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:

Remembering "It's Garry Shandling's Show"

R.I.P. Garry Shandling. Back in 1997 I wrote a tribute to his great 1980s series "It's Garry Shandling's Show" for my job at the time, the weekly TV trade Electronic Media. We named the series one of the "10 Shows That Made Cable," and it's easy to forget now how landmark it was.

From Electronic Media, July 21, 1997, here's my story, written in the style of the show's self-referential theme song:

This is the story about "It's Garry Shandling's Show."

This is the article that mentions how "Garry Shandling" became one of the first network-quality sitcoms on cable, helping establish a new outlet for creative talent and spur original series development for cable outlets.

This piece also notes that "Garry Shandling" became the first cable show to make the transition to network television, when Fox picked up reruns of the Showtime series in 1988.

This paragraph describes how "Garry Shandling" originally landed at Showtime. The show had originally been developed for primetime, but was rejected by all three (at the time) broadcast networks.

"They thought it was too unusual for primetime TV," said Brad Grey, who executive produced the show, in the fifth paragraph of this story. "[Showtime] was a very comfortable environment, we had total creative freedom. We got to do something rather bold compared to what was on the networks."

Here's the obligatory show description: "It's Garry Shandling's Show," which debuted in the fall of 1986 on Showtime, starred Mr. Shandling as a fictional version of himself--a successful comic with several neuroses.

The show parodied the sitcom format, with Mr. Shandling opening each show by speaking to the camera and regularly pausing from the action to make an observation or interact with the studio audience.

This article will now surmise that cross-pollination has become common between cable and broadcast TV, such as "Politically Incorrect's" move to ABC, in part because "Garry Shandling" forced executives to notice what was being done on cable.

"Cable has flourished since then, it's another venue to distribute half-hour TV," Mr. Grey said.

This article's almost done, but to wrap things up: These days, Mr. Shandling stars in the critical hit "Larry Sanders" on HBO, while other cable networks such as USA Network and Turner Network Television, and even niche channels like MTV and Nickelodeon, produce much original programming.

Still, "There hasn't been a cable or pay-TV series that's had the same level of success financially in the back-end as primetime," Mr. Grey said. "For that reason, some of the major studios shy away from it because the money hasn't proven to be there yet."

--Michael Schneider

WATCH: Trailer for Showtime's New Documentary "Kobe Bryant Muse"

Via Showtime:

SHOWTIME has released the first-look trailer for its feature-length documentary film, KOBE BRYANT’S MUSE, which will premiere in February on the premium network. Compelling and revelatory, this highly personal film captures a side of Kobe Bryant that the public has never seen before.

“People know me because of what I am, a basketball player,” said Bryant. “In MUSE, everyone will begin to understand who I am and how I became who I am. I created this film to open up my journey in hopes of inspiring others as they guide their own.”

Watch:

Mike on Radio: Discussing TV's "Homeland" Effect on KCRW

Nope, I don't weigh in on the sale of AEG, but later in Monday's episode of KCRW's "Which Way LA?" I do discuss the success of Showtime's "Homeland," and how that bodes well for other formats born in Israel. My segment comes at about 21 minutes into the program.

A "Shameless" Evening with William H. Macy

At this summer's San Diego Comic-Con, I had the opportunity to moderate the panel for Showtime's dysfunctional family series "Shameless" -- and had a blast doing it.

Earlier this month, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation asked me to once again moderate a "Shameless" panel, again with star William H. Macy (and this time with Shanola Hampton and Steve Howey, who play the Gallaghers' neighbors). Macy told several stories, including of the moment that he first heard, as a struggling actor, that he had landed the coveted "Fargo" role that made him a star. Macy says his family likes his shaggy hair look -- grown out for his role as drunken patriarch Frank Gallagher.

Holy Shift: "Nurse Jackie" Consumes the L.A. Times

There's nothing more annoying than clicking on a newspaper website... and suddenly being interrupted by a web ad covering up the entire screen.

Here's a unique one from today's L.A. Times: The screen is blurred out, with the exception of Edie Falco's "Nurse Betty" character. The Showtime ad quickly reverts back to a box on the screen -- but if I'm searching for an immediate headline, I'm kinda annoyed.

This is reminiscent, of course, of the L.A. Times print edition's recent "Alice in Wonderland" ad -- in which Johnny Depp's character appeared to cover up the front page (which turned out to be a mock front).