G4 - Attack of the Show

[John Crichton]

It's just The Screensavers but not as good but...

The fact that they aren't calling it The Screensavers anymore actually makes me like it a bit. I don't watch it often and mostly just in repeats in the background when I'm bored (or playing Civ) but it doesn't totally suck.

The hosts still annoy me most of the time and there isn't a one on there that I really like but the subject matter is interesting. While the most visually appealling, Sarah is the most annoying. They need a cooler female host. Okay, they need all new hosts but she really sticks out.

Anyone else not hating this G4 show as much as before?

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Anyone else not hating this G4 show as much as before?

When I went home on leave, in June, I was exposed to G4 for the first time and I loved it a lot, I really liked all of the shows... well, except for this one.

I just didn’t really like it. Did they change the format recently? (Like since June)

 

[John Crichton]

Yeah, it's pretty recent. Actually, they only changed the name. All the features, hosts and even the basic sets were The Screensavers for a while before the big shake-up and the dropping of the TechTV part of the network.

I gotta say that even though I basically dislike the show they have some cool guests on from time to time (Bruce Campbell and many 'net names) and usually the features that rely very little on the hosts (like website spotlights/tech gadgets) are pretty good.

It's frustrating. There is a good show in there somewhere, they just haven't shown it to us yet. The topics they cover are very interesting to me but the personalities just kill it. Ugh.

Oddly enough, with the exception of the Whip Set (which I have no use for) I do like the majority of G4's programming. Notable shows are (of course) X-Play, Filter, Cinematech and Electric Playground. Maybe they should try and have the hosts from G4tv.com run Attack of the Show for a while. While Tina, Laura and Geoff don't blow me away, they seem more credible and generally are different enough from one another to actually have some personality.

And I'm sure someone else can give you a better breakdown of the big G4 shake-up but it basically is this:

- They dropped the TechTV part of the name along with just about every original property from that network. I believe the only show that survived was X-Play (thank the maker).

- They started to focus more on current trends (a car show) and began to cater to the "typical gamer" with shows like Videogame Vixens.

- They also canned a (popular?) host on one of their long-running shows, Cheat, to bring in a "hot" new female hostess. This assumably goes along with the previous point.

I'm sure there were other changes but those are the ones from the top-o-my head.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Oh yeah I disliked the Car Show forgot about that one, I’ve only seen the female hostess for cheat and your explanation explains why she seems misplaced...

So what happened to TechTV? Gone or is it another channel now?

 

[John Crichton]

Gone. G4 owns it and so it's basically dead. The strategy seemed to be: buy up the competition, mine it for a few good shows and then erase it from existence.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Gone. G4 owns it and so it's basically dead. The strategy seemed to be: buy up the competition, mine it for a few good shows and then erase it from existence.

Oh okay. I missed out on it so I can pretty much not have to suffer loyalty pains and yes that is actually a very solid and good business plan.

 

[Vonlok The Bold]

I loved Tech TV, and I loved the original screen savers. They used to have really knowlegable hosts and writers with great informative pieces and reviews on it.

Then Tech TV was bought out by the evil G4. Tech TV had about twice the audience share that G4 had at the time. But for some reason G4 used their own strategy which was go after a younger generation y or younger audience.

Shows used to cover things more indepth, but lately it has been more flash over substance thus the more younger 'hipper' or attempt at 'hipper' hosts for the show. That is one of the few shows on G4 that still has some good and indepth content.

For a good difference between the two. Look at X-Play from Tech TV, and Judgement Day from G4.

Anyway G4 still covers a field that I have an interest in so I watch it, but it is more surface and image now, than in the days when it was Tech TV.

 

[Aeson]

G4 is a pale comparison to Techtv. I miss it and the tech shows. Attack of the Show is nothing. The Sreensavers is dead long live The Screensavers. Call for Help was good also. You guys may not be tech geeks but I am more so than a car guy or a videogame guy.

There is talk of a new tech network in the works. It will be a national holiday once it begins.

 

[Agamon]

G4 is a pale comparison to Techtv. I miss it and the tech shows. Attack of the Show is nothing. The Sreensavers is dead long live The Screensavers. Call for Help was good also. You guys may not be tech geeks but I am more so than a car guy or a videogame guy.

See, this is where being Canadian is actually a bonus in the TV world. G4/TechTV still has Call for Help (which is a great show, I once knew quite a bit computer-wise, now I know so much more).

I actually started watching the network regularly the weekend before AotS started. I really like the show, and I don't have a problem with the hosts, though I really wish they'd replace Kevin Rose already instead of the eternal 'guest host of the week'. But it cetainly is a 'fluff' show, more entertainment than educational. And I can't believe they show Happy Tree Friends. I did my best to avoid the web animation when I discovered it a few years ago, now I gotta skip it with my TiVo.

I agree that there is way too many video game shows on the network. CfH, AotS and X-Play are the only shows I really watch.

 

[Wycen]

I really don't see Attack of the Show being The Screen Savers. The Screen Savers didn't have some wanna be rapper singing and frankly even the lamest hosts on TSS had more charisma than the current Attack of the Show crew. Kevin Rose and his girlfriend seem to have gotten dummer sticking with G4.