Monday, December 23, 2013

Who dat?

You like lesbians, right? And you like crime shows, right? And you like lesbians in crime shows, right – wait, are there any lesbians on crime shows? (“Rookie Blue” is the only one, I think…which reminds me, I should probably watch “Rookie Blue.”) But if you want even more, then you’re in luck. Because “Nikki & Nora” is finally here. Who dat, you ask? Once a failed TV pilot, now a brand-new webseries, the show is a crime show about a pair of former cops turned private detectives working in New Orleans. And those former cops turned private detectives are also a couple. So you could say it’s sorta like “Rizzoli & Isles,” except they actually make out.

The show is from Nancylee Myatt (creator of “South of Nowhere” and fellow webseries “Cowgirl Up) and features former “CSI” actress Liz Vassey as Nikki and former “Better Than Chocolate” actress Christina Cox as Nora. And, after a successful crowd-funding campaign, the series is now live.

The first episode premiered yesterday and you can watch it with a premium membership to Tello Films ($3.99 for a month of unlimited streaming). There will be new episodes each Sunday for the next seven weeks (so, that’s eight episodes in all). You can watch and find out more at the Nikki & Nora site.

The premiere episode is only 11 minutes – which is tantalizingly short. It sets up Nikki and Nora’s work and makes the most of its New Orleans backdrop. But mostly it leaves you wanting more. Like, seriously, is it Sunday yet?

I haven’t been a big webseries watcher, admittedly. It’s not necessarily that I don’t think they’re good. It’s more like I have so much to watch already. Also, OK, some of them aren’t that good. Fine, some of them suck. But from what I’ve seen so far, “Nikki & Nora” certainly isn’t one of them. High hopes, ladies – high hopes. As a sucker for both lesbians and crime shows, I’m ready.

8 comments:

Carmen SanDiego said...

Hmmm seems interesting
I will check it out
Thanks DS

Anonymous said...

the original series was great...the music by usher and luda ris really set the tempo...the chemistry of the two leads are super too...and it is great that they want to continue the series...really missed seeing Christina Cox...she plays it well....wishing them luck and hope more series comes out.

Donna Brooks said...

Correction: Nancylee Myatt did NOT create "South of Nowhere". Tom Lynch was the creator. I like to give credit where it's due. Thanks.

I wish the show didn't require a subscription. I even made a couple of videos which I posted on YouTube to promote the webseries, so I was very excited, but I think the subscriptions are monthly, and if so, I don't know how I can afford it. I'd rather have ads, annoying as they are, and be able to watch the show.

Anonymous said...

It's a good beginning...needs more fleshing out...the chemistry between the two is good espcially when christina cox plays top.

Anonymous said...

I'm really bummed about the complaining because onemorelesbian.com requires a subscription. Folks, this sort of thing doesn't happen in a vacuum. Money is required. Granted the webseries itself was crowdfunded but that didn't take into account the distribution and promotion (courtesy of onemorelesbian.com and tello films). Money is required for promotion, hosting, and bandwidth. For $3.99 I consider it money very well spent!!!!

Nancylee said...

Hi y’all, Nancylee here. Thank you for your comments, and especially to Dorothy Snarker for the support!

Two things – Donna, you are correct. I did not create South Of Nowhere. The awesome Tommy Lynch did. And here’s the great symmetry of this: Tommy had seen a copy of Nikki & Nora and knew that I was the writer who should be the one to help Ashley and Spencer fall in love. So he hired me to write and run the show – one of the best jobs I’ve had in television.

Secondly, regarding paying for webseries and internet content. For the cost of buying me a cocktail in appreciation, you get to see a reboot of the pilot you have been blogging about, bootlegging, writing fanfic for, and creating love letter videos to over the last ten years.

No matter what you believe to be true, production takes money, whether it’s for the big, medium or small screen. And for me, and those who work with me, this is our real job. It’s not a hobby. It’s takes just as much time to write a script, prep and shoot and edit, as it does for any other project know matter what the budget or how you are viewing it.

When we produce a webseries for you, we try to put every dollar spent on the screen. And I think it shows. No one working on Nikki & Nora is making anywhere near, if any at all, the money we get paid out in the real world. We do independent webseries because we love the people and material, and know you do, too.

This version of Nikki & Nora cost one tenth of what the network original did – but we busted our butts to make it amazing. For the 3 webseries I have co-created and produced, 3Way, Cowgirl Up and now Nikki & Nora, it was paid for by me, the other co-creators/producers, tellofilms and with some additional crowdfunding. Truthfully, when we make a webseries it costs us money. And as much as I love y’all, I gotta keep the little lady in make-up and push-up bras.

Here’s the math – if we don’t pay the bills, sadly we will not be able to continue to give you this kind of entertainment. So think of it as paying for your premium cable shows, or downloading a PPV movie, or buying a ticket to the theater – but for WAAAY less cash.

Please know that this is really a labor of love for us. And our gift for you, who have made it clear to me that you fell in love with Nikki & Nora just like I did. Thank you for helping me bring them back. I hope you enjoy the rest of the season… nl

Donna Brooks said...

In reply to "Anonymous", to be clear, I wasn't *complaining* about the subscriptions. I was saying that I would prefer to have ads, b/c I don't have the money to buy everything I want. I usually just do without, which is what I'm doing now while you are watching the show.

Donna Brooks said...

Hi Nancylee! I certainly wasn't expecting a personal response! First of all, I know you were the writer of SON, but I am picky about details and the blogger should have said you were the writer (and producer?), not the creator of the series. I didn't mean that you should not be given credit for your role in the show! I just think that misinformation on the web is rampant, so I like to nip misinformation in the bud when I see it.

I understand that making a webseries takes money. In fact, I just recently watched 3Way and was wondering how you made that available for free. I don't expect you to make Nikki & Nora available for free. I was saying that I don't like Tellofilms' subscription model. You suggested I think of it as paying for my premium cable shows, downloading a PPV movie, or buying a theatre ticket, but here's the thing,— I don't do any of those things. I rent a room in a woman's home & we don't have cable, not even basic. There are movies I've wanted to see that I've never seen b/c the last time I paid to go to the theatre it was for a matinee to see the final installment of The Lord of the Rings on Christmas Day. I never watch PPV films. I will sometimes get a film from the library (Imagine Me & You) and I watched "I Can't Think Straight" on Netflix with a friend who has a subscription. I was able to see a couple of lesbian movies, "It's in the Water" (which I'd seen years ago and liked) and "Out at the Wedding" online for free b/c they were on sites that had commercial breaks.

There are other webseries that I have watched that also need money for production, but they get it in different ways. Currently, I am watching a great series also centered around a lesbian teen and her single father called "Out with Dad". They went for a LONG time between S2 and S3 because they rely on donations. But S3 started again early this month and we were all still waiting for it. They didn't lose their audience, b/c the show was good & viewers were invested. The other webseries that I watched for 3 years was Venice, which was LOUSY in the first season but then improved greatly. I'd been a fan of Otalia (Olivia & Natalia on Guiding Light) and wanted to see Crystal Chappell & the dropdead gorgeous Jessica Leccia together again. The fans on the Otalia board set up a gift subscription mechanism so that those who couldn't afford a subscription could request a gift sub, and someone with the means could pay for it for them. This helped to support CC, JL, & the webseries, while also helping those who would not be able to see the show to do so. Thanks to those folks, I was able to watch Venice for the first 3 seasons. (I didn't ask for a gift subscription to S4, though. I just decided to no longer watch the show.) And that only cost $10/season, not $4/month. I realize that OML/Tello is charging for ALL their premium content, but I'm not interested in anything except N&N.

So it's not that I think you can make these shows without money. If you reread my post above, you'll see that. I was simply stating that I wouldn't mind ads, b/c $4/month adds up, and I live on $676/month from SSDI (Disability). So I don't buy coffee at Starbucks (or even McD's), or eat in restaurants or other things that many people take for granted. I know what you are doing is a labor of love. I just don't think I can accept your gift at this time. I'm not complaining. I am grateful for what you are doing. Thanks.