Ed Martin Live at TCA: FX's "American Horror Story" Captures Critics' Attention; Another Great Day for Cable at TCA

In my dispatch Monday from the Summer 2011 Television Critics Association tour I took issue with the fact that so many more critics and reporters cover the broadcast portion of the tour than the cable portion even though cable series tend to last longer and appeal to more people in the long run than most of the new shows the networks introduce every fall There39s also the simple fact that many cable shows tend to be more interesting than most broadcast seriesAs if to prove my point about cable39s burgeoning success the second day of what was once known as the broadcast portion of the tour was actually devoted to cable presentations In order to have room for presentations about all of NBC39s new fall series and several from its cable network group NBC Universal requested two days on the tour showcasing all of NBC39s new fall series on Monday and presentations by USA Network MSNBC Oxygen Bravo and Telemundo on Tuesday For some reason NBC39s cable networks didn39t schedule anything after 2 pm yesterday so FX swooped in and put together a special screening over on the Fox lot of its wildly anticipated new series American Horror Story followed by drinks and dinner on a nearby lawn which proved a much needed opportunity for the critics to recover after watching a pilot unlike any they had ever seen beforeYou39ll read all kinds of things about American Horror Story during the next few days as critics continue to process what they saw last night and again after Saturday when FX presents a session about the show with series creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk and their cast amp8211 Dylan McDermott in a role that requires him to be naked emotionally and physically Jessica Lange who steals every scene she39s in and Connie Britton who is every bit as luminous in AHS as she was in Friday Night LightsNBC presented its new shows yesterday CBS will do the same today The CW will do so on Thursday followed by Fox on Friday and ABC on Sunday I think it39s safe to say that nothing critics have seen or will see from any of them will get them talking as much as AHS did last night Some didn39t care for it at all others thought it was huge fun and most are still processing the experience I39m with them Few could stop thinking about it even after expressing their initial reactions AHS is the story of a family recovering from a major tragedy and an even bigger betrayal that moves into a house that turns out to be haunted by something unspeakably evil although that seems far too slight a description because there is so much going on much of it unexplained to characters or viewers Think Don39t Look Now at its most disturbing or The Shining at its most unhinged I39m not willing to predict success for this thing but I do think that for a while at least it39s going to stir up more excitement than any other new show coming this fall on broadcast or cable or any new movie for that matterAs for the other cable offerings yesterday USA Network started the day with its now traditional informal breakfast at which critics casually mingle with stars from a handful of its shows The stars this time were from Necessary Roughness Suits and Psych After only three tours the USA breakfast has become a highlight of the TCA experience for many of us Another recently minted and wellreceived TCA tradition a cocktail party with personalities and executives from E Style and G4 was unwisely scrapped this year as talent from those networks along with Bravo USA Network Syfy MSNBC Telemundo mun2 and Oxygen were folded into NBC39s big party with interesting if somewhat scattered resultsThe USA breakfast was followed by a lively session with MSNBC39s Rachel Maddow Lawrence O39Donnell and Chris Matthews A session for Oxygen39s The Glee Project came next featuring the top six finalists from what has become one of the most entertaining rewarding and heartfelt new series of the summer Then it was up to the Stardust Room and terrace high atop the Beverly Hilton for a Bravo lunch with cast members from its newest observational reality show Most Eligible Dallas NBC Universal39s day ended with a surprisingly well attended session featuring talk show superstar Cristina who after 21 years on Univision will premiere a new series titled Pa39lante con Cristina Moving Forward with Cristina on Telemundo this fallYou are receiving this email as a corporate subscriber to Jack Myers Media Business Report Redistribution in any form except among approved individuals within your company is prohibited As a subscriber you have full access to all archives and reports at wwwjackmyerscom If you require your ID and password contact maryannjackmyerscom

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Ed Martin Live at TCA: FX's "American Horror Story" Captures Critics' Attention; Another Great Day for Cable at TCA

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Ed Martin

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Ed Martin Live at TCA: FX's "American Horror Story" Captures Critics' Attention; Another Great Day for Cable at TCA

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