> Siskel and Ebert worked because of the skills, character and relationship > of those two guys. I don't think those are the only two people who could > make it work, but it is not a format-driven kind of thing, and you can't > just throw any two people, even knowledgable critics, in front of the > camera and expect it to work.
Exactly. The chemistry between Siskel and Ebert made the show work, and the many other versions that followed them made that clear. Whether or not Gene and Roger liked each other at any given point, they respected each other's knowledge of cinema enough that they'd always discuss the films intelligently. Similarly, Pardon the Interruption isn't an especially brilliant format, but the chemistry between Kornheiser and Wilbon makes it work. (In the ESPN oral history, Kornheiser talks about how they'd been friends arguing for 20 years before they went on the air, and how the reason the Post's sports department realized this was on TV instead of in the newsroom was the lack of profanity.) -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
