tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post7774966910929578705..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Can TV writers go back and forth between sitcoms and dramas?By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-11218058196033086332013-07-16T10:46:03.570-07:002013-07-16T10:46:03.570-07:00@gottacook : oh it's more than online. It was ...@gottacook : oh it's more than online. It was released on DVD in a collection named "Brilliant but cancelled". I got it from Amazon - and so can you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72491288329320681262013-06-19T20:51:00.533-07:002013-06-19T20:51:00.533-07:00I would love to hear your thoughts on the 10/90 mo...I would love to hear your thoughts on the 10/90 model that Debmar-Mercury is trying to promote as "the new innovation" in the TV industry. So far, I see barely tolerable comedies by Tyler Perry & Charlie Sheen. I am intrigued since Kelsey Grammar is tied to an upcoming 10/90 sitcom.<br /><br />How does it make sense financially (opposed to regularly broadcast sitcoms)? How does it make sense creatively? I just don't get it!Austin Enoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-76627326457475424612013-06-19T07:57:21.661-07:002013-06-19T07:57:21.661-07:00I hope I'm not too late to get this one answer...I hope I'm not too late to get this one answered...<br /><br />In the first-season "Cheers" episode "The Coach's Daughter", an insecure Lisa Pantusso tells her father that she's been unable to find love because she is ugly (although she never used that word), and Coach responds that she looks exactly like her mother, whom he saw as the most beautiful woman in the world. It was a very sweet moment.<br /><br />But how do you cast such a role? I wouldn't call Allyce Beasley ugly, but she does have distinctive facial features, and she has certainly gone on to a thirty-year Hollywood career that appears to be going full-steam, including her most memorable role: a long stint as a supporting cast member on "Moonlighting" back in the '80s. But that "Cheers" role was one of her first, according to IMDB. Do you go through headshots going "Well, yeah, I can see how this girl may be considered ugly"... or do you put out an open casting call saying (not literally, of course) "Are you a twenty-something woman who thinks you're ugly? We have a role on 'Cheers' for you!" It seems like a delicate situation. How do you handle that as a producer?Zack Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00439905777189448192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12464302537981560992013-06-17T09:28:16.787-07:002013-06-17T09:28:16.787-07:00Here's a late Friday question: I just skimmed ...Here's a late Friday question: I just skimmed the list of Daytime Emmy winners and saw listed on "The Price is Right," "Adam Sandler, Executive Producer." Huh? Is this some demented aftershock from Happy Madison?synonymicioushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13067280535519791977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8043533767647540122013-06-15T16:34:30.453-07:002013-06-15T16:34:30.453-07:00Thanks for the tip towards MARTINI SHOT. I will ad...Thanks for the tip towards MARTINI SHOT. I will add it to my listening pile!<br /><br /><i>"And after we saved their sorry ass in the war!"</i><br /><br />I know you were joking but, damn, I hope Americans realise how incredibly insulting and ignorant it is when they say this. Not looking for an apology or anything, I just want to raise awareness.<br /><br />If I never hear an American character on a US TV show make such a declaration again, it'll still be too soon.Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45213006144430531572013-06-15T10:52:39.816-07:002013-06-15T10:52:39.816-07:00Blogger Ger Apeldoorn said...
I have always k...<i><br />Blogger Ger Apeldoorn said...<br /><br /> I have always kep my video copy if City as a sample of a perfectly presented pilot. Writer: Paul Haggis.</i><br /><br />Same for "Due South." Also Haggis.Harold Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07803159453346537762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19203383171493291892013-06-15T08:18:18.051-07:002013-06-15T08:18:18.051-07:00Another great Paul Haggis pilot that I saw at the ...Another great Paul Haggis pilot that I saw at the time and wish I'd taped (although it may be online somewhere): <i>EZ Streets</i>.<br /><br />P. Duca: Thanks for the info on <i>Gibbsville</i> - I didn't remember that it was pulled and only later aired the few episodes that had been produced. Evidently the pilot was shown as a TV movie much earlier, in April 1975. gottacooknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74262531975823420542013-06-15T00:15:43.254-07:002013-06-15T00:15:43.254-07:00I have always kep my video copy if City as a sampl...I have always kep my video copy if City as a sample of a perfectly presented pilot. Writer: Paul Haggis.Ger Apeldoornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03633862833036214748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78016568838253615132013-06-14T22:18:17.539-07:002013-06-14T22:18:17.539-07:00BBC documentary: "Family Guys - What Sitcoms ...BBC documentary: "Family Guys - What Sitcoms Say About America Now", with Levine & Isaacs, etc.<br /><a href="http://www.dtagsote.netne.net/Documentary/What%20Sitcoms%20Say%20About%20America%20%282012%29%20-%20Part%2001%20%2812m%29.htm" rel="nofollow">#1</a> <a href="http://www.dtagsote.netne.net/Documentary/What%20Sitcoms%20Say%20About%20America%20%282012%29%20-%20Part%2002%20%2811-48%29.htm" rel="nofollow">#2</a> <a href="http://www.dtagsote.netne.net/Documentary/What%20Sitcoms%20Say%20About%20America%20%282012%29%20-%20Part%2003%20%2811m%29.htm" rel="nofollow">#3</a> <a href="http://www.dtagsote.netne.net/Documentary/What%20Sitcoms%20Say%20About%20America%20%282012%29%20-%20Part%2004%20%2812m%29.htm" rel="nofollow">#4</a> <a href="http://www.dtagsote.netne.net/Documentary/What%20Sitcoms%20Say%20About%20America%20%282012%29%20-%20Part%2005%20%2812m%29.htm" rel="nofollow">#5</a><br />(Caution: It's not YouTube.)<br />Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248182899977033579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10805451399457519352013-06-14T19:54:54.741-07:002013-06-14T19:54:54.741-07:00Brian...NBC pulled SNIP and GIBBSVILLE from its 19...Brian...NBC pulled SNIP and GIBBSVILLE from its 1975-76 fall lineup at the last minute. It's likely that the idea of a show with a gay character (which, incidentally, was not Brenner's hairdresser, but his assistant) was a little too hot button for the day. As for GIBBSVILLE, I don't know why, but it had a short run in mid-season 1977.Paul Ducanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18930945080311579772013-06-14T17:28:30.709-07:002013-06-14T17:28:30.709-07:00Brian Phillips: I'm pretty sure Gibbsville air...Brian Phillips: I'm pretty sure <i>Gibbsville</i> aired several episodes - that is, I was aware of the series at the time, because I grew up not far from Pottsville, PA (the real Gibbsville) and enjoy most of the John O'Hara stories and novellas set there and in the surrounding area - but cannot recommend his novels, even though they were better known while he was alive. <br /><br />My <i>Twilight Zone Companion</i> mentions that Rod Serling's final Emmy award was for a <i>Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theatre</i> adaptation of the O'Hara story "It's Mental Work" - has anyone here ever seen it? It's not online as far as I can tell. Starring, apparently, Lee J. Cobb, Harry Guardino, and Gena Rowlands.gottacooknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45947586439203360272013-06-14T14:09:38.973-07:002013-06-14T14:09:38.973-07:00Why anyone takes some ageist bullshit from that ov...Why anyone takes some ageist bullshit from that overpraised hack Tarantino remotely seriously baffles me. But then Tarantino's popularity baffles me. I find his flims to be unwatchable violence-porn, slathered with a thick layer of cinematic pretentions.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70853870109638890122013-06-14T13:49:14.331-07:002013-06-14T13:49:14.331-07:00In response to a couple of today's questions: ...In response to a couple of today's questions: I'd point out that Joss Whedon wrote on Roseanne before Buffy and everything else came about and Peter Tolan wrote on Murphy Brown and The Larry Sanders Show before Rescue Me. As for Tarantino's statement, he should look at Alain Resnais who released the great Wild Grass in 2009, which he made in his late 80s, and has a new film this year (which I haven't seen, so I don't know if it's good) and just turned 91.Edward Copelandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12463676135131274426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19656879463274474622013-06-14T13:10:46.785-07:002013-06-14T13:10:46.785-07:00It was Rob Long's complimentary shout-out to y...It was Rob Long's complimentary shout-out to you on Martini Shot that brought me here, what was it, 7 or 8 years ago? I've been waiting ever since for today's proof that it was just part of a corrupt quid pro quo.Dr. Leo Marvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07669626692363827776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82027581300111212872013-06-14T11:57:19.057-07:002013-06-14T11:57:19.057-07:00Luc said, "What the F*** is baseball?!"
...Luc said, <i>"What the F*** is baseball?!"</i><br /><br />Well Luc, baseball is still a lot <i>F***ing</i> better than soccer. Or month-long bicycle races, for that matter.Jeffrohttp://kenlevine.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37980362261102185472013-06-14T09:15:56.756-07:002013-06-14T09:15:56.756-07:00There's a 1959 episode of the western series &...There's a 1959 episode of the western series <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFd0KzRz9iY" rel="nofollow">"Wagon Train"</a> that is available online, while was written by Harry Von Zell, fresh off his eight-year stint on the Burns & Allen Show. <br /><br />And starring Lou Costello in a dramatic role. <br /><br />You can't get less pigeonholed than that combination, though that was 54 years ago, when TV was still a bit of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of operation.Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-11242820060629668922013-06-14T09:02:09.239-07:002013-06-14T09:02:09.239-07:00Also, "Snip", a sitcom starring David Br...Also, "Snip", a sitcom starring David Brenner as a gay hairdresser never aired here, but five episodes aired in Australia.<br /><br />I remember seeing this and "Gibbsville" listed in the Fall Preview TV Guide, but never remember seeing them or a even a promo mentioning them.<br /><br />By the way, if you'd like to hear what I sound like, this week I am a guest quizzer on "Podquiz". Click on my name to hear it.Brian Phillipshttp://www.podquiz.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34864420914127503482013-06-14T08:48:44.611-07:002013-06-14T08:48:44.611-07:00Thanks for the mention of "Martini Shot"...Thanks for the mention of "Martini Shot". It's great.<br /><br />As for shows that have had more success abroad, "Public Morals", Steven Bochco's second shot at a comedy ("Hooperman" came before and was not a bad show at all) was yanked off the air after a single airing. <br /><br />I think that the entire season aired in the UK. Can someone verify this? Brian Phillipshttp://ultrasonicremote.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54945739650755008332013-06-14T08:35:57.950-07:002013-06-14T08:35:57.950-07:00Ken,
Another post referencing AfterMASH. Someda...Ken,<br /> Another post referencing AfterMASH. Someday I'd love to see a post about what you think went wrong there. You obviously had success spinning off Frasier and you had Gelbart and Metcalfe on board. Sure, it started out a bit shaky but the second season seemed to be picking up steam with the addition of Boyer.Bryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69559942923409882732013-06-14T07:46:10.360-07:002013-06-14T07:46:10.360-07:00Ken, didn't your partner (I mean David, not yo...Ken, didn't your partner (I mean David, not your wife!) do some work for NYPD Blue? Granted, I always thought Dennis Franz was the greatest television comedian of his time (the episode where he explains his teenage love life is a classic).Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01998867386294693956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4034303192906164182013-06-14T06:30:28.633-07:002013-06-14T06:30:28.633-07:00In fact, Seinfeld was on the french channel CANAL ...In fact, Seinfeld was on the french channel CANAL + for many years. <br /><br />Maybe Cheers had too many US Only references for the "basic" french/foreign audience. <br />For a start, Ted Danson was a baseball player : What the F*** is baseball?! :)Lucnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13838698364537892722013-06-14T06:29:31.663-07:002013-06-14T06:29:31.663-07:00"Fortunately we don't get the blame for J..."Fortunately we don't get the blame for Justin Bieber. He's Canadian."<br /><br />SAd, but true. Most of us up here don't want him either,Jimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48007877284268727702013-06-14T06:10:15.551-07:002013-06-14T06:10:15.551-07:00Fortunately we don't get the blame for Justin ...Fortunately we don't get the blame for Justin Bieber. He's Canadian.chasnoreply@blogger.com