Post by dkennedy on Mar 31, 2005 6:29:57 GMT -5
HDTV Show Review
Malcolm in the Middle
Fox says the program is in HDTV, but it sure doesn't look like it. What is the network trying to hide?
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (March 30) -- If this is High-Definition TV, give me my money back.
Fox says Malcolm in the Middle, its popular Sunday evening comedy (7:30 p.m. eastern), is broadcast in high-def. However, the program's picture looks duller than an evening with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
The images appear as if they've been softened for some reason; they lack the usual clarity and detail found in other Fox-produced HDTV shows, such as 24 and The O.C. (For this review, I watched Malcolm on two different high-def sets, one delivering a cable signal and the other a satellite signal. The show's picture was poor on both.)
While Fox's overall primetime HDTV lineup arguably offers an inferior picture to its network rivals, such as CBS and NBC, Malcolm's picture is exceptional in its poor quality. It's not the worst primetime HD picture ever (that title belongs to NBC's Hawaii, which was canceled last year.), but it's close.
Why would Fox not produce a better picture for Malcolm, one of the most successful comedies in its history?
I have a theory.
The Teenage Years
Frankie Muniz, who plays the sitcom's title character, is now 19. Even in the watered-down high-def presentation of Malcolm, Muniz's battle with teenage acne is on display. And, it's a losing battle. His face, particularly his forehead, is blanketed with pimples and other blemishes. Although Muniz retains his boyish charm -- and deft comic touch -- it's hard not to notice, particularly in scenes with other young actors who are not experiencing the same skin imperfections.
Muniz's acne seems to be a recent affliction, too. I didn't notice that he had any skin problems in the previous seasons. It could be just his dumb luck that Fox decided to go high-def at the same time his teenage hormones started to rage; this is the first season that Fox is showing Malcolm and other primetime shows in high-def.
To support my theory, Malcolm this season rarely offers close-ups of Muniz, a sharp contrast to previous seasons when he often spoke directly to the camera, a technique rarely used in primetime television. When Muniz delivers a line, the camera seems to be in another zip code, evoking that famous scene in Tootsie when a cameraman is asked to pull the camera further away from Dustin Hoffman when he's playing a dowdy female in disguise in a soap opera. The cameraman says, "Can I pull back? How about Cleveland?"
But other Malcolm actors, such as Jane Kaczmarek, who plays Muniz's mother, and Bryan Cranston, who plays his Dad, still get their regular diet of close-ups this season.
Could this all be a coincidence? Sure. The show's producers may simply be cutting back on some high-def production costs, which would explain the soft picture. However, we may also be seeing an example of Hollywood fighting back against the incredible but sometimes invasive clarity of the HDTV picture. Perhaps the producers are trying to protect Muniz from further embarrassment. Considering that the show's main value is its comedy -- not its photogenic qualities -- what would be the big deal, right?
And, fortunately for Malcolm, the muddy picture shouldn't dissuade anyone from watching. It's still a very funny show. Malcolm, which focuses on a dysfunctional family of seven, has at least five laugh-out-loud moments in each episode. And, it's not afraid to be politically incorrect.
However, if you're tuning in to show off your new high-def set, don't.
Phillip Swann is president of OnHD.TV. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com
Malcolm in the Middle
Fox says the program is in HDTV, but it sure doesn't look like it. What is the network trying to hide?
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (March 30) -- If this is High-Definition TV, give me my money back.
Fox says Malcolm in the Middle, its popular Sunday evening comedy (7:30 p.m. eastern), is broadcast in high-def. However, the program's picture looks duller than an evening with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
The images appear as if they've been softened for some reason; they lack the usual clarity and detail found in other Fox-produced HDTV shows, such as 24 and The O.C. (For this review, I watched Malcolm on two different high-def sets, one delivering a cable signal and the other a satellite signal. The show's picture was poor on both.)
While Fox's overall primetime HDTV lineup arguably offers an inferior picture to its network rivals, such as CBS and NBC, Malcolm's picture is exceptional in its poor quality. It's not the worst primetime HD picture ever (that title belongs to NBC's Hawaii, which was canceled last year.), but it's close.
Why would Fox not produce a better picture for Malcolm, one of the most successful comedies in its history?
I have a theory.
The Teenage Years
Frankie Muniz, who plays the sitcom's title character, is now 19. Even in the watered-down high-def presentation of Malcolm, Muniz's battle with teenage acne is on display. And, it's a losing battle. His face, particularly his forehead, is blanketed with pimples and other blemishes. Although Muniz retains his boyish charm -- and deft comic touch -- it's hard not to notice, particularly in scenes with other young actors who are not experiencing the same skin imperfections.
Muniz's acne seems to be a recent affliction, too. I didn't notice that he had any skin problems in the previous seasons. It could be just his dumb luck that Fox decided to go high-def at the same time his teenage hormones started to rage; this is the first season that Fox is showing Malcolm and other primetime shows in high-def.
To support my theory, Malcolm this season rarely offers close-ups of Muniz, a sharp contrast to previous seasons when he often spoke directly to the camera, a technique rarely used in primetime television. When Muniz delivers a line, the camera seems to be in another zip code, evoking that famous scene in Tootsie when a cameraman is asked to pull the camera further away from Dustin Hoffman when he's playing a dowdy female in disguise in a soap opera. The cameraman says, "Can I pull back? How about Cleveland?"
But other Malcolm actors, such as Jane Kaczmarek, who plays Muniz's mother, and Bryan Cranston, who plays his Dad, still get their regular diet of close-ups this season.
Could this all be a coincidence? Sure. The show's producers may simply be cutting back on some high-def production costs, which would explain the soft picture. However, we may also be seeing an example of Hollywood fighting back against the incredible but sometimes invasive clarity of the HDTV picture. Perhaps the producers are trying to protect Muniz from further embarrassment. Considering that the show's main value is its comedy -- not its photogenic qualities -- what would be the big deal, right?
And, fortunately for Malcolm, the muddy picture shouldn't dissuade anyone from watching. It's still a very funny show. Malcolm, which focuses on a dysfunctional family of seven, has at least five laugh-out-loud moments in each episode. And, it's not afraid to be politically incorrect.
However, if you're tuning in to show off your new high-def set, don't.
Phillip Swann is president of OnHD.TV. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com