South of Sunset

[sodascouts]

You guys who have seen this series, what did you think? At first I wasn't too sure what to think, because Aries Spears kind of annoyed me. I found the second episode terrific (it's my favorite), however, and Aries wasn't so over the top. Plus the opening part in his house begins in such an adorable fashion! I think Glenn had funnier lines later on, too, and I liked the inclusion of Merlin the computer geek. I think it certainly deserved more of a chance, but I must admit I can't be too sad it didn't take off. If it had, there would have been no "Hell Freezes Over."


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[Perfect Little Sister]

It's so funny that you posted this as I just finished watching this yesterday. I nearly killed me. Part of the problem I had watching it is I would see an expression cross Glenn's face and think, "I saw that same look up close!!!!" I enjoyed the later episodes more than the pilot. But as you said if it had taken off we wouldn't have HFO. So I have mixed feelings.

[sodascouts]

Exactly. I mean, if he's happier acting, you want that for him, but there are a lot of pretty faces that can act. There is no one else that can sing like Glenn Frey.


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[Freypower]

I don't know that he was ever 'happier' acting. I think even if the series had been a success he would have gone back to music.


~~~

There's talk on the street, it sounds so familiar
Great expectations, everybody's watching you

[Perfect Little Sister]

I've said before I think he'd go mad if he tried to leave music behind for good. But I think the whole situation with SOS helped to make the timing right for HFO. But that's just my opinion. I do enjoy seeing other facets of his personality or abilities or whatever you want to call it. (resisting urge to use total packager reference) :D

[sodascouts]

Well, I don't know if he enjoyed it more or not. But I do remember a quote where he talked about how he couldn't play music forever, but he could act forever. It gave the impression that he was willing to throw over music for acting, or at least prioritize acting over music.


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[Freypower]

I am going to make some observations on what I have now, finally, seen of SOS, and also Nash Bridges.

I have watched most of the first episode of SOS. I can see why the show failed. It really has nothing to offer which is any different from 100 run of the mill cop shows. I like the black guy, but the female assistant is annoying. The plot relating to the tennis star didn't make a lot of sense.

Glenn looks handsome but he really doesn't have to do much. He looks out of place. It will be interesting to see if his character develops at all, because at the moment there is no 'back story' - nothing about him or how he got into the business. At least Ziggy had an establishing scene.

Some of the humour worked, which I am sure Glenn would appreciate, because he said they were trying for humour. But overall, really, it's a fairly pointless exercise. I don't want to be harsh here, but I don't just want to gush over his face.

In Nash Bridges he did not have sufficient screen time to establish a character or a performance. The tears at the end, while unexpected, are hardly the result of great acting here. Yes, he looks good. They even refer to him being good looking. More than that is needed sometimes.

My favourite of these lesser known jobs is still Arliss because it's very funny and it takes a few sly digs at his 'real' job (including the use of True Love and LITFL). To me if he has any strengths as an actor it's here, with semi-comedy, or Wiseguy, where his knowledge of the music business carries him through.

And as for Moon Zappa hosting the Eagles Family Tree - all I can say is Frank would have been horrified. Or perhaps he would have found it kitschy and appropriate for his Valley Girl daughter. http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif


~~~

There's talk on the street, it sounds so familiar
Great expectations, everybody's watching you

[Molly]

Freypower, you and I watched these episodes with the same critical eye. It would be easy to gush over "how cute" simply because it's Glenn, but these shows make that a bit difficult to do.

The tennis star episode of SOS is certainly not the strongest. Too bad it was used as the first run show. I actually thought Aries Spears was very funny. I've seen his comedy special on Comedy Central and he's very good. Glenn has moments where his character "makes sense", but much of the time the scenes seem disjointed. I dislike shows that tie up all the loose ends in the last 2 minutes as though we're supposed to be sitting at home saying "Oh, now I get it." SOS was one of those shows.

The humor certainly flows through all the episodes, some scenes actually being very clever and funny. It would have been interesting to see if that had been a growing trend with the show, not that it would have become a comedy per se, but as the characters got more established, I think everything would have, again, made more sense.

If anyone can watch the scenes where Glenn is playing basketball in the "hood" without cringing and feeling the need to pinch your eyes shut in an "Oh Lord, no!" fashion - you're tougher than I am. I confess, I did both!

The crying at the end of Nash Bridges - ummm, another cringe moment.

Arli$$ was great. I watched it with the men in my house, and we made it thru half of the show before one of them asked if that was Glenn. Actually I think it was more like, "Oh for crying out loud, are you making us watch Glenn Frey again?"

However, neither one stopped watching and both gave the show and Glenn a thumbs up at the end.

Oh, and Moon Zappa, your dad was amazing, your brothers are amusing, but will you please go far far way and stay there!

[sodascouts]

I can't believe this reaction to Nash Bridges! I thought he was terrific in that! And I'm not just saying that because I adore Glenn Frey. Seriously! I am astonished.

As far as South of Sunset goes, yeah, I can see where you guys are coming from. It wasn't the most awesome show, and the first one was especially weak. The second one had me completely charmed, however, and it wasn't just because Glenn looked good. And The 'hood moments were SUPPOSED to be cringe-worthy because that was the joke! He was supposed to look out of place there.

I can be critical, too. He does look kind of stiff in the first episode, and I can see why the response to it wasn't the best. I think only the second show was consistently good. However, the others all had more good moments than bad in my opinion. For instance, how about that episode where he has to haul that little girl around? How cute was his interaction with her? I loved it. There were weak spots, too, sure, but that's the case with any show.

And an evaluation of Glenn's acting skills is not complete without viewing Wiseguy, where he really shines. I guess I should add an "IMO" after that because I thought he really shined in Nash Bridges too, considering the limited scope of that role. When he said "I'll kill him if he touches my daughter" I believed it.


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[sodascouts]

P.S. Cody does get a bit of establishment in the first episode when Paul says Cody used to work security for stars until he got sick of one's attitude and shoved his face into a bowl of stroganoff. It's a fine line between establishing a past for a character and doing an info dump that slows down the pace of the episode.


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[Freypower]

Soda, you are right that the role in Nash Bridges is of limited scope and he appears to be playing a man who finds it hard to express emotion (I read your synopsis). If the lead up to the scene with his daughter had been handled better then the sudden release of emotion would not have been such a surprise. I fully intend to watch it again and I hope I'll derive more from it.

I am glad that you have enjoyed Wiseguy and we should perhaps talk about why he's so effective in that show. I think part of the reason is, unlike SOS, there is some 'background' about him having so many jobs which he couldn't hold down, and of course the 'big mouth', all talk thing which becomes important later.

As for SOS, let's see it as the nadir of his career from which, thankfully, he recovered.


~~~

There's talk on the street, it sounds so familiar
Great expectations, everybody's watching you

[sodascouts]

Speaking of Wiseguy, I finally got those pages done, with Freypower's help!

Wiseguy (http://www.glennfreyonline.com/solo/moviestv/wiseguy.htm)


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[Freypower]

I have now watched Episodes 2 and 3 of SOS and again, if the tennis star episode was shown first, I can understand why Glenn was so angry with the network. The next two episodes do a much better job in establishing the character.

I maintain that Gina is superfluous and the actress is miscast. However, the interaction between Cody and Ziggy is developing and they work well together.

The second episode was somewhat unbelievable, I thought, but the party sequence when Cody opened his mouth and started singing Runaway - that wasn't bad. Nice butt shots. Even nicer hair shots. I am afraid I started to let my appreciation of that get in the way of my criticism.

I think the third episode is my favourite so far because he worked really well with the little girl and he had a lot to say about the dysfunctional couple. He looked good as well. Again, I am afraid that influenced how I looked at it. I was not sure about the music discussion. That seemed somewhat heavy-handed.

The incidental music was written by Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter of all people, and how sad the snippet of 'Just South of Sunset' at the end of the first episode has presumably been canned forever. He can't resurrect it now, of course, unless he rewrote it.

The line 'it's on the town line' has been used in every episode so far. OK, we get the joke.



~~~

There's talk on the street, it sounds so familiar
Great expectations, everybody's watching you

[sodascouts]

You know, since I'm doing the screen caps and clips for those now and re-watching them very closely, I like them even more! I'm on "Family Affair" now. I like the interaction with the little girl in "Custody" too. It's precious!


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[sodascouts]

P.S. And yes, it is easy to overlook plot holes when Glenn is wearing a sleeveless top. lol There are a lot of times when I was I felt they didn't really explain well how Cody solved the mysteries, but I don't blame Glenn for such things. Also, I grew up reading Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie, so I am a bit overly critical about such things.


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[sodascouts]

I also just noticed that Aries Spears, who plays Ziggy Duane, has a small role in Jerry Maguire as well. Coincidence?


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[Freypower]

OK, I have watched it all now. What a shame the last episode cut off.

It definitely improved. Family Affair is my pick of the episodes - even Gina gave a decent performance. I was slightly uneasy with all the 'hood' stuff in Newspaper Boy but I applaud the writers for taking a few chances here.

By the end of it Glenn was starting to look as he did in HFO and that was getting me really distracted. I will get some good screen shots. I did like it when he got to lose his temper. He never really had to make any long speeches, though.

The first two episodes were by far the weakest (I'm sorry Nancy - I know you liked Dream Girl the best but for me that did not work at all). What might have happened if they had started with Family Affair first?

I can't get Call On Me out of my head, which is lucky, because the song is quite important to me. http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/indifferent.gif


~~~

There's talk on the street, it sounds so familiar
Great expectations, everybody's watching you

[sodascouts]

You don't like Dream Girl? Oh well, to each her own! I don't like Newspaper Boy that much, but all of them are better than that first episode.

His hair definitely improved as the series went on. He looks SO much better with it freer, wavier, and longer. Makes him look a lot younger, too. Let us compare.

From episode 1:

http://www.glennfreyonline.com/images/sos114.jpg



From episode 4:

http://www.glennfreyonline.com/images/sos408.jpg



No contest!


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[sodascouts]

Hi guys,

I just realized that the source I've been using to make copies of South of Sunset is missing the last segment of Episode 5. However, I have an alternate source obtained from another guy which has the complete Episode 5. If you want a copy of it, let me know and I'll send it to you. My apologies!


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[eaglesfans]

I'm sorry our tape is missing the last few minutes of the episode. We had the full episode on another tape, but the VCR ate that one. We didn't tape these ourselves as we didn't have VH1 at the time. We do the best we can with what we have. Perhaps we made a mistake in sharing it in the first place.



L&M


</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p196.ezboard.com/bflipcity19918.showUserPublicProfile?gid=eaglesfan s>eaglesfans</A>* http://www.ezboard.com/ezgfx/gicons/white_ball.gif at: 2/23/06 12:27 pm

[sodascouts]

I can assure you that everyone appreciates what you do and my offer was not meant as a personal criticism of you in any way. It was meant as a contribution to a fan community from which I have benefitted, and hope to give back to if possible. That's what it's all about - for me, anyway.


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[TROUBLEADULT9601]

I have always wondered why the show Glenn Frey was on was canceled. I loved watching him on that show. Maybe he did not have enough fans to watch him because maybe they didn't know that he was that talented.

I loved Glenn back in the 70's (oops telling my age now) when if I was going to be a groupie (not that kind of girl), I would have had him (dreaming again). He might have looked a little rough in the early years, but wow what the years did to him. I love to watch him sing. Really, really listen to him (clue:::: he whistles when he sings any song with "S"'s). Don't believe me...Listen....

I went and seen the Eagles in concert. WOW. Greatest show on earth. I would go see them again, and again and again.

The whole group has brought so much to music and us fans. I know that I can relate to just about every song. Keep up the great work guys.... Love ya'll.

[glenneaglesfan]

Welcome to the board, TROUBLEADULT9601! (May we call you TA for short?) I hope you enjoy yourself here.
Did you ever see the Eagles live back in the 70s? I had a couple of their albums back then, and have always enjoyed them, but it's only in the last couple of years that I have become a 'groupie'. I saw them three times in the UK this summer and they were magnificent. Mr Frey is my favourite too! 8)
South of Sunset was a great show, and I think if people had stuck with it and watched Glenn's character as Cody developing, it wouldn't have been pulled. If you haven't already seen them, Nancy has put some great plot summaries and screencaps on her website here:

http://www.glennfreyonline.com/solo/moviestv/southofsunset.htm

[sodascouts]

South of Sunset had an uphill battle going in. The time it was premiered, 1993, was infamous for the trend of "short order" series. Desperate to get as many ratings as possible as quickly as possible, networks ordered up tons of new shows, threw them in the water, and the ones that didn't speed to the deep end fast enough were kicked out of the pool.

They did this to Glenn's show especially quickly because they felt that they it should have done better considering the amount of promoting they did for it, and the time slot they gave it (after the Super Bowl). Ironically, it was this time slot that did him in. He was against Home Improvement, which was immensely popular. Another factor weighing against him was that they showed the pilot first, which was not the strongest episode. Finally, the fact that he was known as a musician could very well have made non-fans leery - "just another rock star wanting to act!"

But I have to admit, I am glad it didn't work out (although I wish it had been a less spectacular failure). If it hadn't failed, we would never have had the reunion and Hell Freezes Over. And, as much as I love Glenn's acting, I think his musical talents are where his true strength lies.

[Freypower]

[i]

Really, really listen to him (clue:::: he whistles when he sings any song with "S"'s). Don't believe me...Listen....



I would like a specific example of this 'whistling' because I don't believe I have ever heard it.

[Freypower]

I've been informed by Lisa from Eagleland that SOS premiered in October 1993. The series start was delayed by the World Series.

[sodascouts]

I've been informed by Lisa from Eagleland that SOS premiered in October 1993. The series start was delayed by the World Series.

At least I got the year right. ;) Lisa, if you're reading, thanks for the information. :)

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I have to agree with Soda - I'm glad the show didn't have a long run, although it would have been nicer if the demise had been a little less rapid. I tried to watch the shows objectively, although that is probably not possible for me to do. I actually think the shows were enjoyable and it could have succeeded if they had given it a chance. I subscribe to the theory that there were other factors involved in pulling the show so quickly that we will probably never know about.

BTW - welcome to the board TA9601. Glad to have you join us on The Border.

[Share1967]

When HFO came out, I remember VH1 having a weekend dedciated to the Eagles. This series was included. I watched a couple of episodes. I cant even remember what my opinion was, or if I even liked it.

I do remember Nash Bridges though. I didnt care for it. I would of rather seen him as maybe a cop gone bad something grittier. Not an ole Dad....I think he could do a miami vice type character or a Magnum PI.

[Freypower]

That is an interesting thought. If you think about it, Magnum PI is what he ended up doing in SOS.

The role as the 'concerned father' who is also a cop in Nash Bridges I thought was well played, if not detailed enough. He has never really played a villain. I really don't know if he wanted to stretch that far.

[Share1967]

That is an interesting thought. If you think about it, Magnum PI is what he ended up doing in SOS.

The role as the 'concerned father' who is also a cop in Nash Bridges I thought was well played, if not detailed enough. He has never really played a villain. I really don't know if he wanted to stretch that far.

I dont remember anything about SOS so I dont know what his character was like. Wish now I had of recorded it but just wasnt interested back then. Maybe I will get a chance to catch it again. If nothing else I could pause the scenes and enjoy the view.

I do remember in Nash he had been a cop, but like you said not detailed enough.

[Mrs Frey]

Share, thanks SO much for posting in this thread! I wasn't even aware of it! :shock: :blush: I've been so obsessed with the video clips Soda posted of this series lately (see my recent comments in Frey Fever), and it's been great to read the past comments by our members about the series.

I haven't had the privilege of watching the full episodes, but I have found the video clips very entertaining. I like the humour, and Glenn :heart: appears very natural and comfortable in front of the camera. Nothing appears forced. I know from listening to his "Strange Weather" promo interview that being comfortable was very important to him as an actor.

And yes, he's completely gorgeous, too :fainting:. I also prefer his hair longer - he was giving us a taste of what was to come in HFO... :inlove:

[sodascouts]

I thought I would revive this thread because of South of Sunset's anniversary, and as many of you know, I hate to have duplicate threads on the same subject (Just call me Neurotic Nancy the Merging Maniac). ;) Yeah, this thread is so old it was started in the Flip City days... but hey, I figure it's just easier to find info on something if it's all consolidated into one thread.

I know a lot of folks haven't seen this show. If you're interested, I encourage you to check out my South of Sunset section on GFO (http://www.glennfreyonline.com/solo/moviestv/southofsunset.htm) - each link on the main page goes to an episode page with video clips, screen shots, and a summary.

Like I said earlier in this thread, the series started off rocky, but it got better. It was totally unfair for the network to cut it off after one episode, an infamous move that gets mentioned to this day as an example of a network stopping a series before it started.

Still, again, no South of Sunset cancellation, no HFO. I can't be sad about that. Interesting that their broadcast anniversaries are so close to each other - as we just noted in our "This Day in Eagles History" thread, HFO was broadcast almost a year later to the day.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Soda, that is an interesting observation about the dates of SOS and HFO airings being a year and a day apart. As I said before, we will probably never know all the reasons for CBS canceling the show so quickly, but it must have been fate. If the show would have had a long run, who knows how it may have changed the course of history.

[eaglesvet]

Think of the repercussions...I'll take history the way it stands currently, thank you!:band:

[sodascouts]

Once again, it's the anniversary of the airdate of South of Sunset (http://www.glennfreyonline.com/solo/moviestv/southofsunset.htm)! While it may have ended somewhat ingloriously, it's still pretty cool that he got to star in a TV show.

[Freypower]

I said earlier in the thread that it was the nadir of his career, and I'm afraid I stand by that.