NBC's "Studio 60" is most anticipated new show

from media life magazine

The hot pre-upfront
buzz: 'Studio 60'

It's the show media people are talking about
By Kevin Downey

After two years in which NBC has presented a development slate full of
low-buzz disappointments like ?Surface,? ?E-Ring? and ?Hawaii,? as
well as some high-buzz flops like ?Father of the Pride,? ?Joey? and
?The Apprentice: Martha Stewart,? it looks as though the network
finally has some shows that media buyers like.

In fact, it may have the most-anticipated new program for fall, based
on reaction after the broadcast networks previewed their upcoming
programs over the past three weeks.

It?s ?Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,? from ?West Wing? creator Aaron
Sorkin and starring ?Friends?? Mathew Perry, ?Wing?s? Bradley Whitford
and Amanda Peet. It follows the behind-the-scenes drama at a ?Saturday
Night Live?-style variety show, in much the same way Sorkin?s
critically acclaimed ABC show ?Sports Night? went behind the camera at
a ?SportsCenter?-like program.

In addition to good writing and strong acting, it also has a unique
concept. Media people say the show, which has already received a
commitment from NBC, could be fall?s big hit.

That combined with other promising shows on NBC?s slate, as well as
?Sunday Night Football,? ?My Name is Earl? and surprise game show hit
?Deal or No Deal,? could help NBC turn things around after two
straight seasons of finishing No. 4 among adults 18-49.

?It looks like NBC is really making an investment to get good
programming on the air,? says Shari Anne Brill, vice president and
director or programming at Carat. ?It?s a little bit of everything.?

Among NBC?s other dramas is ?Kidnapped? with Timothy Hutton, which has
already been picked up for the fall.

NBC comedies include ?Andy Barker, P.I.,? notable for starring former
?Late Night? sidekick Andy Richter with a pilot co-written by ?Late
Night?s? Conan O?Brien.

Rather than relying on one fad to come up with hits, the broadcasters
are developing many types of shows this year, with about an equal
number of comedies and dramas.

Some are quirky like ABC?s ?Desperate Housewives,? others mimic the
single-camera style of comedies like NBC?s ?The Office,? others
unearth one-time big-name stars, and there are even programs that have
roots in novelas, the Spanish-language soap operas.

?Everyone?s trying different types of comedies and there are crime
shows, character-driven dramas, and plenty of procedurals,? Brill.

?They all want a distinctive voice and are using existing programs as
the launching pad. And reality is there, too, but there?s also the
realization that scripted programs are the networks? bread and
butter.?

Brad Adgate, senior vice president and corporate research director at
Horizon Media, is upbeat about this year?s development.

?The networks are trying different things, but there?s also a large
amount of romantic comedies, legal, medical, and police dramas,? he
says. ?And there are a lot of stars doing TV for the first time like
James Woods and Virginia Madsen.?

Perhaps the network with the most buzz is ABC, although more so for
its recent trio of hits ? ?Desperate,? ?Lost,? and ?Grey?s Anatomy? ?
than for any specific program previewed at last week?s pre-upfront
presentations.

The network has about a dozen dramas in development, including ?Hollis
and Rae? from Steven Bochco, whose recent misstep on ?Commander in
Chief? hasn?t smudged his decades-long track record.

ABC also is taking a cue from the enormously popular novelas with
?Ugly Betty,? based on a Telemundo hit. It?s also developing soap
operas, with dramas such as ?Brothers & Sisters? with Calista
Flockhart and ?Six Degrees? from ?Alias?? J. J. Abrams.

Sitcoms include ?A Day in the Life? with Wendie Malick, late of the
presumably canceled John Stamos comedy ?Jake in Progress.?

CBS president Les Moonves has been saying his network is so solid that
it has the luxury of being experimental.

Among the dramas CBS is developing is ?Edison,? about a con artist
starring John Leguizamo that was originally in development for cable
network USA. ?Ultra? is based on a graphic novel.

CBS is developing several comedies, including ?The Big Bang Theory,?
from the creators of its ?Two and a Half Men,? and ?Play Nice? from
the executive producers of ?Everybody Loves Raymond.?

Fox has a slew of programs in development, including the drama
?American Crime? from ?CSI? producer Jerry Bruckheimer and comedies
like ?Julie Reno, Bounty Hunter? with former ?Designing Women? star
Annie Potts.

Meanwhile, the upcoming CW is solidifying its lineup with programs
from both UPN and the WB. But it also has six shows in development,
including the highly anticipated ?Smallville? spinoff ?Aquaman.?
Sitcoms in the works are ?The Game,? from Kelsey Grammer, executive
producer of UPN?s ?Girlfriends,? and ?She Said/He Said,? with Jessica
Simpson?s ex, Nick Lachey.

?The first we?ll see of these shows is the week of May 15,? says
Adgate, referring to when the networks hold upfront presentations.

?There may be some announcements before that and there will be some
buzz and rumors. But the shows that will be picked up will be made
official that week.?
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