tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post3361426192505535757..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Should Network Executives Be Held Accountable For Ruining Pilots?By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-26193987734830593852011-09-13T22:13:12.659-07:002011-09-13T22:13:12.659-07:00Thank you for answering my question. But I'd l...Thank you for answering my question. But I'd like to clarify: I know Sorkin only answered via comment, and its not like you know him personally, but I was just wondering if there was any chance at all that he would write his own post for the blog. Like when Dave Hackel cleared up the "What happened to Terry Farrell" deal.<br /><br />Sorry for the confusion, and thanks again! I feel like an idiot right now, but its nice to know you care.Nic Schweitzernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35483536069983043192011-09-11T06:16:39.521-07:002011-09-11T06:16:39.521-07:00Not sure if this has been asked before or not, but...Not sure if this has been asked before or not, but as I am in the city for a family event this weekend, it occurred to me to ask why with your radio background, you never wrote for "WKRP In Cincinnati"Rich Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04883386588727303782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2158652489624964472011-09-10T17:35:30.653-07:002011-09-10T17:35:30.653-07:00Ken;
I'm guessing this is the way to ask a Fr...Ken;<br /><br />I'm guessing this is the way to ask a Friday Question:<br /><br />I very clearly remember watching MASH episodes when they aired originally. The first time I watched a syndicated episode I noticed a glaring wasn't there any WGA objection to this?Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00184165872697907671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1661010084130834892011-09-10T05:05:46.911-07:002011-09-10T05:05:46.911-07:00The Marriage Ref was horrible and I didn't und...The Marriage Ref was horrible and I didn't understand why they allowed it on a second time. <br /><br />Fake laughing by Kelly Ripa had me itching to bitch slap her.<br /><br />Question, because Jerry Seinfeld was host/creator did NBC seriously think they had another "Seinfeld" in the mix?Nazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00316554604305098721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46908437953801048612011-09-09T20:13:52.541-07:002011-09-09T20:13:52.541-07:00Hi Ken, have you heard of Reddit's Ask Me Anyt...Hi Ken, have you heard of Reddit's Ask Me Anything (AMA? Michael Elias just did one and I thought it would fun if you would too.<br /><br />http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/kafcf/iama_michael_elias_i_cowrote_the_jerk_and/<br /><br />BrianBrianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00760229533287495672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77560301129278817832011-09-09T19:07:46.043-07:002011-09-09T19:07:46.043-07:00Hi. If you're in the question-answering mood, ...Hi. If you're in the question-answering mood, I have one for you: I always hear that sitcom scripts are three jokes a page. But I also notice that 3-camera comedies are double spaced. So does that mean a single-camera show (written in the same format as a drama) needs SIX jokes a page? That could explain why some of my scripts just don't seem as funny as what's on the air. (Or, maybe I'm just not that funny). But I wonder...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21875714399385528712011-09-09T19:01:12.989-07:002011-09-09T19:01:12.989-07:00as a writer/producer/director, what is your take o...as a writer/producer/director, what is your take on when critics/fans declare that a episode on which you had worked has made the series "jump the shark"? have you ever worked on such an episode? i'd have to think that it can't be a settling feeling to write an episode that basically becomes the downfall of a successful sitcom.DyHrdMEThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621011643939597497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23172218964596585182011-09-09T14:04:47.208-07:002011-09-09T14:04:47.208-07:00Ken,
Great column as always. I read a story on Mo...Ken,<br /><br />Great column as always. I read a story on Mo Ryan's page about women in writing positions and how things are tough right now. He said that some producers are great, but others say thins like "we had a woman" once and it didn't work out. Others excluded women from meetings and didn't understand why women were mad. One woman writer said next time she took a job she'd pay more attention to her no douches rule.<br /><br />Two questions, what have you heard about this problem? Two are there writing rooms you were in that produced great work, but had jerks that made the experience less than stellar?Jim Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43900806043097091672011-09-09T13:12:45.700-07:002011-09-09T13:12:45.700-07:00In regards to the exec who insisted that Martin Cr...In regards to the exec who insisted that Martin Crane be eliminated from the "Frasier" pilot. How much juice does a producer need to ignore the directive? I was thinking back that after the first season of "Mork & Mindy" the ABC execs insisted on adding more comedians and eliminating Conrad Janis (and totally ruined the show). You would think Garry Marshall would have had balls to refuse especially with two smash hits already on the network. Thoughts?unkystannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14665227633829727402011-09-09T10:40:34.546-07:002011-09-09T10:40:34.546-07:00Ken, I with you in regards to Aaron Sorkin's s...Ken, I with you in regards to Aaron Sorkin's show getting picked up by HBO. So nice to know that there will be another quality show to watch.<br /><br />Brian; I completely agree with your views on Love Bites. It wasn't perfect, but it made me laugh and I looked forward to what they might do next. Nice to know that I'm not the only one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67889494885425476542011-09-09T08:46:52.194-07:002011-09-09T08:46:52.194-07:00In a way, listening to the way pilots are develope...In a way, listening to the way pilots are developed for television, makes it sound like a miracle that any good shows can possibly survive. The analogy I thought of is that of a healthy cardiovascular system, with a strong heart being submitted to the networks. Each change, each "make this character likable" comment is like plaque building up in the system's arteries... and by the time the network is done, you have a heart attack (bad show) waiting to happen. The fact that any show can withstand this onslaught and not die on the table is the real miracle. There's got to be a way to get some visionary executive who can come along and allow a creative team to create something without interference and see if it can succeed. I would imagine if the next head of NBC, ABC, whatever looked at the process, he/she might see that it couldn't produce more watered down shows than the process that's in place now.David Schwartzhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ2W6VoCrSwnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23500054371208032982011-09-09T07:42:40.507-07:002011-09-09T07:42:40.507-07:00Forgot to mention: NBC's site has "Love B...Forgot to mention: NBC's site has "Love Bites" episodes posted.Brian Phillipshttp://ultrasonicremote.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68162145875662641742011-09-09T07:41:01.756-07:002011-09-09T07:41:01.756-07:00The NBC burn-off claimed one show that I wished wo...The NBC burn-off claimed one show that I wished would have gone on longer, which was "Love Bites". The shows quality varied and it had an almost biblical curse on its getting to the small screen (creative shake-ups, star leaves due to pregnancy), but when it succeeded it worked well. <br /><br />I recommend the last episode, "Modern Plagues". The biggest obstacle to overcome would be the fact that it was an hour-long anthology comedy with semi-recurring characters. The last time that this worked was "The Love Boat".<br /><br />Sporadically successful format + Hour-long + low ratings + Summer = Death in a network executive's eyes.Brian Phillipshttp://ultrasonicremote.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-76370620251109141202011-09-09T06:55:23.041-07:002011-09-09T06:55:23.041-07:00"Black Frasier" is hilarious, especially..."Black Frasier" is hilarious, especially Tracy Morgan's comment on the scheduling of the show. "At about 9 or 9:15." That had me rolling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-280475401604921562011-09-09T06:40:33.827-07:002011-09-09T06:40:33.827-07:00"The WGA Awards [...] are based exclusively o..."The WGA Awards [...] are based exclusively on scripts submitted by the writers. And in some cases, the draft submitted might differ from what eventually became the final episode." As the only <i>Star Trek</i> fan in my family, I'm compelled to mention one extreme example of this: Harlan Ellison's script for that series (written in fall 1966 plus or minus a few months), "The City on the Edge of Forever." The script won the WGA award for teleplay, and what aired in spring 1967 was radically different in several major respects. The episode, as shown, is also well-regarded. Arguments over the process and its result (including a lengthy one by Ellison in a book that includes his script) have gone back and forth ever since.gottacooknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80329227001721363882011-09-09T06:21:12.768-07:002011-09-09T06:21:12.768-07:00Y'know you've made an iconic show when it ...Y'know you've made an iconic show when it can be referenced in such a way. They didn't call it "Black According to Jim", although it may have been a little ballsier to have "Black Seinfeld".<br /><br />The geek in me really preferred this Star Trek Voyager/Frasier meld: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5xf6cw7LXXQ<br /><br />But I always kind of dug Kate Mulgrew.Charles H. Bryanhttp://twitter.com/charleshbryannoreply@blogger.com