Fox's Alter Ego is "legitimately nightmarish" and possibly the worst show of 2021 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 09-23-2021, 04:05 AM

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-r...v-show-of-2021

"More than perhaps any other television format, the singing competition has found itself in a state of accelerated progress," says Stuart Heritage. "In quick succession, American Idol’s basic 'We’ll tell you if you’re a good singer' premise gave way to The Voice’s 'We’ll tell you if you’re a good singer without looking at you,' which in turn became The Masked Singer’s 'We don’t care if you’re a good singer or not, because you’re a minor celebrity dressed up like a sentient banana.' Evidently, however, progress isn’t always a good thing. Now the singing competition has landed upon Alter Ego; a show so catastrophic, so legitimately nightmarish in both concept and execution, that it deserves to be drowned in concrete and hidden at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. I guarantee that people will be talking about Alter Ego for decades to come. This is because the enduring global mystery of the next 50 years deserves to be “How the hell did this charred wreckage of a series ever get made? The premise of Alter Ego is as follows: a procession of singers dress up in skintight mo-cap garb and then perform a song backstage. Meanwhile, out on the studio floor, their movements are recreated in real time by a computer-generated avatar. If you ever wanted to see a dreary power ballad belted out by a pink fairy, or an androgynous alien with tentacles for hair, then Alter Ego is the show for you. But obviously you don’t want to see that, because you place value in your ability to not constantly wake up screaming every single time you fall asleep."

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TMC · 10-16-2021, 06:08 AM

Alter Ego feels overdue, yet it's stuck in the past

Fox's new reality competition "actually feels overdue," says Cat Zhang. "The past year and a half has shown us that IRL appearances are no longer necessary for a good concert. Travis Scott and J Balvin materialized as life-like avatars of themselves in Fortnite and staged opulent extravaganzas. A pixelated version of 100 gecs headlined a Minecraft music festival. Virtual reality aside, popular musicians have long fashioned personas that are more extravagant than their private selves (see: Little Richard, Bowie, Gaga). But there’s a disconnect between Alter Ego’s avant-garde fantasies and the inherent conservatism of its format. If I were interested in middling Michael Bublé covers, I’d simply go browse for winter candles at Bath & Body Works. Part of the issue is that Alter Ego is intent on being serious. Like many other competitive singing programs, it presents itself as a meritocracy that’ll miraculously upend the life of its winner. The award is $100,000 and the opportunity for mentorship from the celebrity judges, who lavish the contestants with inflationary praise. ('I felt like I was watching Rihanna or something,' Grimes commends one contestant, the 'or something' grunting under the weight of such a claim.) But at this point, after umpteen seasons of American Idol, The Voice, and its ilk, we know winning singing competitions doesn’t meaningfully translate to fame. It’s a fact acknowledged by The Masked Singer, which scrapped the typical promise of the American Dream in favor of absolute absurdity. On that show, which airs right before Alter Ego on the same channel, every contestant is (or was) some kind of celebrity, so viewers can simply indulge in its Furby-on-drugs fever dream where the cotton candy-colored bear growling through 'Baby Got Back' is former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin."

Coffeecup · 11-13-2021, 12:19 AM

I have been watching Alter Ego and I am amazed at the technology. I somewhat wish the show was half hour. So many shows have fillers so the show is long. I give the contestants credit for doing something a bit wild.

09-23-2021, 04:05 AM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,692	Fox's Alter Ego is "legitimately nightmarish" and possibly the worst show of 2021 https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-r...v-show-of-2021 "More than perhaps any other television format, the singing competition has found itself in a state of accelerated progress," says Stuart Heritage. "In quick succession, American Idol’s basic 'We’ll tell you if you’re a good singer' premise gave way to The Voice’s 'We’ll tell you if you’re a good singer without looking at you,' which in turn became The Masked Singer’s 'We don’t care if you’re a good singer or not, because you’re a minor celebrity dressed up like a sentient banana.' Evidently, however, progress isn’t always a good thing. Now the singing competition has landed upon Alter Ego; a show so catastrophic, so legitimately nightmarish in both concept and execution, that it deserves to be drowned in concrete and hidden at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. I guarantee that people will be talking about Alter Ego for decades to come. This is because the enduring global mystery of the next 50 years deserves to be “How the hell did this charred wreckage of a series ever get made? The premise of Alter Ego is as follows: a procession of singers dress up in skintight mo-cap garb and then perform a song backstage. Meanwhile, out on the studio floor, their movements are recreated in real time by a computer-generated avatar. If you ever wanted to see a dreary power ballad belted out by a pink fairy, or an androgynous alien with tentacles for hair, then Alter Ego is the show for you. But obviously you don’t want to see that, because you place value in your ability to not constantly wake up screaming every single time you fall asleep." ALSO: Alter Ego puts forward a fascinating, odd concept that’s moving from the fringes of pop closer to its mainstream, and says that the only reason one might pursue it is to hide from oneself Alter Ego is yet another failed attempt to duplicate The Masked Singer's success What's most shocking about Alter Ego is how desperately it tries to take itself seriously, attempting to elevate the gimmick through sheer force of will

10-16-2021, 06:08 AM	#2
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,692	Alter Ego feels overdue, yet it's stuck in the past Fox's new reality competition "actually feels overdue," says Cat Zhang. "The past year and a half has shown us that IRL appearances are no longer necessary for a good concert. Travis Scott and J Balvin materialized as life-like avatars of themselves in Fortnite and staged opulent extravaganzas. A pixelated version of 100 gecs headlined a Minecraft music festival. Virtual reality aside, popular musicians have long fashioned personas that are more extravagant than their private selves (see: Little Richard, Bowie, Gaga). But there’s a disconnect between Alter Ego’s avant-garde fantasies and the inherent conservatism of its format. If I were interested in middling Michael Bublé covers, I’d simply go browse for winter candles at Bath & Body Works. Part of the issue is that Alter Ego is intent on being serious. Like many other competitive singing programs, it presents itself as a meritocracy that’ll miraculously upend the life of its winner. The award is $100,000 and the opportunity for mentorship from the celebrity judges, who lavish the contestants with inflationary praise. ('I felt like I was watching Rihanna or something,' Grimes commends one contestant, the 'or something' grunting under the weight of such a claim.) But at this point, after umpteen seasons of American Idol, The Voice, and its ilk, we know winning singing competitions doesn’t meaningfully translate to fame. It’s a fact acknowledged by The Masked Singer, which scrapped the typical promise of the American Dream in favor of absolute absurdity. On that show, which airs right before Alter Ego on the same channel, every contestant is (or was) some kind of celebrity, so viewers can simply indulge in its Furby-on-drugs fever dream where the cotton candy-colored bear growling through 'Baby Got Back' is former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin."

11-13-2021, 12:19 AM	#3
Coffeecup coffeecup. Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 17, 2003 Location: snoozeville Posts: 3,183	I have been watching Alter Ego and I am amazed at the technology. I somewhat wish the show was half hour. So many shows have fillers so the show is long. I give the contestants credit for doing something a bit wild.