No, it says won't play in this country.

It will be on google later today for non- US viewers...apparently. I will post the link here.

No one is a bigger fan of Derren's than I am.... and I'll probably get burned alive for saying this... but I found the show surprisingly lackluster.

I've seen all his shows from the UK- stage and Chan. 4, and I'm always blown away by Derren's sheer talent, his stage "chops", the quality of production, etc. Yet last night's show began with Derren getting a bunch of people at a mall to raise their HANDS?? WTF?

I think this whole program presents an interesting question... IMHO, magic doesn't work on TV. Does mentalism suffer the same problem? After all, is there not one thing that Derren did last night that could not be "re-enacted" by actors? Plus, I don't feel that Derren was at his most dynamic. I found the segment with the conductor and the orchestra fascinating, but I would bet the majority of Americans found it very slow. Like it or not, there's a reason American media is designed for those with a 2-second attention span.

On another post, (the one about the new "American Idol" type contest for mentalists), I suggested that Derren Brown was going to put the contest show out of business. That a contest would expose much of what we do, and would be terrible for the art. Now I'm beginning to reconsider. I think when people KNOW it's live, and the performer HAS to amaze IN THE MOMENT, it lends a credibility to the authenticity of the effect.

Watching last night's show, I tried to put myself in the shoes of the uninitiated American audience. And I found it rather disappointing. I had told MANY people in advance to watch it... that this guy (Derren) was going to take America by storm... and it left them wondering, "Was he talking about the same guy?" I desperately WANT this show to succeed, as I do think Derren is amazing, and if the mentalism community is to be represented by one star, I can't think of anyone better. And I know Derren CAN be better. Which is why I think he's GOT to be better. And so does the show.

I thought it was very good.

As a middle-aged fogey, I was pleased to see a magician whose appearance and mannerisms don't repulse me. I acknowledge that Penn & Teller, Angel, and Blaine are talented. But their performing personas strike me as freakish and ridiculous, and their TV shows are just annoying.

I appreciated a magic show that was filled with magic rather than endless plugs for what would come later and an endless build-up to a final stunt.

An interesting point has been made about the show.

Even though the Angel shows are very different magic, the key difference is quality of content. Derren's shows was content, content, content

By contrast Angel's shows are a tiring long stream of various laymen to seasoned pro's showing concern over Criss's safety, squeezed in between adverts for what is coming up, which leads to the question of quality.

One thing that cannot be taken away from Derren is how much you get in the show (although this was my one complaint with the trick or treat series), and the amount of content time compared to Angel's shows, to me shows someone who is genuinely trying to showcase their talents and apparently has enough material to do this. And on the other hand ones like Angel, where the hint is that they are time filling, and also mocking his audience.

Amen to that, brother.

Please quit out-funny-ing me...it's hard work.

D.

Yes, but you are forgetting the most important part of those moments, which is the interviews with the spectators afterwards. Actors cannot do that good a job. The audience knows those people are real people, and therefore believe that the stunt was not accomplished by actors. Those audience interviews are ONLY achievable on TV, thus making television a perfect medium for magic and mentalism. On stage is where I wonder who is an actor and who isn't. On TV, once people see the interviews afterwards, their concerns are allayed in a way you can only do on tv.

In my opinion.

All of your points are valid- Brown is a breath of fresh air, breaking the mold, a likeable persona, and not about self-promotion. I am harsh in my critique simply BECAUSE I hold him to a higher standard. And the segments were not nearly as fascinating as the BMX bike piece (which is explained afterword by the so-called use of NLP).

When I have shown that clip to people on YouTube, they're blown away. The explanation of the chess match between Derren and all the masters was fantastic. I think this show needed more of that. After all, isn't that a large part of Derren's brilliance? That his "methods", when explained, are even more fantastical than the effect?

In order to gauge the success of this show, we must put ourselves in the shoes of the layman. Yes, it's different. It's interesting. But would bet that ultimately, it's not nearly as compelling to the average American as we (I) hoped it would be.

Gabe,

He has to fill 6 eps of 60 mins each...the moments you treasure will come...he is an artist who knows how to leave his audience wanting more.

I am with you brother...but I think you should look at the show from the perspective of the jaded American who has not seen DB yet...they have no idea what is in store for them.

DB is just whetting the appetite.

And if the Sci-Fi series dosen't work, then he will obviously go broke and be homeless within weeks.

D.

Maybe we can whip up a collection, if that happens.

Hey Don-

As a performer, the most important two moments, if you are to hold an audience, is how you open, and how you close. The headliner can even get away with having "soft" material in the middle, if his beginning and closing knocks everyone's socks off.

The points you brought up (looking at the show from the POV of the jaded American who hasn't seen DB yet) are exactly why this can't be overlooked. You can't say "the moments will come" (well, actually, you CAN say it, you just did, lol). That's like a comedian saying, "Just wait folks- the good jokes are coming up." Derren, as an unknown commodity in the US, doesn't have that luxury. If he had put the BMX bike piece up front- top-load it, I guarantee fewer Americans would have switched channels.

I haven't seen the numbers yet, but I would bet you they declined steadily throughout that hour. So instead of something like the BMX, he opens in a mall by getting people to raise their hands? Angel and Blaine can leave their audiences wanting more (of course, they never GET more!) but again-- as the new kid, Derren doesn't have that luxury.

Example: As a stand-up (for 17 years), unless you were a household name, you HAD to have a killer opening. The audience doesn't know you, and subconsiously is already angry that they're paying a $10 cover for a guy who's probably "no funnier than I am at work". This is their attitude. So you have to prove RIGHT AWAY why you ARE worth their time and money. You can't leave those moments for the future.

Many times at the Comic Strip or the Improv, I'd see a famous comic come in, and the audience was so happy just to see them live, they could get away with just rambling for awhile. But even THEN, after 10 minutes, you could feel people get restless. They wanted funny. Whetting the appetite is a luxury Brown can't afford with the short-attention viewer. Why not kick off with your best?

Gabelson:

Well put.

I really like your posts, and in this topic especially.

D.

Ditto, Don Theo. This is a fascinating thread.

The only problem that I really had with the show was that the editing and "flow" of the show didn't seem as tight as his UK shows. Sure they used the same transitions, but the overall continuity that he had in previous shows just wasn't there. Close, but no cigar.

Right now, since he is still a newcomer to American TV, he needs to build his credibility, and for that, I also wish that he went back to some of his quick straight at the camera bits. Things like the circle, triangle prediction, the 3 of diamonds prediction, or heck even a quick discussion of "embedded commands." Little things like that, that make the audience feel like they are in on it, and also help to make it more believable, will go a long way in preventing people from accusing him of using some of Angel's less-than-honest techniques.

-Nick

Gabe-

You really like that BMX bike piece.

I'm gonna ask something real real here, and I apologize for doing this out front instead of PM, but I think it has reasonance within the thread.

And it's real simple.

And please forgive me if it seems condescending, but there is an ethereal point to be made here.

Was the BMX footage the first routine you ever saw of Derren Brown?

D.

As a professional in the television industry and as the amateur but dead on psychic that I clearly am, I NOW PREDICT this series to not last very long in America.

I am a HUGE Derren fan, but I was severely disappointed by last nights show. To be clear, I was not disappointed with Derrens performance, but more so by the production of the show.

They picked the wrong segments to lead with. The production value was down significantly from the UK series, and overall the episode was lackluster. The producers did not do that great of a job to make Derren seem very exciting, mysterious, or unique. To me, he was quite boring and that is coming from someone who LOVES the guy.

Derren had an opportunity to really make an impression right out of the gate. Last night, that didn't happen. I am disappointed.

-B.

Don't speak too soon, I once predicted here that Criss Angel would not be picked up for a second season. Now in his third season, I realize that even with background in Film and Television, I have absolutely no clue how and why any decision is "truly" made.

Hopefully, your post has now "jinxed" his show into being picked up for a second season, as mine did for Criss.

-Nick

What was shown last night could be fixed and I think rather quickly.

I found it interesting and still do.

Jim

Nick, I hope I'm wrong. Derrens show does a lot more for the world of mentalism than anything Criss Angel or Uri Gellar ever will.