Left Lashes Out at ‘V’, Obama-Friendly ABC Purges Showrunner

BigHollywood.com ^ | November 5, 2009 | by James Hudnall

[Jet Jaguar]

Last night a brave and insightful documentary was aired that accurately portrayed the wave of ObamaMania that swept the nation. It was called “V” and aired on ABC to mostly rave reviews and tremendous ratings.

There was another documentary about the Obama campaign on HBO, but that left out a lot of relevant facts, so spaceships and lizard-people aside, ABC wins the veracity award.

The parable is, an attractive group of aliens show up, out of the blue, and offer universal health care, advanced technology and world peace in exchange for our trust and devotion. All we have to do is believe everything they say without question. Which means, don’t ask anything about their hidden motives or past associations because that would be racist impolite. In fact, one reporter who is offered an exclusive interview with their leader is admonished not to say anything negative or they would be denied access (Hi, Fox!).

SNIP

This is not just a right-wing worldview but the worldview of the paranoid Tea Party movement. I’m really not sure how this made it onto network television. Maybe the calculation is that Glenn Beck will start urging his viewers to watch and a ratings bonanza will ensue. (I don’t expect scientists will be the scapegoats in the new series, as the original “V” alien campaign to tar scientists as a fifth column sits uncomfortably close to the current right-wing view that the world’s leading scientific organizations are conspiring to suppress evidence that global warming is a hoax.)

Naturally, when a show debuts to huge ratings and mostly great reviews, the producer’s career is golden. Not this time.

SNIP

One thing’s certain, I doubt the “V” would find too many people in this administration very appetizing.

[SlowBoat407]

[GBA]

Great comments at the site. Nice to see so many people picking up on the same things. And the occasional obamatron defender/Bush hater posters are laughably stereotypical. Thanks for posting! Goes well with my morning coffee.

[dixjea]

What? Are you saying Mormons are the radicals or that the Mormons knew that others were the violent nuts who are now in the gvt?

[TomGuy]

a ratings bonanza will ensue

It didn't do too shabby -- roughtly 14 million viewers. It will be interesting to see whether the rating hold and the content mellows.

Time	Net	Show	18-49 Rating	18-49 Share	Viewers Live+SD (million)
8:00	ABC	V (series premiere)	4.9	13	13.764
	CBS	NCIS	4.0	11	19.044
	NBC	The Biggest Loser	3.0	8	8.406
	FOX	So You Think You Can Dance	2.4	7	6.360
	CW	90210	1.1	3	2.121
8:30	ABC	V (series premiere)	5.1	13	14.128
	CBS	NCIS	4.3	11	19.741
	NBC	The Biggest Loser	3.2	8	8.645
	FOX	So You Think You Can Dance	2.4	6	6.427
	CW	90210	1.0	3	2.016

[wolfcreek]

Let’s hope this whole thing isn’t some sort of reverse psychology. It IS ABC after all.

[sickoflibs]

I liked when the babe alien told the reporter she will cancel the interview unless he agrees to ask only flattering questions.
And that if he did make her (the alien) look good he would get all the exclusive interviews.

Remind you of anyone? Where’s the FNC on the show? The Glenn Beck with the crazy alien conspiracy theories?? LOL

Again: I almost fell off the chair when the sneaky aliens offered universal health care. yes ABC!!!

I love politics again!!!

[Road Warrior ‘04]

The original “V” is broadcast, I believe, on TV Land.

[ClearCase_guy]

The promise of universal healthcare.
Favoring only media outlets that are uncritical.
Using devotion as a weapon, targeting gullible people.
Connections with terrorists and people who apparently have no traceable past of any kind.

Yeah. I see a few interesting connections to Obama.

Of course, "V" is a remake of a miniseries from the 1980's. It's not "about" Obama. But it IS about totalitarianism and how people get sucked into supporting a regime which can control its message, make wonderful promises, and harness the power of adulation and devotion. These regimes are always scary, whether it's Mussolini, Hitler, or Aliens from outer space.

The fact that people see the current TV and think about Obama is really very telling -- even if the writers of the show weren't thinking about Obama when they write it.

[Hot Tabasco]

(wish I could remember what channel).

SyFy appears to be airing the entire series in back to back to back episodes.....

[Wonder Warthog]

"I happened to catch one episode of the original series just the other day (wish I could remember what channel)."

Netflix has old shows on CD/DVD, even ones as obscure as "The Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr" and "Greatest American Hero".

[abb]

http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-plank/v-tea-party-tv-0
V: Tea Party TV

[TomGuy]

Isn't "V" an old TV series from the 1980's?

(About 1983-85.) IIRC), it was a 2-part (2 hr each) mini-series. The next year it added a 3-part (2 hr each) mini-series. Then a TV series was developed that was supposed to run 20 episodes, but production stopped after number 19. The TV series didn't have a sufficient viewership.

[Mouton]

Maybe the next episode will show the leader coming from Kenya!

We were watching this the other evening as both my wife and I were fans of the original series. When they made the universal health care comment, we both laughed and wondered how that got past the network moderator in the White House. Perhaps they were tuned into O’reilly at the time.

[aruanan]

to tar scientists as a fifth column sits uncomfortably close to the current right-wing view that the world’s leading scientific organizations are conspiring to suppress evidence that global warming is a hoax.)

Actually, the hoax is that politicians such as the bloated Algore, nutcase scientists such as Holdren, clueless dork political virgins such as Chu, cherry-picking fraudsters such as Mann and his hockey stick group, and political bodies such as the IPCC have any real scientific credibility.

[TomGuy]

I happened to catch one episode of the original series just the other day (wish I could remember what channel).

SyFy ran the entire mini-series and final battle on Sunday and has been running the TV series as a marathon for several days.

[Jet Jaguar]

thanks for the addition.

[Condor51]

Thanks, that’s what I thought.

[TomGuy]

The first episode is now available for free on Amazon’s Video on Demand.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002TNS012/ref=dv_twitter_freeV

FYI

[LittleMoe]

I can’t wait to see Elizabeth Mitchell kick some alien ass

[LittleMoe]

I can’t wait to see Elizabeth Mitchell kick some alien ass