A.P. Bio - worst-looking TV show ever?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by kevywevy, Mar 8, 2018.

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  1. kevywevy

    kevywevy Senior Member Thread Starter

    Has anybody seen the NBC show A.P. Bio? It's drenched in that ridiculous teal-orange colour scheme. Not as bad as the Wonder Woman movie where even the nun's habits were teal but still. It's bad enough that teal look took over the movies, now it's ruining tv, too!
    It's a sitcom mostly set in a classroom. Why teal? The classroom scenes are also lit so bright (or for some stupid reason manipulated to look it) that I'm amazed the actors aren't all wearing sunglasses. I just don't get it.
     
  2. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I've seen promos for the show and I'm absolutely appalled that they've gone to such a weird extreme. There are producers out there who for some reason are convinced that if we make their show look "normal and natural" in post, that equates to "boring" in the ratings. There's something to be said for something that just looks bright, colorful, and very true to life. This promo to me needs a lot more contrast, but this "flat look" thing has been a trend for awhile...

     
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  3. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Kind of an extrapolation of the "reality/4th-wall-breaking" in the U.S. The Office, perhaps (and maybe Parks & Recreation belongs to this early style adoption aw well?). Also since then, the improved resolutions of personal digital cameras plus public-shot YouTube videos may have something to do with this. "Unpalettable lighting" is the new "edgy".

    But, also, I'm really wondering if the tone of the show is something Americans want to see...?
     
  4. HiredGoon

    HiredGoon Forum Resident

    I watched the first two episodes and didn't think about the colour palette, though I probably will now, thanks very much :p

    Had quite a few lulz; it's kinda like a schoolyard Sunny In Philadelphia with Patton Oswalt.

    --Geoff
     
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  5. Not this American...
     
  6. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    I have to say I'm pretty tired of color schemes being manipulated to extremes. I've found some color-corrected versions of some movies I own that I've downloaded and they look so much better.

    Here's an example of LOTR. The DVD was fine but look at how the BluRay looks. Glad I've found a color-corrected version to match what looked fine on the DVD.

    [​IMG]

    No idea which movie this is but here's another comparison to show how ridiculous and pointlessly extreme the color tinting problem is.

    ORIGINAL

    [​IMG]

    CORRECTED

    [​IMG]
     
  7. ampmods

    ampmods Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    I love the way it looks. Super saturated type thing. It's like a dream or something. Or a cartoon.

    The show is hysterical too. I'm a fan for sure. To me it's like what would happen if Dennis did leave the gang to go to the Midwest to be with his 'family' but instead it didn't work out and he had to teach high school in Toledo.

    Last night's episode with Patton Oswalt trying to up his morning announcement game was really funny.
     
  8. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    I've only seen the previews so far and it does look a little overly stylized as far as color goes, but it doesn't quite look like a deal breaker to me. I'm looking forward to catching up on all the episodes. LOVE Patton, and I've heard this show is quite funny.

    As for "worst looking", I noticed that "The Good Place" seems to have some ugly motion artifacts when broadcast on NBC but looks totally fine streaming on HuLu. Looks as if it was shot at 30fps like a modern British production but converted to 24fps on NBC. Seems really strange.

    dan c
     
  9. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    Ok so the classroom scenes have a cold look while his home life or flashbacks are super warm? Obviously a thought out choice, maybe there's a good reason. I don't find it too ugly, it feels like there's a reason. Personally I'd choose a lighter touch, but it doesn't bother me.

    dan c
     
  10. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    I haven't seen the show, but now I'm curious. What is it about the tone you're referring to? Is this different from the standard comedy it appears to be?
     
  11. ampmods

    ampmods Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    I'm guessing he's referring to the darkness of the sitcom.

    Glen Howerton (Dennis from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) plays a former Harvard professor who after losing a position to a rival and having to go to Toledo in the wake of the death of his mom becomes a high school teacher. The thing is, he's not really qualified to teach an AP Bio class. And in fact he has no interest in doing so.

    He begins every class by telling the kids to 'start to shut up' and then frequently just leaves the class or instructs them to do something like catfish his rival or write negative reviews of his rivals book online.

    The school faculty is largely incompetent and deeply flawed. The students are overachievers who are basically being told that they suck on a daily basis. That's funny.

    I've read some reviews that complained about all of this and how it's really unfunny and destructive and one review saying this isn't a show we need 'for our times.' But I think they are missing the point. It's funny because this kind of incompetence and mean-spiritedness are exactly the prevailing tone of 'our times.' However... I think the show could start sliding into re-tool/re-purpose territory soon unfortunately.

    Last night's episode had Jack (the teacher) 'learn' something and become 'a better person.' These things are NOT necessary and in fact the opposite of what Jack said he wanted to do on the first day. He basically said that this is not one of those situations where he teaches the kids something or gives life lessons and he won't be learning anything from them or anything else. That really should be the source of it's humor. But last night he decided he'd rather defend his new teacher friends than hook up with some angry elitist woman from a '5th rate city' like Baltimore. Sure he was still mean about it... but I fear that's the direction it will continue to head.

    Most Americans seem to like sitcoms that are really predictable. They like formula.
    Mix:
    1 silly character with a catchphrase (and a heart of gold)
    2 or 3 supporting friends who embody some sort of stereotype
    a gaggle of tertiary characters who are meant to be one-note jokes
    1 standard setting that is familiar and relatable to an audience
    a crisis where in the end everybody pulls for each other and things seem to work out just fine

    That could describe A.P. Bio too if they aren't careful. I hope they don't go down that path!
     
  12. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    Thanks. When people use phrases like that, it makes me want to :hurl:

    I'll check the show out.
     
  13. Crimson jon

    Crimson jon Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston
    It is on NBC so unless this is the 90's and it has Seinfeld in it odds are it will suck. No this is us is not a good show either no matter how much pump up it gets....it isn't even low level TNT quality.
     
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  14. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    I have a theory about this, and I've witnessed it on other network shows on CBS as well. I've seen shows with a bit of a jerky motion to them. They look fine as long as things are still, but when someone walks across the screen, it's as though there are frames being chopped out. And that's where my theory comes from. The networks have already shortened shows as much as they dare. 60 minute shows are now down to around 41, 42, 43 minutes. It is my theory that the networks may be using a frame-drop speed-up method to squeeze in yet more commercial and promotional time.

    As you said, the shows look fine when streamed, yet are compromised on their network run. It's got to be more commercial time.

    Speaking of commercial time, I happened to tune in this morning to NBC's TODAY SHOW. It was 7 AM Eastern and I wanted to see what they might have to say about the storm damage in the Noertheast, since I lived there most of my life. They did their story and a few others, had Al Roker do the weather at about 7:15 or so. And they teased a story on the Daylight Saving bill in Florida, so I left it on.

    From Al Roker's weathercast to 7:30, there was nearly nothing but commercials. There was a short one-minute break with local news and weather.

    Having worked in commercial radio and watched the machinations of the sales department to eek out more and more commercial time over the years, I can envision some network suits sitting around a conference table trying to find ways of both increasing ratings and adding more commercial time. Some "genius" proposed and was granted the frontloading of commercials at the 7:15 break since that was likely the lowest rated half-hour, so we'll punish the minimum of viewers at that hour with an interminable 15-minute commercial break.

    The non-sophisticated advertisers will still be happy to be in the TODAY SHOW, and the later, higher-rated half hours will benefit from slightly fewer commercials, and longer story segments. That would be the theory going in, but I've also witnessed the fact that when you give the sales-dogs one concession, they'll still ask for more. So at some point, not only will the 7:15 break be incredibly long, but they'll start adding more commercial time to the other half hours that are now higher rated and more in-demand.

    Sorry for the detour into somewhat off-topic stuff, so I'll add that the teal look to that show is awful, and I'll be sure to avoid it. It'll be easy since I haven't watched a current sitcom in years since they are not funny and are actually demeaning to so many.
     
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  15. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Naw, I think there's just motion artifacts creeping in because of a bad signal path / bad compression somewhere. Several local LA stations have this problem for hours at a time -- and it also affects the commercials themselves, not just the show.
     
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  16. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    There were a bunch of these in the 90s such as Full House and Family Matters but that was merely a fad. Frasier, Golden Girls, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Cosby, Cheers, Taxi, Seinfeld, Mad About You, That 70s Show, Will & Grace, Mad About You, Modern Family, The Office, 30 Rock, Parks & Recreation, etc...

    A rather unfounded comment most likely based on very little exposure to that format.

    Lighten up! Yikes. They're sitcoms ; not violations of the Geneva Conventions. :sigh:
     
  17. drmark7

    drmark7 Forum Resident

    >>>A.P. Bio? It's drenched in that ridiculous teal-orange color scheme.

    i noticed this since the first promo. And after seeing the first and after episodes, decided that they must have someone on the production staff aware of the "Orange And Teal" meme... that's out there and decide... "Hey, let's do that with our new show TO THE MAX!" Just to be "different." That said, I've been viewing, and really like Patten Oswalt. Was really pulling for it, but have decided to opt out. It's just not going anywhere...
     
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  18. ampmods

    ampmods Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    Little exposure to the format? I live and breath sitcoms.

    Every sitcom you listed fits the format I outlined except Seinfeld in that nobody comes together in the end to pull for each other.

    The point is that most sitcoms, even well-written or super-dense-joke-per-minute ones almost always are exactly the same thing if you really look at it. And that’s fine I guess. But to me the sitcoms that break that mode are much more interesting and also potentially more in danger of being retooled to fit a formula on a standard broadcast network like NBC.

    Sitcoms that are more unique and break that mode to me would include Seinfeld, Arrested Development, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Lady Dynamite, Police Squad, Andy Barker PI, Get a Life, etc.
     
  19. Ethan B

    Ethan B Forum Resident

    Location:
    san diego
    Despite the teal it's a great show. Great music: The Ramones, The Cramps, The Modern Lovers and Ex Hex what more could you ask for?
     
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  20. OldSoul

    OldSoul Don't you hear the wind blowin'?

    Location:
    NYC
    I really like the show, so far, but hadn't really noticed the color. Won't miss it, now!
     
  21. OldSoul

    OldSoul Don't you hear the wind blowin'?

    Location:
    NYC
    Yep, it's all I can notice, now...
     
  22. Predictability and formula extends also to movies although following different tropes. I think Gore Vidal shined a light on it humorously in the book, Myra Breckenridge.
     
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  23. kevywevy

    kevywevy Senior Member Thread Starter

    Sorry!
     
  24. jenry

    jenry Active Member

    Location:
    Citrus Heights
    It kinda bothered me, especially the way Glenn's eyes were like glowing neon blue. But what really threw me was the episode with Erinn Hayes. Her hair looked pink and her lips looked yellow. Bleh!
    [​IMG]
     
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  25. dudeman135

    dudeman135 New Member

    Location:
    New York
    Yes totally. Cannot watch it for this reason!
     
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