  Ongowwah Member Username: Ongowwah Post Number: 29 Registered: 03-2008 |
The new TV reality series D E A debuts on Spike TV tonight. The series follows DEA agents as they make drug busts in the metro detroit area. Gee first "Animal Cops" now "DEA". I wonder if this is what Governor Jennifer Grandstand had in mind when giving her blessing for tax breaks to those who film movies here? Maybe they will have a Kwame reality series next year. I wonder what the title of that show would be? | ||
Rjlj Member Username: Rjlj Post Number: 491 Registered: 11-2003 |
Beautiful advertising for our state. | ||
Spacemonkey Member Username: Spacemonkey Post Number: 326 Registered: 03-2006 |
A Detroit police officer once told me that the show COPS came to Detroit once, but never again. When they came, they had all their equipment stolen while out on a run shooting the police in action. Bad enough: The equipment was stolen from out of the back of a police cruiser. Worse: the COPS producers were pretty sure it was the police who had stolen the equipment. True story. | ||
Bushay Member Username: Bushay Post Number: 122 Registered: 05-2005 |
I was listening to Howard Stern yesterday and he was interviewing Al Roker. Al is who produced this D.E.A series. He said they were embedded with D.E.A. agents for 6-8 months and followed them on drug busts in Detroit and some of the footage is the first of it's kind ever filmed. The NY Times reviewed it and gave it a very good rating claiming it was like a real life version of "The Wire". Should be good watching. | ||
Ongowwah Member Username: Ongowwah Post Number: 30 Registered: 03-2008 |
Not surprised at all. D-town has always had a street rep sort of aura surrounding it. Even in the old gangster movies on TCM when a hit man is needed they always sent word to Detroit for hired "torpedo". | ||
Kenp Member Username: Kenp Post Number: 1077 Registered: 03-2006 |
How can anything with Al Roker be good? | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 4028 Registered: 06-2004 |
The NY Times review is mediocre at best ~ NYT | ||
Ggores Member Username: Ggores Post Number: 37 Registered: 10-2007 |
friend was popped a few weeks ago for "possession". dbn hgts police said "take us to your dealer so we can let this crew film the raid and we'll go easy on ya" ol' boy sung sweet as a spring canary! true story. | ||
Downtownguy Member Username: Downtownguy Post Number: 126 Registered: 07-2004 |
^^ I agree Lilpup. Bushay, where's the good rating you speak of? | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 4969 Registered: 12-2005 |
For those programming their VCRs, it runs from 11:00 PM to midnight tonight. Spike is channel 57 on my Comcast cable. YMMV | ||
Bushay Member Username: Bushay Post Number: 123 Registered: 05-2005 |
^^ I agree Lilpup. Bushay, where's the good rating you speak of? I'm sorry. I was just going by what Roker had said in the interview. [HE] claimed on the program that the NY Times had given the program a pretty good rating. I didnt take the time to read the article personally. | ||
Downtownguy Member Username: Downtownguy Post Number: 127 Registered: 07-2004 |
Gotcha. Thanks! Al Roker and Hillary Clinton seem to have gone to the same storytelling class. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 4984 Registered: 12-2005 |
Bump. 12 minutes 'til air time. | ||
Lifeinmontage Member Username: Lifeinmontage Post Number: 68 Registered: 10-2007 |
wow, that opening monologue was awful for the city | ||
Kathinozarks Member Username: Kathinozarks Post Number: 1132 Registered: 11-2006 |
oh boy, we're watching it. | ||
Ptero Member Username: Ptero Post Number: 180 Registered: 12-2005 |
Found the article in yesterday's NYT. Here's about half the article. Not exactly a glowing review. [start paste] By NEIL GENZLINGER Published: April 2, 2008 Poor Detroit. First the scandal and resulting criminal charges involving the city’s mayor, and now “DEA,” the new Spike TV series that begins on Wednesday. It follows a unit of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Detroit division, and here is how the opening narration sets the scene: “Half a million guns loose on the street. The highest murder rate in the country. It is a deadly city that the D.E.A.’s Group 14 calls home.” Not the kind of thing the city’s tourism bureau would put on a billboard. The program, somewhat incongruously, is produced by Al Roker Entertainment — yes, the jolly weatherman — and that’s about the most interesting thing to be said about it. [end paste] (Message edited by ptero on April 02, 2008) | ||
Sparty06 Member Username: Sparty06 Post Number: 68 Registered: 03-2007 |
D.E.A. is going to further advance the national media's self created narrative that Detroit is a cesspool of crime and is rotten. A show like this only further convinces people in places from coast to coast (especially those who don't know much about the city and/or haven't visited) that Detroit compares to Baghdad. While it may at first seem cool to have a film crew in the city I don't think this will be good for Detroit. The show is not out to show Detroit as an improving city or showcase the positive aspects of the city. In fact, the show will show the nation the worst aspects of the city and it's already clear the producers are spinning the "bad Detroit" storyline to boost their ratings and attract attention. They will continually create trumped up claims of Detroit's problems to make their show appear tougher and more risque. I hope the show also includes positive Detroit segments but this sounds to me like another national media outlet coming in and broadcasting to the nation another crime ridden Detroit storyline. | ||
Kathinozarks Member Username: Kathinozarks Post Number: 1135 Registered: 11-2006 |
It's been an hour and I've decided that it's mostly boring. The narrative seems to be trying too hard, and it's the same old, "I took a bad guy off the street" theme. It probably won't be considered "stay home and watch" tv. | ||
Wash_man Member Username: Wash_man Post Number: 702 Registered: 05-2006 |
Just in case you missed it and want to check it out, it airs again at a more convenient time: 11:00AM Saturday. It thought it was almost a COPS/The First 48 hybrid. I was shocked that they made so many deals with criminals to move up the chain. | ||
Spacemonkey Member Username: Spacemonkey Post Number: 335 Registered: 03-2006 |
I fell asleep. Missed it. | ||
Detblue Member Username: Detblue Post Number: 45 Registered: 04-2007 |
Spacemokey trust me, you didn't miss anything! | ||
Tetsua Member Username: Tetsua Post Number: 1516 Registered: 01-2004 |
I didn't think it was so bad, it wasn't action packed by any means. It was also interesting to see the areas where they do the drug bust. | ||
Ohudson Member Username: Ohudson Post Number: 297 Registered: 09-2004 |
Has anyone ever seen "The First 48" on A&E? The First 48 follows detectives in cities on the 1st 48 hours of a homicide. This series also has had Detroit cases. | ||
D_mcc Member Username: D_mcc Post Number: 603 Registered: 12-2007 |
^^^Yeah, but thats good television, I enjoy watching the detectives do their jobs to solve the cases... | ||
Spacemonkey Member Username: Spacemonkey Post Number: 337 Registered: 03-2006 |
In general, true crime TV shows are my favorite to watch. After that comes fake crime TV, like CSI. |
