Effective Promotional Advertising of a TV Show

In Plain Site, a new show on USA Network finally caught my eye tonight as I was watching- big shock here, Law & Order SVU.

I've seen ads for the show before, it didn't really catch me as a show I'd want to watch.
Similar to ads for Burn Notice, there was an all-too-perfect Hollywoodesq lighting/dialogged/ "action-packedness" of it
-that was heightened by the fact that the star is not only always smokin', f'in, hot under pressure,
but she also has the same name on-screen and off.

Now, I love Tony Danza - Who's the Boss was a really great show. Taxi, far better.
(Daytime talk show? What daytime talk show?)
But it has long been told that his characters on those shows being named "Tony" was no coincidence.
See, Tony Danza was a boxer before a comedy star. It's been said that he had to have the same name as his character because he was hit in the head a few too many times and can only answer to that.
Now, that might be true, might be false.
But, you gotta admit, you could believe it.

Anyway, the main character on In Plain Sight is named Mary Shannon,
which is played by Mary McCormack
...I'm just sayin', perhaps she's not the brightest contender in the mental olympics.

Well, anyway in the most recent episode trailer she's no longer shiny sex machine safety monitor, she gets roughed up.
I'm not saying I want to see her get hit - but I am saying that she's finally not perfect looking, I'm talkin' walked off a billboard and ran after bad guys still looking that pristine, perfect looking.

And now, it actually seems like her character might have depth.
She's possibly a stronger character that's going to have to overcome adversity by using her mind.
And television that has that kind of character on it, I'd check out.

So, yes USA, you've reeled me into yet another one of your shows.
Let's see if you can deliver.

SVU Marathons Hijack My Life

It happens every weekend, almost without fail.

I will plan my quality time with TV. There’s the hours allotted to a lovely slow wake up lounging in front of my roommates orgasmically large plasma TV.

On the couch I usually view DVR’d programs that I’ve been looking forward to. I get oh-so-comfy as I rub the sleep from my eyes. After my scheduled programs have completed, that’s when I take a gander at the channel listing.

And that’s when they get me.

It’s either USA Networks, Bravo, or TNT that is airing them,

And you can never have just one after you watch them.

That’s right folks,

Law & Order marathons.

I can take about two hours of plain old Law & Order.

I will go about 4 episodes deep of Criminal Intent (To be honest, I find most of the Criminal Intent marathons run short for me because they have a heavy hand on rotating in the same episodes. This is most likely because there are some episodes that are really not worth repeating of Criminal Intent, and it’s a young show. In a couple of years though, I’ll probably be able to take more episodes. That Vincent Dinafrio* is a trip!)

Special Victims Unit though, it takes hold of me.

I have spent entire 24 hour periods watching this show. Sometimes I don’t even mean to keep watching, they just keep coming and every story is more fucked up than Maury Povich’s wildest guests on crime sprees.

Not only is the story telling compelling, but it’s the only one of the Law & Order that really gets you committed to the characters. Since they deal with the most horrific crimes, they get background stories. It’s not as invasive as cop shows such as NYPD Blue, but you have a good idea the reasons they take on the sex crimes.

The best cop on the cast is the most experienced NBC police officer, Detective Munch, from the Baltimore unit in Homicide, otherwise known as Richard Belzer. His ability to attach himself from the crime and have witty jabs and off kilter conspiracy theories is always a refreshing injection into their dark stories.

But let's be honest, when it comes down to it, the best part has to be this guy: