After Shows

I’ve grown to hate After Shows.  These are the equivalent of theatre talk-backs after zeitgeist television series.  Usually they run for a half-hour following the episode.  The intent is to provide background and inside info on the making of the episode and series, but in practically all cases it has evolved in something quite different.

Now it’s just one big love-fest.  Thirty minutes of oozing self congratulations.  Actors, writers, and directors are just fawning over one another, usually moderated by a wide-eyed fanboy host.  

The BETTER CALL SAUL one following its midseason finale was just unwatchable.  Every actor was a genius, every screen moment was handled with such amazing sensitivity and depth.  Those camera angles were phenomenal.  And the words — oh those words.  Meanwhile, as an ardent fan of the show I learned nothing except how monumentally impressed they were with each other and themselves.  

I’ve always been a believer that shows should not be self-congratulatory. It’s way classier when you're not.  Let others praise you.  Don’t praise yourself.  At least not in public.  At wrap parties, sure.  When negotiating new contracts, absolutely.  But don’t create a whole show to take bows for thirty minutes.  

That said, a breakdown of the episode, why certain story directions were chosen, nuggets relating to the difficulty of shooting (e.g. it was 35 degrees the day we shot the swimming pool scene, there was a wardrobe malfunction, etc.), fun anecdotes that happened along the way — fans would eat that up.   Do that and then WE’LL tell you how good you are. 


from By Ken Levine