TELEPROMPT
Excitement over new shows
Mannika Chopra

In the run-up to Diwali, while Hindi entertainment channels are choc-a-bloc with mint-fresh celebrity-driven`A0reality shows — Masterchef India, Rakhi Ka Insaaf, Kaun Banega Crorepati and Big Boss — English`A0channels, too, are presenting a slew of new offerings.

But not all of these new programmes will succeed. While some of them have been able to create a buzz, others have failed, and yet others have managed to create a buzz even before they have gone on air.

Some of the "buzzworthies" include a smart new drama, Lie to Me (Star World), which is being aired in the channel’s primetime slot over the past few weeks. Its plot line is almost unbelievable since it actually hovers around the act of truth telling. The basic idea is that truth is a strange concept: in some way or the other, consciously or unconsciously, everyone tries to hide it, and especially when there are sins to be buried and crimes to be covered.

When the new season of KWK begins, the show will become a talking point

The protagonist of the show, Cal Lightman, runs an outfit which is trained to discover the lies of criminal transgressors, and in doing so, is able to solve heavy-duty misdeeds. For him, and his apprentices, there is a complicated science involved in discovering the truth, which goes beyond the simple polygraph test used so cunningly on the Moment of Truth, again, showing on Star World.

A grungy, stubble-faced Lightman, played effectively by Tim Roth, discovers lies by interpreting tonal qualities, physical reactions, eye contact, quirky mannerisms. With one practised, scientific eye, Lightman can tell who is being good or bad.

To be sure, the storyline stretches our credibility a bit. In one episode, a young teenage girl leaves her home, is discovered through an unbelievable twist of circumstances and does not reveal where she has been, for fear of endangering another girl who has similarly been "kidnapped" by your friendly neighbourhood psychiatrist. Suddenly, in a fit of tears, responding to Lightman’s gimlet eye, she unravels all and weeps into her mother’s waiting arms. QED.

`A0Rival channel Zee Studio is airing in the same time band Flash Forward, a drama with a fairly bizarre plot that hovers on the unreal. The world faces a collective blackout for exactly 2 minutes 17 seconds, during which time people can see their future. When they wake up, they try to change their fate and that of the world, achieving uneven results. A team led by an FBI agent played by the absolutely superb Joseph Fiennes looks into why the mysterious phenomenon happened, and how to prevent its recurrence. Sadly though, despite the dark and brooding Fiennes, the show on the buzz index hits a fairly low benchmark.

The new season of Koffee With Karan slated to start after Diwali, falls into the category of those programmes which have managed to create an early buzz even though they have not been aired yet. Strategically placed and clever advertising, with a script and a voiceover that sounds very much like that of Desperate Housewives, and a repeat of the old seasons of KWK, the show has already created the required buzz. Potentially, then, after the new season of KWK airs, the show will become a talking point and become a programme with a heavy buzz.

But perhaps the biggest international buzz of all took place two weeks ago. The world’s attention was captured by the wall-to-wall coverage of the rescue of the 33 miners buried underground for 67 days in Atacama desert of Chile. Over 1,500 international journalists were in Chile in mid-October reporting on what was certainly a heart-warming story. Even the normally sotto voce BBC, spent huge amounts of funds and resources in its coverage.

But was it really necessary for international news channels to give such continuous coverage, especially as a lot of it was actually repetitive footage and a news space-filling exercise? We constantly saw teary-eyed families and felt the sheer joy of those rescued. We continuously saw the Chilean president hugging the same miners as they emerged from the capsule in their sunglasses.

But without trying to belittle the flawless rescue and the expertise of those in charge, the media spectacle was completely over the top.

Perhaps that’s what the golden formula for any successful show — entertainment or news is all about hype, hope and a whole lot of luck.