Somewhere, Joss Whedon is giggling insanely right about now.
NEW YORK (AP) — Spike is no longer just the name of a famous film
> director or a volleyball move. Now it’s the name of a cable network, too.
> Struggling TNN — which just two years ago changed from The Nashville
> Network to The National Network — announced Tuesday that, effective June
> 16, it will call itself Spike TV.
• 
Spike TV….Why???????
Pathetic. They’ll never be able to truly combat the other more vaginal cable networks — no offense to the fairer sex intended — unless they can syndicate “The Man Show” and give it the marathon treatment they’ve been giving TNG.
When I heard the name “Spike TV” the first thing I thought of was Spike from Buffy.
According to todays NY Newsday, the name is meant to ” … evoke the aggressive & irreverent nature … “. Sounds like Spike from before he got the chip in his head.
“Spike TV: Not just a name, a good suggestion!”
Does this mean that TNN will be getting the syndicated episodes of BTVS after this season and as a promo they renamed the network after their favorite character.
They could run BTVS Saturdays and STTNG Sundays.
SPB
Look out! I think they’re going to jump a shark!
As long as they still have fishing shows on saturday morning, I suppose I’ll still be watching. I just can’t get enough of bill dance and shaw grigsby. 🙂
Watch, they will sign a new WWF type of show, and have it on ALL the time…
You know, this is the work of one… Albie Hecht, new President of TNN.
You know, considering that TNN/SpikeTV isbringing back Ren & Stimpy in brand-new episodes, I don’t care if they decide to call themselves “Rotten Festering Infected Wound TV,” I’m there. And they’re also got something upcoming called “Striperella” with the voice (and I’ll assume likeness as well) of Pamela Anderson-Lee-Arnold-Fortensky, produced by Stan Lee.
It’s hardly the kind of TV that Spike, afficianado of the soap opera, would even watch.
Caleb, on the other hand…
The name change won’t help their ratings one bit.
First they marketted themselves as a fairly country-stereotype network (huntin’ an’ fishin’ an’ Monter trucks!). Then, they started airing genre reruns to fit another stereotype (the science fiction and testosterone stuff). Now that (and their hypocritical ads. A topheavy Pamela Anderson cardboard cutout comes to mind.) isn’t working, and they think a namechange will?
Until they put decent programming on, the network name won’t matter.
The only reason I ever started watching TNN was for The Next Generation, but now that the DVDs are out there’s not a single reason I can think of to tune in.
I can’t bring myself to watch an episode with commercials and the disgusting black bar at the bottom.
I would have tuned in for my favorite Star Trek series Deep Space Nine in 2004, but thankfully they’ll be out on DVD long before that shoe drops.
A few things to mention:
1. When I think of “Spike” TV, I think of the male organ. Might as well call it “Tonker TV”. Of course, the Oxygen network makes me think of the female organ (with it’s gaping “Oh” symbol, similar to the motif used by the letter in “Story of O”). But then, I have difficulty looking at the Washington Monument without laughing.
2. Secondly, Joss Whedon hardly was the first creator to use a character named Spike. What about the creator of the DC characters Sugar and Spike? What about Spike the Dog from the old WB cartoons? What other “Spike” characters were there?
3. Thirdly, I’ve just watched the complete first season of DS9 on DVD, and I’m amazed at how solid the writing was and well-developed the characters were even in the beginning. Going against the grain of all the other Trekker types, it’s my favorite Star Trek series.
Deep Space Nine is my favorite too. I’m the opposite of a lot of fans. I liked it better in the beginning, and lost a lot of love for the show in the last two seasons when everything became about the war. I just bought the first season off ebay (vhs, I couldn’t afford the DVD). I realized just how much I loved the show in the first few seasons. DS9 had some of my favorite characters of all time.
Another famous Spike is Snoopy’s brother in PEANUTS…
Let’s not forget the real people (nick)named Spike, either; Spike Jones, Spike Milligan, Spike Lee…
Just to make a correction, Spike the dog is from Tom & Jerry, not the old Warner Brothers cartoons.
And I believe that the DC characters were Sugar & “Spice,” not Spike. Though I’m sure someone more familiar with DC titles and characters could give a more difinative response. But that is how the rhyme goes…sugar & spice & everything nice, that’s what little girls are made of.
Though nowadays sugar & spikes maybe more appropriate. 😉
SPB
Wasn’t Fonzie’s kid cousin (or something) on Happy Days called Spike?
No, the comic was definitely “Sugar and Spike.” (There’s fertile ground for parody there, Buffy fans.)
They should just change the name to “Crap” and be done with it.
Frankly, I’m surprised it took this long. Going from the Nashville Network to the TNG Network never made any sense to me. Spike’s a definable brand, and everyone will know what it stands for…
Male-oriented “honey, how can you watch that?” crap.
I always figured that the name The National Network, in addition to keeping the original acronym, refered to the fact that they had turned it into a clone of the USA Network:
lame movies!
professional wrestling!
Baywatch!
(If they had purchased the rights to Silk Stalkings it would have been perfect.)
Still, every once in a while these past two years I’ve heard about some new poll where people still associated TNN with country music. Apparently no amount of Newness can convince viewers that Eighteen Wheels of Justice has been replaced with Blind Date.
Aaron Thomas
… and yes, there’s no stopping them now.
If I recall, TNN suddenly changed their moniker from “Nashville” to “National” within about 72 hours of September 11. I suppose they were trying to capitalize on the spirit of patriotism that permeated this country since the attacks. I guess that didn’t bring them the overall ratings they had hoped for.
By the way, could someone clarify for me the general impetus for changing to “SPIKE?” Out of over 100,000 words in the english language, what made them choose “SPIKE?”
Elie
Actually, the change to the NEW TNN was in the works for a while, wasn’t a spinoff of 9/11.
And being a wrestling fan, I presumed they renamed it after perennial underdog, Spike Dudley.
Oh, and ratings did go up with the importation of wrestling and Trek.
(quote)By the way, could someone clarify for me the general impetus for changing to “SPIKE?” Out of over 100,000 words in the english language, what made them choose “SPIKE?”(unquote)
Smucker’s was already trademarked.
Probably not, but they could use it as an acronym:
Sports
Public affairs
Information
Knowledge
Entertainment
If it were up to the public, I’d vote in an instant for:
Just Another Cable Channel
but SPIKE probably looks cooler and fits better in the TV listings.
“I’ve just watched the complete first season of DS9, and I’m amazed at how solid the writing was and well-developed the characters were even in the beginning”
It showed the fundamentally flawed thinking of the Paramount in-house writers.
Here you have a station, right at the edge of Federation space, with the war-like Cardassians, war-like Klingons (who are allies less often than enemies), the Borg are coming, there’s Gods only know what waiting to come and be nasty from the other end of the wormhole, and how many YEARS was it before the Federation woke up to the fact that it just might be a good idea to give Deep Dish 9 some TEETH in case things went sour?
And don’t get me started on the Defiant. The prototype was all but mothballed because it was too powerful?! How insane is THAT? And why the heck are they using an obsolete Romulan cloaking device when the Federation’s own [as seen in STTNG: PEGASUS] is infinitely superior? They try to explain it by accords/treaties/etc, but it really doesn’t hold water. Sloppy writing is all.
“Sloppy writing is all.”
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
DS9 was a yawner from the get-go and a prime example of the weakness and same-old, same-old qualities of the new regime’s insistence on character-driven, rather then plot-driven, stories: plot holes one could pilot a warbird through, the lack of any grounding in science in too many instances, dangling threads left unresolved and forgotten, wooden acting and those phlegmatic, noisome Bajorans, whose mere presence on the screen was sufficient to bring any dramatic movement to a screeching halt.
Never understood the explanation for the station in the first place – the Cardassians (as inept a martial society as possibly any ever convceived) built it as an ore-processing station.
By any standard, it simply has to be more cost effective to deal with transporting and handling processed ore via the station, rather than sending up and handling load after load of unprocessed rocks, as was shown in flashback time and time again.
Could fill pages more, but just needed to vent a bit.
re: DS9.
I loved the show. I did think the first two seasons we lame. But it only got better, minus the series finale, which was REALLY bad.
Sisko (sp) was a great character. He had depth like no other captain. The supporting case was fleshed out better than any of the ST series. It had a HUGE cast. The war with the founders was great. I hated Worf showing up, and how the glazed over Jedzia (sp) dying, and what a HUGE impact it should have had.
But all in all, it was much better than lame Voyage, on par with the best ST:TNG, and makes the REALLY lame Enterprise look stupid. (Does ANYONE watch that show? It is SO bad it is embarrassing.)
I do think, though, that the current creative staff of StarTrek should be fired or step aside. The last two years of Star Trek has been the worse. The latest movie was really, really bad.
Personally, I think they should simply moth ball all Star Trek for ten years, and then give it to a new creative team. (Or the Babylon 5 creator… Or maybe Kevin Smith)
Tim
“I hated Worf showing up, and how the glazed over Jedzia (sp) dying, and what a HUGE impact it should have had.”
All through Worf’s existence as a character, he has trumpeted the Klingon Way, the Way of the Warrior, honour above all, and all that fine-sounding stuff.
So, what do the imbecile writers do? They have him act COMPLETELY out of character when, faced with either completing a CRITICAL mission, or saving Jadzia, he does the latter. No one I know who has seen that episode has felt other than “it didn’t just jump the shark (it had done that long since) but dropped a live grenade and then sat on it just for the fun of it.”
The corresponding moment in VOYAGER (ugh!) came early. ALLIES, I think was the episode name. Janeway (surely one of the least competent captains in StarFleet history) has one bright moment where she decides to make nice with some people to help them against the Kazon (surely some of the dumbest villains in TREK history – upgraded Pakleds, if that) and they have a meeting in a glorified mud hut.
But it’s a trap. An enemy ship drops in and starts firing anti-ship weapons into the place. Not only is the building not vapourized (which it should be) but no one inside seems seriously injured. Worse, Voyager drives off the attacker by firing two PHOTON TORPEDOES at it – as it hovers a few METERS off the street. The city should be left a smouldering crater. Instead, the ship bobs a bit from impact then leaves. Who knew there was a stun settings, on torpedoes? Friends seeing this were laughing their guts out.
>> Personally, I think they should simply moth ball all Star Trek for ten years, and then give it to a new creative team. (Or the Babylon 5 creator… Or maybe Kevin Smith) <<
The funny thing: Joe Michael Straczynski originally pitched Babylon 5 to Paramount. It was turned down, but soon after they began a similar concept, Deep Space 9.
Very loose comparison ultimately, since the only part Paramount kept was using a space station.
I get confused is TNN the one showing re-runs of Nash Bridges? I like that show. I wish they’d show re-runs of Starsky and Hutch at an earlier hour (for a while they were showing them at 2am.)
As with the comments, I agree — the plot should make sense, even if the characters make sense, too. You can have more emphasis on one or the other, but when you have both you have the most broad appeal.
And no snarky remarks from you guys on “broad,” I know what you’re thinking and you’re right 🙂
Well, let’s keep things in perspective here. A lot of the objections raised to DS9 are the sort of fannish things the average viewer wouldn’t care about (would the average non-Trekkie tuning in care about the Federation’s cloaking device from another show?) and it didn’t tend to devolve into the absurd plots that Voyager kept running in its early seasons (Tuvix?!?). There’s a large gap between “I didn’t like the show” and “The show didn’t make sense.”
Worst. Idea. Ever.
/Comicbook Guy
Spike TV? The hëll?