Winter is the coldest season of the year, a time during which we especially need good TV shows to keep us warm. Many new TV series we had high hopes for were released, only to leave us disappointed: The Firm isn’t nearly as good as the movie on which it is based, Napoleon Dynamite and Unsupervised are both terribly unfunny, The River is ridiculous, House of Lies is Californication for the poor, and The Finder is nice, but not nice enough to make us want to find it on TV every week. Luckily there were some other excellent winter TV shows that were worth our time. Here are 10 great new winter TV shows you should at least check out before winter leaves us and makes way for spring:

1. Black Mirror

It’s Like: How TV Ruined Your Life

If you haven’t seen Black Mirror, you must. It’s a masterpiece comprised out of 3 non-related 1 hour episodes (the episodes are only related in the sense that they all deal with the power of the media and the effect technology has on our lives.) It manages to be shocking in a time when it is almost impossible to shock. Charlie Brooker, the genius who created this thought provoking series said in an interview that there might be a second season coming to the British Channel 4; I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

2. Lilyhammer

It’s Like: Silvio Dante (from The Sopranos) in Norway

Lilyhammer is the first Netflix original series. It is a co-production of Netflix with a Norwegian production company. The series takes place in Norway, where Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano (played by Steve Van Zandt - Silvio Dante from The Sopranos) was relocated by the witness protection program. Frank asked to be relocated there after he watched Lillehammer (Frank calls it Lilyhammer by mistake) in the Winter Olympics in 1994 and was enchanted by it. The reality doesn’t really match his expectations and now Frank (Whose name was changed by the FBI to Giovanni Henriksen) has to deal with his new fish out water situation. This offbeat series that swept Norway is funny and very fun, and the snowy Norwegian landscapes are beautiful.

3. Luck

It’s Like: (Not) The Sopranos with horses and gambling

Luck isn’t really that much like The Sopranos, but whenever there is a new HBO crime drama with a high production value the comparisons are inevitable. Luck is slow, atmospheric, and very dialogue based. After 3 episodes I know it’s a good one, but I still don’t know how good exactly. With Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte, Dennis Farina and Michael Gambon (he’ll arrive in later episodes as a rival to Dustin Hoffman’s character) the potential is very much there.

4. The Straits

It’s Like: (Not really) The Sopranos on a tropical island

This Australian crime series offers violence, dark humor and absolutely beautiful scenery. Brian Cox leads the series portraying Harry, the cruel and tough head of the family (and the family business which is smuggling drugs and other illegal stuff). Harry tells his 3 sons that he’s getting too old for this s**t and wants to pass on the reins of the business to the son that will prove himself worthy. Will it create a Shakespearean rivalry between the brothers? After Underbelly and Animal Kingdom, The Straits is the next great Aussie crime drama.

5. Great Expectations

It’s Like: A better adaptation than the one with Ethan Hawke

After watching the 1998 version with Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow I thought it was a very good adaptation, even if it wasn’t very loyal to the book. Now, after watching the three part BBC mini-series with Ray Winstone as Abel Magwitch and Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham I can say my standards were low. This version is highly stylized, atmospheric and captivating and feels much more loyal to the source material.

6. Touch

It’s Like: The Dead Zone and Hereafter

The concept of a mute child (by choice?) who does the narration for the series is intriguing and also a bit weird. Fox’s Touch is a world spanning and surprisingly uplifting series about a child who has a supernatural ability to predict the future. It’s very far from Kiefer Sutherland’s previous TV role in 24, but I’m not sure it’s not as good as the action series was. Tim Kring, creator of Touch is known most of all for another TV series he created – Heroes. We hope Touch would continue matching the quality of Heroes season 1 and not the quality of Heroes seasons 2, 3 and 4.

7. This Is England 88′

It’s Like: The previous This Is England’s (movie and series)

After the very successful movie This Is England (2006) and the critically acclaimed TV series This Is England 86′, Shane Meadows concludes his trilogy with the three part series This Is England 88′. Just like the previous two parts in the trilogy, 88′ is also emotional, bleak, rough and disturbing, and yet, also very moving. The 3rd entry in the franchise maintained a harsh feeling of realism, and had very strong performances from its ensemble cast.

8. Inside Comedy

It’s Like: Talking Funny

Showtime’s talk show series is great for everybody who likes comedy, and who doesn’t like comedy? The host David Steinberg talks to one or two greats from the world of comedy every week (Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, Larry David, Steve Carell and Don Rickles will all appear on the show). Steinberg does a great job as the host/interviewer, not because he’s charismatic or asks difficult questions (he’s not and he doesn’t), but because he just lets his guests speak, and all of them have a lot to say.

9. Inside Men

It’s Like: Inside Man

This tense four part BBC series has everything a heist thriller needs: It revolves cleverly around universal themes of greed, morality and temptation, it’s full of mind bending twists and most important of all, it has men wearing scary masks. Inside Men is slow paced but very gripping.

10. Alcatraz

It’s Like: Shutter Island meets Lost meets Prison Break with a hint of The X-Files

J.J Abrams‘ new show isn’t nearly as good as Lost, but it’s still mysterious, mind bending and suspenseful. The show has a lot of potential as the cliche’ goes, but it could have done a much better job in casting its leads: The policewoman is a bit pale and looks like a Barbie doll, Jorge Garcia will always be Hurley to me, and Sam Neill is surprisingly not convincing as the mysterious Emerson Hauser. Despite the fact that it didn’t really earn the critics consensus, Alcatraz brings very good numbers to its network (Fox).

Other notable new winter TV series:

1. Mr. D (He looks like a Canadian Will Ferrell and acts like a Canadian Michael Scott). 2. Luxury Comedy (Weirdest sketch comedy series you’ve ever seen). 3. Smash (for fans of musicals), 4.House of Lies (Californication for the poor is still better than many other shows) and 5. The Finder (It’s interesting to see that Michael Clark Duncan can fit into a small screen).

Technorati Tags: TV, shows, series, The Firm, Napoleon Dynamite, The River, House of Lies, Californication, The Finder, Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker, Channel 4, Lilyhammer, Silvio Dante, The Sopranos, Netflix, original series, Steve Van Zandt, Luck, HBO, crime drama, Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte, Dennis Farina and Michael Gambon, The Straits, Australian crime series, Brian Cox, Great Expectations, Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, BBC mini-series, Ray Winstone, Gillian Anderson, Touch, The Dead Zone, Hereafter, Kiefer Sutherland, Tim Kring, Heroes, This Is England, Inside Comedy, Talking Funny, David Steinberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, Larry David, Steve Carell, Don Rickles, Inside Men, Inside Man, Alcatraz, Shutter Island, Lost, Prison Break, The X-Files, J.J Abrams, Jorge Garcia, Fox Network, Mr. D, Will Ferrell, Michael Scott, Luxury Comedy, Smash, The Finder, Michael Clark Duncan

Popularity: 2% [?]

After sixty years in hibernation, the TV guide is finally awakening to innovation. The static grid of shows and airing times that granny loved getting in the mail each week is crumbling under the strain of hundreds of linear channels, DVR, VOD and over-the-top internet streaming services and a new generation of consumers who expect a fast, personalized discovery experience. Providers can feel the winds of change brewing and are investing top talent to develop the next generation of guides. The following are 10 challenges and opportunities the industry must master if it wants to continue to keep customers happy.

1) The Couch Potato is Here to Stay

This is not an insult, simply a fact. When we sit down in front of the TV we want to watch something good and we expect it to be easy to find. After all, we’re not in the mood to work. Users want the act of finding something to watch to be as effortless and enjoyable as watching it is.

2) The Paradox of Choice Requires Personalization

Too much choice is overwhelming and is a barrier to consumption. The guide must give quality, personalized recommendations to help users overcome the fear of regret and so the guide becomes your best salesperson.

3) Content Selection is Meaning Driven

What do you want to know about a movie before you decide to watch it? Basic metadata isn’t much help. A rich, human description of the mood, style and plot elements gives us a real feeling for the movie and allows us to overcome the fear of regret and decide if we want to see it.

4) Future-proof the guide for an on-demand world

On-demand video is growing fast and now is the time to future-proof the guide. Service providers that don’t move quickly are at risk of choking future consumption with an antiquated guide.

5) Building Trust Between Man and Machine

Trust is what fuels recommendations to spur action. How can humans learn to trust machine-made recommendations? A discovery engine must be able to explain, in human terms, everything it does.

6) There is No Such Thing as ‘Average Taste’

Our tastes are as distinct and varied as we are. Sometimes I enjoy a witty humorous movie about couple relations, other times I’m in the mood for stylized, exciting movies about space travel and saving the world with androids and alien. You can’t average out things like ‘aliens’ and ‘couple relations’ to get a mathematical estimation of my taste. Yet this is exactly what most so-called ‘personalized discovery’ engines do; bunch everything a user likes together. If we are going to deliver a truly personalized experience that will help consumers find content they will enjoy, first we must recognize that each individual is unique and his or her tastes include several distinct types of content.

7) Keeping Content Fresh is a Challenge

Movies and TV are special, that’s why we love them so much. But that’s also why finding and choosing the right content is such a difficult process. We expect endless fresh programming, to fit our specific preferences and to match the exact mood we’re in at that moment. If the guide fails to lead users quickly to content that suits their taste and mood, they will blame the provider and come to the conclusion that there is ‘nothing good to watch’.

8) Humans seek meaning, not data

We have all been trained by web browsers to think in keywords, but human communication is more than a collection of key words wound into a Boolean string. Just try asking Google to recommend a ‘ feel good witty movie about couple relations’ – you won’t get useful results. The next generation of guides needs to speak in casual human language and deliver relevant and accurate results.

9) ‘Lingua Franca’ of Video Content

The only way guides will be able to communicate with users in a meaningful language is by adopting a normalized unified language or ‘Lingua Franca’ for describing entertainment content. This Lingua Franca will allow the breadth of entertainment content to be described in a single descriptive language irrespective of the producer, director or script writers. From the consumer perspective, all content can be understood in the same natural metaphor.

10) Separating the Social Wheat from the Chafe

Our entire industry seems caught up in the latest Social TV buzz. All the tweets, updates, ‘likes’ and ‘+’s have created massive amounts of TV and movie related social media data. But this kind of random chatter doesn’t drive consumption and it doesn’t enhance the television experience. Why? Because most of your friends don’t share your taste in TV and movies. If Social TV is going to truly enhance the discovery experience, we must be able to identify those few friends that have similar tastes and use them as a source of high quality social recommendations. THAT is social TV.

*An abbreviated version of this article first appeared in Multichannel Magazine

Technorati Tags: Next Generation TV Guide, Next Generation, TV Guide, Social TV, DVR, VOD, Linear channels, on demand, personalized discovery, personalized tv, couch potato, paradox of choice, content, video content, TV, movies, future proof, on-demand, recommendations, movie recommendations, Lingua Franca, Yosi Glick, Jinni, discovery engine

Popularity: 3% [?]

The Emmy awards are coming up. I don’t always agree with the Emmy decision makers and favorites such as Sex and the City (overrated 1), Will and Grace (overrated 2), Everybody Loves Raymond (overrated 3) and Friends (overrated 4). Bad-mouthing Jesus, Muhammad and Moses might be safer than saying that Friends is overrated, but I’m going to take my chances.

So here is my pick of the 10 funniest shows of the 2000s. These 10 actually make people laugh (maybe that’s why most of them don’t use laugh tracks…).

10. The Sarah Silverman Program
In 3 genes: Immature, silly, irreverent humor

No topic is out of range for Sarah Silverman, who made a name for herself with shocking stand-up routines and continued that line of ungodly humor in her show (especially the episode which did include god, who had sex with Sarah and then got dumped by her…). It’s a shame that after the show’s 3rd season, Comedy Central canceled this cutting-edge comedy gem that would’ve been offensive if it weren’t so darn funny.

9. Louie
In 3 genes: Performer’s life, gloomy, politically (in)correct

Filtered through the observational humor of Louis C.K. and his daily life as a stand-up comedian in New York, this new TV series is clever and absolutely hilarious. Some might find C.K’s humor too direct or his political incorrectness offensive, but you can’t please ‘em all… Just like Seinfeld, the show begins and ends with C.K doing stand up, and just like Seinfeld, this is one of the best comedy shows ever made. The reason for putting it at number 9 is that it’s only in its first season. FX already ordered a second.

8. The Flight of the Conchords
In 3 genes: Surreal, culture clash, musician’s life

Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, better known as the music band Flight of the Conchords, have moved from New Zealand to Brooklyn, New York, in an attempt to make it big in the United States. Unfortunately their unique talent doesn’t sit well with an American audience, and their hilariously incompetent band manager, Murray, doesn’t help. This series retired while ahead and unfortunately lasted only 2 seasons. Australia’s talents pale in comparison to these talents from New Zealand.

7. Arrested Development
In 3 genes: Offbeat, eccentric family, voice over

Shot with a shaky camera and a mockumentary style, Arrested Development is reminiscent of Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tennenbaums. Truly unusual in the world of TV sitcoms, it employed a kind of humor that often exhibited a dark side. Good news for fans of the series: A movie based on the series is rumored to come out in 2012.

6. Da Ali G show
In 3 genes: Satire, interview, biting

This is the show that brought the world the Kazakh journalist Borat and the flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion reporter Bruno. The main character, though, was Ali G. who interviewed a variety of guests from the world of crime prevention, drug enforcement, the legal system and beyond to discuss issues of crime and drugs in England and America. The absolute naivete with which he interviewed his guests frequently caught them completely off guard.

5. Family Guy
In 3 genes: Pop culture reference, cynical, irreverent humor

With parents like Peter and Lewis Griffin, a mad baby (who has an English accent and is keen on ruling the world), and two teenage kids, it’s absolutely clear that Brian the family dog is the smartest member of the Griffin clan. This series managed to insult every man, woman, ethnic group, religion and animal in existence. Those who weren’t offended by the show are the ones who really should be.

4. 30 Rock
In 3 genes: Showbiz, witty, boss and employee

A critical hit, 30 Rock’s Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey have more trophies at home than Michael Phelps and Michael Jordan put together. Alongside Fey and Baldwin, the show has a strong supporting cast that includes a crazy Tracy Jordan/ Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer and Judah Friedlander. Famous guest stars also add to the appeal of the show (Jerry Seinfeld, Opera Winfrey, Al Gore, Steve Martin and Julianne Moore, just to name a few).

3. Extras
In 3 genes: Unfulfillment, showbiz, clever

One great show might be a fluke, but two great shows (The Office and Extras) must mean Ricky Gervais is a genius. Gervais stars as Andy Millman, a lowly extra who spends most of his life on film and TV sets as he awaits a mercifully brief appearance. Millman’s friend Maggie (Ashley Jensen) is also an extra and finds herself in a similar predicament. Millman usually tries to bond with the biggest celebrity on the set in a desperate attempt to get himself out of the extras business, but his lack of tact and bad luck usually leave him right back where he started.

2. Curb Your Enthusiasm
In 3 genes: Comedy of errors, showbiz, misfit.

Here is another genius who made two great shows: Larry David. In Curb Your Enthusiasm he plays himself: an incomprehensibly successful writer and co-creator of Seinfeld with $400 million in his bank account. But all this is no match for the constant disturbances that wreak havoc on his daily life. Curb Your Enthusiasm is, quite simply, television at its finest, a brilliant and hysterical work of comic genius that absurdly and perfectly blends reality with fiction.

1. The Office
In 3 genes: Obnoxious boss, workplace situations, mockumentary

My number one is shared by two series: the British and the American version of The Office. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are the masterminds behind this brilliant satire of 9-5 office life. In both versions, camera crews follow the boss and his employees around in mockumentary style. The series succeeded in capturing the quiet desperation of the employees working in a socially suffocating environment under the direction of a delusional boss. It’s as hilarious as it is uncomfortable to watch Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and David Brent (Ricky Gervais).

By the way, our favorites for the Emmy awards are: Best Comic Actor: Steve Carell (deserves it before his departure from the series), Best Comic Actress: Amy Poehler (in this I’m more optimistic than Cultural Learnings), Best Dramatic Actor: Hugh Laurie (will you give it to him already??!!), Best Dramatic Actress: Glenn Close (no competition), Best Comedy Series: Curb Your Enthusiasm (fantastic 7th season with the friends from Seinfeld), Best Drama Series: Lost (you just have to honor this series; it was one of the best ever, even if some or all of the questions were left unanswered).

Disagree and think that I should be exiled for dissing Friends? Agree with every word and want to back me up? Please add your comment below

Technorati Tags: comedy, Emmy Awards, TV, television, TV show

Popularity: 22% [?]

A European TV operator noticed that when they increased the size of their video-on-demand (VOD) catalogue, usage went down.  They slowly reduced the number of the titles – and usage went up.  It’s not just the Europeans. “Less is more” is a well-known marketing concept. For an elegant explanation, I recommend the book The Paradox of Choice.

Of course, slashing the catalogue isn’t the only option. If the titles are easy to navigate and the recommendations are reliable, people can find what they want to watch without all having to watch the same thing. That’s our philosophy at Jinni.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Jinni is an alternative spelling of genie, which puts us in pretty distinguished company, cinematically speaking. Here’s a rundown of genies through the ages, with the help of four favorite and one not-so-favorite films.

1. Aladdin (1992)

Probably the best-known genie movie nowadays, Aladdin is a classic Disney fairytale about a young street urchin who falls in love with the princess - and finds a Genie who makes his dreams come true. Genie, mighty but kind (and fond of singing) at last gains freedom from the lamp.

2. I Dream of Jeannie (1965-1970)

Who can forget the favorite 60s TV series I Dream of Jeannie? Starring Barbara Eden as a genie found in space by an astronaut, the show was so successful that more than 20 years later a direct to TV film was made. A modern version of the series is supposed to be released in 2010.

3. The Thief of Baghdad (1940)

Genies are not always nice! This fantasy adventure movie is a combination of several middle-eastern folktales from the book One Thousand and One Nights. Ali Baba, Aladdin and Sinbad all mix here into one story, where the hero has to outwit the genie to get his wishes.

4. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)

Kids, you can be a genie too! Sinbad and his men set out to retrieve a lost genie lamp. The genie is a young boy who reluctantly helps an evil wizard. An interesting historical note: this was the first full-color film to use stop motion animation effects.

5. Kazaam (1996)

Beware, not all genie movies are fun to watch! This one was rated 94 in IMDb’s Bottom 100 with a terrible score of 2.3/10. It features legendary basketball player Shaquille O’Neal as a genie helping a young boy avoid the local neighborhood gang. But even Shaq and his skills couldn’t save this flick.

Inspired? Search on Jinni for -
Genies * Curses, spells and rituals * Wizard * Classic fairytales * Young hero * Falling in love * Wish come true * Based on a folktale * Stop motion * (or any combination)

Popularity: 14% [?]