On Demand Weekly

VOD Trend Spotter is a new weekly column where Kendra Anderson explores the most watched TV Series On Demand (by looking at Comcast (America's largest cable VOD provider)  xfinity On Demand's weekly rankings). Sometimes the trends are obvious; other times, she adds her own spin to the psyche of the time-shifting audience.

Saying Goodbye to Our Favorite Boss, While CBS Loses its Edge, and A Good (Police) Story Matters Here (VOD Trend Spotter)
By Kendra Anderson

- Kendra Anderson

Kendra T. Anderson is a digital strategist specializing in social media and marketing, with an emphasis on independent film and branded content. She has worked with Cinetic Media, Magnolia Pictures and Focus Features, and now helps brands build digital and social communication strategies. Read more from Kendra on her blog and tweet Kendra @ktwanderson

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VOD Trend Spotter is a new weekly column where Kendra Anderson explores the most watched TV Series On Demand on Comcast / Xfinity On Demand (The US largest cable on demand provider). Sometimes the trends are obvious; other times, she adds her own spin to the psyche of the time-shifting audience.

The Power of the Throne Reigns (VOD Trend Spotter)
By Kendra Anderson

Media savant T Tara Turk goes deep inside cable TV to reveal Video On Demand's Hidden Gems so even the busiest of our readers can get the most out of On Demand TV. Tell Tara what VOD shows you think deserves her attention.

South Beach Tow (VOD Hidden Gem)

By T. Tara Turk

Maybe I live in a world where dragon eggs get hatched (“Game of Thrones”), Schmidts sleep with CeCes (“New Girl”) and Palins host Today shows but man I have never seen the wranglings of folks who fight to keep from getting their car towed. Now, I do admit to catching the occasional rerun of “Operation Repo.” TruTV’s resident repo show, but apparently the final season aired in 2011 only to be replaced by “South Beach Tow”, produced by Jennifer Lopez under her Nuyorican Productions. Not any Jennifer Lopez. THE Jennifer Lopez.

“Operation Repo” was your standard family business, folks running into regular folks who hadn’t paid their car note. But this South Beach Tow has tipped the scales to crazy dot com. I thought maybe it was going to be an upscale towing company dealing with Real Housewives of Miami who park in handicap spots. THIS is not the case. These are folks who don’t pay their note, who park in the middle of parking lots, who block people in, who curse loudly, use racial epithets, jump on tow trucks to block them, spray paint vehicles, steal the tow trucks....holy insane asylum, Batman.

The antics are so high on this show that I almost believe these folks are planted. Anything is possible as any one of these car owners could be an extra in GIGLI (yes, I went there). How else could the camera catch one of the car owners stealing the tow truck from the POV of the truck? I know. Reality TV that’s not real. Shocking. That said, it’s hard to stop watching - make that it’s hard to divert your eyes from the shenanigans. Everytime you want to walk away, there’s another loud commotion or utterly ridiculous moment of behavior captured that refuses to let you turn away. It’s like the Jerry Springer of towing and Jerry Springer led to a musical on the West End...I’m just saying.

On Demand Weekly provides new reviews of hot movies and shows on demand from the POV of watching from the comfort of your home. Today’s review: “GAME OF THRONES.”

In the annals of television history, there are only a few shows that years from now people will still be talking/obsessing about: “The X-Files”, “Lost,” and, I believe, “Game of Thrones.” It’s a fantasy, but with gritty realism. It’s a good vs. evil story, but no one character is all good or all evil. And happily-ever-afters keep getting snatched away as quickly as a dragon can barbeque and eat a fish.

As the show’s popularity grows, the producers, D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, while trying not to get expectations too high, have admitted that Book 3 of the A Song of Ice and Fire series was the one they most looked forward to filming. Season 3 will cover roughly the first half of Book 3, A Storm of Swords. Their love of the material really shines in this season. It must be love to make anyone tackle four different countries for the shooting. The locations (Northern Ireland, Croatia, Morocco, and Iceland) are stunning. The visuals are even lusher than before. Ditto the costumes and special effects: Dragons (!) flying, fishing, fire-breathing and cuddling up to their mommy making little purring noises! Line up the technical Emmys again.

Usually, when one starts raving about sets and costumes, it is because the writing and performances are weak. That is so not the case here. The dialogue is delicious, especially as spoken by the incredible cast. Listening to Peter Dinklage (Tyrion), Lena Heady (Cersei), Nicholas Coster-Waldau (Jaime), Gwendolyn Christie (Brienne), Conleth Hill (Varys), Jerome Flynn (Bronn), Rose Leslie (Ygritte) and new this season, the inimitable Diana Rigg (Olenna Tyrell) snark is as delightful as having tea with a roomful of Maggie Smiths.

Although it is a game, it is not all fun. We’ve still got the White Walkers and Wildings in the North, Joffrey in King’s Landing, and the House of the Undying is sending assassins for Daenerys as she attempts to engage an army in Astapor on Slavers Bay. Bran and Rickon are still heading for the Wall, aided by Hodor and Tonks, I mean Osha, and they will be joined by the mysterious Jojen and Meera Howland. Brienne is still fighting to bring Jaime to King’s Landing to exchange for Sansa and Arya, and Arya is struggling to get anywhere that’s safe. The King of the North, Robb Stark, has an inconvenient love for his new wife which means he has broken his vow to the nasty Frey family, while his grandfather, Hoster Tully is dying.

(If that is too much to keep track of, watch Seasons 1 and 2 on HBO on Demand and/or read the books—highly recommended!)

The first episode begins where the last episode of Season 2 left off, North of the Wall. Poor, craven Samwell Tarly is trudging fearfully along in the snow when he comes upon someone dressed in black. Is it a fellow Nights’ Watch brother or a White Walker? No spoilers here, but for book readers two big disappointments. Then the opening credits (in my opinion, the finest on television). Neat additions are Dragonstone and Astapor and the smoking effect on Winterfell.