NETFLIX loves praise but can't stand criticism -- trust us, we hear from them. So last week wasn't a good one for the streaming service. There was the issue of the stock price falling (yes, we wrote
"TV: Is NETFLIX the new DUPONT?" for a reason). And then, when they had a new program to promote, they got caught up in Alyssa drama.
If you missed it, self-proclaimed Judge of the Universe Alyssa Milano stepped into it but instead of taking accountability, she and her partners blamed others. It's a factory feature of the spoiled brats assembled on TV network factory lines -- that and a strong sense of entitlement and a desperate addiction to mass attention.
Background, the show at issue is INSATIABLE. Some reports refer to Alyssa as "a star" of the show. She's not. It's a teen show.
This is all so pathetic that, of course, it recalls a 30 ROCK episode, specifically "Black Light Attack!" In that one, Jenna (Jane Krakowski) is convinced she's up for a lead role on the teen drama GOSSIP GIRL but, turns out, she's actually going to be playing the mother of one of the teen lead characters.
INSATIABLE is a new show for NETFLIX starring 25-year-old Debby Ryan as a high schooler Patty. Also starring is Dallas Roberts who plays her attorney. Dallas is attractive because director Andrew Fleming is one of the producers. Somehow the cast also includes Christopher Gorman and his Herman Munster face.
At one point, Gorman and Alyssa joined the producers in trying to sell the series. It being a teen-led show, THE CW was briefly interested. They ordered a pilot. Then they saw the results . . .
Which is why it will be appearing on NETFLIX. Alyssa's been rushing the media for over a year now declaring herself a star of the show and insisting that she's the star of THE CW's HACKTIVIST -- based on her graphic novel -- and of LIFETIME's upcoming series ALYSSA MILANO FOR MAYOR.
Reality on that nonsense. She's not the star of INSATIABLE. Reality on HACKTIVIST, a year later, THE CW's still not interested in airing it. More to the point, it's not "her" graphic novel. The four isues were written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly while Marcus To did the illustrations. Which brings us to the series ALYSSA MILANO FOR MAYOR which is currently not happening but there is talk of a possible LIFETIME TV movie which, of course, is a whole other thing. Most actresses -- name actresses -- now avoid LIEFTIME TV movies -- rightly or wrongly -- because the movies are seen as a cheap joke (and LIFETIME's found that stars don't really matter to their genre, just the basic plotline).
It's a year later and life is less rosy for the personality who never honed her craft. Limited skills (and faded looks) means limited options.
Maybe that's why she's dug in so hard on INSATIABLE?
The trailer was released last week and an immediate backlash was the response. Patty, the lead character, spends the summer with her jaw wired and loses a lot of weight. Newly slim, the trailer tells you, she can now take on her bullies.
Newly slim, the trailer tells you, she can now take on her bullies.
Alyssa, for those who've forgotten, loves to scream at others -- not just Jay Mohr -- for 'fat shaming.' And now the online 'activist' is finding that she too can be targeted.
Nick Bond (NEWS.COM) explains:
Insatiable tells the story of Patty (Debby Ryan), an overweight high-schooler and social reject who’s dubbed “Fatty Patty” and teased mercilessly by her school mates.
Until, that is, Patty, has her jaw wired shut over her summer holidays, loses a lot of weight and returns to school conventionally “hot.” Suddenly popular, Patty uses her new-found social standing to seek revenge on the teens who used to make her life hell.
The trailer’s earliest scenes — showing Ryan shuffling around in a less-than-convincing fat suit, grimly shovelling food into her mouth — have sparked a backlash from viewers, many of whom have asked why Hollywood is still putting thin actors in fat suits, some 17 years after Gwyneth Paltrow got cheap laughs playing a morbidly obese woman in Shallow Hal.
Others have expressed disappointment at the series’ apparent depiction of drastic, enforced weight loss as a path to success and popularity.
SHALLOW HAL?
How about Stockard Channing in the Joan Rivers-penned THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO . . .? That's really what this is more like. But, hey, intelligence is always in short supply.
Alyssa is part of the stupidity. Having no real career, she took to Twitter in the last years to try give the appearance of one. And from Twitter, she's hectored everyone while acting as though she was morally superior to everybody else. Turns out, she's just another cheap hustler.
Currently,
the CHANGE.ORG petition calling for NETFLIX to shelve the show has over 87,000 signatures.
Alyssa has tried the 'it's just a trailer excuse.' But of course, 'just a trailer' didn't stop her and her kindred from attacking the reboot of CHARMED. The back story there? Up until March of this year, there was a chance that Alyssa would star in the reboot. The reboot might be a TV show or a TV movie. When it became a TV show and a new show with new actresses, she was pissed. She'd spent over a year talking up a reboot.
But, again, it was fine for Alyssa and her kindred to slam CHARMED, the new CHARMED, based on a trailer.
They only backed off when they realized a pack of middle-aged White women attacking young women of color wasn't playing well before the public.
Now Alyssa's again the target of internet rage.
As one NETFLIX suit told us, "This isn't helping the show or the company." But he did allow that at least the negative press on INSATIABLE was drowning out the negative press about NETFLIX's stock slump.
But it wasn't helping them draw attention to a series they just added, SECRET CITY.
This six episode series they just added stars Anna Torv of FRINGE fame.
It's not a NETFLIX series, it's an Australian series which just completed filming its second series.
SECRET CITY is the most involving series NETFLIX has offered since the first season of STRANGER THINGS. The show revolves around reporter Harriet (Torv) whose ex-husband is now a woman (Damon Herriman as Kim) who is a secret intelligence analyst. Harriet stumbles across attacks on Chinese dissidents. This is part of a larger struggle taking place between China and Australia. Everyone is amazing in the cast, especially Torv and Herriman as well as Daniel Wyllie and Mekhi Phifer. We almost forgot Jacki Weaver who plays the Attorney-General of Australia with more than a few nods to Hillary Clinton.
Each episode unravels another detail. Again, no show NETFLIX has aired or created has grabbed a viewer this strongly since the first season of STRANGER THINGS. But to grab a lot of viewers, people would need to be aware of the show and Alyssa and her self-created drama tends to suck all the air out of the room -- which hasn't endeared her to the suits of NETFLIX.
In fairness to Alyssa, we pointed out to NETFLIX suits that they hadn't done a good job themselves. They should be promoting SECRET CITY and not some show about the interior of homes. More to the point, MINDHUNTER. How did they promote that show -- and they did promote it -- without noting that Anna Torv was one of the stars?
FRINGE was huge on NETFLIX. Anna Torv inspires interest. She's not the overly exposed Alyssa Milano out there hawking this product and that and boring (and angering) the world with her every thought and half-baked opinion. Anna doesn't have huge negatives associated with her. Or the desperation factor. She also doesn't have the sad need to try to look like a teenager which is what Alyssa continues to strive for as she nears 46 -- either that or she's addicted to clown make up. Again, Alyssa comes with a lot of drama.
