The Return of My Annual Fall TV Network Presidents Survey

It’s the return of my annual Fall TV Network Presidents survey! I asked 18 programmers — from Netflix, ABC/Hulu, NBC, CBS, Fox, The CW, TBS/TNT/TruTV, HBO/HBO Max, Showtime, FX, A+E, Freeform, AMC, Discovery, Paramount Plus, Epix all included — the think that irks them the most about the biz; what show they’d steal from a rival; their potential sleeper hit; their pandemic hobby and more. See all answers here.

And we got 13 of them on to this chart, which ran in the most recent issue of Variety. Click to make it larger:

Variety Cover Story: Damon Lindelof, a Day After His 'Watchmen' Wins

Interview Damon Lindelof and then write a Variety cover story, in the span of eight hours? Also post a behind the scenes Emmy story and blast out my Awards HQ newsletter at the same time? Sure! Whew, whatta end of Emmy season! Great chat with Damon as always, hope you enjoy a recap of *his* amazing weekend.

An excerpt:

Damon Lindelof admits he’s a little wary when celebrities use fashion to promote a cause. But when the Television Academy told nominees that there was no dress code for this year’s Emmy Awards, he knew he had to do something.

That’s why, as “Watchmen” won the Emmy on Sunday night for limited series (as well as a writing nod and acting awards for stars Regina King and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), Lindelof’s T-shirt proclaimed, “Remember Tulsa ’21.”

The HBO show opens with a depiction of the 1921 Tulsa massacre — the real-life tragedy in which the city’s vibrant Greenwood District (also known as “Black Wall Street”) was destroyed. He and his writers used that event to examine the history of systemic racism in America, and the resulting trauma that’s been passed down from generation to generation.

Lindelof printed up the shirt and others — he passed them out at his COVID-compliant Emmy party — because he had asked writer Cord Jefferson to give the acceptance speech if the two of them won the Emmy for outstanding writing for a limited series or movie. That way, in case “Watchmen” didn’t win the limited series Emmy, Lindelof would still get his message out.

“This part of our history was erased, and it’s not [like] now everybody knows about it,” says Lindelof, who warns that cultural forces could very well bury it again. “You can feel the writing in the sand and the tide coming in.”

Read the full story here.

KCRW's The Spin-Off: Drama Problems at HBO, Which New Shows Will Score Emmy Noms?

On the latest edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, Joe and I were joined by TVLine's Vlada Gelman, and we touched on some hot TV topics of the moment:

HBO has a problem with dramas--or lack thereof. Game of Thrones is still a massive hit, but that’s the only show the network has going for it right now, and it just wrapped up a sixth season.

Earlier in the year, HBO announced they’d renew Vinyl for a second season, even though the initial numbers were not great and critics’ reviews were mixed. But since then, there’s been a changing of the guard at HBO and we just learned a second season is now a no-go.

They’ve got the highly anticipated Westworld debuting in the fall, but that production has been plagued with problems and the premiere pushed back multiple times. However, HBO has endured dry spells before, and they’ve still having great success with comedies like Silicon Valley and Veep.

And on the Emmy front, the first nominating window has officially closed, so we’re waiting to see who made the list of nominees.

The Television Academy is known for nominating perennial favorites, and in the drama category this year, there’s not a ton of opportunity for new shows to break through. Lots of people would like to see The Americans or Mr. Robot to be recognized, but there may not be room for both.

The best comedy actress category is another one filled to the brim with opportunity. The question remains as to how far the Academy is willing to reach outside the tried and true.

Listen below!

KCRW's The Spin-Off: "Veep" Stars Matt Walsh and Timothy Simons

On the latest edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, Joe and I chat with "Veep" stars Matt Walsh and Timothy Simons about the Emmy-winning comedy:

Since starring in Veep on HBO, Timothy Simons and Matt Walsh have found themselves having to think before they tweet. The two actors tell us how their own take on politics has changed since they started working on the show, and Simons explains how he accidentally got roped into endorsing a political candidate because of the show.

Walsh and Simons also share how the show has evolved over the years. Season 5 brought some big changes--filming moved from Baltimore to Los Angeles and they were working with a new showrunner. They explain how scenes may change from an initial table read to the final cut, and how having Trump in the real-life race expands the options for possible gaffes in future seasons of the show.

Listen below!

KCRW's The Spin-Off: The Last Man on Earth / Togetherness / Portlandia Edition

On the latest bonus edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, we replay the audio from my Emmy For Your Consideration panel featuring the people behind Fox's "The Last Man on Earth," IFC's "Portlandia" and HBO's "Togetherness." I wrote about it back in May; now you can listen to it too! Details:

Members of the panel included Carrie Brownstein and Jonathan Krisel from Portlandia, star and creator of Last Man on Earth Will Forte, and Mark and Jay Duplass from Togetherness. For years the Duplass brothers were known for their work in indie film. They kicked the conversation off by telling Schneider how they got drawn into working on television projects.

Listen below!

A Comedy Hipster's Dream Panel: Carrie Brownstein, Will Forte and the Duplass Brothers, All Together

Last week I moderated a joint TV Guide Magazine/TV Insider/IFC/HBO/Fox panel, timed to Emmy campaign season, about comedy stars who do it all: Write, produce, direct and star. These super impressive talents also have time to work on other projects at the same time. Carrie Brownstein is a rock star (Sleater-Kinney has a new album out and is touring) in addition to co-creating and starring in "Portlandia." Will Forte does it all on "The Last Man on Earth." Mark Duplass stars in "The League" and countless movies in addition to co-creating (and starring in) "Togetherness," while Jay Duplass stars in "Transparent" in addition to co-creating "Togetherness" and also working on many other things. (The Duplass brothers even appear on "The Mindy Project.")

Check out Diane Gordon's write-up of the panel for TVInsider.com. And check out some pics below, courtesy IFC:

KCRW's THE SPIN-OFF: HBO Now, Andy Lack's Back, Two Comedies/Two Strategies (Listen Now!)

For our first March episode of KCRW's The Spin-Off, Joe and I reunited with Cynthia Littleton for a mini Variety reunion. Here's what we chatted about:

We take a look at one number that gives us a snapshot of the current state of the TV industry. This month's number? $14.99.

Fourteen dollars and 99 cents is what it will cost you every month for HBO's new standalone streaming service, HBO Now, which will launch in April, ahead of the Game of Thrones season premiere. At least for now, the service will be exclusive to Apple devices. Then, we'll soon be saying hello -- or maybe more appropriately welcome back -- to an NBC executive who has some experience getting the Peacock's news division back on track when things have gone awry. We talk about what Andy Lack's return to NBC could mean...or not mean...to Brian Williams' career.

We also say hello to another spin-off on AMC. The network announced a two-season order for a Walking Dead prequel. Add this to Better Call Saul, a Breaking Bad spin-off, and AMC will soon have two prequels on the air.

Then we look at two new comedies that feel more like cable shows, but got their starts at Fox and NBC: The Last Man on Earth and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Both wound up taking different paths and strategies.

There's a lot more too! Listen by clicking below!

Filmmaker Jay Duplass on Eagle Rock, "Where Hipsters Go To Die or Have Children"

"Togetherness," the new HBO comedy from brothers Mark and Jay Duplass, takes place in a neighborhood I know very well: Eagle Rock. Speaking at the recent TV Critics Association press tour, the Duplass brothers wanted to make it clear that, despite the usual cliche of calling a setting a "character" on a show, Eagle Rock is not a character on "Togetherness." It just happens to be where these characters live.

Nonetheless, Eagle Rock serves a major symbol for explaining where these couples currently stand in life:

“Eagle Rock is on the fringe of Los Angeles,” Jay Duplass said. “It’s often said that it’s a place where hipsters go to die or go to have children. It’s like a weigh station and our characters have one foot in Los Angeles and one foot out. They’re not sure if they fit in, not sure what they’re doing. It was important to set the show in that particular neighborhood.”

Added Mark Duplass, “The location is representative of how we see the world. How we strive to be closer to our family, kids and friends. But as soon as we get that, we want to eject and be on a trip by ourselves. It’s sad and funny. When we started cooking up the show, that’s the core of what we wanted to make.”

After the session, I asked Jay Duplass to expand on why he lives in Eagle Rock -- and where he tends to hang out.

"I'll just say this, Eagle Rock is perfect," he told me. "I walk a lot. I just listen to music and try to think about my stories, so I walk three or four miles a day. It is the best walking neighborhood ever. Ther are hills, there's flatland, it's urban, there are beautiful houses, it's got everything. It's maintained a little bit of a sense of a small town.

"It was a town, it was eaten up by Los Angeles, but it's maintained its character. It's in its own little valley and pocket, and that's what makes it special. I actually just moved Saturday, and I just moved four blocks from my old house. And I know five or six other families who, same as me, when their kids got bigger and they couldn't fit in their tiny little 2-bedroom Craftsman anymore, moved into a bigger house because they loved the neighborhood."

Fans of "Togetherness" from Eagle Rock will notice several familiar spots, including Peekaboo Playland and Cafe Beaujolais.

"Cafe Beaujolais is a French restaurant that is extremely reasonably priced," he says. "It is just unbelievable French food, and it's where a lot of French ex-pats actually come, drive out to Eagle Rock for French food. It's right next to Casa Bianca, the Italian place that everybody knows and half of LA think it has the best pizza."

Uh-oh, now things are getting real. I love Casa Bianca. I asked Duplass for his opinion. He was careful not to criticize.

"I don't want to diss a wonderful restaurant in my neighborhood but I actually like Brownstone down the street. It's more New York traditional street pizza. That's just my preference.

"It's all going to be about food. Spitz is Lebanese, Middle Eastern mix. And The Oinkster is an obvious one, where you get your pastrami and your half-pound burger and you're never going to beat it."

And what about famed coffee shop Swork?

"I'll write at Swork, sometimes I will drive up to the Eagle Rock and write in my car. I used to write at Le Petit Beaujolais but that closed down. I spend all my time there."

Sounds like a man after my own heart. "Togetherness," which was recently renewed for a second season, airs Sunday nights at 10 p.m. on HBO.

MIKE ON KCRW: Talking Golden Globe Noms, the Sony Hack and the End of "The Newsroom"

Another busy week at KCRW. On this Monday's edition of The Business, Kim Masters and I bantered about several topics including:

- Golden Globe nominations announced. No major surprises this year, but a major snub for Angelina Jolie and her movie Unbroken. - The hack attack at Sony continues to wreak havoc at the studio, as more and more personal details and emails between top executives are leaked to the public.

Listen by clicking below:





On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I talked all about the Golden Globes but ended it with a bit more about the Sony hacking scandal:

The Golden Globes have been known for some eyebrow-raising nominations in the past, but this year their nominations on the film side at least, seem more predictable. Birdman had the most nominations, with Boyhood and Selma also snagging several nominations. Angelina Jolie's name was notably absent from the list. The TV nominations favored new shows like Jane the Virgin and The Affair over old Emmy favorites like Modern Family and Big Bang Theory. And the hack at Sony continues to cause monumental damage, as more and more leaked emails are appearing in public.

Listen below:





On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, LA Review of Books' Sarah Mesle and I discussed several topics, including the end of "The Newsroom" and my recent TV Guide Magazine piece about whether TV is still willing to tackle hot button issues:

Aaron Sorkin didn’t mince words in a New York Times op-ed today, saying journalists who publish leaked emails from the Sony hack are “morally treasonous and spectacularly dishonorable.” The topic would’ve made great fodder for Sorkin’s series The Newsroom, if the series hadn’t aired its final episode last night. We discuss that and more in our weekly TV roundup.

Listen below:

Scenes from the Foo Fighters' Night at the Roxy

My colleague Rob scored a pair of tickets to the Foo Fighters' intimate Roxy show last Friday night, and I tagged along to see the Dave Grohl and the band up close -- really up close. The show was timed to the premiere of the Los Angeles episode of Grohl's excellent HBO series "Sonic Highways." The band played for about two and a half hours, and besides Foo Fighters hits, also covered songs like "Under Pressure" and "Sympathy for the Devil." Guests included Joe Walsh (who also appears in the episode) and Perry Farrell. I don't get to see many concerts these days (fyi i'm old) but I dropped everything to show up (thanks to my tremendously understanding wife) and I'm glad I did.


Up close


Dave, bathed in red, with Pat Smear behind him.


My right ear still is ringing a bit, days later, from being that close. No regrets.


Dave watches on as guest Joe Walsh grabs the guitar.


Joe Walsh jams.


Hey, look who made it on stage! Perry Farrell sings Jane's Addiction's "Mountain Song."


Perry Farrell, up close.


Now that's an unusual trio: Dave Grohl, Perry Farrell and Joe Walsh.


Dave on the mic


At one point, Dave made it to the other end of the Roxy and hopped on the bar. Well, he needed a shot.


Sometimes, Dave Grohl is just a mass of hair.


Dave tells us he'd love to keep playing all night long... but he does have to take his daughter to horseback riding lessons tomorrow at 9:30.


Pat Smear rocks it.


Taylor Hawkins rises from the drum kit.

MIKE ON KCRW: Curb Your Enthusiasm for HBO's and CBS' New Services

Are HBO's and CBS' new over-the-top digital services a revolution? Perhaps. And the world of program access is definitely changing. But that doesn't mean you're ultimately not going to be spending about as much as you do now on TV -- you're just going to be allocating that money a bit differently (when and if you "cut the cord," that is).

On Thursday's edition of KCRW's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I discuss what it all might mean (or might not -- no one knows yet). A synopsis:

The TV landscape continues to shift and change, as evidenced by major changes announced by HBO and CBS this week. For those who love HBO but hate paying for all the other cable channels they never watch, there will soon be another option. HBO will be offering an online subscription service that will give access to HBO content without requiring a cable package. But the exact details--how much content will be available and how much it will cost--are yet to be revealed. And not to be left behind, traditional broadcast network CBS will also be offering a subscription web service, one that is already available now in several markets. These changes are not only a response to cord cutters--people who get rid of cable all together, but also to calls for cable offerings to be "unbundled" or be made available on an a la carte basis.

Listen by clicking below!

Throwback Thursday: The Making of HBO's 1980s-Era Flying Logo

I remember watching this short film as a kid and being mesmerized by how filmmakers built an entire mini-city set to produce HBO's signature "flying logo" opening. Of course, now this would all be produced on computers and done in half an hour! But back then, this was quite an undertaking!

MIKE ON RADIO: Return of "Thrones," Yahoo! TV and Replacing Letterman

On Monday's edition of KCRW's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, we discussed HBO's hot streak (led by those amazing "Game of Thrones" ratings), plus all the intrigue surrounding who will replace David Letterman on CBS, and whether Yahoo! TV's move into original streaming content has a shot at success.

Listen below! My spot starts at 16 minutes in.

VIDEO: Mike Grills Top TV Execs on The State of The Industry at HRTS

A few weeks ago I moderated the Hollywood Radio and Television Society's kick off luncheon for the 2013-14 TV season. The "State of the Industry" luncheon featured NBC's Ted Harbert, FX's John Landgraf, HBO's Michael Lombardo, MagnaGlobal's Tim Spengler and Hulu's Andy Forssell. We had a lively chat that ranged from the new ways people now watch TV, how TV development is getting crowded with so many new players, and whether Netflix is helping or hurting the biz. HRTS just posted the video, so in honor of the new fall TV season, watch on:



Here are a few more pics from the panel: