Mockingbird Lane - It didn't suck!

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Admiral2, Oct 27, 2012.

  1. Admiral2

    Admiral2 Admiral Admiral

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    So this was a pilot for a Munsters remake and it didn't get picked up?

    I don't see why. I thought it was pretty good. It was a decent update of the old show, and light years better than "The Munsters Today." It was actually kinda cool to see Grandpa and Lily acting like Dracula and Lilith instead of just hinting at their true identities. My biggest complaint is that Jerry O'Connell wasn't as dumb and goofy as the original Herman, but I can deal with that. O'Connell's never going to properly match Fred Gwynne's performance and shouldn't try.

    Am I the only one who bothered to watch?
     
  2. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I plan on watching it when it's on in about 20 minutes here. I'll post my thoughts on it in the morning.
     
  3. Saga

    Saga Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    haven't had time to sit down and watch it yet.
     
  4. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    It just finished here, and I really enjoyed it. I would gladly watch it on a weekly basis if it got picked up. I know it was very different from the original series, but I think as a modern take on the concept it worked really well.
     
  5. Mr. Adventure

    Mr. Adventure Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    My local NBC affiliate decided to air a local Halloween special instead that looked about as exciting as you'd imagine. :rolleyes:
     
  6. Admiral2

    Admiral2 Admiral Admiral

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    Sucks. Maybe NBC will offer it on their website for viewing in a day or two. It really is worth a look.
     
  7. auntiehill

    auntiehill The Blooness Premium Member

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    I recorded it; we're out this weekend,but I can watch it when I get back. The few short snippets I've seen of Eddie Izzard as Grandpa looked kind of cool.
     
  8. TIN_MAN

    TIN_MAN Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    All in all, not bad; but if it were picked up as a series I would suggest recasting Herman and and doing something with the character to make him less "ordinary". For me, Herman was the only one who didn't quite "fit".
     
  9. Admiral2

    Admiral2 Admiral Admiral

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    The original Herman had the distinctive look of Universal's Frankenstein Monster. Making the Herman actor look more like that might help, but looking exactly like that didn't help John Schuck pull it off.
     
  10. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Grampa ... I'm going to start drinking again
     
  11. Greg Cox

    Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member

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    "I have had many brides. They're all dead now . . . but we stay in touch."


    I enjoyed it. A shame this will probably be the only ep.
     
  12. Caretaker

    Caretaker Commodore Premium Member

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    It slipped my mind to set the TiVo to record it. Maybe they'll put it up on XBox Video.
     
  13. IndyJones

    IndyJones Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I thought it was fun, and the updated theme sounded great.
     
  14. sojourner

    sojourner Admiral In Memoriam

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    So, Mom's power was "the dramatic entrance"? lol.
     
  15. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Granpa did get some great lines in this.
     
  16. degra

    degra Fleet Captain Newbie

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    I thought it was crap and can definitely see why it wasnt picked up by series--even by the bottom dwellers at NBC.

    Even if it didn't have to live up to the nostalgia of the original as a standalone pilot it was dull and trite. The only thing outstanding were the costumes and special effects and Portia De Rossi--everything else sucked.

    I know a lot of people looooooooooooooove Bryan Fuller but I don't think he is that great--he seems to do a bunch of quirky bizarre shows just for the sake of it and who cares about good writing.
     
  17. Saga

    Saga Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    i thought it was pretty enjoyable. i love the original and expected to hate this...but it was fun. dark, but fun.
     
  18. ElScoob

    ElScoob Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I was pleasantly surprised... I feel like it could have had some potential as a series. In particular, Eddie Izzard was brilliant. I laughed at pretty much every one of his lines. Playing a comedic version of Dracula is right in his wheelhouse. Also, Portia DiRossi looked like a million bucks... Ellen's a lucky broad.

    --g
     
  19. Admiral2

    Admiral2 Admiral Admiral

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    I wasn't complaining when she made it. As stated above, Ellen scored a coup with this one...

    Still, give Lily some credit. She can also turn to mist, command spiders and lay on the ceiling when she orgasms. That's quite an impressive skill set.
     
  20. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I had a mixed reaction to Mockingbird Lane.

    The production design was fantastic. The cast was great. The direction was more like vintage Tim Burton than anything Burton's done since Sleepy Hollow. I enjoyed watching it.

    The script, however, was not particularly good. Don't get me wrong, the one-liners were great. However, it was trying very hard to introduce all the characters while also having a story, and I don't think it did a very good job juggling that. And, for a pilot, I didn't get a good feel for what kind of series this would be. It felt very unfocused. It could have used Jim Dale as a narrator.

    Oh, and Portia de Rossi was criminally underused. I agree with Ellen DeGeneres, she was almost unrecognizable in the role.

    In short, there was a lot of good in Mockingbird Lane, but there it was also a fuzzy, unfocused pilot. That's probably why NBC passed on it.