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[-Pyromaniac-]

Fucking Fucking episode.

 

[Keen]

Fucking episode was fucking incredible!.

 

[big ander]

FUCK.
FUCK.
FUCK.

 

[Spooks]

Wow... just got done watching the episode. How are more people not watching this show? Seriously, it's just too damn good and deserves so much more attention.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

Amazing episode.

This just may be the best show EVER, quality wise, to only have 1 season if it doesn't get picked up.

 

[Enco]

Don't know what to say any more.

The show is unbelievably incredible.

 

[Spire]

Shawn Ryan + FX = Pure gold.

Show is fucking good and it better get renewed.

 

[DevelopmentArrested]

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

This shit is blowing back on them
CANNOT WAIT for the season (oh god i hope not series) finale

 

[Evolved1]

They have to like... put this on Hulu or something so people can watch it and get caught up...

Because it's an awesome fucking show and needs at least another season.

It's too good -- that episode was wtfomg.

 

[anaron]

There needs to be a title change along the lines of "watch the best new show ASSHOLES."

 

[Evolved1]

There needs to be a title change along the lines of "watch the best new show ASSHOLES."

Speaking of titles... I actually like "Terriers" but man did that turn out to be a bad decision. I don't know what else you could call it. Anyway today at dinner I'm telling some of my extended family about the show and my cousin asks, "Is that about dogs?".

:/

"No, it's about two private detectives..."

"Oh... I thought it was about dogs or something."

"Nope. Not about dogs."

 

[DevelopmentArrested]

looking back now.. yeah the title sucks. but a lot of tv shows have bad names. i just think it's just shitty rotten luck that this show doesn't have an audience. also, i agree that while the title music is great - it simply doesn't fit the show. especially given how dark the show has gotten over the last few episodes. but I love the vibe of the show now.

 

[dead souls]

looking back now.. yeah the title sucks. but a lot of tv shows have bad names. i just think it's just shitty rotten luck that this show doesn't have an audience. also, i agree that while the title music is great - it simply doesn't fit the show. especially given how dark the show has gotten over the last few episodes. but I love the vibe of the show now.

You're right that it's more than the name dragging it down. Terrier has lost a lot of its initial audience.

The ratings are a real shame, since it's by far my favorite show of the fall. But sometimes shows just don't attract an audience even though they're great.

 

[big ander]

looking back now.. yeah the title sucks. but a lot of tv shows have bad names. i just think it's just shitty rotten luck that this show doesn't have an audience. also, i agree that while the title music is great - it simply doesn't fit the show. especially given how dark the show has gotten over the last few episodes. but I love the vibe of the show now.

I couldn't disagree more: the theme music is perfect.
The song not only perfectly embodies the Ocean Beach setting, but the lyrics (at least the way I'm interpreting them) are all about partners staying one step ahead of danger. The show may be very dark tonally at times, but the theme music isn't exactly happy-go-lucky. It's not dark, but I still feel it's perfect for the show.

 

[Enco]

I first thought that the show was about dogs too but am very happy I checked it out!

I really hope this gets renewed and gets much more viewers.

Without a doubt this is the most underrated tv show.

It has risen to my number two spot (nothing will ever beat Prison Break ).

 

[adamsappel]

What a terrible, terrible choice for a title. I ignored this show for so long, thinking it was some "Dog Whisperer"-type show. It's really good! I've always liked Donal Logue. I'm trying to catch up on episodes, but they're out of order on Comcast On Demand. Theme song is great!

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Holy fuck... what an episode.

 

[big ander]

Seriously, could a mod maybe edit the title to something like "Terriers - Best New Show of the Year - NOT ABOUT DOGS"

 

[Enco]

Seriously, could a mod maybe edit the title to something like "Terriers - Best New Show of the Year - NOT ABOUT DOGS"

This.

Would be great to get some more people into the show!

 

[ConradCervantes]

This has honestly been one of the most disappointing fall seasons of late. Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, all these new pilots that shit up the networks and get canceled. Terriers is one of the lone bright spots, and it'd be a shame if its title and abysmal marketing campaign were the culprits of its demise.

 

[Lambtron]

My wife and I just got caught up. Holy. Shit. Please renew this show FX.

 

[anaron]

Seriously, could a mod maybe edit the title to something like "Terriers - Best New Show of the Year - NOT ABOUT DOGS"

This please.

 

[Alex Connolly]

I will add to the chorus in regards to that episode:

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

Brilliant show.

 

[Fletcher]

Just blew through season one and am, as of ten minutes ago, up to date.
Great fucking show and I will be really bummed if this isn't renewed.
Horrible marketing for this show. I LIVE in San Diego and had no idea about it.

p.s. They filmed in one of the best burger places in operation. Hodads. If you're ever in San Diego, go to OB and get a bacon cheeseburger. So good.

 

[Cornballer]

- Tim Goodman at the Hollywood Reporter: When TV Brands Go Off Brand

FX’s "Terriers" is the latest example of what happens when even good shows don’t conform to a channel’s clear identity.

It might not take a miracle, but it will definitely take a last-minute reprieve if FX’s superb but barely seen Terriers gets renewed for a second season. There are fans who have held on from the start and now are praying for renewal, and there are critics who liked the show at the start who now love it and are beating the drums to draw in a bigger audience.

Good luck with that.

The series is averaging roughly 500,000 viewers each episode, and FX just doesn’t have the kind of largesse to let that stand. The basic-cable channel has one of the industry’s most impressive track records for launching quality shows, but it doesn’t have the budget to be patient with a series that might be blooming too late. And so the question is, what happened? Why hasn’t Terriers captured the imagination of viewers?

Sure, you can blame the name, which didn’t help sell the concept of two low-rent private investigators catching the case of a lifetime and redefining “buddy series” along the way. And the show didn’t exactly come out of the gate with guns blazing like FX’s Sons of Anarchy.

But there is a lot there to love. The acting from leads Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James is impressive, particularly how they spin the witty banter from creator Ted Griffin (Ocean’s Eleven, Matchstick Men) and the show’s writers. And despite the sluggish start, subsequent episodes began to flesh out the intent of the series, making it part drama, part comedy, heavy on the buddy element but also surprisingly deep and soulful as the characters took root.

No, the real problem with Terriers is that it doesn’t reflect the FX brand. More accurately, it took way too long to reflect that brand. When you think FX, you think The Shield and Rescue Me. You think It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and even the animated Archer. Series on FX have balls, no question about it. They are aggro, not Zen. The shows on that channel are rated MA for a reason. Although an argument could be made that the engaging and captivating Justified, with a few tweaks, also might be a network series, there’s a notable difference. In the pilot, blood was spilled, a rocket launcher went off, and Timothy Olyphant inhabited his character with such distinction that you knew he was a badass with a badge and no hesitation on the trigger.

In short, an FX series.

In Terriers, no amount of clever riffing can mask that it’s about as edgy as Murder, She Wrote. Executive producer Shawn Ryan made it clear he didn’t want to do another show as savagely bleak as Shield, and credit him with steering Griffin’s vision to stellar heights. The show just always has felt out of place.

And that certainly speaks to the power of a brand. It’s less of an indictment of Terriers and more affirmation that FX has almost always been on point.

I think he's way off base with the "Murder She Wrote" comment - the show is incredibly bleak at times and they address some very adult subject matter. Still, it's good that he likes the show and gives it some press here.

More on branding and network identity via the link.

 

[GitarooMan]

I think he's way off base with the "Murder She Wrote" comment - the show is incredibly bleak at times and they address some very adult subject matter. Still, it's good that he likes the show and gives it some press here.

More on branding and network identity via the link.

Yeah, I think the show can be very dark at points, especially in the later episodes. But it certainly doesn't have the omnipresent bleakness of something like the Shield or the constant in-your-face machismo of Sons, but that's part of the appeal I think. Anyway, looking forward to the finale on Wednesday, and I hope (although it's really unlikely) that this is released on Blu-ray down the road (most less popular TV shows just get the DVD release it seems)

 

[.la1n]

If it goes the way of Firefly I will be extremely depressed, it is the single best show on TV right now. If it does only make one season I hope they go out with a bang and I will be proud to own the dvd/bluray.

 

[Cornballer]

Yeah, I think the show can be very dark at points, especially in the later episodes. But it certainly doesn't have the omnipresent bleakness of something like the Shield or the constant in-your-face machismo of Sons, but that's part of the appeal I think.

That makes sense - I can see what you and Goodman are saying. I guess my complaint towards FX is that they marketed it as something light and fluffy when they could've put together a more dark and edgy campaign to attract the typical FX viewers. There's certainly enough material in the show to do something like that, even if it would be misrepresenting the series to some extent.

Anyway, looking forward to the finale on Wednesday, and I hope (although it's really unlikely) that this is released on Blu-ray down the road (most less popular TV shows just get the DVD release it seems)

Would be great to get a copy of the BRD down the road if we can.

 

[big ander]

I really hope for a BD release, with a ton of commentary.

And I agree that it's actually pretty bleak, just with moments of reprieve that make it so awesome. Real life never seems to be 100% dark. The contrast is done well enough that it gives the show that much more depth.

 

[anaron]

Tim Goodman is the voice of reason y'all! :lol

What a completely condescending and unnecessary article.

 

[CajoleJuice]

I do agree with some of what he says about the FX brand of shows. I even said as much in a blog post I wrote a few weeks back. The Murder, She Wrote shit is just him being an incendiary moron.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

Never really struck me as a non-FX show. I don't see it fitting anywhere else, really. Not professional looking enoguh for AMC, not light hearted enough for USA, not extreme enough for the pay channels, not generic enoguh for anything else....seems to fit the FX bill imo.

 

[Learn2read]

The characters inhabit a pretty bleak world and are pretty somewhat flawed - but just because they are actually likeable and not asshole protagonists we somehow root for in spite of ourselves doesn't mean the show is shallow tripe. He's mistaking the show lacking the now common trope of the protagonist being a non-hero into the show lacking depth. What a tool.

 

[CajoleJuice]

Never really struck me as a non-FX show. I don't see it fitting anywhere else, really. Not professional looking enoguh for AMC, not light hearted enough for USA, not extreme enough for the pay channels, not generic enoguh for anything else....seems to fit the FX bill imo.

I don't know, I could see it fitting in on AMC. Walking Dead might look professional, but its writing and acting don't match up. I guess it does fit FX, but there's just something about it that FX viewers obviously didn't warm up to. I really do think there's something to the thought that it's not "badass" or irreverent enough. The premiere actually had 1.5 mil viewers.

The characters inhabit a pretty bleak world and are pretty somewhat flawed - but just because they are actually likeable and not asshole protagonists we somehow root for in spite of ourselves doesn't mean the show is shallow tripe. He's mistaking the show lacking the now common trope of the protagonist being a non-hero into the show lacking depth. What a tool.

It's funny because David Chen of /Filmcast wrote a blog post saying that they are non-heroes, or at least terrible people.

http://www.davechen.net/2010/11/guys-in-terriers-are-terrible-people.html

So he definitely wouldn't agree with Goodman.

 

[big ander]

I don't know, I could see it fitting in on AMC. Walking Dead might look professional, but its writing and acting don't match up. I guess it does fit FX, but there's just something about it that FX viewers obviously didn't warm up to. I really do think there's something to the thought that it's not "badass" or irreverent enough. The premiere actually had 1.5 mil viewers.

It's funny because David Chen of /Filmcast wrote a blog post saying that they are non-heroes, or at least terrible people.

http://www.davechen.net/2010/11/guys-in-terriers-are-terrible-people.html

So he definitely wouldn't agree with Goodman.

The first comment on that article basically invalidates it:

The planting of the gun can be construed as moral.

The suicide of the bank manager was not direct, it was indirect. How would Hank have known he would respond that way? In fact, his response was quite bizarre.

They smashed some bongs and ended up catching a murderer.

I think there's an "end justifies the means" discrepancy going on here. The stolen money would grant them info on Hank's friends killer. Also, Lindus was stealing it from himself.

They did chase him but they didn't kill him. That was an accident.

The cover up was immoral.

To write that Chen way overstated the evils in their actions and way understated the good that came out of them. Sure, those actions allowed Hank to buy his old house. But they also tripped up a greedy conspiring man who's trying to buy Ocean Beach and put away murderers.

 

[CajoleJuice]

To write that Chen way overstated the evils in their actions and way understated the good that came out of them. Sure, those actions allowed Hank to buy his old house. But they also tripped up a greedy conspiring man who's trying to buy Ocean Beach and put away murderers.

Oh yeah, I agree with you and the commenter. I just wanted to highlight a person that definitely sees the show as edgier than Murder, She Wrote. :lol

Actually makes me wonder if Chen has watched other FX series.

 

[big ander]

Oh yeah, I agree with you and the commenter. I just wanted to highlight a person that definitely sees the show as edgier than Murder, She Wrote. :lol

Actually makes me wonder if Chen has watched other FX series.

Yeah, the Murder, She Wrote comment is plain stupid. :lol

 

[BJK]

Yeah, the Murder, She Wrote comment is plain stupid. :lol

I don't know...did Murder, She Wrote have a scene where Jessica Fletcher described fucking a character's significant other, so that the character would abide by the terms of their agreement?


(I want to follow that up with a comment about how, if it did, I really should have watched Murder, she wrote...but I don't think I'd really want to see it in that context. :lol )

I can at least say that I managed to recruit another Terriers viewer over the holiday weekend, thanks to my TiVo. This is too good a show to give up on.

 

[Enco]

I think I've lost hope about this show getting renewed.

I guess it'll be the one amazing season of an amazing tv show.

Hopefully I'm horribly wrong though!

 

[Dan]

It's funny because David Chen of /Filmcast wrote a blog post saying that they are non-heroes, or at least terrible people.

http://www.davechen.net/2010/11/guys-in-terriers-are-terrible-people.html

So he definitely wouldn't agree with Goodman.

This is some wack ramblings. If I'm feeling generous I would only question Chen's viewing literacy after reading that, but maybe he's also got a really screwed up perspective on life to reach some of those conclusions.

 

[Spire]

Boy I'd hate to see Chen's reaction if he ever watched The Shield.

 

[CajoleJuice]

Boy I'd hate to see Chen's reaction if he ever watched The Shield.

He'd probably scream and stop watching after the pilot.

 

[AkuMifune]

(The "Terriers" audience is comically small but fierce in its loyalty; if you want to show that loyalty, Ryan is suggesting people e-mail user@fxnetworks.com and/or try to download episodes from iTunes, as FX is said to be tracking both.)

Never emailed a network about a show before, but had to try to do something. As Sepinwall said, "I am too damn old and too damn cynical to get my heart broken by another brilliant-but-canceled TV show."

 

[Cornballer]

- Jaime Weinman @ Macleans takes on the branding issue in response to Goodman's column:

Does Branding Really Matter?

Tim Goodman of the Hollywood Reporter has his own theory of what ails Terriers (approaching the last episode of its first-maybe-but-hopefully-not-last season): it’s a branding problem. The show just doesn’t fit what viewers consciously or subconsciously expect from the network.

I don’t know. I have an ambiguous relationship to the concept of branding. On the one hand, I know it’s real, and have talked about it as real. A network, especially an ad-supported cable network, has to deliver certain things that its viewers — and advertisers — expect. Especially the advertisers; the average viewer might not have expectations of a network, but an advertiser certainly does have expectations of the kind of viewers their commercials are going to reach. (HBO also has a “brand” but defines it more eclectically, in terms of shows that have the feel of being “stuff the other networks won’t do.” That’s because they’re selling their service to the viewers, rather than to advertisers.) That’s probably the biggest factor in creating the existence and importance of a brand, since the average viewer does not — and shouldn’t — care what channel something is on as long as it’s entertaining.

But I’m sure the brand does influence the way viewers choose their shows, if only because a network’s brand is defined in opposition to whatever else is on television. If FX or AMC has shows that are “off-brand” then they might be too close to something else that’s on at 10 o’clock. In the case of Terriers it’s up against The Defenders on CBS and Psych on USA, two mystery dramas with a lot of humour. It’s darker than those shows, but still might bleed more viewers to the competition than a completely different, “alternative” kind of show might. That’s part of the point of original cable programming, to provide alternatives for people who don’t find that the other stuff is quite right for them.

My problem with jumping from that to saying that a network needs a brand, all the time, is that, first of all, it’s not really borne out by the evidence. Goodman has to bring up and explain away a lot of exceptions to the rule, and it’s hard to explain all of them away before the idea of branding starts to seem extremely nebulous. So for example, he talks about Fox’s comedy brand, yet their most successful half-hour live action comedy of recent years (not that that’s saying much) was ‘Til Death, which was certainly going against their brand. Over on FX, Justified just isn’t that different from Terriers, and its greater popularity can be explained more in terms of its greater bad-assedness than any extra edge that it possesses. In other words, never use “branding” to explain what can be more plausibly explained by pointing out that a show has more action and a cooler hero.

...

More via the link.

 

[d58e7]

I've never watched this show, nor heard of it, guess that shows how good FX is advertising it. Also the name definately doesn't help. Has there been any attempt to raise intrest in this show by trying to make it a trending topic on twitter?

 

[Enco]

I've never watched this show, nor heard of it, guess that shows how good FX is advertising it. Also the name definately doesn't help. Has there been any attempt to raise intrest in this show by trying to make it a trending topic on twitter?

Watch it. Now.

There's been some twitter talk but not much.

 

[Cornballer]

From Sepinwall:

Exclusive: A message from the 'Terriers' creative team
By Alan Sepinwall - A thank you from the writers, as well as suggestions on how to help the finale do well

The "Terriers" finale airs tomorrow night at 10 on FX. I've already sung the praises of this great, terribly underrated (in the literal sense) show, and before the finale airs, the show's three main creative voices - Ted Griffin, Shawn Ryan and Tim Minear - wanted to say a few words of thanks to the audience, as well as offer some suggestions (beyond e-mailing your praise to user@fxnetworks.com) for making the show look good to FX:

Dear "Terriers" watchers,

On the eve of our season finale -- and, as far as we know, it is a season finale -- we wanted to thank you for tuning in and supporting the show and, most of all, for embracing Hank and Britt with such enthusiasm and devotion. We're very proud of "Terriers" and are grateful/gratified it found an audience as intelligent, discerning and handsome as you. So, on behalf of all the actors and writers and directors and crew members and everyone who worked on the show, thanks. And we hope to do it again next year.

Ted Griffin & Shawn Ryan & Tim Minear

P.S. If you think of it, you might watch tomorrow's episode LIVE if you can; it's called (for no particular reason) "Hail Mary" and we hope you enjoy it. Also, if you happen to know a Nielsen family, this could be a great opportunity to reconnect by inviting yourself over to watch it at their place. Super too would be if when you got home after, you Hulu'd the show. Then gifted it via iTunes to everyone you love/can barely stand. Just a thought. It's what our mothers are doing.

I've seen the finale. It's great, and my review will be up moments after it finishes airing on the East Coast. Enjoy.

 

[dead souls]

From Sepinwall:

I love this show, but the begging from Ryan and Minear is pathetic. Plus, it's not like FX can't see through any spike in the numbers caused by this when it comes time to make the final decision to either renew or cancel.

 

[Raxus]

Terriers is on Hulu as well (episodes posted on an 8 day delay). The past 5 episodes are posted. For new comers be sure to check out Sins of the Past. It introduces how Britt and Hank first met and has a good case underlying it to boot.

Other great episodes? All of them, really, but stand alone Switching Partners is good and you can always start from the Pilot and proceed in order.

Anybody from GAF that cries when a show gets canceled or shows up after the fact don't let this one pass through your fingers. This may be your chance to save what is one of the best shows to grace television in quite some time. Please give it a chance and be sure to watch the show Wednesday at 10EST for the season finale.

 

[big ander]

Gonna turn it on on Hulu when I get back and just leave it.