TCA: FOX talks 'Glee', 'Dollhouse', 'Virtuality" and more

community.livejournal.com - 14th Jan 2009

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Jay Leno: Q&A with Kevin Reilly: 'Fringe,''Dollhouse,''Truth,' NBC, more ... During the press tour executive session Q&A with Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly ...>> "Fringe." Reilly seemed to heavily hint that the show will come back next fall."I already know 'Fringe' is a keeper," he says. "The show's been a bear creatively because it's been very ambitious. They've really found the storytelling model now ... what you're going to see in the second half in the year, if you follow the serialized story you will not be disappointed, yet the stories really do reset themselves each week. I would not expect it to take off after 'Idol,' but I do think it will tick up another level," he says. That said, as for fall, "if I have a show that we love, but we don't think it can be protected on the fall schedule, we might not put any on the fall schedule.">> On development plans: "We're doubling down our commitment to comedy," with animated shows, "and we're rebuilding the live-action comedy brand."Post-panel, Reilly said he's aiming for five comedies for fall and at least five dramas. That said, Fox might not have any new non-animated comedies on the schedule for fall.>> On renewing the low-rated " 'Til Death," yet again: "At a certain deal it makes sense for us in certain time periods. So we were able to make that deal ... and keep originals on the air versus repeats or filler.">> On moving "Bones" so many times:"I'd like to stop moving it around. If it does what we think it's going to do on Thursdays, we will glue it there.">> On "Secret Millionaire." "We're contemplating maybe doing some more.">> On canceling "Prison Break": "The show just played out," says Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly. "Creatively everybody feels enough stories were told ... we want it to finish strong and not just gimp out next season.""Prison" has four more episodes set to air, and might shoot a could extra series-ending episodes as well."They have a cool ending," Reilly reassured. >> On "Family Guy" spinoff "Cleveland." "It's not a spin off. It's really become its own show ... with, frankly, a sweeter tone than 'Family Guy.'">> On why "Moment of Truth," which has shot a season, has not aired: "Fortunately, we have other options," he says, then quickly realizes how that sounds. "And I don't mean that pejoratively to that show" (hmm, is the lie-detection expert for the "Lie to Me" panel in the room?). "We have it as a tool when we need it over the summer or to fill a time period. We have a season of them on the shelf ... but I think it will come back on the air at some point.">> On the chances of Fox's Osbourne family variety show being successful:"You're not going to mistake that for six other shows on the air ... and if it hits, I think it's going to hit big and be something really different." >> When asked about the dramatic changes at competitor NBC, Reilly's previous network: "NBC for me is like the crazy ex-wife I can't get away from," he says, drawing big laughs."I was surprised to see that," Reilly says of the network giving up its 10 p.m. block in order to keep Jay Leno. "I think it's the a smart strategic move in a very, very troubled place ... just looking at the facts, the network historically has struggled to establish scripted shows at 8 p.m. You have to go back to 'Fresh Prince' to find a self-starting scripted hit. It's been historically a challenge for NBC even at their height. So if 8 p.m. is a place they're going to struggle with scripted shows, if they don't program Friday, Saturday or Sunday for half the year with scripted show, on a historic level you look and say for the network that was the premiere brand for scripted television, that's a little bit of a sad statement. Whether they make it go at a business level, we'll see."By comparison, Reilly says, "We want to work smart through these [economic] challenges not start making rash moves ... this company is committed to not making massive layoffs. We're a very lean company in success and that prepares us for hard times.">> On the recent success and stability of CBS:"I give CBS credit. ... I think it's one of the best stories of the year, is some of the growth they're not only seeing in stability, but 'How I Met Your Mother' actually growing this season ... and maintaining that [comedy] block.">> On the short-lived "Do Not Disturb":"We made a lot of year-end lists with 'Do Not Disturb," he jokes.>> On placing "Dollhouse" on Friday nights:"Joss Whedon does a certain kind of show. He’s right in the zone again on that. It's the kind of show that we know has a core passionate audience. In some other scheduling scenarios there could be enormous pressure on it ... we have a very compatible lead in with 'Sarah Connor'... we’re going to let the show play out for 13 episodes and hopefully it will catch on ... if we can do some business there, that would be a great thing for the future."Post-panel, in the huddle:>> Ron Moore's "Virtuality" pilot is being recut, possibly from two hours to one: "It could air as-is and a certain segment of the audience would flip for it. But it's a little dense.">> Will the RemoteFreeTV experiment continue? If Fox has its way, yes, but the model that uses half as many commercials for shows like "Fringe" and "Dollhouse" remain a tough sell for advertisers. When asked if RemoteFree was a success, Reilly says, "For the most part, yes. Viewer feedback was great ... advertisers were very happy ... studies showed retention was high ... but not every advertiser wants to pay that premium." Plus, there's an additional production factor of doing shows that are slightly longer than usual.>> The "Boldly Going Nowhere" pilot from the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" crew is being reshot. It will be a pilot for fall. "When we screened it, five minutes later we said, 'let's do it again," Reilly says.'Lie to Me' panel: 'The Mentalist' is a 'scam'Now we're talking.When asked the inevitable question of how Fox's "Lie to Me" compares to CBS' similarly themed freshman hit "The Mentalist," producers aren't shy."Go at it boys," says Tim Roth."The difference between the two shows is that our show is based on actual science, while 'Mentalist' is, I think, more of a scam," says actor Brendan Hines."And it's based on the most cutting-edge research used by the TSA and homeland security," adds creator Samuel Baum. "What you see on the show is based on real science and techniques that are simple and visible to the naked eye that people can bring into their real life."Adds Roth, "I haven’t seen 'The Mentalist.' But I’ve heard about it because [the other panel members] talk about it. I don’t think we need to get too worried about it really."Producers say "Lie" will also distinguish itself by not having a murder every week. Roth's lie-detection expert will be hired by a range of clients, in addition to helping the police. More superficially, Tim Roth kept his British accent -- unlike transplanted Brits such Hugh Laurie. Executive producer David Nevins pointed out that two of the biggest stars on TV, Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay, have British accents."Americans think a British accent makes you smarter, and [Roth's character] is a scientist," he says. "I don’t know how Hugh does it," adds Roth. "This character has to be flexible, light on his feet. So adding an accent to think about for me was a deal-breaker."Joss Whedon reacts to 'Dollhouse' moveHas any TV show ever endured such an severe pre-premiere reputation whiplash as Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse"?The show has gone from a buzz-heavy must-see event ... to a supposedly doomed failure ... and the first episode hasn't even aired yet (coming in February, on Friday the 13th, lest we forget). It would be great to see Whedon prove his skeptical prognosticators wrong.During the "Dollhouse" panel, Whedon was asked how he feels about the show being moved from high-profile Mondays to less-viewed Fridays, not unlike his previous ill-fated Fox sci-fi drama, "Firefly.""My initial reaction was mixed," he says.“I’ve had a bad experience on a Friday; you may have heard about it," Whedon says. "But I also felt relief. [The worry] was partly a reaction to what had happened in the past. I’m excited to be paired with ‘Terminator.’ [Fox executives] made it very clear they’re not sticking us on a Friday and then not promoting it. Ultimately I feel more comfortable there than I did on Mondays.”One critic asks if he was concerned about viewers' rejection of NBC's "My Own Worst Enemy" -- which also involved a high-tech programmed operative and explored identity issues."I'm not," he says. "I don’t think the two shows are too similar. We all tuned in to see how many similarities there were. In the writers room we thought their tech is really cool looking ... but ultimately it's not about the premise but what you do with it and the voice of the writers ... The fact ['Enemy'] is not there now is probably more helpful."Warm reception for Ryan Murphy's 'Glee'TCA -- It's an hourlong comedy. And a musical. Yet the trailer for Ryan Murphy's "Glee" looks so-crazy-it-just-might-work. The clips shown at press tour are sharply written and emotionally on target, though critics who have seen the full pilot worry it will have narrow appeal.The "Nip/Tuck" creator is oddly appropriate for this sunny project, since a cynical wit is a nice counterbalance for a show that showcases high school kids singing and dancing as they try to build a glee club.“I wanted to do something that was lighter and more optimistic,” Murphy says. “But it also has some subversiveness in it ... it’s merging things that are wildly optimistic but also have an edge.”Murphy says the series has a lot in common with its powerhouse lead-in, “American Idol,” since both employ Top 40 songs that viewers will be familiar with.Should “Glee” get renewed, each season will follow one year at the school, with this spring’s debut season concluding with the glee club making the regional finals.Headlines link to sources.And just because there can't be enough of Lee Pace: Read full story at community.livejournal.com

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Jay Leno

Simon Cowell

Tim Roth

Gordon Ramsay

Hugh Laurie

Lee Pace

Joss Whedon

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TCA: FOX talks 'Glee', 'Dollhouse', 'Virtuality" and more

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