3 replies to this topic

[SteakHead]

Adam Rifkin had Look the movie, then the TV series on Showtime. I was one of the few that actually enjoyed the cheesy sleaziness of that show. The funny thing is LOOK got canceled, but then Showtime decides to give Adam Rifkin another chance with a new show that is similar in some ways, but over the top in others.

Adam Rifkin is appropriately self cast as the sleazy overly ambitious TV series director who pitches a reality show but then finds the cast so boring, he decides to manipulate the events on the show. The only difference from a real world reality show is that the contestants have no clue that things are being manipulated. So the justification from the sleazeball is that things you see on TV are more real reactions than what you would see on other reality shows.

I don't like this show as much as LOOK. but I gotta confess that I have always had a thing for voyeuristic stuff. And Rifkin really taps into that in his shows. It is more of a turnon to see a regular jane actress, Kelley Menighan Hensley , in fully nude sex scenes that are soft core in tone compared to the real soft core movies sex scenes that are shown on the same network.

I got a kick out of the assistants to the filmmaker. The show is cheesy in tone but rarely boring.

[Scrb]

Hmm, I'll check it out.

They certainly don't promote it.

While looking for info about this show, I came across another one, Next Stop for Charlie, which also seems to have bit of a sleaze factor.

Showtime After Dark. Maybe not as boring as the HBO Real Sex shows.

[SteakHead]

The makers of Next Stop For Charlie made a really refreshing travelogue movie similar in tone to Next Stop For Charlie called Last Stop for Paul. They started to sleaze up Next Stop For Charlie a tad to get some attention from Showgtime execs, but it is a lot more of a respectable show than Adam Rifkins's shows on Showtime.

I was looking up Kelley Menighan Hensley on imdb and it surprised me that she actually got some daytime emmy nominations. And she really goes softcore porn for a show that is watched by very few people (Rifkin's shows and Next Stop For Charlie are part of the unpromoted schedule on Showtime).

[Scrb]

Well downloaded all 8 episodes on demand and watched it all.

It's just like Look except with a very cynical story. No network would air any of that footage after the way it ended. Long before everything came to a head, there would have been leaks about how Wagner was manipulating the family with illegal acts. Some staffer would have blabbed it and the network wouldn't have been able to use the show.

Rifkin is good as Wagner himself though.

With the titillation factor to fill with this "After Dar" programming, they'll probably let Rifkin produce another show. If not another season of this show, then something else.