Merlin!

[dbskyler]

Just found out that the second series of Merlin has finally reached the U.S. and is now showing on the SyFy channel!!!

I stumbled across an ad for it by pure chance, though -- damn, it's hard to watch these shows over here! Last year it was on NBC, this year it's on SyFy . . . and unless you luck out and catch an infrequent ad at the right time as I just did, the only way you would know is if you compulsively check the schedules of every likely channel just in case they've decided to air the thing. I haven't even seen any mainstream media attention for Doctor Who's premiere here, although BBC America has been advertising the hell out of it, bless their hearts -- I'll be watching some old re-run of "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" or something completely random like that, and then suddenly in the corner it says "BBC America" and above it "Doctor Who premiere April 17." I think they've made it a permanent part of their station ID logo or something. Not that I mind!

I wondered if Merlin had been on for months already, but I found the online schedule and compared it to the episode guide, and apparently I've only missed one episode that is getting re-shown multiple times this week (as SyFy is wont to do). So yay! Of course, now I get to be non-current for TWO shows. Doctor Who will only be two weeks behind, though, while Merlin is what, over a year?

Which reminds me of my saddest tale to date on non-currency: I watched the finale of "Any Dream Will Do" where the winner was cast as Joseph in a new West End production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." I decided that since I was going to London, I would try to see the show as it would surely be up and running by then. Well, not only was it up and running by then, it turned out to have closed some time ago by then. I still don't know how far behind we were on getting that broadcast, but apparently quite awhile. Damn you John Barrowman for not aging more perceptibly! *shakes fist*

Comments

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

See, THIS is why everyone needs a TARDIS! :D

It's not a year since Merlin S2 finished - not yet (think it's about 7 or 8 months, though)...

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Ah, but how long since it started? Or to be completely accurate, how long since the second episode was aired, since that's the "new episode" that's getting shown here later this week?

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

26 Sept 2009...

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Hey, not nearly as far behind as I'd thought! I feel so up-to-date now. : )

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

Told you!

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

The sad thing is, if I had a TARDIS I probably would totally use it to go back in time and watch television. And the space-travel part would be handy for getting me to the right country, too. At least I already know that the TARDIS has an affinity for London! ; )

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

*cackles*

[thisbluespirit]

:loL: I can't believe they even show the Joseph and Maria shows over there, let alone years after. That's hilarious. Not so much if you want to see Lee Mead in it, of course, I realise, but still... :lol: (Btw, the finalists all seem to be active in West Ends shows currently - it's one of the reasons these have been the only talent shows I've liked. Say what you please about ALW, but he's clearly genuinely interested in finding new actors for the West End.) In fact, it's so long ago, that they've done a Nancy and Oliver one since, and have just started one for the Wizard of Oz, last week.

I still haven't really watched Merlin. I was put off by the initial description. I'm not the greatest on Arthurian mythology, but I know enough to be going WHAT? on every new revelation. I'm a bit sorry, though - it seems to be fun. Pretty much like my reaction to Robin Hood (isn't that a bit trendy for the 13th C???) which also turned out to be ridiculous and entertaining when someone bullied me into watching it.

Still, we get the delay the other way, too. Having fallen for Angel as well as Buffy, I had to buy the videos, as there was simply no way to watch it on terrestrial TV.

[pitry.livejournal.com]

Oh, Merlin is horribly cute. You have to suspense 100% of your disbelief and go with it, true, and just be willing to accept everything... :) It's far from being a masterpiece but, hey! It's CUUUUUUTE.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

I agree. There's something about it . . . when you step back and look at it, you go "Well, that was a pretty ridiculous plot," but while you're watching, it's just incredibly entertaining.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Yep, the Joseph and Maria shows were aired back-to-back here, and I just checked teh internetz and apparently we were 2 years behind for Joseph, and 3 years for Maria. Which surprised me, because over here they showed Joseph first and made it sound like Maria was the follow-up show! Nice to hear that Lee Mead's still doing well. Hopefully I'll get to see him in something someday!

As for Merlin, I only know popular culture stuff about Arthurian mythology, but even that is enough to make me realize that the show is definitely the "AU" version of those tales. Fortunately, that doesn't bother me at all! And yes, it's a fun show, and you should give it a try. :)

Still, we get the delay the other way, too. Having fallen for Angel as well as Buffy, I had to buy the videos, as there was simply no way to watch it on terrestrial TV.

I'm sure you do get delayed on all sorts of American shows. Angel and Buffy still show up very frequently on cable TV re-runs over here, but a new fan would probably still run for the videos since those types of old re-runs tend to have additional commercials inserted (with footage taken out to make room).

[thisbluespirit]

Heh. That's funny, especially since I seem to recall the 'Josephs' get advice from the Marias at one point. I did get to go and see Connie Fisher in The Sound of Music... :-D (And when I say the finalists, I mean pretty much all ten of them in both cases, which is why I make an exception for this reality TV show. I shouldn't, because I was doing so well at not watching the things, any of them, but there you go... :lol:)

Hmm. I'll do my usual thing - start watching on the penultimate episode or something, I expect. I did have an Arthurian phase and am the sort of person who sometimes even frowns on Lancelot as being a late addition, so... ;-D

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

Merlin started on SyFy on April 2. The viewership for the first season was too low for NBC to put the show back on its schedule, which is why it was moved to one of its cable subsidiaries (the same company that owns NBC owns SyFy).

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

I always forget that NBC and SyFy are related, but that makes sense. I was surprised it was on NBC in the first place, to be honest, but I'm sad the show didn't do better on it. SyFy's a safer haven for it, though.

[pitry.livejournal.com]

Hooray for more Merlin! If you liked the first series you'll have loads of fun.

Hmmm... the bloke form Joseph is doing Wicked now, I think? My friends went to see Wicked last week and they bought the programme and there was a mention of him there.