atlantic is a great look at Amazon's business model and the company's efforts to hide its true income. But it's also a reminder that every other major media company does this at some level:

But in practice, the SEC has given corporations “near total managerial discretion” to decide what counts as a segment, as a 2021 report from the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London put it. This has allowed them to lump together different business lines and report only aggregated data for the whole, making it possible to conceal that a division is generating the kind of jumbo profits that might alert antitrust enforcers to a lack of competition. It also allows corporations to hide sustained losses in particular divisions, which can be a sign of a monopoly in the making.

Hmm.. that sounds familiar.

ODDS AND SODS
* Here is an interesting profile of The Ankler's Janice Min, which is somewhat weirdly posted on LinkedIn.

* Magnolia is premiering the new series Design Goals on March 23rd and honestly, the logline makes it sound like about 50% of the shows already airing on the network: "Designers Brittany and Annie turn homeowners' inspirations into beautiful renovations while staying on schedule and within budget. Along with their A-team of builders, these best friends help bring their clients' dreams to life."

* Also, the network announced the season renewals of original series Homegrown and Restoration Road with Clint Harp.

* Speaking of shows that sound a lot like a number of the shows already airing on a network, the Food Network has announced the new show 24 In 24: Last Chef Standing, which premieres on Sunday, April 14th. And here's the logline:

Featuring 24 talented and fearless chefs who take on 24 food challenges in 24 consecutive, non-stop hours, the 24-hour competition takes the chefs to the extreme, demanding they display the skills, creativity and stamina needed to be an elite chef. At the end of the 24 hours, there can be only one true master left standing - and it's one selected by expert judges Eric Adjepong, Maneet Chauhan, Scott Conant, Stephanie Izard, Jet Tila, Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, and Brooke Williamson. The chef who cooked the best, for the longest and outlasted the competition will take home $50,000 and win a trip of a lifetime. 

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29TH:
* A Round Of Applause Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Elsbeth Series Premiere (CBS)
* Everything Is Fine (Hulu)
* Kids Are Growing Up: A Story About A Kid Named Laroi (Prime Video)
* Little Stompers Season Premiere (Peacock)
* Lonely Crime Fanatic (LMN)
* Me, Hereafter Series Premiere (Hulu)
* Perimeter Series Premiere (BET+)
* Red Queen [Reina Roja] Series Premiere (Prime Video)
* Royal Crackers Season Premiere (Adult Swim)
* The First 48 Presents Critical Minutes Season Premiere (A&E)
* The Parades (Netflix)
* The Tourist Season Two Premiere (Netflix)

FRIDAY, MARCH 1ST:
*Agatha Christie's Murder Is Easy (Britbox) - [first look video] [photo gallery]
* Aníkúlápó: Rise Of The Spectre Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Blood & Water (Netflix)
* BMF Season Three Premiere (Starz)
* Furies Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Maamla Legal Hai Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate (Peacock)
* My Name is Loh Kiwan (Netflix)
* Selling The Hamptons Season Premiere (Max)
* Side Hustlers Series Premiere (The Roku Channel)
* Somebody Feed Phil Season Premiere (Netflix)
* Spaceman (Netflix)
* The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin Series Premiere (Apple TV+) - [Q&A: Noel Fielding & Kenton Allen]
* You Are Not Alone: Fighting The Wolf Pack (Netflix)

SEE YOU ON FRIDAY!