Ride With The Devil | Rants
Another One WILL Bite the Dust
Once again another new NZ drama will be hidden in the very very late hours and not given much chance of picking up many viewers. When will they ever grow some balls and take some risks?
Ride with a Devil - Tuesday 11pm, TV2
Something out of the ordinary, hence its laaaate time slot. A new drama from the same producer as The Market, it comes via NZ On Air’s Innovation Initiative, which is supposed to foster new and interesting television. What is unusual is that Ride with the Devil features a Chinese character in a lead role and is set in a world that the producers could easily get really wrong: boy racer culture. It’s like The Fast and the Furious in Te Atatu and stars Andy Wong as Lin, a young guy from Shanghai with a car obsession who forms an unlikely friendship with Kurt (Xavier Horan), a Kiwi boy racer. Watch out for a number of former Shortland Street faces, including Lynette Forday, Anna Hutchinson and Angela Bloomfield.
(http://www.listener.co.nz)
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Jack Yan
TVStevee and DevilDodo, I wanted to add that I think you guys are spot on. I don’t know if you know, but the Australian networks once ganged up on Crawford Productions in the 1970s and wound up cancelling the cop serials they were buying from the company within a short space of time. The objective: to collapse local production in favour of buying cheap imported crap. (Soon after, the videotape-made Aussie soap junk surfaced.)
TVNZ and TV3 aren’t quite in league enough to pull the same stunt, so the state broadcaster does what it can. Then it can say back to the government, ‘Hey, look, New Zealand programmes don’t rate as well as Fear Factor! Gee, the New Zealand public doesn’t want to watch them!’ Result: less money spent on local programming. What it does with the extra funds—well, your guess is as good as mine.
Jack Yan
TVStevee and DevilDodo, I wanted to add that I think you guys are spot on. I don’t know if you know, but the Australian networks once ganged up on Crawford Productions in the 1970s and wound up cancelling the cop serials they were buying from the company within a short space of time. The objective: to collapse local production in favour of buying cheap imported crap. (Soon after, the videotape-made Aussie soap junk surfaced.)
TVNZ and TV3 aren’t quite in league enough to pull the same stunt, so the state broadcaster does what it can. Then it can say back to the government, ‘Hey, look, New Zealand programmes don’t rate as well as Fear Factor! Gee, the New Zealand public doesn’t want to watch them!’ Result: less money spent on local programming. What it does with the extra funds—well, your guess is as good as mine.
Jack Yan
How true. It’s also notable that this blog, and my own blog entries, predate TVNZ’s own marketing efforts, and that we individuals have done more to promote this show than an entire network. (We’re even running an article in Lucire’s print edition by Caleigh Cheung [Amy] that is timed to go with the series.)
campgrrls
Yeah, but when we saw the lead guy arrive in NZ he was narrating what happened. It was in his memory, so in a way you could see it as him now having a kiwi accent and not remembering how he talked when he arrived.
bobscoffee
wasn't he one of li mei's relatives on shortland st?
Kevin
Where have I seen Andy Wong before? He looks so familiar but I can't figure it out.
F'ING AWESOME SHOW!
bobscoffee
i didnt find it too bad except for the lead guy's miraculously instant kiwi accent that he managed to pick up as soon as he arrived in nz which was really frustrating to listen to.
regan
There aren't any plans to put it on ONDEMAND yet but it did win the ratings in its time slot
Rachel
Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean?
Russell Dennis S1KRYD
Would have been nice if someone had asked me if they could use S1KRYD (the green supra) on the homepage for ride with the devil!!!
Rachel
I'm annoyed I somehow missed this post and found out about the show too late (hopefully it's on TVNZ ondemand??). Will promote it on the home page of Throng next week
DaMo
Murray Keane also played receptionist Moira's husband who got killed off too.
This was before a majority of the cast got their marching orders if anyone remembers the flack SPP got over that.
campgrrls
Yeah, and the director, Murray Keane is an ex-shorty director too! It may be a little risqué for an earlier timeslot. Might have a negative influence on youngsters!!... maybe????
I thought the 1st ep was pretty cool!
jOH
It looks pretty good from where I'm sitting - I'm just surprised that it is NOT at an earlier timeslot...
The thing being however - the cast looks a real whos-who of ex-shortlandstreeters!!!
DevilDodo
Cool. Another TVNZ show that no one will watch. Just what they want. Like I've said before, the only reason TVNZ makes kiwi shows is to fulfill their charter obligations.
And they don't want anyone one to watch them because that would mean they'd have to put them in a primetime slot and they'd have to keep making them and they know they can just import American crap for much cheaper which will guarantee an audience.
TV3 ftw.
campgrrls
TVStevie I would join the facebook group if I could only work out how to do it. I can get to the progs facebook page from the above link, but I can't see how to add it as one of my groups. I have a facebook account but rarely use it. I gotta say I don't think it's easy to use.
bobscoffee
by the way for the shortland st fans out there ex-cast members Anna Hutchinson, Angela Bloomfield, Lynette Forday, and Caleigh Chung all appear in it
bobscoffee
u know what tvnz will say...we'll screen it primetime on TVNZ6. according to one of the websites you gave TVStevee it's from the director of Outrageous Fortune, but despite all its success over on the rival channel, i guess it doesnt mean anything to TVNZ
campgrrls
Really it should have a prime time slot to get the audience numbers and attention.
For myself, I don't mind it being on late cos I can record it. But what really irks me is that it's up against Battlestar Galactica, which I'm already recording. Get a clue TVNZ!!!!!!!
TVStevee
Ride With The Devil - 11pm Tuesday Sep 4th
It seems to be a recurring theme, that TVNZ actually seems to disdain decent local content in favour of... well, pretty much whatever else they can buy cheap around the world or spit out of Touchdown...
From what I've heard of Ride With The Devil it sounds like it has all sorts of things going for it, and TVNZ isn't advertising it or anything.
Its just getting beyond a joke, they have no idea whatsoever what people want to see - they are living in TVNZ land and it is embarrassing that they represent us. Because lets not lose sight of the fact they are the national broadcaster.
The best thing we can do is make use of our own ability to get the word out - these are all the links I've found so far;
www.ridewiththedevil.co.nz
http://www.magandturbo.com/pages/news.asp?aid=235463276
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17712943672
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/410965/1319234
Anyone on face book check for it in groups. Tell everyone you can to watch it on Tuesday, and let TVNZ know what you think. Long live the internet!
TVStevee
nanisnap
It's so disappointing how they doom NZ shows to crap timeslots because they are too afraid of giving them a go. Shame on you TVNZ.