Lifetime Has Trouble Making 'Runway' Work

I won't even bother watching the finale. Lifetime has destroyed the series. The network has de-gayed the show and turned it into a suburban Tupperware party. Does anyone really believe it is accidental that the finale will be exclusively female, guaranteeing that a woman will win? (It was shot after the Weinstein's inked the deal with Lifetime but before the legal settlement, not before Lifetime took over control.) The producers cast a bunch of weak male designers for a reason, folks. How sad! It used to be such a fun, edgy show--when Bravo was in control. I knew the old straight white feminists at Lifetime would destroy the show!

The show lost some of it's thrill with the move to LA. I loved knowing they were filming in New York City. And now that Michael and Nina are not there often, I realize now just how much I really valued their insight as judges. Now, the judging is inconsistent, people who have progressed shouldn't have and I do hate to say it, but we're missing personality. I can barely tell you anyone's name - they are forgettable.

I know they probably are stuck on Lifetime - one good thing about that is that I have a better chance of seeing it at a hotel when I travel - Bravo is never a hotel channel.

Go back to NYC!!!

Maybe viewers are appalled at Producer Harvey Weinstein's defense of a child rapist that is turning viewers off. I know that's what made me stop watching.

This has been the worst season of Project Runway EVER! It would be easy to blame the designers, but I really think the blame falls squarely on Project Runway’s Producers and the Lifetime Network.

I have got to wonder if Lifetime gutted the budget for the show. How many challenges now have been one-day challenges. I understand having one or two speed challenges to push the designers a little, but at least half the challenges have been one-day challenges. Do they not have the budget to hire the camera crew/studio so they need to film the show in half the time so they have a ton one day challenges. And what designer can keep pumping out runway ready looks in less than 12 hours? I want to be blown away by new and exciting looks, give the poor designers 36 hours to make a look. I don’t think that is really being ‘too easy’ on them.

Now lets address the judges. There has NO consistency in the judging this year. I understood in the past when Michael or Nina would miss a week or two throughout the whole season, but for the most part, every week it was Heidi, Michael, Nina and a guest. Even if you disagreed with their thoughts and choices, at least they wee consistent. This year Michael and Nina have missed so many episodes that they have often had two guest judge per show. And who are some of these judges, and why are they there? They are filming in Los Angeles for Pete’s sake! This week for example, is the best they could do was Nick Verreos. I mean, really! I like Nick, but how does this sound: “This week’s guest judge is one of our previous season’s losers”? What is up with that?

Lastly, most of the challenges have SUCKED! I know it is crazy when they have to make an outfit out of things from a recycling or out of the interior of a new hybrid vehicle or things found at a candy store. But those challenges really force the designers to be extremely creative and think totally out of the box, if they are not innovative, they will have nothing to show.

http://wp.me/pDM7W-1q

Seeing Christopher squeak by every week is a turn off.

The problem with Runway right now is who the hell is picking those designers ? Was there a 2 for 1 sale at K-Mart ? This is the most untalented group they have ever had on that show. And they have had some real winners before . There needs to be some kind of standards.I'm in the industry and nobody would hire any of these people.
Nina is from a magazine nobody reads anymore. Its really time for her to go.
Mr Kors also needs to go. He's a designer for older women and could use some criticism himself . They need to revamp this sinking ship.Bring on new critics . Better quality designers or have tiers of designers-- new, untested and people that possess some talent .

It's Lifetime's brand identity, it's still an old women's network. While Bravo is all about young, hip, creative, diversity, and colorful characters, Lifetime on the other hand, fill their commercials with their stupid movie-of-the-week, housewives shows like Army Wives and Wife Swap. Even worse, Bravo embraced gay character, while Lifetime seem to downplay them. Comparing Bravo's splashy upbeat cool Hedi in tight outfit marketing campaign with Lifetime's pinky dull "look at us, we can play young!" Heidi in long dress campaign, no wonder Runway doesn't fit.

nina and kors are gone. the focus seems to be on women now (thanks, Lifetime.) but worse, they have de-gayed it. Lifetime Runway is not fun to watch. it's just a bunch of girls all making the same dress and bitching about which of them invented the baggy sweater first.

My girlfriend and I were watching an episode from this season on TiVo, like we always did--- it was one of her 2 or 3 favorite shows. After the third or fourth repeat of the same (crap, troubling, sexist) ad, my girlfriend turned to me and said, "I don't know if I can watch this anymore" and she took it off the season's pass ("record this show") list.

I don't know if anyone else experienced anything similar. If so, the network switch may have a subtle impact: Unlike the ads on Bravo, which probably seem more fun or upbeat in comparison, and deal with other pseudo-creative things like home renovation or whatever, watching the show on Lifetime may have a "you should be doing something more productive with your time" effect on women.

In case that helps.

I have loved PR since season one. I was very glad that the show did not make sweeping changes to the format when it moved to Lifetime. However as a loyal viewer of the show, I must admit that I am not at all interested in this current season. It has not been as compelling as previous seasons, and I just don't feel like I MUST watch it every week. I do miss seeing Michael and Nina each week. But the primary reason that I don't like this season is the casting. I still don't have a favorite that I am rooting for, and I really don't care for any of them. I can't see any of them creating a successful line for Bryant Park. They are a dull, characterless, and unlikeable group. And the most off-putting trait is that "they all like talk like the same like, or whatever." Very unappealing.

Marc makes good points. A drab slate of contestants doesn't help. Also, as in fashion, "Runway" (and "Bravo's" lineup in general) always seemed to be propelled by its attractiveness to young gay people-- and "Lifetime" is about as straight a cable brand as they come.

Everyone that says it was changed for LIFETIME, at the time this was shot, more than a year ago, they had no idea where the show would end up, so that doesn't ring true.

The major difference this time is that they were in LA. But honestly the locale doesn't make the show different, they are still in a workroom. The diference in LA is that Michael Kors and Nina Garcia were absent for most of the show. So outside of Heidi Klum the other 3 judges were people we didn't know and many of the people they elimnated were fantastic designers having an off week. How is Ra'Mon not in the finale? Can you imagine if Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba or Simon Cowell were missing for 4-5 weeks. It would totally spoil the balance of the show.

Also I agree with Andrea Wong. The show debuted in late August. Most of the season has been up against network hits in originals at 10pm and there are two big ones there.

cuz its not like the first season, i dont think its that good any more.