"The Black Donnellys" NBC - Monday Night (1 Viewer)

[Steve Schaffer]

The main thing I can say about The Black Donnellys was that I felt like I was watching a feature film, not a tv show episode. Very will written, acted, and very high production values. This, along with Friday Night Lights, just seems to be a big step beyond what we can normally expect from mainstream commercial network shows in these areas.

 

[Joe_H]

Although I'm not sure about the show in the future, I definitely can agree with the post above.

 

[Brenda M]

Didn't like it. It was just too depressing for me.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I liked the Irish character to the show. Some of the lines - like that one similar to "It's tough having everyone stereotype us Irish as nothing but drunks and brawlers. Sometimes, it's so tough you want to just throw down a drink and punch someone in the face" - just rang so true to the Casey side of my family.
Not sure if I want to watch a show long term about how a once great guy throws his life in the toilet, though.

 

[Joe_H]

I don't know, I watch Prison Break and the same thing happens there.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Wow, I really liked the pilot a lot, sort of reminded me of a cross between Sleepers and A Bronx Tale, the photography was particularly strong I thought and in HD all the dreary details stood out nicely.

I'm definitely sticking around for a little while longer.

 

[Jonny P]

FYI...

"Studio 60s" ratings were similar when it debuted to "The Black Donnellys" ratings.

The problem for a lot of shows (coming back after the December layoff) is that ratings declined ("Lost" being a prime example). "Studio 60" was one of the shows that saw a decline.

Short attention spans are killing many TV shows that have more "serialized" plots and viewers are having trouble keeping track of when their favorite shows are on.

This is the reason "24" went with an uninterrupted season starting in January a couple of years back.

I thought this show was "okay." I am sure that it looks "good" for many of you on your hi-def TVs, but I agree with the person who said it looks too depressing for the long term.

Plus, crime dramas tend to have a much more male-oriented audience, and unless this show really grabs them, watch the ratings start to plummet.

NBC is trying to cash in on "The Departed." Personally, I thought that movie was "so-so" and probably not worth of being named Best Picture...

 

[ScottH]

To each is own...in my eyes it was the best picture of the year, probably the best in the last 2 years as well (but I'd have to think about that one more).

 

[Patrick Sun]

This show would work better on HBO or Showtime. The brothers are so damn dumb and dopey, except for Tommy. There's no real good hook into the show, and that "narrator" kid is not doing it for me.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Is mom Donolley the Captain Janeway from Voyager?

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I like that the brothers are dopey, I mean where is it written that every character on tv needs to be smart or sharply written? So Tommy's got dumb brothers, to me that makes them feel more realistic.

I'm loving this show so far. Although yeah, that kid who narrates feels a little disjointed.

Yep, Dome, that's her.

 

[ScottH]

I'm enjoying it as well. And I agree about the "narrator". I think I'd even be okay with it if he was just that - a narrator, but one that you don't see, and he's not talking to the cops, just talking to the audience. And the scenes with "how did Joey Ice Cream get here" seemed out of place and kind of bugged me.

 

[Henry Gale]

Yes, but not for hundreds of years.

I was pretty bored during the 2nd episode. Watching Olivia Wilde was my only pleasure. But that was enough.

 

[Malcolm R]

The ratings dropped about 20% this week, so it's now about the same as the last "Studio 60" broadcast.

 

[Stan]

Boring, just a bunch of violent punks. Hope this fades away quickly.

Plus, other than the first episode with the kids playing in the street, there's never any traffic, nobody walking down the sidewalks, the restaurants are empty, nobody around to hear the gunshots, etc.... Is the city deserted? To cheap to hire some extras to fill out the background?

 

[Don S]

I love the show, but with the ratings it looks doomed ...

 

[ScottH]

I agree about HBO or Showtime. But the fact that the brothers are so dumb...is that any different than most of the characters on The Sopranos? Paulie? Christopher? It doesn't really get any dumber than that.

 

[Patrick Sun]

But the Sopranos are "funny" dumb (they know just enough to add in malapropisms and misunderstandings of things to get a laugh out of the audience). The Donnellys are just dopey dumb ("why did you do this?" "I dunno..."), which doesn't make for good television.

 

[Karl_Luph]

Went ahead and watched last night's episode since I got tired of all the idiotic plotlines on What About Brian. Anywho_ I'll give The Black Donnelly's a shot.I agree, sure there are scenes that are__ questionable,they seem to play dumb really good,lol. I guess being quarter Irish myself, I'll try and overlook some of their shenanigans. I'm not going to try and compare this to the better writing of The Sopranos, but for now, I'll keep watching it.I did think last night's episode was better, than the previous two.

 

[TonyD]

well at least joey ice cream always popping up because he "was there" and the donnellys always saying "were did he come from" will keep me watching.