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NBC already getting cold feet about Day One?
NBC's upcoming post-apocalyptic series Day One isn't due until 2010, but network executives are already suggesting it may be short-lived.
"We've always looked at Day One as a big event for us and not necessarily a show that would be an ongoing, returning show for a second season," NBC president of prime time entertainment Angela Bromstad said in a press conference today in Pasadena, Calif., as part of the Television Critics Association summer press tour. "It would depend on its success. Just by nature of the genre, they always then get a little narrow, and whether or not we can sustain it on the air ..."
Jesse Alexander's new series begins on the first day after a disaster, when a Los Angeles community sets out to rebuild.
CBS' Jericho, another serialized post-apocalyptic show, did not last more than a season and a half.
Still, NBC executives say they want to expand the network's genre programming. "Heroes was really so successful for us, and it's a genre we cannot ignore," Bromstad said. "It does tend to be a little more of a narrow genre."
Speaking of Heroes, former producer Bryan Fuller has moved on to his own development deal at NBC after a brief stint back on the show's writing staff after his ABC series Pushing Daisies got canceled. Bromstad asserted that he's right where she wants him, having already done his job to get Heroes back on track.
"It doesn't mean anything [for the show] one way or the other," Bromstad said. "He's no longer in the writers' room, and the show is doing exceptionally well creatively. Bryan came back to be in the writers' room initially and helped [them] get back on track. He was there from the start and on the original writing staff. So I think he was there in the beginning to get them back on track and [help] everybody sort of decide where they're going creatively. Our deal with Bryan now is in development. We're looking forward to his development."
One genre show that did not connect with audiences was Kings, a retelling of the biblical story of David, set in a parallel universe. Bromstad said she knew all along it was a tough sell.
"I think that it was an amazingly big swing and a great production, and Michael Green is a phenomenal writer," Bromstad said. "I think our challenge now—and hopefully what you see with the new shows is in a really crowded marketplace—you have to sell something. People want to know what something's about. That was a very complex idea. It was a show that was originally developed when I was there before [with] Laura Lancaster. We thought it was too highbrow and sophisticated to sell in a 30-second spot. It doesn't mean we're not looking for big ideas, but they have to be big ideas an audience can grab onto and relate to."
By Fanboy79 at 2:01 PM ON 08/05/09
I like Carly Pope & Julie Gonzalo so I'm going to give this a try.
By Kevin at 2:02 PM ON 08/05/09
Translation: It's too intelligent to succeed. Unless they dumb it down, or throw in a lot of sex and bouncing titties, we'll replace it with another hour of dancing.
By Geo at 2:07 PM ON 08/05/09
Kings should be sold to HBO. Its very reminiscent of Deadwood and not just because Ian McShane was in both. The language is intricit, the plots are amazing and the overall show is the best on television. It was poorly marketed. HBO should look to pick it up.
By MUADIB at 2:29 PM ON 08/05/09
TRANSLATION..."WE ARE THE NETWORK THAT SCREWD UP AND CANCELLED STARTREK ORIGIONALLY AND WE HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE STILL! SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO SCREW UP LIKE THIS OVER AND OVER.AGAIN".
By Seanbtwo at 2:42 PM ON 08/05/09
I agree, hbo should pick up kings - but it never will. HBO series are always original series - they'd never pick up NBC's droppings, no matter how exquisit they are.
By AngryJonny at 3:05 PM ON 08/05/09
MUADIB,
You're still sore about NBC canceling a show forty years ago? I don't think many people there at the time are still there.
By Iristella at 3:38 PM ON 08/05/09
Speaking of Star Trek, even though it was cancelled look what the show's fan support lead to... 4 spin off series & 11 movies (and counting!). I think as long as Day One is popular enough & has a strong and dedicated fan base (and knowing what I do about the show I think it will!!) that NBC will keep it alive.
By Kevin at 3:56 PM ON 08/05/09
The third season of Star Trek sucked. I was there. It sucked.
By rtaylor5564 at 4:02 PM ON 08/05/09
NBC should pick up TSCC... that'll win them some viewers...
By Jeff from jersey;yes New Jersey at 4:24 PM ON 08/05/09
A network bad mouthing a new show before it goes on the air? This coming from the group that greenlighted a prime time poker show to be placed in prime time? Hopefully, the other divisions of GE will pick up the slack that NBC will have this season.
By Sam at 4:24 PM ON 08/05/09
NBC is just looking for another big payoff. If they could show a live human hunting show with death scenes out of Moral Combat, I'm sure they'd start setting up the cameras tomorrow.
As for making a show people would love and want to see over and over, don't hold your breath. Even Heroes isn't what it used to be.
Obviously, they took a great first season and twisted it around with neverending "creativity" meetings which twisted it beyond the point even Fuller could hold together.
There may be a good season from Day One, but I predict it will:
a - have it's time slot changed
b - have it's air date changed
c - have an extended time between the third or fourth episode which will cost ratings
d - get cancelled before the seventh episode airs.
That's why DVD sales do so well after cancellations.
By skippytheheathen at 4:28 PM ON 08/05/09
Execs like that should loose their jobs. Seriously, the best way to kill a show and make sure noone watches it is say, "look, don't invest your time in watching it. we're just gonna cancel it once you get into it anyways." This keeps happening. I don't watch anything anymore unless its been on for a season.
If you say, "we might cancel it." then peiople stop watching because you said you8 might cancel it, the you cancel it because people aren't watching it, its definatley not the shows fault...its the bigmouth promotional people and execs.
By Rob at 5:40 PM ON 08/05/09
All too many shows get cancelled before finding an audience. Some shows deserve it, such as the new Bionic Woman & Night Stalker, while great ones like Serenity bite it as well. Then some of the worst shows ever made (Heroes, for one) just keep going.
By DarKWarrior at 8:38 PM ON 08/05/09
They should leak the pilot like they did with Heroes.How did you think Heroes get it,s audience way before the show aired.It was leaked on the web.
It would give Sc-Fi Fans NOT Focus groups a chance to see it.
Heroes Pilot was leaked it had over 45 milloion DL & translated(Fansubbed) in 20 languages.
By G0M3r at 11:34 PM ON 08/05/09
Ok... I was going to give this show a chance but after this it is clear it will never make it to a another season so I refuse to invest any time in it. If they are already talking as if the show has already failed it means show isn't worth watching. I guess V on ABC will be the only worth while scifi schow on TV this fall.
By Sean Coffee at 9:04 AM ON 08/06/09
This is one of the reasons traditional network television is dying -- and deserves to die. There's no spirit of innovation, risk, or creativity. The suits see an interesting show, "don't get it", and decide that no one else will get it either. In this climate, with these people running things, The X-Files would have lasted a month. Let NBC fill their schedule with Jay Leno's Hour Of Depression and Failure. We'll find interesting stuff to watch on cable or online.
(Side note: whoever renewed Dollhouse deserves a medal in this environment. She/He should think about moving to a real entertainment company as soon as possible.)
By MCP-001 at 11:31 AM ON 08/06/09
Isn't this the exact same premise as Discovery's 'The Colony"?
By Kyle Nin at 11:41 AM ON 08/06/09
NBC also canceled "Surface" and I really enjoyed that one, especially towards the end. I've been waiting for some kind of conclusion to be made (since the series sort of ended on a cliffhanger), but so far there aren't any developments.
By mredder4 at 4:49 PM ON 08/06/09
Wow, two cast changes and they could change the name to Day White.
By AngryJonny at 5:43 PM ON 08/06/09
mredder4,
I noticed the same thing about the new ABC show, Defying Gravity, that's on now. Not very diverse casts, huh?
Remember years ago when there was an outcry about the lack of color on network shows, so, suddenly, the networks scrambled to put in some token minority characters? It was very patronizing.
By scemoangryjonny at 7:35 PM ON 08/06/09
what is left on the web are teens complaining of everything. guess what? no one care of your opinion anymore.
By AngryJonny at 9:53 PM ON 08/06/09
scemoangryjonny,
Wow, welcome to the English language. Try not to abuse it so badly, it ends up looking like your senior prom date.
By DryedMangoez at 7:44 AM ON 08/07/09
NBC has had lots of great genre programming, Journeyman is one example, but let those shows just die.
Heroes has collapsed, they're giving up on Day One faster than they gave up on Kings (if that's even possible)... what next NBC?
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DryedMangoez:
NBC has had lots of great genre programming, Journeyman is one example, but let those shows just die. Heroes has c...More »