ArchivesNBC’s The Contender debuts tonight.
NBC, Mark Burnett, Sylvester Stallone, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jeffrey Katzenberg all roll the dice tonight as the network debuts The Contender, the $2 million per episode boxing-themed reality TV show. The show kicks off with a 90-minute premiere tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET, and the second episode airs Thursday at 10. A scene from the first episode and the season preview make the series feel very much like The Apprentice; both are set to an epic score, composed by Hans Zimmer. FOX’s cheap knock-off, The Next Great Champ, was knocked out in early rounds last fall, before its competitor even entered the ring. But most critics think it has a fighting chance. (Oh, me and my cute boxing metaphors. Someone get me a job writing lame headlines.) The Hollywood Reporter says it is “slicker and better packaged” than FOX’s show, and “[boasts] all the requisite trappings (human drama, underdogs, competitive fire, driving soundtrack) to make for appointment viewing.” And The New York Times’ writes that “is engrossing, even for those viewers with little interest in” boxing. But The Chicago Tribune’s Maureen Ryan writes, “The best reality shows are about doing, not talking, but there’s far too much boring, aspirational chatter on ‘The Contender.’” And The Washington Post’s Tom Shales says all “it offers is a chance for viewers to give their yawn muscles a really rigorous workout.”
The Contender
NBC’s The Contender debuts tonight.
link to this story + posted Mar. 7, 2005 at 8:00 AM by Andy Dehnart
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