PolyWogg is up first.
What is the most number of episodes you think you can do in a season before actors and the writers are starting to phone it in because they're just tired? The number has decreased for other reasons over the years, 26+ was common long ago I think, but lately 22 seems to be considered "high". Lots of procedurals tap out between 20-24, and some below 20 even.
For many years shows did 39 episodes a season. Some sitcoms in the ‘50s did them live. That was a killer.
For most of the years I was lucky enough to be on hit shows we did between 22-27 a year. It was a crunch but doable. Anything more than that and I think you start cutting corners.
Hour shows have it tougher. Even at 20 they're in production most of the year.
Today of course there are short orders. 6 or 13 a year is becoming commonplace. Yes, it gives you more time to craft the episodes, but if you’re getting paid BY the episode (which most producers and staff writers do) you sure don’t make what we did churning out 26 a year.
I’ll take the money.
Cheryl Marks wonders:
Who "hires" the show runner after the original show runner moves on? I'm thinking of a situation when the show has been on the air for several years and there have been several iterations of show runners. I figure the person, or persons, are promoted from the writers room and have held the position of Executive Producer. So who makes the decision especially if the original creator is no longer in the picture. Also, is it the case that another one of the Executive Producers (aka seasoned writers) that didn't get the job might leave if they didn't get the promotion?
In most cases the original creator/showrunner still is involved although no longer in the trenches. He would make that call.
And yes, sometimes there are more than one candidate and it’s a tough decision because the losing party may just bolt. That has to be taken into consideration.
There are times when the original creator/showrunner is fired and no longer has say. Such was the case with Aaron Sorkin on THE WEST WING and Dan Harmon on COMMUNITY. In those cases the studio or network (often they’re now one and the same) choose his successor.
You know a show is in trouble if it goes through three showrunners in one year. And that happens.
From Waylon Mercy:
If you could redo things, would you have welcomed the idea of Shelley Long coming back not just for the last episode but say for most of or the entire season 11 to wrap up her storyline with Sam?
No. The problem with bringing Shelley back was that we didn’t want her presence to upstage the rest of the cast. I think it would have diminished Kirstie Alley’s role and after putting in six years herself, she didn’t deserve that.
I thought it was great that Shelley came back for the finale. It made that episode very special and allowed the series to come full circle, but to bring her back for more would have been a mistake in my opinion. And you know I love Shelley Long.
And finally from Brian Phillips:
What current or recent cartoon show would you like to submit a script to or work for, Simpsons exempted?
Are they still making Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons? I don’t watch a lot of nighttime animation. You sure they’re not still making CLONE HIGH? I guess I’d have to say SOUTH PARK. But in my episode they won't kill Kenny.
What’s your Friday Question?
33 comments :
Ken, I was looking for the list of all the awards which you have won. Wiki list is short and here on the blog too no list is given. Could please post a blog with the list of all the awards that you have won.
Also can you please share your experience of some of them. I am sure they are interesting. So far, apart from the Emmy, you have not written about the rest of the awards.
...There are times when the original creator/showrunner is fired and no longer has say. Such was the case with Aaron Sorkin on THE WEST WING and Dan Harmon on COMMUNITY...
I was under the impression that Sorkin left the West Wing voluntarily. I don't think he was fired. The West Wing Weekly is a podcast about the show, and they have discussed his departure many time, and it seems it was his choice, not the networks, as you imply here.
Tom in Vegas
You WON'T kill Kenny? You...legitimate son-of-parents!
To address the wear-and-tear aspect of 39 shows, yes there are undeniably great shows, but since they had to be shot and quickly, seams show. Mic Booms are sometimes seen and in at least two Dick Van Dyke Shows, there are flubs left in the final cut. In the "Bupkis" episode, Rob calls a radio station to ask about a record and he dials the phone and THEN looks up the number. Van Dyke giggles when he realizes what he's done he says, "Yeah". I'm sure that they were so rushed, they said, "Close enough! We'll use it!"
Rocky and Bullwinkle was just recently rebooted, but I think it's been dumped straight to Netflix or something, so it's not like a lot of people are going to see it. I've seen trailers for it on YouTube, and while the character designs are slightly off-putting, it does seem to capture a lot of the essence of the original show, with its writing and humor - and even with some modern/contemporary flavor thrown in for today's kids (a la Bullwinkle saying such Millennial phrases as, "Agree to disagree"). Oh, and they supposed both gender-swapped and race-lifted Captain Peachfuzz, for whatever reason.
As for 13 episodes a season "becoming" commonplace . . . 13 episode seasons have pretty much been the norm for as long as I can remember; in fact, most shows I grew up with, 52 episodes over the course of four seasons seemed to be the standard run for a lot of them.
The decade doesn't end until 2021, moron.
If you ever had to do a TOOTSIE style live episode (the infamous finale), which show would it be?
2021?
Decade ends on 31 Dec 2020.
Ken, So you don't have a spec for Family Guy, then?
I thought you loved that show.
Anonymous, there's actually quite a lively debate about when the decade ends, most of it absent any name-calling: https://www.google.com/search?q=when+does+the+decade+end&rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS820US820&oq=when+does+the+decade&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l6.2935j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
But, you know, thanks for your input.
Recall a long-ago profile of Tim Conway that claimed his license plates read "13WKS", that being the endurance of his various shows after McHale's Navy. This was before he settled into Carol Burnett's show.
Long seasons vs short seasons. Here in the UK we have soaps that are on every weekday evening every week of the year. They are called Eastenders and Coronation Street. I'm thinking some of the cast and crew must dream of phoning it in.
I always thought a lot of shows did 39 episodes. This is really not true. Gunsmoke did 39 episodes the first five seasons. Leave it to Beaver did 39 all 6 seasons. The Lone Ranger possibly did some 39 episode seasons. I could find that with out looking on IMBD Dobie Gillis had one 39 season episode. The others in the 30's. Real McCoys had a couple of 39 seasons. While most series back then had seasons in the mid to a high 30's, not that many had even one 39 episode season. As for live shows, the only one I could think of was Your Show of Shows. I couldn't find any that had 50 shows in a season
Off topic: The analysis of Maris Crane we never knew we needed. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/12/maris-crane-frasier-netflix/603295/?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Liggie,
In a week or so I will address this as a separate post.
@ Brian:
In one episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show, Dick calls Sally "Ro" which is probably what he called Rose Marie off camera.
A decade ends ten years after it started. We decide that the decade called "the '90s" covers the years with a 'ninety' in them, and thus starts on 1st January, 1890 or 1990 or 2090, if civilisation exists and still counts years then.
There's no cosmic law that can force the '90s to run into the 2000s based on pretending that either the Julian or Gregorian calendars started at 0. (And as each didn't, it's largely pointless to base even century- or millennium-based counting arguments around the Gregorian.)
I don't agree decade ends in 2020. While centuries start with the birth of Jesus at the start of year 1, even if people want to use CE instead of AD, and thus end on the 0, not so for decades. The 2010s end when there are no more years that start with '201'.
1. A “Golden Age” radio series typically had 39 episode (3/4fh a year) seasons.
2. Duffy’s Tavern- the radio comedy progenitor of Cheers and its spin-off, Frasier-
was co-created by Abe Burrows, and lasted ten years. Cheers was co-created by
Jim Burrows, Abe’s son, and aired 275 half-hour episodes over eleven seasons-
the rough equivalent of seven 39 episode seasons.
3. Duffy’s Tavern, like its mutant TV offspring, had its own “Invisible” character:
“Duffy”- the bar-owner- was never “seen” (I.e. heard).
4. Ed Gardner, the star, and other co-creator, of Duffy’s Tavern,
portrayed Archie, the bar’s manager, who began each show thusly
“Hello, Duffy's Tavern, where the elite meet to eat. Archie the manager speakin'.
Duffy ain't here—oh, hello, Duffy." For every episode, “Duffy” was never more
than an unheard voice on the other end of Archie’s phone conversations.
5. But the program did feature a “Miss Duffy”- the owner’s daughter-
initially played by Shirley Booth (Gardner’s then-wife), followed by Florence Halop.
Granted that I am being technical and anal, but the decade ends next year. The first year was one, not 0; therefore the tenth year is 10, not 9.
I think Peter Marshall occasionally called Rose Marie "Ro" on "Hollywood Squares."
Mr. Levine, any thoughts on Rene Auberjonois, who died Dec. 8?
I liked him as Father Mulcahy in the film version of "M*A*S*H"and I thought he was excellent in his couple of appearances on "Frasier."
Hi Ken
I was bored and watched the last epsiode of MASH again tonight. For some reason I have always felt uncomfortable about the actual episode.
I originally thought it was Aldas tendency to highlight himself (Just an observation from when he took over)
But have realised it is why would everyone else who is a regular cast member shown on the bus just forget a baby being smothered and only Hawkeye cares
Just wondered what you thought about the last episode send off. It obviously worked given the audience numbers.
And I am not saying they made a bad job about it or anything
Did you bother to notice that like 50 people have already mentioned that?
I'm on the edge of my seat.
Joseph Scarborough, I find it interesting that you call "agree to disagree" a millennial phrase. I remember a high school teacher of mine who routinely used that expression, and that was in the '70s.
Speaking of which, as far as the decade debate, can't we just agree to disagree?
27 shows a season, eh? 'The Bill' cop-soap in the UK till 2006 did 2 hours a week, 48 weeks a year (and was a major source of employment for all grades of actor and crew for over 20 years). That's 96 shows a year. I lost three stone the first year I was there. It did run out of steam, though, mainly because they forgot to be funny.
@sanford: The one season of The Honeymooners produced 39 episodes, which fans refer to as the "Classic 39" to distinguish them from Honeymooners sketches produced for Gleason's variety shows, which Gleason somewhat misleading re-released in 1985 as "lost episodes."
There are a number of occasions on those shows in which Gleason -- who refused to participate in rehearsals -- fumbles for a line and gets subtly prompted by another member of the cast. And in the "Better Living Through TV" episode, the kitchen gadget he and Norton are hawking falls apart at one point, and a knife blade flies across the stage. Gleason just walks off set, retrieves the blade, ad-libs to Carney that it might be useful for spear fishing, and moves on.
@Sal That, I did not know; being born at the tail-end of the 80s, growing up in the 90s, and till now, it's only been within the last few years I've been hearing the phrase, and mostly uttered from my so-called generation (I say "so-called" because I'm technically a millennial myself, but being thirty, I don't find myself falling into the stereotype/stigma that all millennials are college-aged kids who are whiney, spoiled, entitled, and accuse boomers of causing all of the problems my generation is faced with).
Ruthie On The Telephone was done live in 1949.
Perhaps the bus incident was just a figment of Hawkeye's imagination too? 1
Andy Rose, How could I have forgotten the Honeymooners? I still laugh despite seeing the how many times. One of my favorite bits was learning how to play golf and Ed addressing the ball. But still very few series had 39.
This is a question for next Friday. Can an artist put themselves into consideration for an academy award? My daughter has noted on several Taylor Swift fan web sites that she is very upset that Uni is not putting Cats up for any award considerations. She has hinted she is going to put herself up for one in the best song category. Is this even allowed?
An animated Cheers episode -- They killed Cliff!
Thanks for answering the Q re: # of shows per year before they phone it in :)
P.
I'm sure all the folks who do daytime dramas--five shows a week, 52 weeks a year--look at prime-time people and mutter, "Whatta buncha candy-asses."
Post a Comment