Crusoe: Stranded in Manhattan
Though NBC’s new historical drama Crusoe is more fantasy than sci fi, the promotional efforts for the show are so kooky, I had to write about it.
Right now, there’s a treehouse in New York City with a guy who will be living there for the rest of the week. “Stranded on the island” he is, (the isle of Manhattan) he has to fend for himself, fashioning tools out of natural materials, eating what he can scrounge (hot dogs from a cart?) and entertaining himself with books and. . . well, who knows what all.
And he’s doing this live in front of cameras and an audience. That’s right. You can watch Crusoe read a book for an hour just by visiting www.savecrusoe.com. While you’re there, you can vote on what Crusoe should do next (sadly, there’s no write-in option) and you can read Crusoe’s diary — which is on Twitter.
This is the part that’s killing me. So we have a historical drama set in the 17th Century, about a man who is stranded on a desert island. And to promote this we’re using webcams, Twitter, Facebook and chances to win a Zune. Is there some dramatic irony that I’m missing? Yes, I know they can’t send a town crier to every city in the US to announce the show but something a little more low tech than Twitter would have been nice — like say, an actual diary that’s been “reproduced” by historians who found it in an old trunk.
On Thursday, Philip Winchester, who plays Crusoe in the series will stop by the treehouse for a visit. I wonder how treehouse Crusoe will explain that in his Twitter reports — Today I met myself. Must have been those mushrooms I picked for dinner.
Crusoe premieres this Friday at 9:00 on NBC.
Pictured: Philip Winchester as Robinson Crusoe — NBC Photo: Kelly Walsh
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POSTED IN: Other TV
1 opinion for Crusoe: Stranded in Manhattan
Mike
Oct 14, 2008 at 11:41 am
Crusoe’s twitter is: http://www.twitter.com/robinson_crusoe.
I imagine Twitter and Facebook are being used because they reach so many people. As great as it would have been to have an old diary, how do you promote a live event with an old diary? Looks like they are following in Mad Men’s footsteps.
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