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The TV Set

Play trailer Poster for The TV Set R 2007 1h 28m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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64% Tomatometer 75 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Mike Klein (David Duchovny), the creator of a TV pilot called "The Wexler Chronicles," learns the hard way about how televisions shows evolve from concept to reality. Though Mike's concept involves serious subject matter, a network executive (Sigourney Weaver) and her cohorts have other plans to lighten up and dumb-down the show to appeal to a broader audience.
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The TV Set

The TV Set

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Critics Consensus

Offering both broad and insider jokes, The TV Set is a sharp satire that will please both the average moviegoers and pop culture aficionados.

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Critics Reviews

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Dana Stevens Slate 08/18/2007
The TV Set is a little wonder of a movie, as smart and sad and true as any comedy I've seen this year. Go to Full Review
Eleanor Ringel Cater Atlanta Journal-Constitution 05/10/2007
B-
A facile but likable send-up of how things (don't) work in Hollywood. Go to Full Review
Jeff Strickler Minneapolis Star Tribune 05/05/2007
2.5/4
This satire settles for simply restating the obvious. Go to Full Review
Bullz-Eye.com 01/07/2012
3.5/5
David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 04/10/2008
3/4
...an intriguing, occasionally horrifying look at the behind-the-scenes shenanigans within the network-television world. Go to Full Review
Robert Roten Laramie Movie Scope 01/23/2008
C
Sad, slow and rather boring story about how writers get dumped on and smart television shows get dumbed down. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Jack F @MovieFan111 Dec 3 It's VERY forgettable. At the time I watched it, I saw Nightcrawler, and Broadcast News, so this one completes the "News" trilogy which is kind of fun. What's not fun though is sitting through Broadcast News. If my memory serves me right, I think I said Broadcast News was boring. I found it funny, because at the time I watched this, it had a rotten tomato score. Interesting that they bumped it up. I never want to see it again. See more thiago s @Thiagostone May 15 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, a história é fraca, os personagens sao fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes para fazer o filme ser bom. See more 03/30/2016 The TV Set seems like it was written by someone who literally went through the exact experience that David Duchovny's character struggles with in the film. Every step of the way it feels so authentic and real (by showing how artificial and fake television executives can be.) Sigourney Weaver was perfect at playing the manipulative force that smiles to your face while stabbing you in the back. I love how clearly the movie shows that a brilliant concept for a TV show can be destroyed as it is adapted from script to screen. It's a comedy, but unless you work in the TV industry, I doubt it will have you laughing out loud. Instead it will get you to chuckle, in a dark way, because you see how systematically every aspect of a man's dream is ruined. Most of it made a lot of sense and perfectly served the story, but there were a few elements that were strange detours and probably should have been removed from the film. The most glaring of these was the strange relationship between the two "stars" of the show played by Lindsay Sloane and Fran Kranz. I couldn't see a purpose to their whole on-and-off attraction because it didn't impact the show they were making at all. But in most ways The TV Set is a very effective movie, and if the premise interests you I can recommend it. However, for me it started to fall into a genre of film I despise: Movies where everything terrible happens to a very likable main character. The redeeming factor in this movie, and what made it slightly less painful from other films with the lovable loser plot, is that Duchovny isn't all that charming or charismatic so I wasn't crushed when his dream died. I know it seems odd to appreciate a bland actor, but in this case it worked for me. Your mileage may vary. See more 12/02/2014 The TV Set is a clever and sharp satire anchored by solid performances. See more 03/05/2014 Vastly underrated comedy tearing into the TV industry. Hilarious oscar-worthy performance by Sigourney Weaver. No buzz. No box office. But you won't regret renting or streaming this hidden gem. See more 02/01/2014 Funny, realistic and well cast film See more Read all reviews
The TV Set

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Movie Info

Synopsis Mike Klein (David Duchovny), the creator of a TV pilot called "The Wexler Chronicles," learns the hard way about how televisions shows evolve from concept to reality. Though Mike's concept involves serious subject matter, a network executive (Sigourney Weaver) and her cohorts have other plans to lighten up and dumb-down the show to appeal to a broader audience.
Director
Jake Kasdan
Producer
Jake Kasdan, Aaron Ryder
Screenwriter
Jake Kasdan
Distributor
ThinkFilm
Production Co
The TV Set Holding Company
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 6, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 11, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$265.6K
Runtime
1h 28m
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