I managed to put my finger on the exact reason as to why Sabrina went downhill. Everyone I've heard from says Season 5 is the downhill point. In the US for season 5 the show moved from ABC to The WB. The WB were the ones who changed the format, by aiming it at a more mature audience, firing most of the writers and some cast members (Mr. Kraft, Harvey, Brad and Drema- 2 of which only actually come in for season 4). if the show has never moved to The WB, I doubt it would have gone downhill as much
Yeah, the way the focus of Sabrina has changed is very strange. Has anyone ever seen the pilot episode of "Clarissa" (a sequel to "Clarissa explains it all" which was never picked up but still broadcast a few times on Nick)? They went exactly the same way - Clarissa became a journalist and had trouble finding work, getting on with her co-workers etc. Both shows have failed with that plotline.
I believe Sabrina went downhill from Season 4 though - after Libby and Valerie left. Although, watching the first series on Nick today, Jenny and Mr Pool were far superior to Valerie and Mr Kraft.
For some people it was Season 4, some it was Season 5 and some Season 7.
My faith went at Season 6, call me weird, but it just did. I liked Season 7 though, the nice "new" feeling. I always thought of Season 5 - 6 being very dark and dingy.
Well that showing of "All Grown Up" just then on 'grown up' ITV1 was a bit funny.
Before the show was a standard ITV1 ident, although the announcer didn't actually introduce the show. Advert bumpers were the standard squares ones with the title written across the middle, and as it wasn't part of CITV the credits were played in full, right to the Nickelodeon endcap!
I think it shuold be a more common thing where kids shows are shown outside of the CBBC & CITV slots.
So do I because they show the FULL credits! I wish they showed the NEW sabrina today (sunday)! It would have fitted perfectly and they probably would have shown the FULL credits (like itv1).
I can understand weekday afternoons where they have live links to do, and are short of time most of the time anyway. But its things like last week, when they had Star and Seriously Wierd on in the mornings, they had no presenter, yet they still squashed up the credits so that they could play trailers. Especially as the trailers cut off the end credit music. I like the idea of trailers on the website, and it would be good if less trailers were on the TV, with more on the website. Especially as there aren't that many trailers doing the rounds, it just gets irritating.
I also like how the MPAA site has a video of the credits, though the music does become repeatitious quickly.
Yes I would prefer it if the credits of UK commissions were played in full during CITV, but I don't really see the purpose of running imports with their credits as its just a list of people we don't know!
Basically what they should do is run the credits clean for the cast members, then squash it up for the rest, but make sure they run it all the way to the end. Last week on Seriously Weird they ran the credits squashed with a trailer running, and then when the trailer finished cut straight to the CITV end ident, even though the credits hadn't finished!
Talking about All Grown Up and the fact that it seems to be repeats, is there more episodes than this and it looks like CITV have only bought a few, or is that it in the US.
If like its been said, that the UK have had it first then they will only do a few eps to test the water. The first series of Thats So Raven, was aired in the UK before anywhere else. It was received well, so the US started to show it and take it all over the world, and have recommisioned it, with new eps starting soon.
Not really wierd if they are testing the water. If they wanted to see how it would work on a commercial channel in the UK, then they may have chosen itv as itv would have a larger audience.
Alternatively it could have been due to money.
It's interesting to see on nick.com that All Grown Up isn't currently showing on Nick US. Whether its already been shownt I don't know. It's also interesting to see that they have some CiTV shows like The Worst Witch and 24seven.
Even U Pick Live (logo and all) is on in the US. I wonder why the UK replaced Watch Your Own Week with the American Version.
What doesn't make sence is Nick giving the rights to CiTV so early. As, Nick UK has been buying loads of shows lately.
If indeed they are "testing the water" as stated above, they'd probably rather do it on mainstream telly hence CiTV which could, in theory, reach millions of kids which would be a good base to test water, yes? Not that it'll get anywhere near a million viewers at all, that is.
Does Nick UK have to buy the programming of its american counterpart in the same way as it does for non Nick US sourced material? I would have thought, since they're both owned by Viacom, this wouldn't have to be the case for Nick US's material. Or am I wrong? Still at least they haven't imported that one that looks like Woof! in reverse. That'll be because the Disney Channel's got it, oh yeah.
