Friday Face Off - The Tonight Show vs The Late Show

Photo via http://haveuheard.net

A new era is upon us.  The dark reign of Jay Leno is finally over.  Unfortunately for us at Fission Spaghetti Enterprises that means that we’ve got two late night talk shows* we’re interested in that are scheduled head to head…starting next week. 

So you know what that means; the return of the mythical Friday Face-Off.  It’s The Late Show with David Letterman vs The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.

We know it’s been awhile, we’ll be gentle. 

Amazon Prime – Mozart in the Jungle

Welcome to the finale of our weeklong look at Amazon’s new pilots.  We’ve already gone over The Rebels, The After, Bosch, and Transparent.  Today is Mozart in the Jungle’s time to shine. 

Music has been playing a growing role in the television landscape lately.  Music competition shows are perennially popular while shows like Glee, Nashville and to a lesser extent Smash have tried to incorporate music into the one hour drama format. 

Does Mozart in the Jungle have what it takes to differentiate itself from the field?

Amazon Prime – The Rebels

For a sport as popular as football is, it’s rather surprising that it isn’t really dramatized that much on television.  There have been critically acclaimed shows about funeral homes and advertising firms, but can anyone name a television show about professional football players? 

Amazon is looking to change all that with their new pilot The Rebels, executive produced by Matt Alvarez, Ice Cube and Michael Strahan.  But is it any good? 

Amazon Prime – Bosch

Adaptations can be tricky.  Yes, there’s usually a built in audience, but that audience can understandably feel possessive of the property being adapted.  Look at the uproar over the actors cast for Fifty Shades of Grey. 

There’s also the danger of being slavishly loyal to the source material.  Watchmen suffered from that.  It doesn’t stray from the source material, which causes it so suffer as a film. 

So, how does Bosch, the only Amazon Prime dramatic pilot that’s an adaptation measure up? 

Amazon Prime - Transparent

Occasionally a television show aspires to be more than a television show.  David Simon does this well; The Wire is about the decline of an American city and Treme is about an American tragedy.  In the hands of Aaron Sorkin the results, as entertaining as they may be, are often very heavy-handed. 

Transparent is much subtler but no less ambitious.  It’s an immensely topical show, which makes it an important show.  It’s also a show that delivers on the promise of it’s name. 

If you fear spoilers don’t read any further because plot points will be discussed. 

Amazon Prime - The After

Amazon’s second pilot season is in full swing.  Ten shows, five primetime and five kids shows, are up for viewing via Amazon Prime.  Last time around Amazon produced seasons for Alpha House and Betas, neither of which made an impact pop culturally. 

But perhaps the second time is the charm.  We at Fission Spaghetti decided to take a peek at the primetime offerings and share our thoughts with you, our loyal readers. 

First up; The After.

Sunday Morning Quarterback – Melissa McCarthy & Imagine Dragons

In many ways Melissa McCarthy hosting SNL before a month long break is strategic.  On one hand she’s a strong performer, so she’s more likely to have a strong show to end things on before the extended break.  But she’s also a performer who seems to be game for anything, thus the writers don’t have to try so hard. 

This episode is also the last one for Seth Meyers.  He’s the longest tenured cast member and a former head-writer for Saturday Night Live, so his departure means that the show will be taking a hit.  Will he go out with a bang or a fizzle?