History Channel: "Vikings", "The Bible" - breaking Walking Dead records.

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

...I'm sure history of Hitler would have been very different had Germany won the war. :laugh2:

I'm glad he did not win and YouTube is full of: "Churchill is informed...."

 

[big dog cowboy]

Saw The Bible and really enjoyed it.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

Is it replaying the 1st night this week at all?

Check here for episode guide.

Shows it replays 6th, 7th and 10th.

 

[Muhast]

Watched both, enjoyed them both.

The Bible is basically a newer version of the same things they have already been playing for years. It's just a much better production of it.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

"Vikings" is History Channels first scripted show and premiered as the highest rated Cable TV show of 2013 (unlikely to be topped). .

Hatfields and McCoys was scripted.

 

[Sasquatch]

They are if you are into history or the bible then it is very entertaining.

Agreed, for for those who ware into history OR the Bibile, worth watching.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

Any show can have great launch numbers if promoted enough. Only good shows with good story lines hang around.

That said, "The Bible" is a mini-series and any records it breaks are irrelevant to The Walking Dead.

As for Vikings .. get back to me *if* it makes it three seasons.

/reality

TBH Vikings ratings could fall into a fourth from the premiere and it would still get a renewal, albiet lower production rates. Cable shows usually are much more stable then network shows. Worst case I think it falls down to 5M which still makes it the second? highest rated scripted show. It is a lock for probably 5 seasons, or as long as History wants it to go.

When shows have ratings THAT high they are safe. Like "The Following" on FOX and "Revolution" on NBC this year. When a show gains massively in it's second season like "Scandal" on ABC this year they usually are safe for a 5 season run. I believe 5 seasons is the sweet spot, shows that go longer usually fall in quality and shows that are shorter leave much to be desired. Fringe and Chuck both ended up going five seasons and you don't see fans begging for more.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

Hatfields and McCoys was scripted.

Yes it was, but it was in 2012 . Hatfields and McCoys was also a 3 part and is the highest rated cable mini series of all time. No network has anything on that level in the wings for 2013 and it might never be topped, H&M broke a record that was like 30 years old.

 

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!

Immigrant Song

 

[Reality]

TBH Vikings ratings could fall into a fourth from the premiere and it would still get a renewal, albiet lower production rates. Cable shows usually are much more stable then network shows. Worst case I think it falls down to 5M which still makes it the second? highest rated scripted show. It is a lock for probably 5 seasons, or as long as History wants it to go.

When shows have ratings THAT high they are safe. Like "The Following" on FOX and "Revolution" on NBC this year. When a show gains massively in it's second season like "Scandal" on ABC this year they usually are safe for a 5 season run. I believe 5 seasons is the sweet spot, shows that go longer usually fall in quality and shows that are shorter leave much to be desired. Fringe and Chuck both ended up going five seasons and you don't see fans begging for more.

The problem is that even if it makes it 3 seasons, it won't necessarily have the same following. Zombies are "in" right now and that caused a lot of people to check out TWD. The problem is that shows like Vikings tend to have a solid story line all set up for the first season. It is usually enough to get a renewal from their network, but when the second season hits, the big plot from the first season has been resolved and trying to come up with a just-as-addicting plot for the second season is hit-and-miss with a lot more misses than hits.

Personally, I love shows based in medieval settings and Vikings definitely appeals to me. The biggest problem those kinds of shows have though is they usually require large budgets for every episode. They subsidize it by hiring lesser known, but still very capable, actors, but it still costs a lot to make shows like that. I'm just not sure a show based on Norse history/mythology will keep the average viewer interested in the long term.

Personally, I hope it succeeds. I just don't think it will be TWD popular in its third season nor do I think it will make it three seasons. I fully expect it to go two seasons simply because the hype and interest will push the network to renew it as soon as possible so filming can start since a show like that likely takes an extended amount of time for each episode. This is one of those situations where I would love to be proven wrong.

/reality

 

[MichaelWinicki]

It's brutally hard for any show to reach its second season.

And any that do seem to start losing their edge after a couple seasons.

That being said in this era of 22 episode seasons and less (sometimes much less) the writing can remain crisp. Look at "The Soprano's" for instance. Only like 83 episodes over like what 7 years?

"The Walking Dead" has an advantage because here it is season 3, they've done 34 episodes and they're only through about 1/2 of the comics... In other words lots of material left.

I shake my head at series like "Gunsmoke" (635 episodes) and "Bonanza" (430 episodes).

 

[Doomsday101]

It's brutally hard for any show to reach its second season.

And any that do seem to start losing their edge after a couple seasons.

That being said in this era of 22 episode seasons and less (sometimes much less) the writing can remain crisp. Look at "The Soprano's" for instance. Only like 83 episodes over like what 7 years?

"The Walking Dead" has an advantage because here it is season 3, they've done 34 episodes and they're only through about 1/2 of the comics... In other words lots of material left.

I shake my head at series like "Gunsmoke" (635 episodes) and "Bonanza" (430 episodes).

The show the bible is only running until Easter so it is not a series that will continue even with great ratings

 

[speedkilz88]

The show the bible is only running until Easter so it is not a series that will continue even with great ratings

You think they will run out of material?

 

[Doomsday101]

You think they will run out of material?

Off the original one yes, but mankind is writing pages to the new chapter and no one is quite sure when it will hit the shelves. :laugh2:

 

[Supercowboy1986]

Just saw the first part of the bible and I'm not sure how I feel about it so far. What says you fellow czers

 

[Kevinicus]

Any show can have great launch numbers if promoted enough. Only good shows with good story lines hang around.


/reality

Oh, how I wish that were true.

 

[DFWJC]

Just saw the first part of the bible and I'm not sure how I feel about it so far. What says you fellow czers

About the same.
Mixed feelings....cramming a bunch of material and/or movies into a small amount of time.
I've definitely seen worse though.

 

[speedkilz88]

I only watched a little of it and was disappointed. A lot of jumping around and scenes that aren't accurate. The angels in Sodom were laughable.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

I watched some of that Vikings show the other night and quite frankly...eh. I didn't find it terribly entertaining or good to be honest. It was actually quite boring and I grew tired of it very quickly.

I don't see me watching too much more of that show, if any more of it, and I'll be a little surprised if it goes to 5 years.

Although now days that's really not as hard as some folks around here are making it. It doesn't take a great show, or great characters, or a great story, or anything to make it long periods of time on TV anymore.

Reality crap makes it a long time already and those shows are always complete garbage. You mean to tell me that The Amish Mafia is on for a 2nd or 3rd season now because it's quality? Please.

Sex in The City and Desperate Housewives both reigned supreme for long periods of time on TV and they absolutely sucked.

The CSI shows have been on forever, and ever, now in multiple forms and they haven't been good in years.

So it wouldn't be completely shocking if this show winds up lasting a long time, especially given the channel it's on, but I'll say based off what I saw so far that I don't see it going much further than 2 seasons.

 

[yimyammer]

Just saw the first part of the bible and I'm not sure how I feel about it so far. What says you fellow czers

meh, got bored and turned it off, production quality looked cheap, I plan to resume watching later

I hate the way movies always sanitize the biblical stories, if they were no holds barred & authentic, I think they would be much more interesting and captivating. They always seem to use british actors for some reason and everyone seems to walk and talk in that overly spiritual tone that just strikes me as odd and unrealistic.

If sodom and Gomorra was as bad as the bible makes it sound, I would expect to see extreme violence, foul language, crude acts, nudity, etc. I think presenting it that way would add to its realism and make it more captivating.

I expect to see future scenes with JC to be just as sanitized but does anyone think that hookers and sailors spoke in a proper british accent without foul language flying everywhere (where does the phrase "cuss like a sailor" originate from?)? I would love to see an attempt to present these people as I would have imagined them to actually be, crude with rough edges showing everywhere, its not for shock value but to present the climate in which Christianity's message actually took hold. Its the last place on earth you would expect it to start and with the least likely people.

If someone had the courage to present the biblical story in a raw, unsanitized light, I think it would be far more compelling & captivating, so far its come across like a low-budget version of Cecil B Demille's movies.

Hope it improves going forward as the subject has the potential to be a real winner