Agatha All Along: Green Light. YES or NO?

[@CallMeChato]

Quite a lot of you asked for clarification regarding my comment that characters in movies grow, learn and change whereas in TV they must essentially stay the same. I don't know why this should have been a shock to anyone. If Sam Malone stopped being a sexist alpha-male Cheers would end. If Jim Rockford's luck changed he wouldn't be living in a battered trailer on the beach. If House solved his personal demons he wouldn't be an asshole. And on and on. There are two parts to this equation. Over the longterm, a character can grow to a degree but not change their fundamental nature. That's why we tune into see Michael Scott put his foot in his mouth each week. The second part is, sure in an episode, a character might TRY to change but by the end, returns to their previous disposition. Characters can add to their skills. A relationship might push them, but they don't usually change. Are there exceptions? Sure. And yes, this mostly adheres to sitcoms. Hope that helps.

[@mattrex8599]

@@CallMeChato I can see it more so in sitcoms. But not so much in great limited dramas like Breaking Bad.

[@tednolan]

I would argue that one of your examples, Xena, had lots of growth. Gabrielle in particular was not the same naive girl who came onboard in episode 1.

[@2099EK]

Angel TV series had a lot of character changes and growth. I understand your rule for sitcoms but for dramas I don't agree. I want to see characters grow.

[@joshuacalkins]

Superman and Santa are 2 guys we don’t want to see change. I think it’s fascinating that in place of growth you can have character revelation, which is much like growth to the audience. Did Walter White become immoral, or was he always at heart? DS9 had lots of characters change or evolve, but they were much the same people.

[@tyrannozilla]

You can have characters grow in a sitcom, just have it be a long and subtle process. It doesn't have to be instant.

[@ekij133]

It was agony all along.

[@mlongpre100]

thank you nerdrotic

[@clownofthetimes6727]

Which episode did you like the least?

[@ekij133]

@@mlongpre100 If you check the times I actually posted _before_ Nerdrotic but it's not very much of a stretch for us both to have come up with Agatha/Agony independently.

[@Tim_the_Enchanter]

It was apathy all along.

[@TorontoSaurusEx]

You pulled Mannix out of the archives of my mind ; hilarious! You are indeed a national treasure, Chato ! Sheer brilliance. Keep on Truckin’, my friend .👍🏻

[@mrgraham5521]

Mannix is on METV weeknights at 1:00 a.m.. I watched it last night. Great show. Chato is correct though, didn't like it as a kid.

[@LordOfNihil]

i saw mannix once while staying in a hotel for medical stuff. now metv is the only channel we watch it seems.

[@jimnolan830]

My grandparents had a fablon table cloth with that shirt pattern, bright even then.

[@stillcantbesilencedevennow]

The man is wearing a Turkish bathhouse floor. 😆

[@ShiftingDrifter]

Well said and props for taking the high road! For me, the hang up is remembering that WandaVision lifted references from the 1960s Bewitched with correlations between Agatha and the wacky 60s' busybody neighbor Gladys Kravitz. So, you're the Network Exec and I'm a 1960s high concept writer asking you to green light my pitch for a Gladys Kravitz spinoff called: "Gladys Kravitz All Along!" (Actually, I'm beginning to think I could sell that!) lol...

[@CallMeChato]

I like that idea.

[@DarthPlato]

It was Chato all along.

[@mysticx0]

"agatha all the way" will be remembered right along with "my mother the car".

[@TorontoSaurusEx]

Or “Car 54, where are you ?”

[@tomkerruish2982]

​@@TorontoSaurusExHey, I liked that show!

[@Yrthwrym]

@@TorontoSaurusEx I liked both of those shows.

[@mysticx0]

@@TorontoSaurusEx yo that was my show!! gunther toody for president!

[@VagabundoXtra]

Pink Lady and Jeff

[@tyrannozilla]

Short answer: FUCK NO!

[@kentlindal5422]

Slightly longer answer,Fuck Noooooo.

[@tyrannozilla]

@@kentlindal5422 Michael Rosen lip smack: "Nice."

[@defectiveindustries]

It's made for women who are drunk in the afternoon

[@SIMON_SAYS_SO]

Can you blame them for being drunk?

[@GodOfPlague]

​@@SIMON_SAYS_SOI mean no... Or rather it would depend.

[@SAM-ru4vx]

Can they make a TV series for people not from California?

[@Jeff-ne1lh]

So...wine moms...

[@martinportelance138]

... Well... Wine moms ought to have their shows too... It is IMO a more vast demographic than the sexual oddities for whom all 2020's shows were made for...

[@darkforestgreen]

Hill Street Blues name dropped! Excellent show; sorely missed. You rock, my friend. : )

[@fryman58]

These 'shows' look to be a 1.5hr movie stretched out over 10 hrs for twice the cost

[@PaulRWorthington]

Some of 'em, maybe (definitely Secret Invasion) but I think a good miniseries can enjoyably deliver much more story in six hours. Yes, 10 is really stretching it for many -- a miniseries should have two major plots that overlap a little.

[@jimjam51075]

They're too ashamed to admit they've made a TV movie with little to no editing.

[@noahheninger]

They follow the exact same formula for Star Wars shows. I think what's happening is that they get one high profile writer to pen it at movie length, and then they bring in a bunch of less experienced/less talented underlings to drastically pad it out.

[@rfichokeofdestiny]

​@@PaulRWorthington Certain stories that are too complex for movies absolutely should be miniseries. The movie treatment _Atlas Shrugged_ got a few years ago would have been perfect as a miniseries. But it failed dismally as a movie trilogy.

[@ConceptJunkie]

Knowing Disney, it was probably 10 times the cost.

[@dartru]

Lesbian Lore first base. Amazing laughed my ass off. Very nice.

[@Phaota]

Disparu also did a fantastic and very funny breakdown of the first episode, but he never does a bad review of some show or film. He pointed out that the entire town was playing along with Agatha's mental instability after she was brainwiped by Wanda and she was not a police investigator at all. Everyone in Westview never had their memories altered, only Agatha. So they just kept screwing with Agatha, making her think she was who she believed and coming up with dumb scenario to keep her occupied and out of their hair for awhile. Kathryn said it out loud on the red carpet that there won't be a season two, which is not surprising. As for the verdict, this should have been a "No". It was purely done for agenda driven reasons and the story is garbage.

[@CallMeChato]

So that could have just been Agnes in town. Didn't need the police layer.

[@Tat2dDude67]

"Mannix" was a pretty good show. At least I thought so when I about six.. 😎

[@frankberry6220]

Dear Paul, I suspect you put a lot more effort into your evaluation than went into the creation of the show itself. Frank.

[@pedroares6562]

I'm not sure what is Disney doing. The show is weird, putting Wandavision's villain as the protagonist. For who was this show made? Middle-age woman who love superheros dramas? I'm not sure. But I'm sure the audience is pretty, pretty small.

[@AvengerII]

There are still tons of decent Marvel characters ripe for adaptation but A) Disney management has NO CLUE about quality control or what would work, always overspends on the worse or lamer characters now, B) they put the worst people in charge of these shows as if the micromanaging executives weren't bad enough! C) They utterly change characters to the point they're completely different people from the original comics. What they're doing is far worse than the majority of book to screen adaptations of the past. I saw the writing on the wall for Disney around 16 years after they did the first "Alice in Wonderland" live-action adaptation. It was overwrought and boring to me. Completely unnecessary live-action remake (the 1949 live-action film I think is still the best live-action "Alice") I had an inkling extreme political crap was going on behind the scenes going by new Disney Channel content at the time. That Disney would become THIS bad, an Orwellian and politically correct nightmare, was something I don't think most people expected. It's a decade-plus later and the Company is still heading down this terrible path that has utterly destroyed its legacy for many people. I can sadly say I can live without any new Disney content for the rest of my life. They've lost the magic, as if they weren't overhyped enough and suppressing most of the better pre-2000 Disney content already...

[@KidArkx]

Scarlet witch was wandavisions antagonist

[@SIMON_SAYS_SO]

Are shows with just all masculine men more your style? What does that really say about you? Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

[@wyclef4351]

Why do we need Masc only dudes in every show. Im hoping this connects to the Fantastic Four considering Agatha was Franklin Richard’s nanny for a point.

[@Finozzi96]

@@SIMON_SAYS_SO since modern shows and movies with female protagonists have been pretty crappy and badly written, because the writers wants them to be mary sues girl bosses who are unrealistically better than men at everything because the writer said so, then yeah they come out as unlikable and why people prefer male-lead shows. At least with a male-lead you know there won't be a feminist agenda

[@บัวสีโรเจอร์-ศ9ฝ]

Great video Chato, but at my closer to the grave than the cradle age, watching this DisneyMCU stuff is like trying to swim through molasses.

[@scottmcfadyen293]

I appreciate that you judged it fairly and gave it a chance. As with everything in this industry , if the writing ain't there , the actors can't save it. We both know that is usually the case with this dying business.

[@orlock20]

The best writer can save a bad actor, but a great actor can't save a bad script.

[@AkaiS1100]

Great shirt!

[@colorin81colorado]

Yes, the shirt makes the subject of the video more palatable!

[@SubTroppo]

I actually soaked a label from a wine bottle which was essentially the same, so you could say that I'm "in".

[@robbieq1857]

YES! An emphatic yes. I am a 58 yr old straight male. Clever entertaining show!

[@benjamincarrillo6328]

I think it's fair to say that this show is aimed at middle aged women, but not just middle aged women, nerdy new age type middle aged women who watched the MCU because those boys are so hunky, and they take of their shirts too, wine moms and aunts. Also the gays, not homosexuals or lesbians, the gays, the kind of flamboyant people that are defined by their sexualities, love musicals and brigth colors and unironically ask, is this the gayest (insert product here) yet? with glee in their voice. You know, the cast of Will and Grace.

[@michaeltalpas]

"character growth is for movies, not tv shows" Tell that to Highlander, man! They did a great job of character growth through that series, and they lasted 6 seasons. They may be the exception, but I feel like there should be some character growth between seasons, at least.

[@tyrannozilla]

I don't think Paul's seen stuff like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. It's pretty ridiculous that he would say such a thing. TV may have been different when he was a network executive, but it's not the same today.

[@RambleOn07]

Mystery Inc is great because of the character growth and developing story that leads to a conclusion.

[@DeadlyPlatypus]

Stargate SG-1, and Sliders (Sliders whole premise as that they couldn't get home, and they didn't even have a ship like in Star Trek Voyager) did what he is effectively saying Agatha is trying to do. (Ensemble cast, "roadshow"). I don't think Agatha will be nearly as good as either. Also, I loved the old Highlander TV series.

[@michaeltalpas]

@@DeadlyPlatypus You are naming off some of my favorite series, too. I was just floored to hear him say this. Maybe he's thinking of Agatha All Along as like a sit-com? Like Friends. Or Cheers! That is the kind of show he is describing there. But even then, they had 'some' character development. Usually dropped as cliffhangers for the next season. I mean, everyone is allowed a mistake, right?

[@unitruth]

He hasn't seen the best sci Fi 👉 the expanse

[@chipcook5346]

Just as you can be a straight white man and recognize when a man is beautiful, so can you be a straight man and recognize the positive value of an entertainment product that is not targeted at you. Well done, Mr Chato. Are people who are not straight, not white, and not men who can do that?

[@CallMeChato]

I try.

[@andrewmack2161]

Agatha The Winebox Witch....

[@LEXX790]

Show idea "pillow fight" has Aubrey plaza, Rosa Salazar and Sydney Sweeney battle it out. Every time an item of clothing is knocked off it cuts to a ill timed add break and each week the game resets.

[@auroninja]

I'd watch the crap out of that!

[@planexshifter]

No one finds Agatha sexy as fuck?

[@martinportelance138]

This was very informative. Looks like nothing beat experience. 👍

[@sarahdebardeleben1536]

You have upped your thumbnail game and I approve.

[@GaudiaCertaminisGaming]

The thing I find bizarre is that the show is marketed in a way that assumes people know who the hell this woman is. I’d never heard of her before. I don’t think I’m alone.

[@madmalone6616]

If AAA did a play off of "Channel Zero: The No End House" story arch I think it could have had a chance at success. Since it seems that AAA is going to be all about escape rooms. "No End House" was a seriously interesting play off of a haunted house & confusing memories tropes. Maybe 2020's "Come True" too. Both are great thriller/SciFi/ with a touch of horror about the mind. 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮

[@irisramos583]

Hi and thank you for your channel. I like this show and love Broadway musicals. Not gay and bored of love scenes of any kind I put up with it. I agree with your assessment. Well done young man 💯👏🏽 bravo 👏🏽 be safe and stay well.

[@rabbit42]

Love hearing your takes about the TV criteria. I'm pushing 50 and have seen TV go through a lot of phases. Sad to see that there's a lot more fantasy-paranormal stuff out there now but the quality has gone down. I'm hoping the current execs are taking notes and that we get amazing fantasy in the future.

[@suulix4065]

Wow impressive!! Thanks for the insights chato!! 😁👍

[@telmosilva9161]

Green Light Review remains my favorite concept of review. I miss well built series, most kids will never get to know one.

[@adyhartmusic]

Bookmarked!! 😆👍🏼

[@markiangooley]

I want Agnatha All Along, all about hagfish and lampreys! A SURFEIT OF LAMPREYS!

[@GenuineLhachwen]

I'd say this is a fishy statement.

[@Fred-gu6pk]

Just watch you don't lose anything in The Wash. It is expensive as well as embarrassing

[@frankowalker4662]

The first time I heard some one mention Agatha All Along, I thought 'Ooh, are they doing a bio-pic about Agatha Christie ?' Sadly, no.

[@talithakoum3922]

Same 😂

[@gonzotown9438]

I've been on the fence about seeing this, so thanks for the review

[@charleseldridge9365]

Agatha All Agenda!

[@bobnix3240]

Always appreciate your experienced take and reasoning, even when you're Greenlighting something that it seems pretty obvious is going to crash and burn hard.

[@PromptCriticalJello]

"Character growth is for movies not TV show." Buffy the Vampire Slayer would like to argue that point.

[@orlock20]

Along with Babylon 5 and The Magicians.

[@Mereologist]

I would put it differently. Character growth is for a writing-focused series that is laser-focused on arcs and where it is going. Babylon 5 and the first season of Heroes were like that. A lot of anime is like that too. You can tell if you have such a series because it has a scheduled ending which popularity cannot charge much, or the whole thing falls apart (what happened AFTER the first season of Heroes)... the end was fated from the beginning, which is why it was good writing. Sit-coms and the like can run forever because they follow Chato's rules.

[@Sadenaike1]

@@PromptCriticalJello I am assuming that he was sarcastic

[@PromptCriticalJello]

@@orlock20 please pardon me for a tangential rant. The Magicians pisses me off. It is ridiculously woke AND it's a good, well told story. Which means all the woke they've put into every thing for the last decade didn't have to be bad. It's possible to go woke and tell a good story. They didn't have to ruin Doctor Who, Star Trek, Indiana Jones or Star Wars just by making them woke. They CHOSE to ruin them.

[@CallMeChato]

Did Buffy become a nun? See pinned note.

[@JayDen-rz9vt]

Call Me Chato, ''kerpow!!!'' I absolutelly love that shirt... keep up the good work.

[@mgreenester]

This is not an ongoing series. It's part of a three part anthology. Wandavision, Agatha All Along, and Vision Quest.

[@druharper]

That shirt almost put my eye out. ❤

[@jspaingreene6350]

If current TV shows were as clever as your commentaries, we'd be in great shape.... Thank you for another hilarious review!

[@rogierb5945]

Its main weakness is being marvel, a boybrand. Would have worked better as random netflix witch show.

[@dryrotdryrot9908]

That is a well-designed shirt!

[@petekropf5335]

I would love to hear your thoughts on the Penguin HBO series, I thought it was very well done and reminded me of the Sopranos. Refreshing watching something without, what seemed like, any agenda!

[@CallMeChato]

I don’t get the show in Canada. Some HBO is usually on Crave but it’s expensive and worthless.

[@petekropf5335]

@@CallMeChato I am in Canada as well, watched it on Crave, if you have that service?

[@tyrannozilla]

@@CallMeChato You can always pirate it. 🤣

[@CallMeChato]

I cancelled it. It was expensive.

[@tomwinston6758]

That was a good assessment, haven’t seen it yet but appreciated the clear, balanced approach. Cheers

[@CallMeChato]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@freshoffthehook904]

This is off topic but that shirt is perfection!

[@CallMeChato]

thank you

[@ttrev007]

I just don't think Agatha All Along should be an MCU property. Maybe ok just as a generic Disney Halloween special but it does not look attractive as an MCU property that the larger fanbase would be interested in.

[@clownofthetimes6727]

That is what makes it good. It seems like it has nothing to do with the MCU. It feels more like a Disney dark Hocus Pocus. Have you watched it?

[@federerlkonig330]

@@clownofthetimes6727 Indeed, i think i appreciated relatively the First two episodes especially because It did not feel very MCU. Characters were not overpowered, not many references ti superheroes... Just some witchy drama.

[@bellissimo4520]

Is there still a "larger" fanbase though?

[@theauntofdragons]

That would've been a fun idea! A Halloween SINGULAR film.

[@r.downgrade5836]

Agatha, the witch who tried to stop Wanda from magically torturing a whole town over some kids that Wanda herself made up? ... okay, if you say so. (That is to say the morals are pretty balked in Disney Marvel, and don't even get me started on the moral framing.)

[@Jkend199]

always interesting to hear your take. This is exactly how bad shows get made. The people in charge have a set of check boxes and if you check them you're in, doesn't matter if the show is good or not. I wonder just how often that works out for the network...

[@Saturn2888]

I don't like TV shows that don't have character growth. This is why I watch anime. Episodic shows are a platform to tell a larger story that's hard to tell to an uninvested movie audience. Doesn't mean I like this show.

[@epockismet76]

Glad to hear they are focusing on a real existing audience. Most stuff "isn't for me", so I can appreciate that it's actually entertaining to someone.

[@Miguel-un1vh]

I would have leaned into the police procedural for Season 1, similar to Wandavision. Each episode takes us through a decade in cop shows, then Agatha realizes she’s in a mental institution and escapes over the last couple of episodes. Season 2 she tries to regain her powers.

[@SteveRowe]

Have to disagree that character growth is only for movies. Characters like Buffy, Xander, and Willow (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), every main character in Babylon 5, and eventually even Archie Bunker and Hawkeye Pierce (granted, only after almost a decade). It stands out to me that the shows I mentioned are all great.

[@CallMeChato]

Well, you've answered your own question, "granted, only after almost a decade." I don't know what you're arguing. The question you have to ask yourself is WHEN the change started and how deep was it? A show has to settle into a repeating groove. That's what people want. Just because things blow up in season 5 or 6 or whenever does not change what I've postulated. Sheesh.

[@diegooland1261]

Aubrey Plaza is awesome. And love the shirt.

[@dmhiix]

I really like the way the patterns line up on that shirt. It looks expensive.

[@CallMeChato]

It is. You know your stuff.

[@DanSmith-x2p]

Good stuff

[@stephenschroeder6567]

I have never have been a Disney+ subscriber so I have no personal experience to draw upon. That said, I have seen many reviews of these first two episodes and this review is very balanced and just. I greatly appreciate that. Sound, critical thought being applied to any property is becoming more and more rare as many other critics are trending for the more personal (and loud) criticisms - which is not too surprising given the overall quality of recent Disney products and the controversy they generate. Thank you, sir for a great review!

[@disconcerningcitizen2224]

I love your shirt ! Where did you get it ?

[@CallMeChato]

wife got it on line.

[@disconcerningcitizen2224]

@CallMeChato Damm well she has good taste. You look fantastic!

[@kevinmccabe7263]

Mystery Box writing really doesn't translate to multiple seasons at all. I'm a huge fan of the old USA network formats like Suits, Burn Notice, Monk, etc.

[@David-736x]

What is your definition of Character Growth?

[@thel1355]

Body positivity.

[@CallMeChato]

See my pinned comment.

[@theevermind]

I think the perspective of these green light vids is that a lot of projects have the bones (or are close to having the bones) needed to make a successful show, and that success boils down to not deliberately disabling it and a bit of luck. It's how we say "It had potential, but just didn't execute." We may not know WHY it didn't work, but there's a reason. So, find a concept that has the right bones. Then apply the correct ingredients so the show doesn't kill itself. - Nothing succeeds when you take away its ability to succeed--so don't do that. - Hiring the best talent certainly helps, but it does no good if you don't let them use that talent productively. - Certain ingredients are needed for certain recipes, and without them, it's not that recipe. (A procedural without the procedure isn't a procedural.) Perhaps there are alternate substitutions that work, but that's a risky thing to try. Just like you NEED eggs to get oil & water to mix when baking, a project without a certain ingredient will fall flat. Yes, there are other things besides eggs that can do the job, but if you just guess, most often you'll be wrong. - The audience is fickle, and sometimes you're just unlucky. Timing matters. Sometimes the best shows just don't catch on. And those things are often out of your control despite your best efforts. And of course, sometimes shows that you despise will be hits.

[@CallMeChato]

Wonderfully put. Thanks.

[@faithcastillo9597]

Very little commercial television is worth the investment of time, anymore. And as for Disney, they've been sucking up to the LGBT123XYZ crowd long enough that they stopped being a source of entertainment choices in my home long enough for me to consider them irrelevant.

[@strawman6085]

Wow! Green lighting Agatha. I’m afraid Chato has gone over to the dark side. We need to send in a team to rescue him.

[@lemond2007]

Interesting, considering this show almost surely had no greenlight process.

[@matityaloran9157]

The MCU-Netflix shows were television shows that were written to be shows but the Disney Plus shows don’t really work that way. I don’t think they understand how to write television

[@ChrisLoehrChrisLoehr]

Referencing Mannix in a discussion about Agatha. +1000 points

[@lucymiau5700]

Green light? Yes. But the context of having a MARVEL label on it will damage the viewing numbers as Whine Moms and HokusPokus Fans are not much interrested in Superheros and MCU Continuity. At least, the got the right time for this Show with upcoming Halloween. I think, the whole show is only made to bring Wanda back. And it is a one season Show.

[@thel1355]

Never before has so much money been spent chasing such a small audience. They are truly the privileged class.

[@RyuShinkuuHadoken]

I just noticed that on top it reads "revenge is a witch", but what revenge? Against Wanda? The wanda who destroyed the Avengers from another universe just by lifting her finger?

[@FD-io4pk]

Always interesting to hear your take on these things. I have no idea why they insist to make these shows out of males oriented franchises ? Why not make new franchises that everyone can like because no one has any prejudices about them ? Anyway I have a feeling that most people forgot what a good old TV series was. The Statu Quo rule was important and very serviceable as it allowed for comfort and ease of following the series from one episode to another one. Change, if any, was slow and often needed recap for many an episode to stick. Now all these people knows is "consume product" and live your life later, "don't dare skipping an episode or else !" and they find it normal. These shows are supposed to entertain you, distract you, not enslave you. But I guess everything has turned to grey now, no highs, no lows, and nobody's offended...

[@KAZVorpal]

Didn't Sopranos and Hill Street Blues have a story arc and continuity? You were just saying that this kind of thing is only for movies.

[@CallMeChato]

Set personalities reacted to story arcs that pushed their personal framework. Did Tony stop being a thug?

[@tyrannozilla]

@@CallMeChato Tony didn't stop being a thug because of how he had been indoctrinated to the cause since he was a teenager, so his attitude wasn't going to change overnight. There were a few moments where you can see his persona crack a little, not to the point that he was gonna cry in front of his gang, but still. Yes, it was a set personality, but it was written so well that it felt genuine to the character and not just a case of lazy writing.

[@KAZVorpal]

@@CallMeChato Okay, I see how you're differentiating. But what about shows that were successful (and you probably liked) that did involve significant, permanent character development, like Deep Space Nine, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer or...I'm obviously into SF/Fantay, but how about Breaking Bad or Mad Men? The characters SERIOUSLY develop. It's not the typical "reset" so each episode can be seen out of order.

[@CallMeChato]

@@KAZVorpal The question you have to ask yourself is WHEN the change started and how deep was it? Mad Men was 7 seasons. A show has to settle into a groove. That's what people want. Just because things blew up in season 6 does not change what I've postulated.

[@tyrannozilla]

@@CallMeChato Like I stated with Sopranos, you can at least explain through back story how a character's personality is set so that it just doesn't feel generic, and in the process, can still have depth. That also works on a psychological level with Tony, because when a person has been indoctrinated to a cause for most of their life, it could be years, if ever, for them to be free of such indoctrination. Some of my opinions also come down to the type of taste I have with television. When I watch a show for a long period of time, I want to at least see a little development (not right away, mind you, but in a more gradual build up), so that the characters don't start to feel boring. Also, I'm not much of a sitcom guy, as I prefer to watch more character-driven dramas, mainly in the sci-fi/fantasy area (Supernatural is a good example of this). Of course, I'm not saying that you need to have the same type of writing for Breaking Bad in something like Seinfeld (though that could be creative in a funny way), nor am I saying that Seinfeld's writing needs to be in Breaking Bad. Both of those shows work for very different reasons. I will say, however, that more character-driven writing could help some overdone sitcoms at this point, such as Simpsons or Family Guy. That's just my two-cents, Paul. Peace.

[@beekeeper8474]

Remember those charm chicks in high school? That's who this is made for.

[@ronstewtsaw]

I have come to loath mystery boxes. I like shows with a destination established at the beginning (whether obvious to the viewer or not), and where the showrunners have a map to that destination. The great sin of current tv is telling 4-hour stories in 8 or 10 hours. How many shows got better after the first 4 episodes? ST:TNG and M*A*S*H come to mind, but few others. How about shows that quit while they are ahead? These are rare as hens' teeth. The IT Crowd was one. How many shows start strong, but then devolve? Sherlock went from brilliant to stupid in its short life. The West Wing started sputtering and relying on stunts midway through its 4th season. Happy Days notably jumped the prototypical shark. There came a time in LA Law when every character was just miserable. Mork and Mindy had two years worth of material, but ran for 4 years. Once Upon a Time became an unwatchable slog. Wednesday's first season conclusion was insulting to fans. If I am greenlighting, I want to see a road map. I want to know how it's going to end.

[@fionnaitsradag5152]

Exactly! I really enjoyed Sherlock and Once Upon a Time until...well, you know. 😅

[@talithakoum3922]

I was in high school when Once Upon a Time came out. My mom and I were hooked for the first seven or so episodes, and then watched in bafflement as all the mystery, whimsy, pathos, and heart they had started to build faded away. The Huntsman must have somehow been the key to the whole story because the decline started IMMEDIATELY after he was killed off. We tried Season 2, but it was clearly rubbish early on, between them making Mulan an alphabet person and the contrived objectification of Captain Hook. Such a waste of a charming story idea.

[@sky0kast0]

I don't agree with that I like my characters to have growth and TV shows of course some shows don't and I can live with that too but I prefer having a somewhat personal connection to the characters I see on screen.

[@sky0kast0]

I wonder why it's not just Wanda vision season 2

[@irisramos583]

Going through menopause 🥵🤯 forgot to write I love the song, saved it to my musical playlist 👑💃🏽🐓🦋🇵🇷be safe and stay well 🇱🇧❣️

[@lucasbachmann]

Regarding #5 return to equilibrium / minimal character growth / plot reset to start 1:30 - surely this type of streaming series is more of a "miniseries" that can follow movie rules more than tv series rules?

[@CallMeChato]

Well, they aren't doing either well, so might as well go with the tried and true, I say.

[@c1ph3rpunk]

How’s that going?

[@mxvega1097]

The equilibrium return at the end of each episode will be just like that of The Acolyte. (More specifics? Erm - confusion, ridicule, exasperation, mild nausea, regret at sobriety, vengeful impulses. That would be me anyways. The show itself? Fk knows.)

[@SubTroppo]

I come from an industrial city in England called Coventry (listen to 'Ghost Town' by The Specials AKA), and in my youth* if a "London" clothing fashion made it to Coventry less than a hundred miles away it was old hat, truly dead, over-and-done-with; kaput! Conversely, If a TV show is regularly and repeatedly broadcast free-to-air here in Australia I would regard it as a real success. I'm not going to hold my breath waiting the show as outlined by Chato but I might click on any clips that make it to my KZbin feed. *Nowadays the velocity of fashion hardly seems to exist.

[@AJ-HawksToxicFinger]

Wine Box Disney is going to be LIT AF!

[@hemaccabe4292]

Very honest. Respect.

[@jca759]

I noticed you mentioned The Sopranos. I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on the 1st episode of The Penguin that recently debuted on HBO.

[@CallMeChato]

I don't get HBO. Sorry.

[@kylestoddard2881]

You'll only need your tissue during the scenes with Aubry! 😁 My feelings were similar to yours, but mostly because I sincerely want Marvel products to NOT SUCK! Nice review my friend.

[@theevermind]

A question: when deciding to green light, how does a decision-make gauge the audience for a show? How can you guess the size of the group of people who might be interested (the largest possible audience) as well as the people who will actually watch (e.g., people who would watch don't always hear about a show, or they get turned off by ep 1 and don't come back)? Budgets have to be matched to size of audience, so clearly this has to be one of the first steps in the process.

[@CallMeChato]

Back in the day we knew pretty closely the potential audience size.

[@Garch-the-Great]

Although I agree with all your points, I suspect this is an extended one-and-done movie, just like WandaVision was. Here's hoping it doesn't devolve in the same manner.

[@TheLepke2011]

That shirt is amazing.

[@chrisw6164]

The title makes no sense. The only thing I can think of is “It was Agatha all along”. Is that what it means? If so, it’s still very clumsy.

[@mrgraham5521]

It states the title of the show and then poses the question of whether or not it should have been made.

[@ByTorSnowDog65098]

Wasn't that a song in the orginal Wandavision when she was revealed as the villain?

[@matityaloran9157]

@@ByTorSnowDog65098It was

[@Blade-Thing]

I think her role as an centuries old witch and mentor and guardian to wanda and the fantastic 4's Franklin was a perfect characterization that Marvel shldve stuck with from the comics.

[@StreetPreacherr]

Guessing one of them will find their Courage, one will find her Heart, and one will find her Brain! And did Paul even mention the Musical aspect? I thought it was at least more appropriate for a show specifically about Witches, rather than a 'mainstream' Star Wars series... However that song was no 'Follow The Yellowbrick Road' and Hahn is no Judy Garland.

[@loumulkern2724]

ha ha ha love it... "Broaaadway Muuuusicals!"

[@JKPippa]

Your rules described Power Rangers completely. And Power Rangers lasted 30 years, unlike Agatha All Along.❤

[@darricklucas7033]

Would you have greenlit ST. Elsewhere

[@CallMeChato]

@@darricklucas7033 Loved the show. The pilot was brilliant. MTM productions. My biggest concern would be the expense of the show. Hospital procedurals are a bit of a no-brainer but it’s ratings were never great and Brandon Tartikoff kept it going only because he felt it was high-quality.

[@jlalonde1000]

Character growth is for TV not movies you just need a long term plan breaking bad is the best example of this but got did it to and a few others

[@orlock20]

He is talking about the more successful shows which are procedurals.

[@tyrannozilla]

@@orlock20 Honestly, he made it sound like all television. Maybe if he was more detailed in his argument, then it wouldn't have sounded so broad. Also, there have been some procedurals that had character growth. I've heard True Detective was one such procedural.

[@zendodeb]

You are perhaps the only person I've seen review the show who mentions ANYTHING positive. For myself, I couldn't make it past the 1st 20 minutes.

[@Stanbott]

In old marvel she was nice and took care of Franklin Richards while the Fantastic Four Ran around

[@joedarkness808]

Winebox witches 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@clownofthetimes6727]

This show is excellent. It is nothing like the show that the people who have not watched it claim it to be.

[@VideoEnjoyer-m3z]

The real question here, isn't whether or not you'd greenlight this as a concept. But, given these first two episodes as a PILOT, would you take the risk of paying for a season of shows based on that? I would suggest no. You yourself say that these rules are for general-audience television. This series is ANYTHING BUT for a general audience. It's extremely niche. Not ONLY do you have to be a fan of DISNEY marvel, but you also have to already be familiar with the background from Wanda Vision, AND you have to be a fan of Agatha Harkness, AND you have to be craving a "Queer Explosion". That will slice up the available audience into a TINY SLIVER of the general viewership. What sort of advertising pitch could you make for that, that would have the money guys salivating?

[@CallMeChato]

In the time of network TV it would have been given an order of 10 shows and could be cancelled at any time

[@VideoEnjoyer-m3z]

@@CallMeChato Would it have survived the whole 10? I doubt it. This show is barely better than anything the CW has produced in the last 15 years. And the CW went BUST. SO....

[@CallMeChato]

At no time did I intimate that it would survive the initial run.

[@VideoEnjoyer-m3z]

@@CallMeChato Not sure why my response was taken as hostile, but, whatever.