2016 RTE Drama: Rebellion - no spoilers please (mod warning in post #1)

maudgonner · 04-02-2016 10:39PM

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

The success of the series, public acclaim, viewing figures, critics response, the praise for the all star cast, and social media approval all suggest a second series is a sure thing.

I really don't know whether you're joking or not. But for the sake of balance, the commissioning of a second series is very much still up in the air and some reports have suggested it's unlikely. Viewing figures were ok but not impressive. Critical response has been poor. Social media approval fairly minimal. While some performances have been praised, just as many have been criticised.

The reception of the series overseas will have a bearing on recommissioning. As will RTE's budgets and plans for next year, I'm sure. To say it's a sure thing is ludicrous, unless you're Jane Gogan?

Strazdas · 05-02-2016 12:42AM

maudgonner wrote: »

I really don't know whether you're joking or not. But for the sake of balance, the commissioning of a second series is very much still up in the air and some reports have suggested it's unlikely. Viewing figures were ok but not impressive. Critical response has been poor. Social media approval fairly minimal. While some performances have been praised, just as many have been criticised.

The reception of the series overseas will have a bearing on recommissioning. As will RTE's budgets and plans for next year, I'm sure. To say it's a sure thing is ludicrous, unless you're Jane Gogan?

The one article (in the Herald) saying it was unlikely to return seemed to be entirely speculative and not based on anything solid. Given that filming on Series 2 wouldn't start until next year, you couldn't say with certainty that it will return. It should be very interesting to see how it's received in the US and if it can be sold to other countries on the back of that.

brooke 2 · 05-02-2016 12:46AM

Strazdas wrote: »

I thought that was one of the strongest scenes in the whole of Rebellion and I'll hazard a guess that most people in Ireland were unaware that such an incident had happened. I don't think we've ever heard anything about Rising leaders being ill treated or humiliated, only that they were tried and executed.

Another snippet about Mrs Lee-Wilson is that she became a well known paediatrician and a devout Catholic later in life.

Yes, I found the scene quite shocking. Even more so, when I realised it
was actually true.

maudgonner · 05-02-2016 12:57AM

Strazdas wrote: »

The one article (in the Herald) saying it was unlikely to return seemed to be entirely speculative and not based on anything solid. Given that filming on Series 2 wouldn't start until next year, you couldn't say with certainty that it will return. It should be very interesting to see how it's received in the US and if it can be sold to other countries on the back of that.

Exactly. So claiming that a second series is a sure thing is silly. If nothing else, Rebellion was part-funded by the BAI. Unless they've decided to go ahead without that funding for a second series they will have to apply for it again. The BAI don't just hand out cheques - there's a well-defined application procedure that requires a lot of paperwork and prep. The next round of funding won't be granted until July.

And it wasn't just one article in the Herald that cast doubt on a second series. Jane Gogan was quoted in the Independent: "We haven't confirmed anything about that yet but we're certainly going into a whole period where we'd very much like to tell that story, through to the foundation of the state." Nothing is confirmed.

I wouldn't mind seeing a second series commissioned, I'd rather they spend their budget on that than a lot of the other rubbish they make. But it's misleading to suggest that it's in the bag.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 05-02-2016 01:44AM

From what I could see on the BAI website they only have about 500k towards the production. Assuming that a second series wouldn't cost quite as much, if the need to use very specific historic locations is removed, then it's entirely possible they could make another series without the BAI's involvement.

That said it still seems unlikely we'll know anything for definite anytime soon.

Strazdas · 05-02-2016 02:41AM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

From what I could see on the BAI website they only have about 500k towards the production. Assuming that a second series wouldn't cost quite as much, if the need to use very specific historic locations is removed, then it's entirely possible they could make another series without the BAI's involvement.

That said it still seems unlikely we'll know anything for definite anytime soon.

I would say it's very likely to return but there's no need for them to announce anything for 12 months at least. The next bit of news should be how it's received in the US and if other countries will pick it up (plenty of time for that....countries sometimes wait for 6-12 months or more before buying in a foreign series).

Shurimgreat · 05-02-2016 11:13AM

Strazdas wrote: »

The one article (in the Herald) saying it was unlikely to return seemed to be entirely speculative and not based on anything solid. Given that filming on Series 2 wouldn't start until next year, you couldn't say with certainty that it will return. It should be very interesting to see how it's received in the US and if it can be sold to other countries on the back of that.

Agreed about the selling to other countries. The commissioning of a second series would depend on how well it was received in these other countries. It will be interesting to see if it is sold and how well it goes down.

There is a massive ready made viewership in the States, UK and Australia given the Irish populations in those countries.

I have a feeling it will be shown around about Easter time in some other countries.

Watch this space in other words.

P. Breathnach · 05-02-2016 12:02PM

Shurimgreat wrote: »

...
I have a feeling it will be shown around about Easter time in some other countries....

I think it will sell outside Ireland, but I suspect it will not be sold for prime time viewing - it's not quite good enough.

I don't think that overseas purchasers will give much thought to showing it at Easter. They are less likely to think in terms of anniversaries than are people in Ireland.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 05-02-2016 12:26PM

P. Breathnach wrote: »

I think it will sell outside Ireland, but I suspect it will not be sold for prime time viewing - it's not quite good enough.

I don't think that overseas purchasers will give much thought to showing it at Easter. They are less likely to think in terms of anniversaries than are people in Ireland.

Plus the Anniversary isn't even at Easter, really, it's at the end of April. Easter is in March this year.

Shurimgreat · 05-02-2016 12:39PM

I read somewhere that Sundance were involved early on and bought rights before Christmas. Any word since?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 05-02-2016 12:42PM

Shurimgreat wrote: »

I read somewhere that Sundance were involved early on and bought rights before Christmas. Any word since?

Sundance were involved in the production of it, their logo appears at the end of the credits. They're showing it at some point in the next few months.

maudgonner · 05-02-2016 12:49PM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Sundance were involved in the production of it, their logo appears at the end of the credits. They're showing it at some point in the next few months.

They're showing it over three nights starting April 24th, the actual anniversary.

http://www.sundance.tv/series/rebellion

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 05-02-2016 12:52PM

maudgonner wrote: »

They're showing it over three nights starting April 24th, the actual anniversary.

http://www.sundance.tv/series/rebellion

Interesting to see how they break it up over 3 nights.

Episode 2 could benefit from being viewed right after or right before one of the other episodes.

As the last episode was a little longer I'd imagine they'll go 1+2, 3+4 and then 5 on it's own.

Shurimgreat · 05-02-2016 12:57PM

I forgot about Easter being in March this year. But its nice they are showing it on the 100th Anniversary to the day. I think it will get good viewing figures and I think the reviews will be more measured than here in Ireland. There certainly won't be complaints about the TV licence fee, RTE canteen, blah blah.

PeterTheEighth · 05-02-2016 01:19PM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

As the last episode was a little longer I'd imagine they'll go 1+2, 3+4 and then 5 on it's own.

I personally think that they should have made it either in to a single movie or a two part special. The thing seemed to go on forever the way that it was done. Cut some of the peripheral characters, drop the whole social commentary about class and religion, and just focus on the events. And save some of that 16 million that they wasted on making it into a mini series.

maudgonner · 05-02-2016 01:28PM

PeterTheEighth wrote: »

I personally think that they should have made it either in to a single movie or a two part special. The thing seemed to go on forever the way that it was done. Cut some of the peripheral characters, drop the whole social commentary about class and religion, and just focus on the events. And save some of that 16 million that they wasted on making it into a mini series.

6m not 16.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 05-02-2016 01:30PM

maudgonner wrote: »

6m not 16.

Don't bring your facts into this, maudgonner!

Strazdas · 05-02-2016 02:06PM

Shurimgreat wrote: »

I forgot about Easter being in March this year. But its nice they are showing it on the 100th Anniversary to the day. I think it will get good viewing figures and I think the reviews will be more measured than here in Ireland. There certainly won't be complaints about the TV licence fee, RTE canteen, blah blah.

It will be very interesting to hear what US TV critics and viewers make of it as an actual production. Funnily enough, the chorus of disapproval in Ireland seemed to only start with Episode 2, suggesting critics had a problem with the depiction of the actual Rising rather than the basic premise and set up of the show.

Shurimgreat · 05-02-2016 03:08PM

Just in relation to some of the historicity and accuracy of Rebellion, its worth pointing out that many acclaimed films and TV series have suffered from similar.

Take a look at Lincoln (nominated for 12 Oscars) as an example.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/goofs

If anything some of them will make you smile.

It is fair to criticise any program for errors, but its also fair to recognise that most period films and TV series suffer from the same problems.

PeterTheEighth · 05-02-2016 03:18PM

maudgonner wrote: »

6m not 16.

Okay, I had the other figure in my head for some reason. Still a lot of money. I shall correct the record.

Strazdas · 05-02-2016 03:45PM

Shurimgreat wrote: »

Just in relation to some of the historicity and accuracy of Rebellion, its worth pointing out that many acclaimed films and TV series have suffered from similar.

Take a look at Lincoln (nominated for 12 Oscars) as an example.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/goofs

If anything some of them will make you smile.

It is fair to criticise any program for errors, but its also fair to recognise that most period films and TV series suffer from the same problems.

From what I recall, Michael Collins had quite a few historical errors (a car bomb at Dublin Castle for example when no such things existed) and examples of taking artistic licence and creating scenes that never actually happened

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 05-02-2016 04:12PM

Braveheart got more wrong than it did right.

Strazdas · 05-02-2016 04:29PM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Braveheart got more wrong than it did right.

The conclusion I'd draw from all this is that 1916 is still a very touchy subject in Ireland. A lot of the attacks on Rebellion on Twitter seemed to focus in on the historical aspects, not so much on the actors, scripts, plot development etc.

kabakuyu · 05-02-2016 08:43PM

Thank god its over, thought it was very poor.Hopefully it will drift into obscurity,not RTE's finest hour.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 05-02-2016 08:48PM

kabakuyu wrote: »

Thank god its over, thought it was very poor.Hopefully it will drift into obscurity,not RTE's finest hour.

You make it sound like someone tied you to a chair and forced you to watch it.

MilesMorales1 · 05-02-2016 08:53PM

I thought it was really quite enjoyable.

Shurimgreat · 05-02-2016 09:08PM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

You make it sound like someone tied you to a chair and forced you to watch it.

This is a good point. Why did some people watch it to the very last minute of the last episode before deciding they didn't like it. Its really bizarre.

Strazdas · 05-02-2016 09:47PM

MilesMorales1 wrote: »

I thought it was really quite enjoyable.

It was and around half a million viewers a week agreed with you (probably a lot more if we add in catch up views).

I've been scratching my head for the last few weeks at all the negativity, as if this was the worst drama series ever made or something.

jmcc · 05-02-2016 10:00PM

There does seem to be a split in opinions with the pro-RTE posters (some of whom seem to be extremely pro-RTE) talking up the series despite it being poorly received by the public and the posters who think that it was poorly written and those who found fault with the history as depicted in the series. Don't even think that the History Channel would take it as a prime-time series. (It screened run Vikings and Black Sails and a few US Revolutionary War series.) It is funny to see people waffling on about viewing figures without actually understanding the business. The value of a programme to a TV channel is in the amount of advertising it can sell through it. Now this might be upsetting to the people who read the review sections and believe them and who think that all TV series are created equally but if a TV series can't bring in the advertising, then it is unlikely to be picked up. It is a numbers business.

Regards...jmcc

jmcc · 05-02-2016 10:08PM

The Black Oil wrote: »

I hate this mentality that fan feedback should inform the creative direction of any show or series. All that does is lead to one ugly thing - fan entitlement and there is quite enough of that going on with some US shows. Leaving aside that this particular series was bound up in history, if I worked in television I couldn't give two fups about the reaction of the internetz. All social media does in is lead to people piling on, sometimes for the sake of it. Don't even get me started on live commenting on an episode.

Well stick to whatever you are doing. The whole point about series, from a broadcaster point of view is building the numbers. If that kind of Social Media involvement results in buy-in from people and repeat viewing, then it is a good thing because it makes the series more valuable for a broadcaster and enables them to sell more advertising.

Regards...jmcc

2016 RTE Drama: Rebellion - no spoilers please (mod warning in post #1)

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