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SpoilerTV - TV Spoilers

ABC's Paul Lee discusses New and Returning Shows

Nov 3, 2011

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Thanks to Brouhaha for the heads up.

The network's entertainment president opens up about fall's hits ("Suburgatory," "Revenge") and misses ("Charlie's Angels") and forecasts the future of ratings flagships "Grey's Anatomy" and "Dancing With the Stars."
This story appears in the Nov. 11 issue of The Hollywood Reporter.

Seated in his sparsely decorated office in Burbank, ABC Entertainment Group's mild-mannered president, Paul Lee, acknowledges he wasn't aware of all that comes with running a studio and network when he accepted the role in summer 2010.

But while the Oxford-educated former BBC America founder and ABC Family chief is busy filling holes on a schedule that has taken its share of hits in recent years, many of his freshman efforts -- from Revenge to Suburgatory to fall's No. 1 new drama, Once Upon a Time -- seem to be connecting with viewers. Still, the Modern Family network was down 4 percent in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49 demographic five weeks into the season, according to Nielsen, weighed down by a stable of aging series and the since-canceled Charlie's Angels.

Source: Full Interview @ Hollywood Reporter
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13 comments:

  1. klutzy_girlNovember 3, 2011 at 7:19 PM

    Interesting! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. DarqueModeNovember 3, 2011 at 7:52 PM

    That annoys me - I don't think I had read that The River will be only 8 episodes!  Grrrrrr.
    Missing only 10... I guess that's only 3 off the typical mid-season premiere.... Still.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DarkUFONovember 3, 2011 at 7:59 PM

    Hmm, I hadn't either. Lets hope it's a good 8

    ReplyDelete
  4. DarqueModeNovember 3, 2011 at 8:05 PM

    Indeed....
    I think 8 episodes could pay off if it is a tight well honed story. If it does turn out great, I will just be sad it's over after only 8 episodes.... 

    It's like the US TV season is turning into the UK TV series now!

    ReplyDelete
  5. LunaticbabeNovember 3, 2011 at 9:58 PM

    What an interesting insight into that part of show business.

    ReplyDelete
  6. DigooCastroNovember 3, 2011 at 10:47 PM

    But if those 8 episodes get good ratings a full season will be ordered, right? :|

    ReplyDelete
  7. DarkUFONovember 3, 2011 at 10:50 PM

    Yep, any show that gets good ratings will get renewed :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. DarqueModeNovember 3, 2011 at 11:24 PM

    Not in the way I think you mean.

    That 8 episodes will be the FULL Season 1 I'm pretty sure.  It will probably start in mid to late Spring and end with the other shows of the Fall TV season.

    If it succeeds there will be a renewal for a second season... and likely a longer season.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Heather DavisNovember 4, 2011 at 12:42 AM

    GA sounds like it's gonna get a renew - i'll keep the champagne on ice for the official announement

    ReplyDelete
  10. CadenceNovember 4, 2011 at 2:47 AM

    I didn't know that either :(, but you know what, I love the idea that this guy, coming off of a place like BBC America, gets why cable networks have shows of much higher quality with limited runs.  I think a "The River" and "Missing" having 10 or fewer episodes might make them more enjoyable. Even the best shows can get lost in as much as 13 episodes.

    ReplyDelete
  11. DarqueModeNovember 4, 2011 at 3:17 AM

    MY first reaction was disappointment, but I think it could be a good thing too. Assuming both are very serialized in nature. (I know Missing is, and The River looks to be)

    It's easy to tell a single story in 8 or 10 episodes and still get to know the casts. As long as they have it planned for a short run the initial season should be more of an introductory season that can open up to a larger, broader in scope story if/ when the series are renewed.

    A more concise, well-honed story like that can be brilliant for a serial. 

    Even so I still will end up wishing the season was longer in the end (assuming I like them), but it may attract more viewers being less of a commitment, or something they can more easily catch up on over the hiatus etc....

    ReplyDelete
  12. prpleightNovember 4, 2011 at 9:06 AM

    The BBC connection makes it not too surprising.  The River is one of the series I'm really looking forward to.  I hope it's a really good satisfying 8 eps.

    There have been a few series that I thought would have been awesome if it had been a miniseries and not stretched to 2 seasons  or 24 episodes.  Prison Break is my knee jerk example.  I think Lost would have been better if they'd been able to say from the beginning...this is how many episodes this story will be.  

    I like the idea of a mix...especially if the mix of series types is story driven and not executive or money driven.

    ReplyDelete
  13. DarqueModeNovember 4, 2011 at 4:46 PM

    Seriously! Prison Break should have been like 10 or 13 episodes.

    It could have been a great mini-series that way instead of the overdrawn series that it was.!

    ReplyDelete

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