September 25, 2018

Someone is Pitching a TV Show About an Ombuds

A recent story in the New York Times about Apple moving into the streaming TV business, included a mention of a potential show featuring an Ombuds. Apple apparently passed on the idea, but it may be offered to Amazon. 

 Here's the full text of the item:

Recently, Apple initially expressed interest when it was pitched a politically charged show about a college ombudsman in the era of #MeToo, featuring comedian Whitney Cummings and the producer behind the Fox hit “Empire,” Lee Daniels. Apple subsequently sent word there was concern about the sensitive topics, and the sides had differing opinions on the show’s direction.
The show is now in talks to end up at Amazon.
There is soooo much to unpack here. (NY Times DealBook.)
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9 comments:

  1. Anonymous9/25/2018 8:57 AM

    Don't count on any show to accurately portray the nature of our work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tom Kosakowski9/25/2018 9:17 AM

      Is that you, Angry Ombuds?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9/25/2018 9:25 AM

      Nope. I'm still picking up my jaw from the floor.
      I'm a huge Lee Daniels fan, but I agree there's the potential for misrepresentation of our work.
      -Angry Ombuds

      Delete
    3. Anonymous9/25/2018 9:41 AM

      Just reflecting on the show "Fairly Legal" that centered around a "mediator" and was way off.

      Delete
  2. b.9/25/2018 10:39 AM

    I'm not a Whitney Cummings fan and don't expect a comic tv show to capture all the realities and nuances of ombuds work so I'm ambivalent about this possibility. (It also sounds like a long shot to ever become an actual show.) At the same time: 1) we take ourselves WAY too seriously sometimes, and 2) aren't we also always saying there need to be ways for people to learn what an ombuds is?

    The longer I'm around the more it feels like we - a la Alexander Hamilton - are a group that will never be satisfied.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Andrew Larratt-Smith9/25/2018 12:29 PM

    It would not be the first TV show about Ombuds. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) aired an Ombudsman show over 40 years ago. Check out this slick promo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRklxsJap8Y

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9/26/2018 8:52 AM

    Ah yes, when I think of Ombuds and the #metoo movement, I automatically think of comedy (insert rolled eyes emoji).

    On the plus side, if it ever gets made and is a hit, people will know how to pronounce "ombuds." What's the adage--"there's no bad press."

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous9/26/2018 3:16 PM

    I hope not! All we need is a sitcom that would portray the Ombuds as the butt of jokes and errors. If we were portrayed as the life savers of escalating conflict, the "heroes," then OK. We are still too young as a profession to be joked about that much. Most people don't even know what an Ombuds is, let alone them identifying as as not important.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mark P.9/27/2018 11:57 AM

    Is there *any* profession portrayed accurately on television? That said, if the main character is an ombuds, they likely not be a complete buffoon or a perfect knight in shining armor all the time. It will be a person dealing with challenging issues in a simplistic, made-for-tv way, just like with cops, doctors and lawyers. I say "bring it on!"

    ReplyDelete

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