Three Rivers - news, links, discussion - part 9 **SPOILERS**

[darkstarrising]

I stayed quiet on this subject yesterday when I found it was a hoax....if only the perpetrator would put his/ her energy into something productive, we'd all be better off....

I think Francis has the best handle on the situation, but I'd like to add two more dimensions: politics and risk taking.

Yes, the numbers are important to the networks, but what isn't apparent are the back room discussions that go on. There's a lot invested in this show and no network, especially in this economy, is going to walk away from that kind of investment if there are some low cost recovery actions that could be taken first. For example, they could move the show to another night to see if it fares any better. No skin off their nose, or at least, not much.

As for football, there is no guarantee that one of the 4 or 5 games that start at 4 or 4:15 on the east coast won't run late. To have two weeks in a row where the game ran extremely long (1.25 hours longer than expected), is a bit unusual. Typically, they'll run 10 or 15 minutes long and everything on CBS just starts later.

So, my humble take is that CBS recognizes that the tough position that they put 3R in as a new show against strong competition was unintentionally made tougher by football overruns. As for why they showed the weakest episode first, there may be method in their madness....get it out of the way and let the stronger episodes generate buzz and attract viewers.

I think if the numbers continue to improve, they'll give 3R a chance to prove itself.

Back to being quiet, again.

[redwinter101]

I know it's cowardly, but I'm really struggling to deal with all the speculation. I try to stay away - but then get sucked in to reading again. Like everyone else here, I don't know what's going to happen, what CBS thinks or wants or expects or whether the show will survive and prosper or die an early death. All I know is that I'm loving having Alex back on TV and being able to watch him week after week. It's as simple as that for me and I just want it to continue for as long as possible.

Yes, there are other things he could have chosen (and if I'm honest, TR wouldn't have been my choice, but who the hell cares what I think?) but he chose TR and that brings him into my living room once again. I'm determined to enjoy this for as long as it lasts.

But I know I'll still be gutted if/when it ends.

Red

[darkstarrising]

I know it's cowardly, but I'm really struggling to deal with all the speculation. I try to stay away - but then get sucked in to reading again. Like everyone else here, I don't know what's going to happen, what CBS thinks or wants or expects or whether the show will survive and prosper or die an early death. All I know is that I'm loving having Alex back on TV and being able to watch him week after week. It's as simple as that for me and I just want it to continue for as long as possible.

Yes, there are other things he could have chosen (and if I'm honest, TR wouldn't have been my choice, but who the hell cares what I think?) but he chose TR and that brings him into my living room once again. I'm determined to enjoy this for as long as it lasts.

But I know I'll still be gutted if/when it ends.

Red

No, sweetie, staying above the fray is the sane thing to do Having Alex on the screen once a week again is so wonderful and we all want to enjoy it.

[starbucksjunkie]

I know it's cowardly, but I'm really struggling to deal with all the speculation. I try to stay away - but then get sucked in to reading again. Like everyone else here, I don't know what's going to happen, what CBS thinks or wants or expects or whether the show will survive and prosper or die an early death. All I know is that I'm loving having Alex back on TV and being able to watch him week after week. It's as simple as that for me and I just want it to continue for as long as possible.

Yes, there are other things he could have chosen (and if I'm honest, TR wouldn't have been my choice, but who the hell cares what I think?) but he chose TR and that brings him into my living room once again. I'm determined to enjoy this for as long as it lasts.

But I know I'll still be gutted if/when it ends.

Red

red,

We're all right there with you.

[VAsusieQ18]

May I just say "ditto" to everything Red said so eloquently in her post. I'm with you on 100% on everything you said.

[PNWgal]

Unfortunately...as much as I've tried NOT to get attached to Three Rivers, I have. I just adore Alex too much NOT to get a little bit involved in whatever he does. So, I'll be just as gutted as you, Red - not because I'm emotionally invested in Three Rivers, but because I want Alex to succeed. And...I've discovered two really great talents with watching TR and I want to see more of them.

I know ML fans are a little gunshy, but I think we all need to step back, take a deep breath and just ride out whatever happens. I know I'll be there every step of the way, no matter how long it lasts.

[Josefismysire]

http://www.tvguidemagazine.com/feature/ ... -2844.html

Exclusive: Mandy Patinkin Speaks!
by Lisa Bernhard October 15, 2009 02:48 PM EST

Somebody upstairs at CBS still likes him. More than two years after his controversial departure from Criminal Minds, Mandy Patinkin returns to the network for a guest spot in an upcoming episode of the organ-donation drama Three Rivers. CBS clearly hopes the popular actor (who also starred in—and abruptly exited—its hospital drama Chicago Hope) will give the struggling medical show a ratings jolt. But network execs had no idea how right for the role Patinkin is. In the late '90s, the actor underwent two corneal transplants—one in each eye—and today sits on the board of directors of the New York Organ Donor Network, a fact unknown to CBS at the time of his casting.

The situation's aptness is not lost on Patinkin. “I arrive on the set the first day,” he says, “and I look at my BlackBerry and there's an email from the board of directors of the Donor Network saying how excited they are about a new show called Three Rivers—whereupon I emailed back and said, 'I'm stepping onto the set as we speak.'”

This time he's the donor, playing an ALS patient whose health is further compromised by a car accident. Although Three Rivers is on a ratings respirator, Patinkin says he's “quite certain this show will have a very long life. The business of these shows finding their audience initially is just business—that's all. The heart of this show is everything that I believe television has to offer at its finest.”

That's not how he felt about Minds, which replaced him with Joe Mantegna after he suddenly failed to materialize for the third-season premiere's table reading in 2007, citing “creative differences." Still, Patinkin has nothing but praise for his former colleagues.

“They were some of the most beautiful, gifted actors I ever had the privilege to work with, and I miss them all very much,” he says. But a show about tracking serial killers “just wasn't the right fit at the time....The way I work, for better or worse, is to bring that material to life. My mind was immersed in Holocaust images 24/7. It isn't that I won't do pieces like that in the future, I'll just be cautious in terms of what I choose. I'll choose in a very Mandy-friendly fashion.”

The warm feelings aren't exactly mutual on the Minds set. “I can tell you that nobody misses him,” says executive producer Edward Allen Bernero, who says the last time he talked to Patinkin was just before the table read, when the star said, “I'll see you in an hour” and then didn't show. “We sent the police out,” says Bernero. “We thought he got in an accident on the freeway coming to work.”

“He really hurt a lot of people,” continues Bernero, who's currently working on Minds' 100th episode, slated for November. “We were going into our third season—it's one of the most important seasons—and nobody knew whether [his leaving] meant everybody lost their jobs. It was handled very poorly. I'm not hurt about it, although I won't ever work with him again. I'm just proud of this [Minds] family. Looking back on it it's like, wow, that really cemented us all.”


Posted on MLAB by pinkiepie

[Emerald]

*cross posted*

Ok, I'm not sure if this is good news for TR or not...but, ok I'm gonna go with 'It;s good news for TR'

There are rumours circulating that apparently Fox Network have come out and said they will not cancel any shows, regardless of ratings, before January. Apparently CBS has seen this as a bit of a 'throw down', and vowed to follow suit...off record at least. Now this is something I read on a reviewer's blogsite, so I'm not sure how accurate the information is. But if it is true, this means that despite low ratings, TR will get a reprieve until January, and...hopefully...be able to pick up steam, and gather more viewers.

[wpgrace]

Oh, I knew as soon as they announced they had picked up 3R last spring that I would be a basket-case if it didn't hit a home run right off the first pitch... Y'all know me; I fret. And I think Alex is literally the second coming of Apollo. Or whatever coming of Apollo he would be; Apollo probably gets around... Anyway, since I did not love the premise of 3R, I kinda expected to be fretting.

So I am. But I'm also finding that, even thru the nerves, I am enjoying the hell out of the show. I actually have come to love the show... to like the doctors and, as PGal said, some new actors as well, tho I am NOT looking for any new crushes... I'm still dealing with the overwhelming nature of the first one...

So mostly, having Alex's charisma, good looks, soft voice, and mesmerizing acting skills on my tv every week has me utterly charmed. I would love for it to last for years and years. But I'm gonna enjoy every single solitary minute.

Cause I did learn from ML... buy Itunes, keep your tivo'd eps, and you can watch the show forever... and rewind to only the Alex bits if you want.

[redwinter101]

*cross posted*

Ok, I'm not sure if this is good news for TR or not...but, ok I'm gonna go with 'It;s good news for TR'

There are rumours circulating that apparently Fox Network have come out and said they will not cancel any shows, regardless of ratings, before January. Apparently CBS has seen this as a bit of a 'throw down', and vowed to follow suit...off record at least. Now this is something I read on a reviewer's blogsite, so I'm not sure how accurate the information is. But if it is true, this means that despite low ratings, TR will get a reprieve until January, and...hopefully...be able to pick up steam, and gather more viewers.

I've seen a number of reports on reputable sites about Fox not cancelling anything - so I think that's pretty solid info.

It's news to me about CBS - but it would be a marvellous development if true!

Red

[MoonMad]

You make very good points francis and dsr, and up until that wretched blogger stuck his two cents worth in I was of the same opinion. It's true I've let his remarks get to me, because until he said what he did we had no idea where CBS stood in regard to TR - whether they were going to give it a lot of leeway or not because of its terrible timeslot. Hearing that they were going to cancel the show just cemented the fear I have that they've run out of patience. Unfortunately for me, just having that retraction printed doesn't mean much because my head tells me that until it's "official" of course everything will run as normal, everyone will be at work and sides will still be up for casting. It's only when it becomes official that all that will stop. So to me, it appears that CBS is only waiting to see the numbers for the next episode, and that means the show is on the brink of cancellation unless the numbers improve.

I'm terribly sorry to be such a debbie downer. I don't want to be, but I also don't think we should read too much into the fact that work is carrying on as normal on the set. I imagine that's exactly what happens up until it's announced a show is cancelled. I'm just praying that the numbers will show improvement this week and the pressure might lighten up a bit. Once again, I'm really sorry to bring everyone down, I'm praying I'm totally wrong and everyone can chide me unmercifully when the show gets a back nine pick-up . Like many of you, I've fallen in love with the cast of this show, if not the show itself, and I want very much to see it go on and hopefully become another show we can all attach to and love.

[darkstarrising]

Cause I did learn from ML... buy Itunes, keep your tivo'd eps, and you can watch the show forever... and rewind to only the Alex bits if you want.

Not to mention fast forward through all the annoying commercials.....

But you're right grace, the Alex scenes are a bit of heaven on earth...the EoW, the face, but especially the voice....for whatever reason, it's his voice that gets to me.

[redwinter101]

for whatever reason, it's his voice that gets to me.

Because it's pure sex.

Just sayin'.

Red

[darkstarrising]

for whatever reason, it's his voice that gets to me.

Because it's pure sex.

Just sayin'.

Red

O yeah....

[wpgrace]

for whatever reason, it's his voice that gets to me.

Because it's pure sex.

Just sayin'.

Red

Oh it so is... it so is... it is...