Better shows through retooling

[Owain Taggart]

So, I've been watching Borgia (Not to be confused with The Borgias starring Jeremy Irons, though dealing with the same subject) and completed the first season. It was good, but there was something a bit off in it in terms of acting. Felt stiff in places.

Starting the second season, I see it's been heavily retooled, and wow is it ever a difference. Everything about it feels better, from the cameras, the sets, and the acting. It actually feels like a completely different show, even with the changes to the cameras alone, with the cameras being manipulated to have a more cinematic feel. And they also have scenes outdoors now with natural lighting, whereas in the first season, it all felt like it was done on a soundstage with less flexible camera arrangements.

Retooling doesn't always work, but I think with the right circumstances, can make a show even better in a case like this. With a retooling, this series became dramatically different for all the right purposes.

 

[Timewalker]

I've seen both series about the Borgias, and each has its good and bad points.

Sometimes retooling comes as "too little, too late." Take the show Revolution, for example. By the time they tweaked that, most people were so fed up with The Search For Danny and the lead actress' inability to act, that they no longer cared. I gave up on it well before the end and haven't had any interest in tracking it down to see what I missed.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Enterprise had a very successful retooling but only after everyone stopped watching.