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Firewall & Iceberg podcast, episode 17: Upfronts, 'Good Guys' and 'Lost'

Dan and Alan take a break from Upfront Week to talk about... upfronts!

By Alan Sepinwall Wednesday, May 19, 2010 5:07 PM

The

 
Though we talked about doing a podcast yesterday, and/or one on Friday, Dan and I wound up sticking to the regular Wednesday schedule for this week's extra-long Firewall & Iceberg podcast episode.
 

Upfronts consume a large chunk of the show this week, but we also stopped to discuss Bradley Whitford's mustache as it relates to "The Good Guys," and to talk about last night's "Lost." The breakdown:  

 
Network Upfronts -- NBC, FOX, ABC and then CBS (with some intermingling throughout) -- 01:45 - 43:45
FOX's "The Good Guys" -- 43:45 - 49:40
ABC's "Lost" -- 49:40 - 01:01:45 
 
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.] You can download the podcast file here, or stream it on Dan's blog.
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: Alan Sepinwall, Firewall & Iceberg, upfronts, Lost, The Good Guys

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  • Default-avatar

    bgt

    Just a friendly request from a longtime reader of both of your former blogs. *Please* use a lower bitrate for the podcast so the filesize isn't so large. If you look at Mo Ryan's podcast last week, it's just as long at 1/3 the size. Your podcast this week is so large that iTunes won't allow it to be downloaded to an iPhone unless you have a wifi connection. Thanks.

    May 19, 2010 at 5:33PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Gizmo_bigger_talkback_profile

      dan bgt - I'd be happy to reduce the podcast file size. I'm already compressing it a lot, but if you have any recommendations on exactly how compressed an audio podcast can get before people start complaining that it sounds like crap, let us know and I'll work to shrink the file size...-Daniel

      May 19, 2010 at 6:00PM EST
    • Default-avatar

      bgt Dan - I looked through a few of the podcasts I have downloaded and a slight majority appear to record at 32 kb/s (mo ryan, bill simmons, for example). "This American Life" and you guys record at 64 kb/s. And Adam Carolla records at a bandwidth gobbling 128 kb/s. So you guys are somewhere in the middle.

      I guess just take it as a compliment that I was frustrated not to be able to instantly hear you guys' thoughts on CBS & last night's Lost.

      Totally unrelated, I do have an actual question for the podcast. I gave up on Cougar Town very early on (much like Parks & Recreation last season). I'm ready to give Cougar Town another shot...so where in the season did it actually start to get good?

      Thanks.

      So you guys are

      May 19, 2010 at 11:39PM EST
    • Gizmo_bigger_talkback_profile

      dan bgt - I'll give a shot at compressing at 32 kb/s next time. See how that works. We were doing 128 the first handful of podcasts and people very justifiably freaked over that... Our sound quality is always so tenuous that I'm reticent to do anything to degrade the audio any further, but if 32 is standard operating procedure? And it'll make things a bit more downloadable? Might as well give it a shot... I'm semi-flexible! -Dan

      May 19, 2010 at 11:59PM EST
  • Default-avatar

    M

    I love Parks & Recreation, but I think it's a little ridiculous to say NBC hasn't given the show a fair shot. Community isn't exactly a horrible lead-in (and has been a self-starter in a way that P&R obviously hasn't been) and to say it hasn't been used as the "companion piece" to The Office that it was designed as isn't really fair since it does air back to back with The Office. Just not in the way you'd obviously like.

    May 19, 2010 at 6:08PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    Richie

    I enjoy the podcast. Just want to remind you guys that not all the listeners are TV insiders. For instance: what does "up front" mean? Who is 7 months pregnant?

    May 19, 2010 at 6:43PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Midnight_run_mca255950_talkback_profile

      sepinwall We explain the upfronts at the start (the fall schedule announcements). Amy Poehler is seven months pregnant.

      May 19, 2010 at 9:17PM EST
  • Default-avatar

    M

    Interesting to hear you comment on Bradley Whitford potentially being typecast and miscast in The Good Guys since pretty much the exact same thing could be said about Allison Janney in last week's Lost. Maybe The West Wing cast, while talented, isn't quite as versatile as one would expect.

    May 19, 2010 at 6:59PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Default-avatar

      rosengje And yet Rob Lowe seems to be excelling somewhat against-type (still charming but also more overtly comedic) on Parks and Recreation.

      May 19, 2010 at 10:53PM EST
  • Default-avatar

    alamble

    This is undoubtedly asking a lot of the both of you, but is there any possibility of having a separate, super-special edition of the podcast devoted entirely to Lost, maybe on Monday, so you guys don't have to give all the other stuff you like to discuss short shrift?

    May 19, 2010 at 11:21PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    Jim Steele

    Alan: In response to Dan's question about Zoe's storyline, you said:

    "She, like Hailey, brought a lot of this on herself by going around giving interviews, talking about how important Zoe was going to be."

    Who's Hailey?

    May 20, 2010 at 12:33AM EST Reply to Comment
    • Midnight_run_mca255950_talkback_profile

      sepinwall Not "She like Hailey." "Sheila Kelley." The actress who played Zoe.

      May 20, 2010 at 7:08AM EST
  • Madmen_icon_talkback_profile

    LJA

    Keen Eddie!

    May 20, 2010 at 1:11AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    Alex Stone

    Who knows what they see in Alex O'Loughlin. He didn't even play the most interesting vampire on Moonlight (that'd be Jason Dohring). Or hells, even the most interesting vampire turned human (turned vampire again?) on Moonlight (Shannyn Sossamon).

    May 20, 2010 at 4:31AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    John

    I'm not as down on the ABC comedies as you are. I kinda liked Happy Endings (particularly Wilson and Coupe.) And it seems to me that 90% of Better Together's problems would be solved by recasting Joanna Garcia's fiance.

    May 20, 2010 at 5:44AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    SPP

    Ugh, Alan, Vehicle Voltron? Really?

    May 20, 2010 at 12:25PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Midnight_run_mca255950_talkback_profile

      sepinwall No, not really. Vehicle Voltron sucked. I just wanted to see if Dan or anyone else would raise an objection to such an outlandish statement.

      May 20, 2010 at 4:00PM EST
  • Default-avatar

    BlueCrimson27

    May 20, 2010 at 5:19PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    BlueCrimson27

    The CSI Miami franchise moving to Sunday is a curious decision. Is this the last season of what is probably the best of the 3 CSI shows at this point. I understand that it is pretty much a procedural, in the past 3 seasons, I like how they have implemented some minor Caine story lines. Does Tessler really love O'Loughlin that much that they would put an untested show with the lead actor who's only real claim to fame is a solid 6 or so episode run on The Shield and 2 canceled shows in their first season, neither of which actually lasted a full season(I suppose Moonlight was a full season, even thought it was 16 episode it was the strike year). Granted I don't want to hate on Moonlight,as vampire shows go, it wasn't a terrible show, Miles was good as the Reporter Beth and Jason Dohring was actually quite superb at Jozef. But back to my original point, Is this good or bad for CSI Miami. Does CBS want a non reality show for its prime time Sunday slot?

    May 20, 2010 at 5:25PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Tyroc_talkback_profile

    Tyroc

    My first time listening to the podcast. These are hard as hell to do, so well done!

    My only complaint is that I have trouble distinguishing between your voices, so if you could say "Well, Dan..." or "Come on, Alan..." a lot more that would help. Or have one of you buy some helium balloons beforehand and suck on them right before you speak each time.

    Oh, and you need a theme song, no? (I say "TV Party" by Black Flag.)

    And maybe ask a trivia question at the start of the show and answer it at the end? Like the logo contest, but non-visual of course.

    May 21, 2010 at 4:39AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    fred

    Alan,

    You should watch The CW (a little more).

    I know you do watch Life Unexpected, and it is a good show, and you're missing on what truly is one of the best show on TV: Supernatural.

    And about Lost, I think a better question was not to wonder about Ben, but Widmore. Was HE playing Smokey or something? Because he's been pretty vocal about how "everyone would cease to exists" should the MIB get things his way and leave the Island, so threatening Penny to get him to talk? Really? It's like saying "if you don't speak I kill you & Penny, but if you do speak, I kill you, Penny, and everybody else in the entire world"...

    (Also, the "I don't want Ben to hear" was motivated by what, other than that we - the audience - shouldn't hear whatever he said?)

    And once again you're killing me at the end, getting me more excited for Breaking Bad than I already was, and I certainly was, it being pretty much the best show on TV right now. Can't wait for what looks like it's going to be a fantastic mind-blowing Sunday in TV land!

    May 21, 2010 at 10:58AM EST Reply to Comment

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