Exclusive Interview with TWoP’s Erin Dailey

We TV addicts love our recaps. Even if we’ ve seen the show, we like to read recaps to see how others interpreted the same events. And as much as I know you all love GMMR’s The Office, Veronica Mars, Lost and 24 recaps, even we will admit that THE place for recaps has been and will always be Television Without Pity (TWoP).

Special Guest blogger (and co-founder of the GMMR forums), Fatback, has scored an exclusive interview with Erin Dailey, one of the best recappers over at TWoP. Erin has worked tirelessly over the past 5 years to bring us recaps of one of my faves, Alias, and we are SO excited that she was willing to answer Fatback’s questions.

Enjoy!

Fatback:We all love your recaps on TWoP (Television Without Pity). How did you get that gig? All my writing pals, want to know if it made you rich? I mean, come on; you are living the dream down in Charleston, South Carolina, right?

Erin Daily: Awww, thanks. I actually got the gig through my own site. I’d been writing for my site for a year or so and I’d also been writing for a couple of other sites and I found Hissyfit, which is Tara Ariano’s site, and through that, I found Tomato Nation, which is Sarah D. Bunting’s site. Sarah and I started reading each others stuff and we became buds. Then my boyfriend at the time told me that all this Internet writing was great, but I should be getting paid to do it and why didn’t I ask my friend Sarah how to make some buckage off my writing. I asked, she said, “Wanna write for Mighty Big TV?” and I said, “Hell YEAH.” I was assigned to American High and a television-show-skewering career was born.

And, no, it doesn’t make you rich. It does, however, give you a name, seeing as TWoP is one of the most well-respected television websites on the market. It’s considered an industry standard, so the writers often get noticed by Hollywood producers and directors and (generally) we garner their respect. That’s better than money, honey!

Fatback: Now that Alias has been cancelled will you continue recaps for other shows for TWoP or any other sites for that matter? I think I know a site looking for writers, heh.

Erin: I’ll recap anything TWoP wants me to. Seriously. Even if the show smells of day-old ass. They’re currently full-up on recappers, though, so they may not require my services. I won’t know until next season if there are any available spots. A site’s looking for writers? Really? You got their number? Momma needs a new pair of shoes.

Fatback:How do you think the addition of prime time TV shows to iTunes will affect recaps in the future. For example, I feel more pressure to get our recaps out quicker because of it (although it’s easier to recap at work now using iTunes downloads. Score!)

Erin: Well, Television Without Pity has never been based on speed, as far as I’m concerned. I mean, yes, we want to get the recaps out as quickly as is humanly possible so that readers will be able to get the full lowdown on any given show that we cover, but we’re more concerned with giving readers as much detail and commentary as possible; so if that means the recap takes five hours, then it takes five hours. And most of the recappers can’t devote five hours to a recap the night a show airs (some of that sh** comes on late, yo!), so a 24-hour turnaround isn’t always possible. I’m sure Sars and Wing would love it if we could all get the recaps in the next day, but since most of us can’t, they’re okay with the recaplets we send in to hold readers over until the full recap appears.

We’re also responsible for putting in links and creating polls, so that takes more time than just doing a straight recap. We try to make them as fun and engaging as possible. That’s easier with some shows than it is with others, obviously (West Wing? I’m looking at you.), but we do our best.

Click here for the full interview with Erin Dailey of Television Without Pity.

A special thanks to Fatback for scoring this interview. Make sure you check out his site, FatbackandCollards.com. It’s sexy, southern gossip at its best.