Fox Up to Bat at TCA

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERWednesday, August 4, 2010 LIVE FROM THE SUMMER TELEVISION CRITICS ASSOCIATION PRESS TOUR IN LOS ANGELES, CA Fox Executive Session:Kevin Reilly and Peter Rice On the Fox Panel Front:Lone Star, Running Wilde and Raising Hope Press Tour Tidbits:Notes of Interest On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options ______________________________________________________________________ Note: The Programming Insider will not be published tomorrow. See you back on Friday, August 6 from TCA.______________________________________________________________________ Fox Executive Session:Kevin Reilly and Peter Rice Fox opened its executive session with Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company and Peter Rice, Chairman, Entertainment, Fox Networks Group, with a statement about American Idol. Said Peter Rice: “I think I’d like to start by talking about Ellen’s departure and giving you a little bit of the background on that. In early June, I met with Ellen, and we talked about the season and her feelings, and really, the idea that she wasn’t comfortable. She didn’t feel like it was a good fit for her. I tried to persuade her that it would be different in the future, but ultimately we came to an agreement that we would begin to look for new judges. We were doing that anyway because Simon was leaving. And as that played out over the course of the summer, that we would come to an agreement to either say to her we can’t replace you or to say that we feel that we can move on without you, so that’s sort of where we got to last week. The only thing I can tell you with absolute certainty right now is that no one has signed a deal yet on either side of the camera to join American Idol next year who wasn’t on it last year. And I know that that is it’s not particularly a fun announcement. It’s certainly not the choice I would have made, but it is the truth as we sit here today, that there are no signed deals with anybody.” In a perfect TV world, Fox would end American Idol while it is still on top. But we all know, of course, that the network will bleed it dry until it has no dignity left. Added Rice: “I think the goal has to be to put on a great television show, and there’s two parts of that. There’s a journey of finding these kids and searching for a new superstar, and there is the sort of alchemy and relationship with the judges’ panel. And does that mean that we should replace them identically and sort of cast the same person? I don’t think so, but I think we have an obligation to put on the best TV show we think we can put on.” Moving on, upcoming g Steven Spielberg produced drama Terra Nova, which was originally scheduled for midseason, has been pushed back until fall 2011, with a preview episode slated for May. “We’re going to be able to do the pilot right and have an enormous jump on that on the marketingside,” said Kevin Reilly. “Hopefully we can recreate the same thing we did with Glee, let people understand the show, give them materials over the summer that we’ve already shot, and invest them in it. In success, this is a show that needs to be ahead in cycle. This is not a show where they can finish on one week and three weeks later it’s on the air. That’s just not going to be possible. We need to be ahead of it. This cycle sets us up for that.” On the subject of diversity: “We want our shows to reflect the world in which we live, and they are written by show-runners, and they come in, and we read them,” said Rice. “And the pilots we made this year had a very broad spectrum of the world in which we live. And it’s hard to then look at it and pick up the shows based on that. We picked up the series based on how we felt about the writing and the casting of those particular shows. You know, Glee is a show which is perhaps the most diverse show in television right now.” Since Fox, of course, relies heavily on the ongoing success of American Idol in midseason, the network is hoping to have more specific information in the near future on just who will be inheriting the available judging chairs. But even if rumored Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler join the reality/competition, there is no reason to think this will stop the audience bleeding. And Fox’s once lock for dominance in the key young adult demographics could very well be over. ______________________________________________________________________ On the Fox Panel Front:Lone Star, Running Wilde and Raising Hope Lonestar Monday 9 p.m. -The Premise:A con artist (Jimmy Wolk) juggles two lives in two Texas cities with two different women (Adrianne Palicki and Eloise Mumford) who do not know each other exist. Academy Award winner Jon Voight is featured in the ensemble cast. -Lead-in: House-Competition: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Two and a Half Men (CBS) and Mike & Molly (CBS), The Event (NBC), Gossip Girl (CW) -Who Was on the Panel:James Wolk, Jon Voight, Bryce Johnson, Mark Deklin, Eloise Mumford, Adrianne Palicki, David Keith; creator/writer/executive producer Kyle Killen; executive producers Kerry Kohansky, Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman; and director Marc Webb. -The Scoop:Amy Lippman on plans for Lonestar should the show succeed: “I think the show will need to reinvent itself periodically, and I think we look at shows that have a very strong premise going into, shows that we refer to in the writers’ room, shows like Breaking Bad, for example, that start with a very strong premise and by season two have turned it in some way, and I think that our challenge, is to keep it going, to keep it fresh and not to replay the same dynamic over and over again. So we certainly have a sense of where we’re going this season with it, with the understanding that, if we’re lucky enough to be back in front of you next year, that something will be significantly changed in the show.” Added Chris Keyser: “The show has a lot of different levels to it. There’s no question that the con is going to run all the way through. In fact, there are a number of cons that you’ll see played out, but the truth is also that we have a very broad, I guess, traditional soap canvas as well. There are two full families, and I think when Kyle wrote the pilot, he constructed in a lot of really clever television ways those triangles that give you a lot of plot to play with. There are three children whom Clint Thatcher has to deal with. There are two wives. There’s a triangle there. There are two fathers. So we have a lot of things we need to deal with. If anything, I think we’re finding that, as we begin, there’s so much to do, that we need to parcel it out from episode to episode.” -The Reality:The good news from the get-go is the lead-in support from medical drama House, which still has plenty of life left in it and could give Lone Star the advantage over NBC’s also unproven The Event. ABC’s Dancing With the Stars and CBS’ Two and a Half Men will, of course, rule the ratings roost and The CW’s Gossip Girl is still a magnet for young females. But viewers seek familiarity, and this unusual tale of a man with two different lives could face an uphill battle simply because it dares to be different. Despite the comparisons to classic serial Dallas, viewers at present do not easily embrace something of a serialized nature. -Chance of Survival for Lone Star (Based on a scale of 1-1 to 10-1):8-1 -Did You Know?:Jon Voight, to-date, has been nominated for four Academy Awards, with a Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1979 for Coming Home. --------------- Raising HopeTuesday 9 p.m. -The Premise:A 25-year-old man (Lucas Neff) winds up having to raise an infant with the help of his quirky family (including multiple Emmy winner and recent Dancing With the Stars contestant Cloris Leachman as “Maw Maw).” -Lead-in: Glee-Competition: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), The Biggest Loser (NBC), Life Unexpected (CW) -Who Was on the Panel:Garret Dillahunt, Martha Plimpton, Cloris Leachman, Shannon Woodward, Lucas Neff; and creator/writer/executive producer Greg Garcia. -The Scoop:Cloris Leachman vs. Betty White: Here is what Cloris “Phyllis” Leachman had to say about everyone’s favorite, Betty White, when asked, “Are you competing with Betty White to be the new “It” girl for AARP?” Cloris Leachman: I’m so sick of Betty White (laughter). Never liked her. We have a movie coming out that we made together. It’s called “You Again.” She could make a soufflé and I could open the oven. That would be funny, and I slam it and make the soufflé go down.” ----- -Greg Garcia on how Raising Hope compares to his previous comedy, My Name is Earl: “I think there’s some things that are similar and a lot of things that are different. But I feel like the way it’s shot and the look of it will be somewhat like My Name Is Earl because I kind of fell in love with that style. I like very much to try to do a little movie every week, so we’ll continue to try to accomplish that. Other than that, I think that it will be more grounded in spots.” -The Reality:From a competitive standpoint, Tuesday at 9 p.m. is one of the fiercest hours in primetime with hit shows housed on The Big 3 networks. Counter-programming with comedy, Fox is hoping fans of lead-in Glee looking for laughs will stick with the network. But Fox has never aired sitcoms in the Tuesday 9 p.m. hour. Glee is not the breakout hit in the ratings that you lead to believe. And there might be little to no audience left opposite Dancing With the Stars, NCIS: Los Angeles and The Biggest Loser. As to the comparisons to My Name Is Earl, that NBC sitcom was never a big hit. -Chance of Survival for Raising Hope (Based on a scale of 1-1 to 10-1):10-1 -Did You Know?:The ageless Cloris Leachman, to-date, has won nine Emmy Awards (including one Daytime Emmy Award), which is more than any other performer. --------------- Running Wilde Tuesday 9:30 p.m. -The Premise:A rich Beverly Hills jerk (Arrested Development’s Will Arnett) falls in love with a charitable environmentalist (Felicity star Keri Russell) who can’t stand his lifestyle or values. -Lead-in: Raising Hope-Competition: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), The Biggest Loser (NBC), Life Unexpected (CW) -Who Was on the Panel:Will Arnett, Keri Russell, Peter Serafinowicz, Stefania Owen; and writer/co-creator/executive producers Mitch Hurwitz and Jim Vallely. -The Scoop: Keri Russell on this new regularly scheduled series role: “I’ve been reading a lot of film scripts that just — they were kind of more of the same, and the type of movies I really did want to make weren’t being green-lit, and this came my way, and it was just too good to pass up. And then I flew out and met these guys, and they were so wonderful. It was fresh and exciting, and I thought I’d try it.” -The Reality:Mirroring lead-in Raising Hope, Running Wilde is facing Dancing With the Stars, NCIS: Los Angeles and The Biggest Loser, which could be considered a suicide mission. If Raising Hope is stalled at the gate, and there is every reason to believe it will be, Running Wilde will be lucky if it makes it to midseason. Whatever Raising Hope does, factor in about a 10 to 20 percent loss for Running Wilde. -Chance of Survival for Running Wilde (Based on a scale of 1-1 to 10-1):10-1 -Did You Know?:Prior to her star making role on WB drama Felicity, Keri Russell appeared in a short-lived drama in 1996 called Malibu Shores on Fox. It lasted 10 episodes. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Press Tour Tidbits:Notes of Interest -Human Target Cast Additions:Indira Varma and Janet Montgomery are joining the cast of Fox’s sophomore Human Target, which moves into the Friday 8 p.m. anchor position. Varma will play a beautiful and recently widowed millionaire who seeks the help of Christopher Chance (Mark Valley), while Montgomery will recur as Ames, a gorgeous thief (is there any other kind?). -Terra Nova Preview:Terra Nova, the upcoming family adventure drama executive produced by Steven Spielberg, will preview in May 2011 prior to its fall 2011 series premiere. Former Life on Mars star Jason O’Mara has been cast in the lead role of the patriarch of the show’s central family. -American Country Music Awards on Fox:The inaugural American Country Awards (ACAs), which will feature performances by the year’s top-charting country artists, will air live from Las Vegas on Monday, Dec. 6 from 8-10 p.m. ET. -Star Voices on New Season of The Simpsons:The upcoming 22nd season of Fox classic The Simpsons will feature a potpourri of guest voices includingRicky Gervais, Martha Stewart, Lea Michele, Daniel Radcliffe, Cheech & Chong, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Alyson Hannigan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Joe Mantegna. -More Louie:FX has renewed sitcom Louie for a second season, with an order for 13 new episodes. Season one concludes with back-to-back half hours on Tuesday, Sept. 7. -Alabama on FX:FX has ordered a half-hour comedy pilot called Alabama, which is set one thousand years into the future aboard the United Nations peacekeeping spaceship: The USS Alabama. The pilot will begin six years into their seven year mission. _____________________________________________________________________________ On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Wednesday 8/04/10 ABC: 8:00 p.m. The Middle (R) 8:30 p.m. The Middle (R) 9:00 p.m. Modern Family (R) 9:30 p.m. Cougar Town (R)10:00 p.m. Castle (R) CBS: 8:00 p.m. Big Brother 9:00 p.m. Criminal Minds (R)10:00 p.m. CSI: NY (R) NBC: 8:00 p.m. Minute to Win It 9:00 p.m. America’s Got Talent10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (R) Fox: 8:00 p.m. So You Think You Can Dance CW 8:00 p.m. America’s Next Top Model (R) 9:00 p.m. Plain Jane

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Fox Up to Bat at TCA

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