[elherts]

I love this.



I'm watching AHS from Tuesday. He just did a 5 minute Koresh sequence. He looked just like him, but made him sound like a southern hillbilly. I didn't know he shot a lot of his followers before he burned down the place. Yikes.

[elherts]

Originally Posted by worthyoflove (View Post) The FX Versace shows premieres a week before Waco and then is on the same night, shrewd move by FX.

I don't know if this is such a great move.

[worthyoflove]

I think Waco will have more hype. Ryan Murphy production has lost its luster a bit. But then again what do I know, I'd be excited about Waco regardless because stuff like this interests me but clearly with Taylor's involvement I feel like it should be a must see.

[SouthernSweetieTX]

I'd watch Waco over Versace even without Taylor in it.

[worthyoflove]

Originally Posted by elherts (View Post) I didn't know he shot a lot of his followers before he burned down the place.

See, that's up for debate. There is a lot of evidence that the methane from the tear gas was incredibly flammable and while firing one of the cans into the house that is what ignited the fire. The report was always that the Branch Davidians started it...but, that came from the ATF. There is video footage that would say otherwise.

There is also evidence that in a suicide pact while the places was burning Koresh and his right hand man did shoot one another and some of the other members also decided on killing themselves rather than be burned to death.

I didn't know that they did the David Koresh thing ran on AHS this past week but it makes sense a few people who were pretty upset with how AHS portrayed the whole incident were liking the tweet and responding to the tweet I had with the video of Taylor talking about playing Koresh.

[worthyoflove]

John Leguizamo talks a bit about Waco and Taylor.

[KitscherSunk]

Originally Posted by worthyoflove (View Post) I think Waco will have more hype. Ryan Murphy production has lost its luster a bit. But then again what do I know, I'd be excited about Waco regardless because stuff like this interests me but clearly with Taylor's involvement I feel like it should be a must see.

I don't know ... Waco was a larger event, history-wise, but because of the stars, the fact it's the first American Crime Story since the OJ one, and because FX is so established, I think Versace has the edge in generating more buzz. There's so much on TV and streaming services now, hype is what you need most now to even get people to find your show. The entertainment media are who generate the hype, and I think they're more likely to give Versace the mag covers and web articles and recaps. Unless Waco is just so far above Versace in terms of quality, the critics will keep raving about it.

Of course I could be totally wrong. Paramount is promoting Waco pretty well so far already.

"Talented. Brave. Committed." I love John.

[SouthernSweetieTX]

I'm ready to see what they do in terms of interviews, articles, social media, commercials, etc.

I think we need to see it advertised in theaters during the pre show stuff. I've seen several TV shows advertised that way this fall.

[worthyoflove]

Just on social media response and trailer views alone I think Waco has a significant edge. Waco's trailer had 1 million views in a day. The Versace trailer hasn't even broken the 100K mark after a week. I just think the Waco story resonates with more people. But I'm also tired of Ryan Murphy, so...

We'll see how Paramount promotes it. I hope in the next few weeks we'll get some more content. Waco has the advantage over Versace that it's not the 5th Ryan Murphy series to drop on FX and is just ho hum another day...this is their kickoff series.

An interview with Paramount's president, he mentions Waco:

Separate to the movie-focused, international Paramount Channel, the new proposition will include hit unscripted shows from the Spike TV channel it replaces, including Lip Sync Battle, and premium original dramas such as Kevin Costner family drama Yellowstone and female-focused TV Land pair Heathers and American Woman. The rationale is simple, says Kevin Kay, president of Paramount Network (pictured), who also oversees TV Land and CMT. “It goes back to what Viacom is all about: different channels for different audiences,” he explains. “What we did not have in that package of channels was a general entertainment channel with broad appeal, to both audiences and advertisers.” Kay, a natural pessimist by his own estimation, says he is reticent to overplay the position of the channel before it launches on January 18, 2018, but admits, “It is starting to come together in a big way”. “There’s been a lot of preparation and thinking behind the creative since this decision to launch was made back in February,” he adds. A big part of that is marketing the network. Spike, which Kay has led since 2007 when it was known as TNN, will cease its life as a US channel (though international networks with the branding will remain), and a key perception challenge is attracting women that would reject that channel brand, with its MMA fighting programmes and blokey thrillers. “The heritage of Spike is still male,” says Kay. “That’s part of the fun and the challenge of what we’re doing; we are trying to get more women to Paramount Network, and American Woman and Heathers will do that.” Alicia Silverstone- and Mena Suvari-starring sitcom American Woman comes from John Wells Productions and Warner Bros., and is based on the life of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richard, while Heathers is an adaptation of the dark high school comedy from 1988, with Lakeshore Entertainment attached. “Then Waco (above) will skew a lot more male,” says Kay of the big budget Weinstein Television limited drama that will launch the channel. The series is based on the 51-day standoff between government agents and The Branch Davidians that ended in a deadly fire, with Taylor Kitsch playing cult leader David Koresh, John Leguizamo playing an ATF agent and Michael Shannon as FBI negotiator Gary Noesner. While Waco broaches a tough topic, Kay says Paramount Network drama is likely to skew a little lighter than rivals such as FX and the premium pay outlets. “It’s not criticism of FX, as I love what they do, but why would we want to go there and do the same?” he questions. “Yellowstone is an edgier version of Dallas, but it still lives in that place of optimism.” Kay says there is also the challenge of convincing viewers Paramount Network is not a movie channel, pointing to internal research proving many think just that. “There has to be a strong message there is original programming along with movies, and we have to reach out to women to let them know there is programming for them,” he adds. “It’s a new day here.”

Full article here: Paramount importance - TBI Vision TBI Vision

[KitscherSunk]

I was thinking today... You know how they say the boss sets the tone from the top down? Shooting Waco seemed to be a special experience for the actors -- at least the ones playing Branch Davidians and who've spoken about it on social media. So, Taylor was an executive producer and therefore he was essentially the boss. I bet he helped make it so special.

John Leguizamo was on Seth Meyers tonight but didn't mention Waco.

After reading that article, I hate to sound cynical but I give it nine months before the network starts shifting to showing Paramount movies, sitcom reruns and syndicated reality shows like Cops for 18 hours a day because no one's watching. There are already about 500 cable channels for "broad audiences." And large numbers of women aren't going to be drawn to those originals. People are still going to call it "Spike but it's called Paramount now."

[elherts]

I love the Versace spots on TV though. They are pretty cool.

I heard the Dodge Ram Black Friday commercial on the radio this morning.

[worthyoflove]

I'm currently watching Friends reruns on Spike. But I would guess they'll go for more of an HBO/Showtime feel. I could see them pulling it off. I mean right now it's just Friends/Cops reruns and Bar Rescue, anything has to be an improvement over that.

[SouthernSweetieTX]

Originally Posted by worthyoflove (View Post) I'm currently watching Friends reruns on Spike. But I would guess they'll go for more of an HBO/Showtime feel. I could see them pulling it off. I mean right now it's just Friends/Cops reruns and Bar Rescue, anything has to be an improvement over that.

Where's my ink master?

[KitscherSunk]

Originally Posted by worthyoflove (View Post) I'm currently watching Friends reruns on Spike. But I would guess they'll go for more of an HBO/Showtime feel. I could see them pulling it off. I mean right now it's just Friends/Cops reruns and Bar Rescue, anything has to be an improvement over that.

Nah, he said they're going for a lighter feel than the premium cable channels:

While Waco broaches a tough topic, Kay says Paramount Network drama is likely to skew a little lighter than rivals such as FX and the premium pay outlets. “It’s not criticism of FX, as I love what they do, but why would we want to go there and do the same?” he questions. “Yellowstone is an edgier version of Dallas, but it still lives in that place of optimism.”

... which makes, like, no sense to me. But who knows, maybe that's why they get paid the big bucks and I don't. lol

[worthyoflove]

Maybe that's just his way to slyly indicate that "hey, we have original reality programming" that is a bit lighter. Kayla's, Ink Master, Bar Rescue and Lip Sync Battle which is something FX doesn't really have. But interesting he chose to compare their Network platform to FX since that will be maybe their biggest competition at least initially with Waco against Versace.