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Firewall & Iceberg Podcast, episode 128: Upfronts 2012, Part 1: NBC/FOX/ABC

Dan and Alan break down the big scheduling moves, and also review the latest 'Mad Men'

By Alan Sepinwall Tuesday, May 15, 2012 5:40 PM

The

It's Upfront Week, which means it's (hopefully) going to be a two-episode week for the Firewall & Iceberg Podcast. Today, we'll be dealing with the NBC, FOX and ABC upfront announcements (plus another "Mad Men" review), while the plan is to return on Friday to discuss CBS, the CW and a bunch of recent season finales. 

The line-up: 

Upfronts - NBC, FOX and ABC (00:01:00 - 00:49:30)
"Mad Men" (00:49:30 - 01:14:30)
 
As we discuss towards the end of the show, we will likely have two podcasts next week, but also probably not on Monday. It will be catch as catch can. Follow our blogs, iTunes, the RSS feed, Twitter, etc., to have some sense of when a new podcast has been published.

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, download the MP3 file or stream it on Dan's blog.

 
And as always, feel free to e-mail us questions for the podcast.
Alan-sepinwall-sm
Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching
Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
Related Searches: Firewall & Iceberg, Alan Sepinwall, Mad Men, upfronts, Upfronts 2012

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  • Default-avatar

    Mo Miller

    So, um, yeah ... {audible inhale}

    Well, uh, I don't know ... whatever ...

    {rhetorical question with response in too cool for school tone ... Feinberg doing Feinbery things}

    Sure, whatever, fine, I don't know, uh, yeah ...

    {Tasteless, classless, douchey joke at expense of another person's obvious problems}

    But yeah, uh, whatever ... fine ... SIGH

    Love you Sepinwall but wish you would do this podcast with another partner.

    May 15, 2012 at 9:24PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Gizmo_bigger_talkback_profile

      dan "Fienberg."

      I'm just saying. If you want to invest two comments full of elaborate punctuation and impersonation into hating me, at least spell my name correctly.

      Otherwise, you let me disassociate a little bit and it's harder for me to take it personally.

      -Daniel

      May 15, 2012 at 9:53PM EST
  • Default-avatar

    Mo Miller

    I could live with the joke if it was funny but it wasn't. It was lame ... which made it even more inexcusable.

    May 15, 2012 at 9:29PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Gizmo_bigger_talkback_profile

      dan Mo - On a side note, I wasn't making a joke. I was expressing something that went through my mind noting a truly unfortunate shared vernacular between a serious problem and that happens frivolously on a reality show when contestants are eliminated. I was just talking about the concern that one will need to take to avoid saying things that are unfortunate and to avoid making jokes with, intentionally or unintentionally, WILL be made.

      The reasons why it wasn't funny was:

      1) You don't find me funny. You made that point.
      2) It wasn't intended to be funny.

      Anyway, you found it inexcusable, so I guess I should just go back to my corner, rather than making my excuse.

      -Daniel

      May 15, 2012 at 10:20PM EST
  • Default-avatar

    Mo Miller

    Hey FeinberG,

    It hurts when someone mocks your foibles -- doesn't it?

    Maybe you should think about that next time you come up with any more supposed cutting remarks.

    May 15, 2012 at 10:20PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Gizmo_bigger_talkback_profile

      dan Not especially.

      But I see what you did there. Exactly what I tried saying would be problematic and worth avoiding. And you misspelled my name again, doing it intentionally to add to the comedy and the insult. Clever.

      -Daniel

      May 15, 2012 at 10:26PM EST
    • Default-avatar

      RU Serious Knda makes you wish the IGN guys were a little more consistent publishing their TV podcast. They might not be as academic, but they're funny.

      May 16, 2012 at 8:29AM EST
  • Default-avatar

    Amanda

    Love the podcast- Dan AND Alan!

    PS- good campaigns from Don in season 4 - I really liked Jantzen (although it wasn't bought) and his Samsonite ad wasnt bad....

    May 15, 2012 at 11:27PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Default-avatar

      Cabo I thought both Heinz pitches that Peggy made were great, (Dancing Beans and Nostalgia) and we don't know how much Don contributed. Is it really Don's job to come up with the ideas anymore? Shouldn't the creatives be coming up with ideas and he selects, edits, improves? I thought Don hit bottom last season and he is rebuilding (rebranding almost) himself this season. I don't see him in decline as much as everyone else.

      May 16, 2012 at 10:42AM EST
    • Default-avatar

      Madel Dan and Alan forgot the Clio award-winning GloCoat ad - rather a big deal in Don's creative career - and taking place at SCDP.

      May 16, 2012 at 10:36PM EST
  • Default-avatar

    B

    There's definitely a female character dragging these eps of Mad Men down, but it's not Betty...

    May 16, 2012 at 8:44AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    Mike

    Re: the impact of Jewish comedians/culture on mainstream American culture. You discussed Woody Allen in more detail, but Lenny Bruce actually died during ths timeline of this season (8/3/66). His heyday was more the '50s/early '60s, so to the extent he had any impact on mainstream American culture during his lifetime, it was certainly felt by this point!

    May 16, 2012 at 10:06AM EST Reply to Comment
    • Default-avatar

      Cabo Agreed. And Mad Men doesn't take place in Middle America. I would think Allen and Bruce probably did have a huge effect on the Manhattan that these characters inhabit.

      So I agree with Alan, but I still love you Dan

      May 16, 2012 at 10:36AM EST
  • S602160292_2076173_4167_talkback_profile

    studioplant

    What's with all the hating on Dan? Let's talk Mad Men instead, much healthier behaviour. Am I the only one that completely cracked up when Stan called a Micheal a boob?

    May 16, 2012 at 2:42PM EST Reply to Comment

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