Salon.com > network tv

Is “Storage Wars” fake?

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:49:00 +0000

It's no secret that reality TV can be heavily manipulated, scripted and edited for the sake of entertainment. But according to star David Hester, manipulation on the set of A&E Network's "Storage Wars" borders on illegal. Hester claims that the show, in which bidders get a few minutes to inspect auction items released from storage, is rigged. After raising concerns with the show's producers, Hester claims he was wrongfully fired.

Now Hester is suing the network, arguing that the show planted items to be auctioned off, including a BMW Mini. Hester's claim alleges that A&E's conduct is "fraudulent" and "possibly illegal," citing the Communications Act of 1934, "which makes it illegal for broadcasters to rig a contest of intellectual skill with the intent to deceive the viewing public." The Hollywood Reporter explains, however, that Hester's lawsuit relies on a specific interpretation of the Communications Act:

“Chicago Fire”: The TV comfort food we’ve been craving

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:12:00 +0000

A piece in the New York Times this past weekend described “Chicago Fire,” the new NBC drama from “Law & Order” creator and super-producer Dick Wolf that premieres tonight, as being “Dick Wolf 2.0.” Set in, yes, a Chicago firehouse, the new series is referred to as “2.0” by Wolf’s staff because it’s an update on the all work, no play dictum the “Law & Order” franchise obeys. Yet, to judge from "Chicago Fire," “Dick Wolf 2.0” is not a new version of anything at all, which isn’t exactly a bad thing. “Chicago Fire” will be instantly familiar to anyone who has ever seen an episode of “ER” or, even more precisely, “Third Watch,” the slightly gritty early-aughts series that tracked the professional and personal lives of a bunch of nice-looking, emotionally damaged EMTs, a soap opera dressed in a procedural’s clothing. Except for a cameo by Rahm Emanuel as himself, "Chicago Fire" is a predictable but pleasantly familiar throwback that could have been on TV a decade and a half ago.

Study finds rise in gay characters on network TV

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:29:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) -- The number of gay and bisexual characters on scripted broadcast network TV is at its highest-ever level in the season ahead, according to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The total on cable television is also going up.

The 17th-annual "Where We Are on TV" report released Friday by GLAAD found that 4.4 percent of actors appearing regularly on prime-time network drama and comedy series during the 2012-13 season will portray lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender characters. This is up from 2.9 percent in 2011, which saw a dip in what had been a growing annual trend.

The study reviewed 97 scripted TV programs scheduled to air in the upcoming season on the broadcast networks, counting a total of 701 series regular characters. The study found that 31 of them are LGBT characters.

ABC has the highest amount with 10 out of 194, or 5.2 percent, of their regular characters identified as LGBT.

After leading last year, Fox ranks second with six LGBT characters out of 118 total series regulars, or 5.1 percent.