Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show Page #11

because I wanted to

do what the studio

that I work with wanted.

They were looking for a show

that was in that vein.

And that's not really

a good reason to do it.

Secondly, I remember being

at the Emmys one year

and just seeing

an amazing array of white people.

It was just really

the whitest room I'd ever seen.

And the idea of, well,

if we're gonna cast this show,

maybe we should look for

actors of color, like, why not?

What kills me is,

instead of it being a show

that said "Look, you know,

leads of color equals success,"

it was yet another example

of that not working.

Some shows you do, it's just a job.

This is literally my life.

It's extremely personal.

People seem to like it

when they see it.

So, it's frustrating that you feel like

if you could just

get it in front of people,

I know we did a good job, you know,

you're going to like it.

That was the party store back there.

And this is, uh, Andre Braugher's

character's house,

and Lisa Gay Hamilton,

which I guess they still have

most of the set dressing up.

We wrapped the day

after our show premiered.

So, we had the premiere

on December 6th,

and I was driving to

the set on December 7th

feeling really great 'cause

the premiere was really good.

It's gonna be the last day

with the crew where we all

get to have a good time

and I was really hoping

to get sent the ratings on my phone,

and that I could go,

"Oh, look, hey,

we did great, everybody!"

And, so we're working

for a few hours,

and then the ratings came in.

And I looked at my phone and said,

"I'm never gonna see

these people ever again."

'Cause it was...

It was not... not very good.

Um, so then, I recovered.

And, uh...

We're not dead, by any stretch

of the imagination.

We're probably going to be okay.

But, it was... It was a bad number.

It was a very bad number.

And it... It feels bad, because you...

everybody on the show

worked so incredibly hard,

and they're helping you make

the thing that you wanna make.

And all you wanna do is

give them good news.

And so, you're just...

It was... a huge whole season of work

coming down to one stupid email

going, "well, sorry," you know?

I might love a show,

and just want so badly

to believe that it can make it.

But, the people with whom

I work will correctly

and usually gently, say to me,

"Hey, look at this.

No, we know you believe in it, but..."

And you know,

that's where this becomes a business,

and the right business

decision after that point,

there's a lot of money involved.

Needless to say,

"that didn't work," it hurts.

And that's the single worst phone call.

And in this case,

to have to call a showrunner

with whom you've formed

a relationship, and say,

"Hey, road's over. We tried.

Yeah, we're canceling it."

It sucks, you know?

Another round of applause

for the cast and crew of Fringe.

Yeah, when it's over...

I'll... I'll be sad.

It's gonna be very difficult.

It's like you're giving away,

you know, an appendage.

Because it is a very good source

of communication for me, you know?

And um, I'm gonna miss him.

So, I find myself, even right now, um,

you know, rewriting scenes

that are perfectly good.

You know? Because...

'Cause it's not the same feeling.

Like, in any other season, you're like,

"Oh! Okay, next!" you know?

"Finished!"

"Stamp!" you know, "Gone!" you know?

And then you get

to edit it and you see it

and then it goes on the air.

You're kind of relieved, to be honest,

that the next script has been finished,

because you know it's always

creeping behind you going,

"I'm gonna catch you,

I'm gonna catch you."

Um, there's none of that this year,

that's all gone.

And it's all, um,

"Oh, this is so terribly sad."

We had this very

profound moment of realization,

which is:
the same year

that we were gonna do our end point

was the year that

the Sopranos finale aired.

So, Carlton and I

both watched the Sopranos finale

and we were in New York

at the time, and we had

a speaking engagement

the next morning.

And, we just were

completely blown away

by how awesome

the Sopranos finale was.

And the next morning, we got up,

we started talking about it,

and then we went into this room

with all these other people,

and we were like,

"Did you see the Sopranos finale

last night?"

And they were like,

"Yeah, wasn't it a cop-out?"

And we looked at each other

and said "we're f***ed."

As far as getting back into TV,

I feel like there's

a certain level of expectation

that is definitely gonna be

placed on whatever I do next.

Whereas before, I think I would

have been a little more

foot-loose and fancy free and said,

"oh, let's try this out,"

or "let's try that out."

Now, I'm like...

I'm kind of, you know, holding myself

to a very high standard

for what is gonna be the idea

that I kinda take and run with.

Every project that suddenly

we're involved in,

or that I say yes to,

is potentially another,

you know, hour I'm spending

not with my family,

you know, another half hour

or whatever.

But, there's a wonderful

thing about running a series.

It's an evolving,

organic, living thing.

Being a producer

but not a showrunner,

I can kind of from afar

observe this thing,

and at times, be grateful that

I'm not having to do that.

But, I would be lying

to you if I didn't say

I miss that job,

and being there and doing that.

And so, one day, I would love

to be able to do that again,

if they'll have me.

The fun of television

is that it works at such a pace

that you write something on,

you know, the first of the month

and then it's airing in a month.

It's very...

You don't really have...

I mean, millions of people

are seeing it.

It's that urgency that's so exciting

and, uh... and rare

for anyone to be able to do.

And so... Yeah, I do.

I do love what I do.

There's times where I wish

I could sleep a little more.

It's hard, you sacrifice a lot

when you are in charge

of so many things.

And ultimately, I would love

to be able to give away

some of my responsibilities

or share them a little bit

better than I do already.

And I think that for

a lot of showrunners,

right or wrong,

the amount of control that you have

in these situations

is what makes things

feel special to an audience.

It used to be that you'd get the show

up until you wanted to

put a gun in your mouth,

and then you would find

these magical showrunners

who would come in,

who were kind of...

we like to call them

sort of like hospice workers...

who kind of like feed the show

and give it pain relieving medicine.

"Oh, oh, oh, is that season seven?

That is season seven, isn't it?

That's right, yeah!"

It's palliative care

for your show as it slowly...

The life ebbs from it,

and then it dies.

And now, I think there's a lot more

cradle-to-the-grave showrunners.

You try to make them till you think

maybe you can't make

any more good ones.

Yeah. Or, you know,

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