Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Too Many

There is an affliction on television called "over producing."  Simply put, it's too much, too fast, where the format rules the content rather than the other way around.

Some Goodson/Todman game shows of the 70's and 80's were guilty of this.  There was too much movement, rules too complicated.  Even though Mark Goodson was a genius, he did have some flops.  If you remember "Password All Stars" and "Now You See It," you know what I mean.

I thought about "over producing" when I watched ABC's "This Week" Sunday morning. Former Hazleton mayor and current Congressman Lou Barletta was part of the "powerhouse roundtable."  Barletta is an interesting guy, whether or not you agree with his stand on the issues, and I was really interested in what he had to say.  Unfortunately, the producers, as they often do, had too many people at the table.  There was too much competition for air time.  The viewer learned very little.

People with varying viewpoints, mixing it up, can be compelling television.  There's a fine line between a free wheeling discussion and an out of tune symphony of noise.

Please, ABC, drop one person from the roundtable every week, and you'll have a much better broadcast.