Navy will battle pirates for Spike TV reality show
Hours after an American sea captain was freed from Somalian pirates, Spike TV greenlit a pilot for a documentary-type reality show about hunting pirates.
&bigDeclCap=This+undated+photo+provided+by+Maersk+Line+Ltd.+shows+the+Maersk+Alabama.+Somali+pirates+are+holding+the+captain+of+the+ship+hostage%2c+a+day+after+bandits+hijacked+the+U.S.-flagged+vessel+for+several+hours+before+20+crew+members+overpowered+them.+The+hijacking+took+place+Wednesday+April+8%2c+2009+several+hundred+miles+off+the+coast+of+Somalia.+(AP+Photo%2fMaersk+Line+Ltd.)&bigCred=&bigUrl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.ohio-share.coxnewsweb.com%2fmultimedia%2fdynamic%2f00480%2fPiracy_JPEG_480761c.jpg&superSizeImage=y)
This undated photo provided by Maersk Line Ltd. shows the Maersk Alabama. Somali pirates were holding the captain of the ship hostage, a day after bandits hijacked the U.S.-flagged vessel for several hours before 20 crew members overpowered them. The hijacking took place Wednesday April 8, 2009 several hundred miles off the coast of Somalia. (AP Photo/Maersk Line Ltd.)
From the press release:
The recent dramatic increase in piracy off the coast of Africa has made news headlines around the world and now Spike TV has partnered with the Emmy Award-winning reality production house 44 Blue Productions (“The True Story of Black Hawk Down,” “Lockup”) and Adam Friedman (“Vertical Ascent”) for production on the pilot “Pirate Hunters: USN” (working title), an up-close and behind-the-scenes look at the US Navy operation to end this deadly threat of piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
So do you think this pilot has been in the works for a while, or do you think they just whipped this together over the weekend? Could also have been an idea they tabled in the past and decided now would be a good time to move it into production.
I think it sounds like an interesting idea for a TV show. So many people think that pirates are a thing of the past but with the recent events in the news, this kind of show would be a perfect way to bring something relatively unknown to the publics attention.
If I still had cable, I might add this one to the DVR queue.
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By Joe
April 14, 2009 9:08 PM | Link to this
Not another reality show. Aren’t there enough? Besides, the Navy isn’t a law-enforcement entity. They are for national defense. I suppose you could argue that protecting shipping is in the interests of our national defense. But for cryin’ out loud, don’t start shadowing the SpecOps guys, their jobs are hard enough.By Liz
April 14, 2009 9:59 PM | Link to this
Dang, why couldn’t they have done this when I was active duty? Does the Navy get to use the big toys? How about the USS Iowa taking the pirate dingy out with their 10 inch guns from a few miles away while the pirates are looking around waiting for someone to show up? Or I could drop a 500 lb bomb on them from a few thousand feet up? Heck, just lob a cruise missile over from the East Coast. You just gotta love the networks for coming up with this stuff.By pilko
April 14, 2009 11:17 PM | Link to this
Did everyone forget that The Running Man was supposed to be a dystopic satire? As much as there needs to be justice done, making a TV show out of it is truly sickening. I can only hope that it will not allowed by the military.