press kit-related stories
Posted Sep 24th 2009 10:00AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Animation, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free, Press Kits Unwrapped
You've heard it before. The character of Cleveland Brown is the last person in the cast you'd expect to get a spin-off from
Family Guy (well, except maybe Herbert, the pedophile down the street). Well, he did in the form of
The Cleveland Show. Fox is trying to promote the hell out of this program and as a result, members of the press got a cute press kit to go along with a DVD containing the first three episodes of the show.
This particular press kit contained a body brush (for scrubbing those hard to reach places while in the bath or shower) as well as a plastic bag that contained a towel and some bubble bath . The only thing I can conclude from this particular batch of items is that watching
The Cleveland Show will somehow make one feel unclean. This is a nice continuation from the same feeling one would get from watching any given episode of
Family Guy.
Actually, the kit is a bit contradictory. The bag is obviously to keep a wet towel from dripping on anything, but who brings such a thing to the bath? That sort of item is usually reserved for the beach. I guess they were afraid the towel would get wet in transit or something.
Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: The Cleveland Show
Posted Sep 21st 2009 1:02PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Reality-Free, Press Kits Unwrapped
I feel sorry for the poor intern who had to put this thing together. I understand that Lifetime is a cable network and all, but they've become pretty high-profile lately. I would think that if they were going to send out press kits, then maybe they could spring for more than some confetti and crappy stickers printed out on the office ink jet.
Even
Sit Down, Shut Up, which is last press kit I did, at least had a t-shirt. It was actually a super-comfy American Apparel shirt, and I still wear it around the house. The
Rita Rocks/Sherri press kit, on the other hand, is a do-it-yourself lunchbox-type thing, filled with confetti, containing the DVDs, a bunch of crappy candy, and some un-inflated balloons. It's kind of the saddest thing I've ever seen.
Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: Rita Rocks and Sherri
Posted Sep 6th 2009 2:00PM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Industry, Reality-Free, Press Kits Unwrapped
Normally, TV press kits come with more useless junk than an IKEA furniture kit. They usually come with T-shirts that are too small for the average TV critic's billowy build, toys that can turn the brightest human beings into easily-amused cats, and other assorted paraphernalia.
FX's press kit for the forthcoming second season of
Sons of Anarchy has none of these things. There are no bloody brass knuckle sets, fake handlebar mustaches or even a lousy T-shirt that reads "The bitch fell off" on the back, perfect for that upcoming christening or bar-mitzvah.
That doesn't mean it's bad. In fact, it's one of the most bitching press kits to ever grace my cold, ink-stained hands.
Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: Sons of Anarchy Season 2
Posted Apr 16th 2009 10:04AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: OpEd, Animation, Reality-Free, Press Kits Unwrapped
I don't know about you guys, but I've been super-excited about the premiere of
Mitch Hurwitz's new animated show,
Sit Down, Shut Up. It seems like I've been hearing about it forever, but it finally premieres this Sunday night on Fox. Recently, the screener came up for grabs, so naturally I jumped at it. What I didn't realize is that I would be getting the whole press kit with it.
All press kits are not created equal: I'd definitely enjoy a
talking Barney bobblehead from
How I Met Your Mother, but a busted picture of
Eliza Dushku's face from
Dollhouse really wouldn't do a whole lot for me. The press kit for
Sit Down, Shut Up is kind of low-rent, but it
is for a Mitch Hurwitz show on FOX. The low-rated
Arrested Development didn't exactly make FOX a boatload of cash while it aired, so they're probably waiting to see how the ratings go for this one before they shell out any more dough on fancy tschotkes for the press.
Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: Sit Down, Shut Up
Posted Jan 26th 2009 11:05AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Programming, Reality-Free, Dollhouse, Press Kits Unwrapped
It is going to be an uphill battle to success for Joss Whedon's
Dollhouse. One defining factor in the quality of support that a network gives its programs is the impressiveness of the press kit it releases for the show. If this is the case,
Dollhouse is in trouble.
For the sake of full disclosure, let me mention that our editor-in-chief Joel had the package first because he desperately needed to watch the premiere the moment he got it (as someone who is anticipating the series, I understand completely). The package was opened and re-packaged by the time it got to me. That being said, it still didn't look anywhere near as cool as the
24 press kit that Jonathan reviewed. It did have one or two saving graces, though.
Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: Dollhouse
Posted Sep 11th 2007 2:01PM by Keith McDuffee
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Video, Press Kits Unwrapped
The press kits have just begun rolling in, and for the most part the networks haven't gotten nearly as fancy with the packaging as they did last season. FOX had a reputation for going way out of their way to make their packaging stand out, but the first couple of screeners sent (
Prison Break, for example) didn't have much more than the DVD. With the first new-show screener,
Nashville, they're back to their old ways.
Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: FOX's Nashville - VIDEO
Posted Oct 25th 2006 8:02PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: FOX, The Simpsons, Animation, Press Kits Unwrapped
A note to the people who put together these press kits: if you want to woo me, fill the kit with lots and lots of candy. I don't care if it has anything to do with the television program you're promoting or not. I want lots of damn chocolate, and I want it now. As you can see in the picture above, this press kit for the upcoming "Treehouse of Horror" episode of The Simpsons was stuffed with mini candy bars, Blow Pops and peanuts, all of which I scarfed down fairly quickly, growling under my breath like a starving dog protecting his food bowl.
Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror XVII
Posted Sep 9th 2006 8:05AM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, FOX, OpEd, The Simpsons, American Dad, Family Guy, Animation, Press Kits Unwrapped
FOX's animation-heavy Sunday lineup kicks off this Sunday starting with The Simpsons at 8, American Dad at 8:30, Family Guy at 9, and The War at Home at 9:30. That doesn't matter though, because we're not going to talk about those shows right now. Instead, let's dive into the nifty press pack FOX sent out to promote their returning Sunday shows. After the jump you'll see pictures of me enjoying all the cool free stuff. Please be aware that I suffer from a rare skin condition, and I'm only twenty-two inches tall. Okay, let's tear into this kit:
Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, and The War at Home
Posted Sep 7th 2006 8:34PM by Richard Keller
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, FOX, OpEd
(S01E01) Been there, done that. If you're looking for our review of the series premiere of FOX's new comedy
Happy Hour you won't find it here. This is just to point you over to some earlier posts we did on the show. For instance, you can see what we thought of the comedy's
preview screener as well as the
official "reviewable" copy that came in the
accompanying press kit. Will be be covering this show in the future? Er, um, well . . . Hey, look at the time! It's getting late and I should really be getting home.
Posted Sep 7th 2006 1:25PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, FOX, OpEd, Celebrities
Ah, Brad Garrett finally returns to television after playing Ray Romano's secret transsexual lover on Everybody Loves Raymond for nine seasons (I never watched the show, so I'm just assuming). At any rate, he's back starring in 'til Death, a series about a couple that have been married for almost 9,000 days who get new neighbors, a young newlywed couple who have yet to realize just how trying a marriage can be once that initial spark dies down and reality sets in. The series debuts this evening at 8, but before you tune in, let's take a gander at all the cool stuff FOX included in its press kit for the show.
Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: 'Til Death
Posted Aug 31st 2006 10:43AM by Keith McDuffee
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Cable, OpEd, Battlestar Galactica, Sci Fi
When I returned home last night, a package awaited me that I later knew would most definitely define a good portion of the near midnight hours of my night; a large, thin, hard bound book containing beautiful pictures, text and DVDs for the first four episodes of
Battlestar Galactica's third season.
It's extremely difficult to tell you too much about the new season and the episodes I watched without spoiling things for you, especially when I'm such a hardcore member of
Spoilers Anonymous as it is. Sorry in advance if I'm giving too little or too much away, but I think this will be a good start to get you even more excited for the new season, which starts Friday, October 6.
Continue reading Battlestar Galactica season three -- an early look
Posted Aug 30th 2006 10:33PM by Richard Keller
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, FOX, OpEd, Bones
(S02E01) You're looking for a review of the second season premiere of Bones, aren't you? Perhaps you're interested in knowing if Emily Deschanel's acting skills have improved over the summer, or if David Boreanaz has gotten even hunkier. Well, don't worry, we'll be here next week at this time (or somewhere near this time) with ongoing reviews of the series.
In the meantime, you can read our early take on the official FOX preview screener of the season premiere as well as a review of the Bones press kit, which I wasn't too impressed with. By the way, on the subject of Deschanel's performance . . . from someone who didn't see an episode of the show last season she seems okay. However, you seasoned viewers may have another opinion.
Posted Aug 29th 2006 10:28AM by Richard Keller
Filed under: FOX, Industry, Bones, Press Kits Unwrapped
Woo.
Even though FOX's Bones isn't a new show (its second season premiere airs this Wednesday at 8:00) I was expecting a bit more from the press kit. I mean the kit for FOX's Prison Break, which is also into its second season, came with a hooded sweatshirt and faux-newspaper detailing the characters and plot of the show. The least I expected from the Bones kit was maybe a mini-mangled body to put on my mantle, or a small reproduction of the holo-tank they use for their investigations. Alas, all I got was what you see in this picture . . . not even a folder or envelope for the materials!
Well, at least the show is good. Let's take a quick (and I mean QUICK) look at the paltry amount of material that this press kit provided.
Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: FOX's Bones
Posted Aug 22nd 2006 2:09PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, FOX, Industry, Press Kits Unwrapped
First off, let me say that I am very jealous of the sweatshirt that
Keith got from the
Prison Break press kit. Since I'm covering
Justice this season, Keith sent its press kit all the way across the country to my house. FOX didn't quite go all out with this press kit the way it did for
Prison Break. No newspaper. Just a stack of office paper with bios for the actors, including a pathetically short bio for Kerr Smith, and a letter from the law firm instructing me to watch the pilot on DVD (also included).
Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: FOX's Justice
Six Mad Men characters who are in limbo after the finale
Fact or Fiction: Big Bang, Brothers & Sisters and CSI
The TV Squad Podcast: Linda Purl talks about The Office, we talk spoilers, and more
