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Taken Down [RTE]

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Comments

  • #632
    The Late Late Show
    Closed Accounts Posts: 840 ✭✭✭The Late Late Show


    RabbleRouser2k wrote: »
    Seems like all that talk was folks huffing their own flatulence-the reviews for the finale were not kind, between tepid and to 'catching fire too late'.
    The cast came in for a drubbing too-so I'd say season 2 isn't happening.
    Plus RTE rolling out the Rebellion show so soon afterwards showed even they knew it was DOA.

    Usually a show like that, you know there will be problems for a first run-but the good should outweigh the bad.
    Problem is, the bad was outweighing the good-and much of the bad was the casting.
    Also...what do you do in Season 2? They blew their load with the direct provision stuff.
    They got nothing else.

    Taken Down was a good concept but taken as a whole, was pretty poor stuff. The first episode opened things interestingly and the finale was a step up from episodes 2-5 but the events of episodes 2-5 would be done in one episode in a better show. Overall, the series was not gritty enough and did not give us memorable characters (the Gardai are terrible in it for example) and as with so many other RTE shows, it will be forgotten.

    I agree the casting was awful and the episodes 2-5 almost totally pointless. A 3 parter would have been better. Generally, this series was ok to watch on TV once but will not buy the DVD or will not watch on TV again.


  • #633
    The Late Late Show
    Closed Accounts Posts: 840 ✭✭✭The Late Late Show


    jvan wrote: »
    Was there ever any more word on it getting a second season?

    Just as it is now May: did anyone hear if a second series of this is being filmed? Or if RTE have something else instead?

    Taken Down was overall very disappointing. I had high hopes for it but it felt like yet another post-Love/Hate RTE tame damp squib that finally showed promise in the final episode (but was too little too late).

    The plans for quality Love/Hate continuations or spinoffs were forgotten by RTE and the insistence on tamer dramas prevailed there while fans of Love/Hate found new interests in series like The Handmaid's Tale, Better Call Saul, McMafia and Game of Thrones. RTE's dramas became increasingly irrelevant. Taken Down was just another one added to a long list of ones that also failed to live up to their potential like Rebellion, Clean Break and Striking Out.

    Will we see another season of Taken Down? Or another 'crime drama'? Any news on what the plans are as of May 2019?


  • #634
    RabbleRouser2k
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,632 ✭✭✭RabbleRouser2k


    The Late Late Show wrote: »
    Just as it is now May: did anyone hear if a second series of this is being filmed? Or if RTE have something else instead?

    Taken Down was overall very disappointing. I had high hopes for it but it felt like yet another post-Love/Hate RTE tame damp squib that finally showed promise in the final episode (but was too little too late).

    The plans for quality Love/Hate continuations or spinoffs were forgotten by RTE and the insistence on tamer dramas prevailed there while fans of Love/Hate found new interests in series like The Handmaid's Tale, Better Call Saul, McMafia and Game of Thrones. RTE's dramas became increasingly irrelevant. Taken Down was just another one added to a long list of ones that also failed to live up to their potential like Rebellion, Clean Break and Striking Out.

    Will we see another season of Taken Down? Or another 'crime drama'? Any news on what the plans are as of May 2019?

    I have the feeling we're going to see RTE lick it's wounds and claim 'couldn't commission another series cos Brexit'.

    The show wanted to shock, but pulled back on the shock factor. Wanted to do a crime series, but didn't understand technology(the video technology they were awful at analysing) or the intricacies of dealing with the subject matter. And then they just pulled from a stock cliche of 'Oirish' characters- who were comically inept.
    And the 'woke' elements meant the women were without flaws-but also without emotions, and without any sort of interesting personalities or complexities.
    If you don't write a flawed character, you don't write a human character.

    To paraphrase Malcolm X, If you have no critics you'll likely have no success. Flawed characters make folks root for them, flawless characters make people root against them.


  • #635
    The Late Late Show
    Closed Accounts Posts: 840 ✭✭✭The Late Late Show


    RabbleRouser2k wrote: »
    I have the feeling we're going to see RTE lick it's wounds and claim 'couldn't commission another series cos Brexit'.

    The show wanted to shock, but pulled back on the shock factor. Wanted to do a crime series, but didn't understand technology(the video technology they were awful at analysing) or the intricacies of dealing with the subject matter. And then they just pulled from a stock cliche of 'Oirish' characters- who were comically inept.
    And the 'woke' elements meant the women were without flaws-but also without emotions, and without any sort of interesting personalities or complexities.
    If you don't write a flawed character, you don't write a human character.

    To paraphrase Malcolm X, If you have no critics you'll likely have no success. Flawed characters make folks root for them, flawless characters make people root against them.

    This is what I predict too. Taken Down ruined a great idea and just drifted from episode to episode into typical RTE fare before picking up too little too late in the final episode. Even the final episode was not great and felt like a second episode rather than a climax overall.

    In the world where viewers were meanwhile watching The Handmaid's Tale, Game of Thrones, McMafia, Peaky Blinders and Better Call Saul, and were watching Breaking Bad, Love/Hate and The Sopranos before that, Taken Down seemed to miss all that. 4 pointless episodes and bland cliched characters did little to save Taken Down.

    Amazingly, another poor drama called Striking Out managed 2 seasons despite it being unpopular. When RTE make such dramas, it just shows how out of touch they are. My prediction for this coming TV year will be another drama from RTE of a similar style: there will be hype about it and once more, it will be tame bland stuff with nothing to offer.


  • #636
    RabbleRouser2k
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,632 ✭✭✭RabbleRouser2k


    The Late Late Show wrote: »
    This is what I predict too. Taken Down ruined a great idea and just drifted from episode to episode into typical RTE fare before picking up too little too late in the final episode. Even the final episode was not great and felt like a second episode rather than a climax overall.

    In the world where viewers were meanwhile watching The Handmaid's Tale, Game of Thrones, McMafia, Peaky Blinders and Better Call Saul, and were watching Breaking Bad, Love/Hate and The Sopranos before that, Taken Down seemed to miss all that. 4 pointless episodes and bland cliched characters did little to save Taken Down.

    Amazingly, another poor drama called Striking Out managed 2 seasons despite it being unpopular. When RTE make such dramas, it just shows how out of touch they are. My prediction for this coming TV year will be another drama from RTE of a similar style: there will be hype about it and once more, it will be tame bland stuff with nothing to offer.

    Don forget the Amy Huberman co-written 'comedy' that is also getting a second series.
    They are very quick to announce a second series of something, so that there was little to no discussion or shooting schedule for Taken Down tells you quite a bit.

    Even the twitter page has had zilch on it since last December.


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  • #637
    Atlantic Dawn
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 86,218 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    GDY151


    RTE completely missed the point, the real world had massive drugs families at war, making anything remotely based on this would have been a ratings hit but no they decided to bankroll a show on a pure sheite topic that would have 1 series max no matter what the ratings were.


  • #638
    Qrt
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭Qrt


    Atlantic Dawn wrote: »
    RTE completely missed the point, the real world had massive drugs families at war, making anything remotely based on this would have been a ratings hit but no they decided to bankroll a show on a pure sheite topic that would have 1 series max no matter what the ratings were.

    You realise they had Love/Hate, right? A show dedicated to the trials and tribulations of organised crime and the drugs trade?


  • #639
    Atlantic Dawn
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 86,218 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    GDY151


    Qrt wrote: »
    You realise they had Love/Hate, right? A show dedicated to the trials and tribulations of organised crime and the drugs trade?


    Yes and a massive success but no they decided to gamble with rubbish.


  • #640
    The Late Late Show
    Closed Accounts Posts: 840 ✭✭✭The Late Late Show


    Atlantic Dawn wrote: »
    RTE completely missed the point, the real world had massive drugs families at war, making anything remotely based on this would have been a ratings hit but no they decided to bankroll a show on a pure sheite topic that would have 1 series max no matter what the ratings were.

    RTE of course could have done this. A continuation of Love/Hate. Assuming Nidge is dead, Terence and Tony who had deals with Nidge want revenge against Patrick Ward, Fran, etc. and introduce a lot of new characters. So much potential for a Love/Hate followup.
    Qrt wrote: »
    You realise they had Love/Hate, right? A show dedicated to the trials and tribulations of organised crime and the drugs trade?

    As said above. Love/Hate was an excellent series and wasn't afraid to show the world of organised drug crime.
    Atlantic Dawn wrote: »
    Yes and a massive success but no they decided to gamble with rubbish.

    RTE listened to all the wimps who complained about the violence and so-called 'torture porn'. Rape, cats getting shot, kneecappings. Well, that is the world Love/Hate was about: it was not Mary Poppins or Daniel O'Donnell. I hear the same crap being said about The Handmaid's Tale now as well. And about Breaking Bad before.

    For this reason, all of RTE's efforts have been restrained since 2015. The likes of Finding Joy, Striking Out, Rebellion, Clean Break and Taken Down are all mediocre to outright rubbish and are because of the restraint.


  • #641
    The Late Late Show
    Closed Accounts Posts: 840 ✭✭✭The Late Late Show


    RabbleRouser2k wrote: »
    Don forget the Amy Huberman co-written 'comedy' that is also getting a second series.
    They are very quick to announce a second series of something, so that there was little to no discussion or shooting schedule for Taken Down tells you quite a bit.

    Even the twitter page has had zilch on it since last December.

    Finding Joy? More woeful drivel that we are all supposed to be in awe of. RTE just as said listened to the minority who were shocked by the violence in Love/Hate and then gave us all this sort of drivel. Finding Joy has Amy playing the same type of character as in Striking Out and this is all she has to offer.


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  • #642
    brian_t
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,892 ✭✭✭brian_t


    Dead Still is coming.
    RTÉ and Acorn Media Enterprises have partnered to commission Dead Still, an Irish period mystery.

    Set in 1880s Ireland in the Victorian era heyday of “postmortem photography,” the six-episode period drama follows a renowned memorial photographer as he investigates the murders of his recently deceased subjects. It is written by John Morton and directed by Imogen Murphy (Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope; Red Rock) and Craig David Wallace (Slasher, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, Murdoch Mysteries).
    https://worldscreen.com/tvdrama/acorn-tv-teams-with-rte-for-period-mystery-dead-still/


  • #643
    RabbleRouser2k
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,632 ✭✭✭RabbleRouser2k


    brian_t wrote: »
    Dead Still is coming.


    https://worldscreen.com/tvdrama/acorn-tv-teams-with-rte-for-period-mystery-dead-still/

    Ah, so it's dead in the water-Taken Down I mean.

    Good riddance.


  • #644
    Strazdas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,339 ✭✭✭✭Strazdas


    RabbleRouser2k wrote: »
    Ah, so it's dead in the water-Taken Down I mean.

    Good riddance.

    What has that new series got to do with Taken Down?

    It sounds interesting anyway.....sounds like it will be shown in a lot of countries


  • #645
    brian_t
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,892 ✭✭✭brian_t


    Strazdas wrote: »
    What has that new series got to do with Taken Down?

    It sounds interesting anyway.....sounds like it will be shown in a lot of countries
    I didn't want to start a new thread for a crime drame that had not been made yet and The Late Late Show did ask :
    The Late Late Show wrote: »
    Will we see another season of Taken Down? Or another 'crime drama'? Any news on what the plans are as of May 2019?


  • #646
    Strazdas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,339 ✭✭✭✭Strazdas


    brian_t wrote: »
    I didn't want to start a new thread for a crime drame that had not been made yet and The Late Late Show did ask :

    It seems a totally different genre to Taken Down though. A murder mystery series set in 19th century Dublin can hardly be lumped in with the likes of Taken Down or Love Hate.


  • #647
    The Late Late Show
    Closed Accounts Posts: 840 ✭✭✭The Late Late Show


    RabbleRouser2k wrote: »
    Ah, so it's dead in the water-Taken Down I mean.

    Good riddance.

    Taken Down was a major disappointment just like so many of RTE's recent dramas have been. While it took an interesting topic on, it ruined it. Lynn Rafferty's cop character was poor and Brian F O'Byrne's character from Love/Hate surely could have been used instead with a more hardcore people smuggling gangland story, but no: Rafferty's Amy Hubermann-like acting had to get pushed by RTE.

    This Dead Still is a different type of drama but will it be a good one or yet another failed attempt? Will that be shown in the place of Taken Down or will it be more the Rebellion/Resistance slot after Christmas? Anyway, will not get overexcited about it and may be pleasantly surprised. This is the best approach to RTE dramas.


  • #648
    Atoms for Peace
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,888 ✭✭✭Atoms for Peace


    Dead still sounds promising, but going on recent form it will probably be heavy on historical revisionism.


  • #649
    The Late Late Show
    Closed Accounts Posts: 840 ✭✭✭The Late Late Show


    Atoms for Peace wrote: »
    Dead still sounds promising, but going on recent form it will probably be heavy on historical revisionism.

    It does but then again so did Rebellion, Taken Down, etc. RTE have the knack for taking an interesting idea and then ruining it.


  • #650
    Beechwoodspark
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,042 ✭✭✭✭Beechwoodspark


    Atoms for Peace wrote: »
    Dead still sounds promising, but going on recent form it will probably be heavy on historical revisionism.

    Have to say from the blurb it doesn’t entice me in the slightest.

    Not surprised taken down has been “put down”


  • #651
    The Late Late Show
    Closed Accounts Posts: 840 ✭✭✭The Late Late Show


    Beechwoodspark wrote: »
    Have to say from the blurb it doesn’t entice me in the slightest.

    Not surprised taken down has been “put down”

    I have become disillusioned by RTE drama in the last few years and won't expect anything too exciting from this new one and any other one. Taken Down was misleading: Because Stuart Carolan's name was attached to it and because it was marketed as 'from the makers of Love/Hate', I wrongly assumed Taken Down was another drama of the quality of Love/Hate. Perhaps a Handmaid's Tale-inspired story of abuse of refugee women. It wasn't. I'd say Stuart only wrote episode 6 and Jo Spain wrote the rest.


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  • #652
    rogber
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,574 ✭✭✭rogber


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/110261332#Comment_110261332

    The RTE heads must have been reading boards back in 2019 as whaddya know, two years later Kin hits our screens.

    For reasons I won't go into here, just watched Taken Down this week. About a month after I watched Kin series 1. Apart from the fact Kin has a bigger budget, neither show was much better or worse than the other. Both pretty poor but watchable. And reading both threads, it strikes me Love/Hate is constantly held up as the holy grail of Irish TV series, you'd think it was Sopranos or The Wire or something.

    I thought Taken Down took an interesting topic but was too unsure did it want to be a straight up cop show or a deeper drama and ended up doing neither particularly well (characters like Isaiah were central in episodes 1&2, then disappears completely in 3&4, only to make a comeback in number 5).

    And characters generally too much in the good or evil camp to be really interesting. Benjamin and Ger absolutely vile (although well played). Flashbacks a bit pointless at the end.



  • #653
    lumphammer2
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,033 ✭✭✭lumphammer2


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118548010#Comment_118548010

    Kin is worth 1000000 Taken Downs ... there is a reason why Kin has at least 4 seasons and Taken Down only got one ... The former is good and enjoyable ... the same goes for Love/Hate .... I have not watched those 2 shows you mention but know Breaking Bad, Peaky Blinders and Gangs of London .... and yes Kin and Love/Hate do very well as Irish equivalents and can hold their head up as equals to them in their own right .. there I said it ... as Irish based dramas ...

    I agree 100% with what you say about Taken Down ... that was watchable but I found it poor ... the middle episodes totally pointless and a lot of the characters esp the Gardai silly .... I think the flashbacks were a kind of Midsomer Murders ripoff ...



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