Inside TV+Movies with Daniel Fienberg

Listen: Firewall & Iceberg Podcast No. 70

Dan and Alan talk Steve Carell, 'Archer,' 'The Voice' and much more

By Daniel Fienberg Monday, Apr 25, 2011 12:20 PM

Happy Monday, Boys & Girls.

This was supposed to be a light podcast, with absolutely nothing new to review. Instead, we talked about Steve Carell's departure from "The Office," speculated for a bit about "The Voice" and answered a pile of Listener Mail questions -- including our first discussion of "Archer" this year -- and somehow we ended up going over an hour anyway.

As a fair warning if you listen with small children, I say "ass" a lot in the final 10 minutes of the podcast. A lot.

So there you have it, sports fans!

Here's the breakdown:

Steve Carell's "Office" departure -- 01:15 - 21:25

"The Voice"/"American Idol" -- 21:30 - 36:30

Listener Mail - "Archer" - 36:40 -- 42:30

Boston Rob's "Survivor" performance -- 42:40 - 48:00

Points of disagreement -- 48:20 - 52:20

Quick cancellations, particularly "Paul Reiser Show" -- 52:20 - 56:38

TV shows course-correcting -- 56:40 - 01:01:00

Successful and unsuccessful shows using locations -- 01:01:00 - 01:09:30

As always, you can subscribe to The Firewall & Iceberg Podcast over at the iTunes Store, where you can also rate us and comment on us. [Or you can always follow our RSS Feed.]

And here's the podcast...

Firewall & Iceberg - Podcast 70

Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.

Related Searches: Firewall & Iceberg, Podcast, daniel fienberg, Alan Sepinwall, Archer, The Office, Steve Carell, The Voice, American Idol

PotatoSolution

Favorite Michael Scott moments?

- His improv class, where he ends every scene by pulling out a gun and shooting everyone.
- His kiss with Oscar.
- Any scene where he was giving a lecture and throws candy bars at the audience.
- The dinner party. Oy, that dinner party.

I'd probably say his finest moment was on the booze cruise, when he encouraged Jim to go after Pam.
April 25, 2011 at 12:52PM EST Reply to Comment
PotatoSolution

Heh, Alan, I loved your reaction to Terrence Malick: "Blechh."
April 25, 2011 at 1:30PM EST Reply to Comment
Re shows with a sense of place, I was surprised to not hear any references to "Burn Notice," especially as compared with "CSI Miami." "Burn Notice" clearly benefits from the texture of the Miami area, while "CSI Miami" looks and feels like a studio backlot.
April 25, 2011 at 1:50PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan I left out many "favorites" of various degrees. The new "Hawaii Five-0" is another show which, say what you like about it, looks phenomenal at all times...
  
  -Daniel
  April 25, 2011 at 2:59PM EST
- Hawaii Five-0 is definitely a good one to mention, although I hear that the Hawaii Tourism Board is none too happy about the portrayal of the islands as a hotbed of serious criminality. Just goes to show that having a film crew on scene can be a mixed blessing, I guess,
  April 25, 2011 at 5:21PM EST
- Hannah Lee Candidates for shows with a strong sense of place:
  
  These are going back a bit, but I'd suggest Frank's Place for a sitcom (New Orleans) and Shannon's Deal for a drama (Philadelphia)
  April 25, 2011 at 8:30PM EST
LJA

I'm with Dan on Seinfeld.
April 25, 2011 at 2:17PM EST Reply to Comment
- Tausif Khan Dan's opinion that the people on Seinfeld are horrible is I think justifiable. However, when David Sims started to review Seinfeld on the AV Club classics section I started to rewatch the show in earnest. What I noticed was in the early part of the show Jerry and George were more friends who had a dreary outlook on life and bad stuff happened to them (showing its existentialist roots and why I feel that the finale is justified now as a grown up). As the show progressed they started to become the ones who generated their horrible situations. So I don't think you can blankly say that they were horrible people but I can see where people are coming from.
  
  I just felt that Seinfeld (and this is a theory that my mother had) is about people acting on their base impulses doing things you wouldn't have the courage to do. Specifically with Elaine's get out and then pushing the person over. It is to uncover how people really feel. That is was done so nakedly might have been appalling.
  
  I have heard that some people actually think that the people on Seinfeld are actually the way their characters are. I don't believe that this is the case with George Costanza and Jason Alexander as Alexander on talk show interviews presents himself with much more class than George ever could. The fact that people confuse the actors with their characters shows how good their acting really is.
  
  I feel that those who hate Seinfeld need to give it another chance.
  April 25, 2011 at 4:34PM EST
- dan Tausif - To clarify just a bit, I don't hate "Seinfeld" because the people on "Seinfeld" are awful. I hate "Seinfeld" because they're *annoying*. The people on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Arrested Development" and more than a few other shows are also horrible as people, but I love the show... My problem with "Seinfeld" is less not having anybody to like and more Jason Alexander, Michael Richards and, often, Julia Louis-Dreyfus' wild overacting and mugging...
  
  But trust me, I've watched many "Seinfeld" episodes over the years. And, heck, sometimes I've even laughed. But it's just one of those things...
  
  -Daniel
  April 25, 2011 at 5:04PM EST
- Tausif Khan I like Alexander's performance a lot. I find it relatable. However, it might be the Joseph Fiennes/ Eamon Walker( although Eamon Walker's performance made me like Lights Out) syndrome of theater acting on television that maybe the problem.
  April 25, 2011 at 5:54PM EST
LJA

Dan - How could you forget about Entourage as a show that captures "Hollywood LA?"

April 25, 2011 at 2:36PM EST Reply to Comment
- Yeah, I thought the same thing when listening to this
  April 25, 2011 at 2:56PM EST
- dan LJA - "Entourage" cheats a lot. And sometimes it's annoying... But mostly? "Entourage" is annoying, so I tend not to think about it voluntarily...
  
  -Daniel
  April 25, 2011 at 3:01PM EST
- LJA Okay, concur that Entourage is annoying, but as an Angeleno of 35 years, I'm still going to call it legit in terms of representing "Hollywood LA" even if they do go to Urth Cafe and Coffee Bean every episode.
  April 25, 2011 at 4:22PM EST
davement

"ass ass ass ass ass!" my favorite firewall moment but that is also how i feel about your opinion of seinfeld. the fact that youve probably watched more than one episode of hellcats doesnt help your case.
April 25, 2011 at 3:34PM EST Reply to Comment
Tausif Khan

I think there should be a podcast solely based on Dan's hatred of things everyone likes called "Dan hates on things everyone likes"

Dan hates Seinfeld, he hates Dr. Who (as Dan is more of a sci fi fan than Alan I was surprised by this. It is like a sci fi fan who refuses to watch Star Trek)

and Dan hates babies he dedicated a portion of the podcast to talk about how horrible the Taylor's baby on Friday Night Lights is (to be fair I get scared when they show the baby on that show. I hope she grows up to be a beautiful girl/woman but right now her forehead scares me).

I really wonder what other things Dan hates that everyone else likes.

Also this podcast is not a children's podcast. The words camel toe have been uttered on this podcast. In this particular episode there was a discussion of prostitution. Furthermore the shows covered on this podcast has subject matter that children should not be watching. I don't think there should be any pretense that this is a children's podcast.

I was thinking that Dan was thinking of Ayn Rand when he meant to say Amy Ryan.
April 25, 2011 at 4:25PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan I *do* hate "Seinfeld." I *don't* hate "Doctor Who." I just don't "get" it and because I don't "get" it, I don't enjoy it.
  
  And Gracie Belle is SCARY! [But I don't hate her...]
  
  -Daniel
  April 25, 2011 at 5:01PM EST
- Tausif Khan I think you need to mainline a few episodes of Doctor Who to get it and then by that time you like it. If Vampire Diaries gets the chance to grow on you why not Doctor Who?
  
  Also I am not angry about any of the things I tried to point out in a reductionist fashion in this post about your likes and dislikes but I am surprised by them. I agree with you about the Gracie Belle point ( I don't hate her either). However, I would like to hear more about your dislikes because I think there might be some more polarizing and interesting ones we have not heard yet.
  April 25, 2011 at 5:47PM EST
As a Seattle resident, the funniest part of The Killing was when the councilman's alibi was that he was at "an inn in Tacoma"...who would ever admit to being in Tacoma? Admitting you were in Tacoma makes you much more likely to have committed a crime than not.
April 25, 2011 at 8:24PM EST Reply to Comment
Johnny

As a Philadelphian, I haven't seen "It's Always Sunny," but my friends say it does a great job of depicting the city (well, except that some years, we get more rain than Seattle). "Boy Meets World" took place in Philly and never even tried to be Philadelphian (but Pennbrooke definitely could have been one of the Main Line liberal arts schools). It's a movie, but "Rocky" does an excellent job of portraying the city, except they talk w/NY accents instead of our ugly accent. And "The Office" does occasionally have a good local shout out to Scranton. I notice the inspection tags are real Pennsylvanian ones, they drink Lion's Head, Froggy 101 (on Dwight's desk) is a real country station (although I don't think they've ever mentioned Dwight liking country), Poor Richard's is a real place, etc. Those are about the only Eastern PA shows I know
April 25, 2011 at 8:37PM EST Reply to Comment
nic919

I noticed a difference in the vibe of Detroit 187 when it started to film in Detroit as opposed to Atlanta, as they did the pilot. Actually filming it in Detroit seemed to add more character to the show, and having visited Detroit fairly often, the local references seemed pretty accurate (except for that initial soda/pop debacle).
April 25, 2011 at 10:16PM EST Reply to Comment
Claire

WHHHHYYYY did you play a snippit of that stupid song at the beginning?! I hate it, and now it is stuck in my head. :(
April 26, 2011 at 10:50AM EST Reply to Comment
TMGLost

The tragically cancelled 'Terriers' made great use of San Diego's Ocean Beach and Point Loma. My wife and I lived in OB in the 1980's and were delighted with the location shots. The show did a great job of capturing the feel of this funky little beach community.
April 27, 2011 at 5:52AM EST Reply to Comment

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Listen: Firewall & Iceberg Podcast No. 70

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Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

PotatoSolution Heh, Alan, I loved your reaction to Terrence Malick: "Blechh."

Re shows with a sense of place, I was surprised to not hear any references to "Burn Notice," especially as compared with "CSI Miami." "Burn Notice" clearly benefits from the texture of the Miami area, while "CSI Miami" looks and feels like a studio backlot.

dan I left out many "favorites" of various degrees. The new "Hawaii Five-0" is another show which, say what you like about it, looks phenomenal at all times...-Daniel

Hawaii Five-0 is definitely a good one to mention, although I hear that the Hawaii Tourism Board is none too happy about the portrayal of the islands as a hotbed of serious criminality. Just goes to show that having a film crew on scene can be a mixed blessing, I guess,

Hannah Lee Candidates for shows with a strong sense of place: These are going back a bit, but I'd suggest Frank's Place for a sitcom (New Orleans) and Shannon's Deal for a drama (Philadelphia)

LJA I'm with Dan on Seinfeld.

Tausif Khan I like Alexander's performance a lot. I find it relatable. However, it might be the Joseph Fiennes/ Eamon Walker( although Eamon Walker's performance made me like Lights Out) syndrome of theater acting on television that maybe the problem.

LJA Dan - How could you forget about Entourage as a show that captures "Hollywood LA?"

Yeah, I thought the same thing when listening to this

dan LJA - "Entourage" cheats a lot. And sometimes it's annoying... But mostly? "Entourage" is annoying, so I tend not to think about it voluntarily...-Daniel

LJA Okay, concur that Entourage is annoying, but as an Angeleno of 35 years, I'm still going to call it legit in terms of representing "Hollywood LA" even if they do go to Urth Cafe and Coffee Bean every episode.

davement "ass ass ass ass ass!" my favorite firewall moment but that is also how i feel about your opinion of seinfeld. the fact that youve probably watched more than one episode of hellcats doesnt help your case.

dan I *do* hate "Seinfeld." I *don't* hate "Doctor Who." I just don't "get" it and because I don't "get" it, I don't enjoy it. And Gracie Belle is SCARY! [But I don't hate her...]-Daniel

As a Seattle resident, the funniest part of The Killing was when the councilman's alibi was that he was at "an inn in Tacoma"...who would ever admit to being in Tacoma? Admitting you were in Tacoma makes you much more likely to have committed a crime than not.

Claire WHHHHYYYY did you play a snippit of that stupid song at the beginning?! I hate it, and now it is stuck in my head. :(

TMGLost The tragically cancelled 'Terriers' made great use of San Diego's Ocean Beach and Point Loma. My wife and I lived in OB in the 1980's and were delighted with the location shots. The show did a great job of capturing the feel of this funky little beach community.

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PotatoSolution

Heh, Alan, I loved your reaction to Terrence Malick: "Blechh."

dan I left out many "favorites" of various degrees. The new "Hawaii Five-0" is another show which, say what you like about it, looks phenomenal at all times...

-Daniel

Hannah Lee Candidates for shows with a strong sense of place:

These are going back a bit, but I'd suggest Frank's Place for a sitcom (New Orleans) and Shannon's Deal for a drama (Philadelphia)

LJA

I'm with Dan on Seinfeld.

LJA

Dan - How could you forget about Entourage as a show that captures "Hollywood LA?"

dan LJA - "Entourage" cheats a lot. And sometimes it's annoying... But mostly? "Entourage" is annoying, so I tend not to think about it voluntarily...

-Daniel

davement

"ass ass ass ass ass!" my favorite firewall moment but that is also how i feel about your opinion of seinfeld. the fact that youve probably watched more than one episode of hellcats doesnt help your case.

dan I do hate "Seinfeld." I don't hate "Doctor Who." I just don't "get" it and because I don't "get" it, I don't enjoy it.

And Gracie Belle is SCARY! [But I don't hate her...]

-Daniel

Claire

WHHHHYYYY did you play a snippit of that stupid song at the beginning?! I hate it, and now it is stuck in my head. :(

TMGLost

The tragically cancelled 'Terriers' made great use of San Diego's Ocean Beach and Point Loma. My wife and I lived in OB in the 1980's and were delighted with the location shots. The show did a great job of capturing the feel of this funky little beach community.

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whenever something big happens in Movies, TV or Music