I took two chickens out of the smoker and carried them into the kitchen, where Anne was mixing up some potato salad and heating a couple cans of baked beans. Ryan and his girlfriend walked into the house, with Nolan shortly after them.
“Are you excited?” Anne asked me.
“I … guess? Not really.” I began to carve the chickens for our dinner.
“Why not?”
“The excited part is when I’m on the stage in front of the audience, everything else is various levels of anxiety while I wait.” My incredibly sharp knife slipped in my hand and cut my finger. “Ow! Shit!”
My finger began to bleed, and I wrapped a towel around it.
“Okay, so … this is going to take a few more minutes before it’s ready,” I said.
A few minutes later, we all sat down to eat dinner, while we waited for the first episode of The Wil Wheaton Project to come on.
As Heroes of Cosplay ended and little versions of me popped up on the screen reminding people to stay tuned for my stupid face, I turned to Anne. “Okay, I just got excited.”
I did a little dance when the show started, and enjoyed myself through the entire thing. My kids thought it was really funny, and my son’s girlfriend, who had never seen any of it at all, told me that she loved it. “It would have been very awkward if I hadn’t,” she told me.
We celebrated with some ice cream cones, the kids left, and Anne and I celebrated with some champagne.
Before I went to bed, I looked at Twitter, prepared for people to hate it, and me, but most everyone seemed to like the show, which made me feel good.
When I woke up this morning, I looked at the news for reviews, and found that most places liked it (we got a B from the AV Club, which is like an A+ anywhere else), some really didn’t, and some were sort of “meh” on the whole thing. It’s about what I expected, but I wasn’t expecting the reviewers who didn’t like it to complain that I wasn’t mean or snarky enough. It’s disheartening that people would tune into a show expecting and hoping for someone to be mean, but if that’s what they want, this isn’t the show for them.
Some of the feedback was really useful, and lined up with my own thoughts: My energy at the beginning of the show was way too high (I wanted to keep it lower and more like myself, but I was directed to be BIGGER BIGGER BIGGER, so I’m trusting my instincts and being more myself next week), and the audio was weird in places. Some people complained about a laugh track that doesn’t exist (we shoot in a small stage with a full audience that’s very loud, which is good), but overall, the feedback was generally positive.
The biggest disappointment for me is our ratings numbers. They were not as good as I’d hoped, and I don’t know why. Though we did better than anything that’s been in our time slot before, we lost about half the audience that was watching Heroes of Cosplay, which surprised me. People who understand that stuff better than I do told me not to worry, because shows like ours usually start out with a small audience that grows, as word of mouth spreads. I hope they’re right. There’s also something called “Live +3” which is the total ratings number that includes people who watch the show on their DVR in the three days after the show first airs, and we expect those numbers to grow.
This whole ratings thing seems outdated and irrelevant to me, because it doesn’t take into account cord-cutters, who I know are a significant part of the audience, and I guess the fact that two different topics associated with our show were trending on Twitter doesn’t count for anything, either. What this says to me is that the industry needs to rethink how it scores things, and networks especially need to find ways to get their programming to people the way those people want to see it, whether that’s on demand, on a site like Hulu +, on Apple TV, Google Play, or whatever else the damn kids today are into. There’s a very real chance that I won’t get to do more than 12 episodes of this show because so many people who want to watch it don’t subscribe to cable, and that makes me really sad.
Overall, though, the things that I had a hand in, and the things I could control from a creative point of view, seemed to land on the majority of the audience in a good way. People expecting me to be a dick.0 didn’t like it, and that’s totally fine with me. Now that I’ve had my brief moment of excitement (and it was genuinely awesome to watch the show with my family, and find out from thousands of people on Twitter that they liked it), I’m back to the focus and varying levels of anxiety that come with getting ready for the next one.
What about getting it on Netflix? I’m one of those who only uses legal access methods, but have no broadcast or cable TV hook ups in my home. We get Netflix through the PS3 over a Wi-Fi shared with our cable internet, so that will be the only way I can see it.
It’s on regular Hulu
I totally spaced on setting up the DVR recording. I’ve been checking SyFy’s website since yesterday to see if the first episode was up. It is now.
http://www.syfy.com/videos/The%20Wil%20Wheaton%20Project/vid:2784534
Liked the show quite a bit. I have to say I think the people who wanted you to be a dick must watch Tosh.0 or something. It did have a similar feel although I have only seen a few of his shows (does not really appeal to me). Loved the bit about Ashmore you know! Keep it up Wil it was a solid show and the more you do I’m sure the more comfortable you will be with it.
Would love to watch on say, Hulu, but don’t have cable.
It’s on Hulu, two comments in a row I actually had to go back and check I hadn’t lost my mind and imagined I’d caught it on there.
I thought it was awesome.
I watched it on syfy.com. You’d think they’d count those numbers if nothing else.
I just watched it on Hulu: hulu.com/the-wil-wheaton-project
But it’s PC-only, so I can’t just watch it in bed where the consoles are the only feed to the TV (and syfy.com’s not an option, even if we subscribed to cable, since TWC isn’t one of the cable companies with which syfy has a contract).
Hopefully SyFy will wise up about this shows potential audience and let hulu (and netflix, etc.) stream it on all devices. From the reviews, this sounds like the perfect sort of show to watch while commuting, etc., but that requires support for mobile device streaming.
Unfortunately, Syfy doesn’t do that for any of its shows. Which is utterly frustrating. I usually just get them on Amazon VOD, but The Wil Wheaton project isn’t available for sale.
I just watched it on Syfy.com. I almost didn’t because the first thing I saw when looking for it was an interstitial asking me to choose which TV provider I have. Fortunately, after ignoring that and digging a bit more I found the show listed and was able to watch without any further difficulty.
It was fun! I agree with the comment about keeping a slightly lower energy level.
Other random comments that I’ll stick out here just become I’m some random loser on the internet. 🙂
The green screen room was disconcerting. I didn’t mind the video panel or the star-scape itself but the walls and floors made you look like you were floating on a stripped down bridge of a Federation star ship. 🙂 I’d be perfectly happy to see you in a normal room with an optional chair. You can leave the star-scape if you want. 🙂
The content was fun even though a lot of it was about TV shows that I don’t watch. There were several clips where I was spending equal time laughing and wondering how much of it was really from the show (point in case, the Viking thing).
I was disappointed that you only gave a quick list of shows that were canceled. I’d think that given how passionate much of your audience is about these types of shows, a quick rant on some or most of them would have been well received. For instance, my wife still hasn’t stopped griping that Once Upon a Time in Wonderland was significantly better than the original where everyone and their mother is related to each other… (hehe)
Please keep it up! So happy to see you doing this and having fun.
Thank you,
-Daniel
I liked some parts of the show and will give it another few weeks but it seemed like you were trying too hard at some points, I think that’s what you were talking about with the BIGGER BIGGER BIGGER thing so I am glad you are aware of it too.
Since people on the internet love to complain, I will continue. My biggest gripe about your show is the studio audience, it may not technically be a laugh track but for the viewer at home it basically is one. I hate laugh tracks and generally don’t watch anything with them. I know Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show and shows in your genre all have studio audiences so I am guessing they wouldn’t let you get rid of the audience even if you wanted to, which you may not. Also the audio at several points throughout the show sounded like it was recorded too hot.
The show has potential though, keep doing what you’re doing except for the things I complained about.
Hoping to see the show live on 6/9! On the waitlist…
I enjoyed the show and thought there were some really funny parts, especially The Walking Dead 80s theme song bit.
But as somebody who is not a big TV guy and almost always watches TV shows only after they’ve been out for years (and heavily vetted by opinions from trusted sources), I’m concerned about continuing watching the show because of spoilers. For example, I was considering watching The Walking Dead (friends say it’s awesome), but it looks like there were some major spoilers with respect to some of the main characters (deaths), so now I’m not sure I want to invest in that show now. Also, I’m currently watching Season 3 of Game of Thrones on DVD right now (don’t have HBO), and there was a pretty big spoiler with the Littlefinger/Mortal Kombat scene (funny BTW); turns out I’ve read all the books so it wasn’t a surprise, but I probably would have been bummed if I hadn’t.
My preference would be for the show to focus a little less on TV and a little more on video games, books, movies and other geek stuff (and I agree with the sentiment that interviews with the right people would be cool), but maybe that’s not the point of the show and I’m not the target audience, and that’s OK. We’ll continue to watch Tabletop and are stoked there’s going to be a Season 3!
Trust your instincts and keep doing what you love, the way you love to do it. You have an infectious enthusiasm that cannot be faked, bottled or taught because it is genuine. Marketers hate that. Don’t let someone else change what you do into what they think you should do because when it’s done, they’ll just move onto the next thing to mold and drain, and you will be left with the hopes of what you could and should have done.
I don’t know you but i trust you to be you.
Oh,and thanks for everything you have done so far!
^ Ditto this.
Spot on! I watched the show again last night and liked it even more the second time. You kicked ‘The Soup’ format to the gutter, which is no longer funny. As Chris Z. said above, “trust your instincts” because you have a major following who will never leave you if you stay true to your unique winning style. :-)))
Watched the show about two hours after it aired. I wish I’d watched it live and followed along with your twitter posts. Next week.
I agree with people who said there where points where your excitement got the best of you and you were too ‘big’, but I just attributed that to you being overly excited about what you were doing. I’ve watched several of the interviews you did prior to the show and you are definitely your best when you are just being yourself. In the interviews you were charming, accessible, at times earnest…most of all you were genuine. Bring that feeling to the show and in my opinion you’ll be golden.
All that said, I loved the show and set it up as a series recording. I’d had a bad day when I watched it and the show made me smile. Looking forward to more smiles and laughter. Thanks for all your hard work. 🙂
P.S.
Ignore people who tell you to be snarky and mean, there’s enough of that out there.
Sorry to break it to you, the show sucks. At least be glad you scammed ’em for 12 episodes. FAIL.
Well, that was unnecessarily cruel.
Trolls gotta troll. You have some great commentary in this thread, Wil. Don’t let one clown ruin it.
Completely agree. Ignore the troll.
Apparently ol’ Dave isn’t familiar with the phrase, “Don’t be a dick.”
I watched the show on syfy’s website (another cord-cutter here, watching shows through network sites, Netflix, AmazonPrime, and Hulu), and I really loved it. I smiled and laughed throughout, which is rare for me, so seriously, well done! I’m disappointed that some reviewers seemed to want it to be meaner/ snarkier, since the fact that it was so good-spirited is what I liked the most about it. Enthusiasm is *fun*, Wil, so trust that your audience is out there and really appreciating what you do!
Towards that end, is there anything those of us who are cord-cutters or non-Neilson households can do to support the show? I’d love to ensure that the show continues.
Maybe continuous-loop the video on syfy.com, and use it as “background music”? Or Are they smart enough to not count multiple views from the same IP? They should (count), because you know, commercials.
My wife and I both LOVED the show. We are in the perfect target demo because we’re interested in all of the fun nerdy topics but are busy with our family so are generally not up on all of the news and memes and whatnot. And we like shows where the host files Wheaton’s Law. 🙂
I like most of the characters WW plays in TV shows.
I watched the intro TWWP show and was disappointed.
I’ll start off of the the good:
1. Interaction with guests were decent for the show format.
And now the bad:
1. The whole show came off like the weird bastard son of Tosh.0 and Bevis and Butthead. (I have parental blocked from myself on my DVR Tosh.0.)
2. Laugh tracks are more annoying than somebody laughing maniacally at their own jokes.
3. It could not hold attention of the sci-fi fans in my household even under “watching a train wreck in progress” conditions.
4. What works on the web doesn’t for broadcast TV. Just because a lot of people are thinking it, it doesn’t need to be vocalized. On the internet you get people to follow for almost anything. On TV with no interaction possible, an ok internet statement can come off as you being a gigantic ass.
Suggestions fitting for your format:
1. Interactions are your strong point. Make more use of guests and incorporate a sidekick.
2. Incorporate a multi-epoisode arc or project.
3. Trade the green screen in for a set, even if it is a hand-me-down from Wayne’s World.
Good luck.
Will,
I thought your show was funny and entertaining. A bit Talk Soupy, but I see what you are going for and it works for a 30 minute show.
Your first episode makes me want to see the next one.
Good job.
I watched it the next day on Hulu, and I was hoping that would still count for your ratings… does this mean they don’t count Hulu views? Congratulations on your first episode — I hope you get to do more than twelve! 🙂
I’ve said for a long time now that the ratings system is outdated. There are too many other systems to go by to rely on just one. Even adding “Live+3” doesn’t cut it. Need to get rid of Neilsen system or combine it with everything else that is out there.
Preach it, Steve!
Thanks to one of the other commenters, I just got the link to the episode via SyFy’s website. I agree with you that the intro was over-the-top. Once you settled down and were just being yourself, it was much better.
I laughed Over and Over and Over again. It’s great! Congrats!
I thought the show was great. Since you are the main attraction, just be yourself and sod the internet.
My wife and I laughed so hard. Thanks for the show!
i was kinda hoping that you’d have to shave your beard for the show….you look better without it is all i’m saying… anyways… moving swiftly on…i liked the show..but i live in ireland so guess i dont count for ratings etc etc
loved the show!
I was one of the “Live+3” folks. Watched it the morning after and really enjoyed it!
I felt a couple of bits fell flat (like the “Walking Dead” video… I kind of agree with Screenrant on that one), but the first couple of episodes of any show are always a little rough (*cough* TNG Season 1 *cough*). O
Overall I like the nicer tone of the show not to mention the friendly jabs at the network. Having Hardwick show up with his fake during-the-show aftershow was brilliant
Favorite moment of the show: “The hand that feeds me tastes SO good…”
I watched your premier episode and enjoyed it. I made my husband watch it (he was out while the show was on) and he enjoyed it and i had a good time watching it again. Looking forward to epsode #2!
Hi, is it on hulu+ on apple tv? i dont think it is…
It is indeed on Hulu (don’t even nee the plus)
I loved the show, Wil. However, to offer constructive criticism, the audio was all over the place. Before posting my comment, I watched again in a different format in case it was a bad feed from my cable provider and it was still off. You were a bit boisterous but I chalked that up to “opening night jitters” and your obvious enthusiasm for the show. Overall, I enjoyed the content and think it was a great start. Don’t obsess over the ratings. They will build. After all, the first show was the day after the long holiday week-end that signals the beginning of summer and a goodly portion of your target audience was probably still nursing a hang-over after struggling through a day back at work. Fix the sound issue and you’ve got a winner! Can’t wait for the next show!
Hey, not sure you’re still reading these after 199 other comments AND not sure if someone else from Nielsen has chimed in yet about the ratings thing (because I’M not reading 199 other comments to find out).
BUT…I can tell you that most people watching your show had zip to do with the ratings you got. Only people in the Nielsen survey count. Granted, statistics means that the random sample is generally pretty accurate, but it also means that I (not a cable subscriber) didn’t hurt anything by not watching. Also, the demographic your show is aimed at (I think…still haven’t checked it out on Hulu, but it’s next on my list) is harder to match and get accurate data from (because of complicated stats stuff my husband understands and I don’t, really).
If you, or anyone reading this, is curious about the process, then check out this video ESPN made (it’s actually pretty accurate): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UqKLSNmvEU&feature=kp
Also, companies can check the number of hits they get from online viewership, but they don’t factor into ratings at all. If the network ONLY cares about the ratings and don’t factor in Hulu and the online portal, then they aren’t getting the full picture of how popular your show (or any show) is.
Unfortunately I am one of those cord cutters. But I watched it on Hulu just now so hopefully that counts for something. I would agree with your assessment, the 1st half was a little too big as you said but I really liked the tone of the 2nd half. Being a little more subdued really gave you more depth and accentuated the punchlines. The theme music to the Walking Dead was brilliant. I laughed at every freeze frame. Hopefully we’ll be seeing much more of you!!!!
Is there any way to legally watch the show outside of the US? I’m in Canada and I could not find it anywhere! Please get it on iTunes or somewhere I can support you so I don’t have to torrent future episodes.
Ok first it IS on Hulu. Second holy first world problems “I can’t watch it in my bed only on computer”. Third, I will give it another shot Wil because you’re a good guy and my first tv crush (crush Crusher oh lord I made a dad pun I think >.<) but it didn't do it for me yet. I don't like Talk Soup so it might just not be my genre, but I also felt like I didn't have enough geek cred to get things which was a bummer (not your problem, and not a big deal, just trying to explain) might do better on a rewatch so tbd. I do wish you well and hope you have low anxiety (it's the worst ain't it?) in making your show you love 🙂
Ok I watched it a second time and I like it better. I liked the second half a lot better also. Being a cord cutter, I haven’t seen a lot of the cable shows so unfortunately there were a lot of those discussed in the beginning and I stopped paying as much attention after feeling left out last time. This time I stuck it out and you really hit the mark with the Crossbones and other network show bits in the second half I genuinely laughed out loud so thanks for that. Obviously I wouldn’t recommend cutting out the cable shows as that’s be silly, but I suspect a lot of your audience are cable cutters and not all have seen those shows so I do recommend interspersing premium channel and network tv bits a bit more evenly if possible. Cheers and best of luck with the rest of the season, looking forward to it now.
Just watched the 1st episode in the UK – Loved the show !
Since you brought up the subject of shows that are getting cancelled, I feel it sad that some of those have deserving merit and the networks have their heads up somewhere not so bright. Believe is one such show as is Intelligence Others in the past are the following: Chuck, Living on Mars, Jake 2.0. It seems that just when these shows are just getting interesting and you get hooked, the networks want to pull the plug, to which I say “HUH?? WTF??” And by the way, you might just learn a thing or two from the guy you are bashing as being “drunk” and “stoned”. Just sayin……
Why would people expect your show to be dick.0 when your motto is literally, “Don’t be a dick!” I agree with the comments on here about just being yourself. Your show aims to celebrate nerd culture, so keep that as your focus. Don’t compromise your vision.
While constructive criticism can be useful, pure meanness serves no purpose. So, it saddens me to see posts or reviews that are nothing but negativity. When was the last time any of those people got their own TV show or legions of fans?!
I’m in Australia so just watched the first episode online and I really enjoyed it. I had some hearty belly laughs with the Cosmos bits especially, but thought the show was great fun entertainment overall too. Have been a fan of yours for many years, Wil, so, thank you 🙂
Hey Wil, here goes my opinion:
First of all, no show in the history of television had 100% acceptance. That doesn’t mean at all that there are no good shows on TV. People have different tastes and different kinds of sense of humor. They have all the right to give you feedback, whitch I think is good and necessary, but they have no right to be rude and horrible. They don’t consider the fact that you are a real person trying to develop something nice for us, that is very hard and demmanding to make a show. They don’t understand there is a network and other professionals behind it, not only you to take responsibility for everything. And they are mean. So I think those people should immediatly loose their chance of having thir oppinion being heard and taken under consideration.
Second, don’t worry too much about the ratings. If you think a lot about making the show be renewed for a new season you will end up not enjoying the process as much as you could. Just enjoy the opportunity and have fun! 😀
(I wish I could help watching it from the UK though =/ )
And yes, be yourself pelase!!! The big reason why I became a fan of yours was Radio Free Burrito, which is just you being you, and it’s awesome! one of my favourite podcasts of all times!
I found the show great!!! I had lots of fun watching it!
I will give you my feedback in case you find it useful…
The things I would change (most related to network and production) to make it even better are:
The set, I would really love to see at least a table and a chair for you. I’ll explain why. First because it looks a little like the network didn’t want to invest a lot on the show (which I really don’t know if it’s true) that’s just an impression I get. And also because, for being a quick show it feels like it’s even quicker if you are standing, if that makes any sense….like it’s a section of a bigger show.
I would have kept Chris for longer! His participation was so funny, I just wish you had had the time to keep him a little more, chat about something, and explore more the guest part.
The things I loved:
The show was very funny, it didn’t bother me at all that you were super excited, it’s the first episode!
I loved the Game of Thrones/mortal kombat video. Hilarious.
I worked very shortly on Vikings last year and that scene made me crack up. Supper funny!
The joke about the after show during the show and the replay of your reaction was so good! hahah
Just to finish, don’t worry too much about jerks and don’t feel dissapointed or let down by your fans, because the horrible people are not really your fans. If they were they would know they should not be a dick to anyone!
Watched it twice on Syfy.com, first by myself to make sure it was age appropriate, the second time with my family. We all loved it. If I had one complaint, it’s that you’re not letting the visual gags speak for themselves. “Have Hugh Seen Me?” stood out as a perfect example of that. Sometimes you should just stop talking and let the audience take it in.
Also, was there supposed to be no audio for the second “Ashmore You Know?” segment? Both times I watched it I got no sound except the audience laughter.
As someone who watched way too many 80’s sitcoms, and loves the Walking Dead, that segment was just perfect. Loved it. And Tyson Drunk/Stoned had my wife laughing so hard she literally fell out of her chair.
Bravo! I love the show totally total! The humour is spot on, even for a semi nerd. I expected the good performance. Your easy composure and delivery is astounding!
Suggestions, Please for SyFy consider a seasonal hour long episode.
For Will etal…I like the chair with book in the promo, as in sitting down sometimes. Please consider adding another chair for a random audience member and guests…a so what have you been up to moment.
There’s nothing wrong with being unflinchingly positive on your show. Dan Povenmire and “Swampy” Marsh made the conscious decision that Phineas and Ferb (the title characters) would never be mean, snarky or dishonest. It’s worked EXTREMELY well for them.
It’s fun to see good things like this happening to you. I don’t know how long this pony ride will last, but enjoy it while it does last. And more power to you, and everyone else who’s trying to make the world a better place.
First, let me note that is sounds like “Self Doubt” and “Prove to Everyone” might be creeping back into Wil’s life. Seriously, he needs to bury and forget those suckers like Steve Jobs buried OS-9.
I watched the show online, apparently like a lot of other have. I like this project and want to support it, but refuse to get ganked by cable companies. I am a financial supporter of TT Season 3, so I don’t mind supporting what I want to see. Let us non-cable people know what we can do to show support so that SyFy will take notice of it.
My critique of the show is like so many others. Seemed a bit off at the beginning, audio needs work, loved the NDT drunk and stoned bits. Wil seemed a bit wired up/nervous at first, but came into his own as the show progressed. Loved the “taste of the hand that feeds” (that needs to be the name name of Wil’s SyFy cover band!) comment also. I applauded following Wheaton’s law. The Humor was dead on IMHO, just seems to be a few bugs to work out, but shouldn’t be anything insurmountable. More than anything, I say to Wil and his team, trust yourselves. I think their idea here is 5 by 5, and just a few superficial items to work out.
Short and long, Show was not perfect, but it was good. B to B+ I would say. I am guessing the shows will only get better with time. I will be watching the future shows as long as they are available online, and want to make sure SyFy knows I am watching there (Watch on my computer on the SyFy link).
We watched it last night and laughed a LOT. I agree with just being yourself. Because you’re naturally funny 🙂 Keep on keepin’ on, my friend.
I didn’t get the DVR set in time, but I’ll definitely be watching this before the weekend is over and it’s set to record going forward! Congrats on the show. I hope you get picked up for a huge run. BTW, any thoughts about the other ST:TNG cast member having a huge week? reading Rainbow Kickstarter is blowing up.
In regards to the “There’s a very real chance that I won’t get to do more than 12 episodes of this show” comment – Remember Firefly only had 14 episode. Endeavor to make this your Firefly.
I watched AND dvrd plus I m a little on the beefy side I count for 3 views at least
Were the BIGGER BIGGER BIGGER people related to the “Energy energy energy energy” TNG director you’ve mentioned? Sheesh. Anywho… I enjoyed the show and am looking forward to seeing it settle into itself a bit more. The tongue in cheek Syfy stuff was hilarious. The background seemed a little weird/awkward, especially during the segment with Chris Hardwick, but that is more of a production thing.
I loved the show! Sadly, I had to pirate it in order to watch it on my Roku-fueled TV, which I’m sure adds to your rating woes. I tried the SyFy (I almost spelled it out as Sci-Fi, silly me) channel on my Roku, and watched all the clips there, but SyFy hasn’t made full episodes available. I would gladly use that if the episodes were made available.
My kids and I loved it, laughed out loud a number of times. Not the type of humor my wife gets but you can’t please them all.
I think you did a great job!
Hubby and I loved the show – laughed out loud many times! In fact, I plan to write an article this weekend about why folks should watch it. Can’t wait to see Felicia Day – or was that a joke? I hope not!!
I would imagine going up against Fargo is tough on the ratings…