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Monday, May 14, 2012

Actors don't wish to work for Networks, Cable yes

Edition: U.S. / Global

Business Day Media & Advertising

TV Upfronts 2012

As Talent Flees to Cable, Networks Fight Back

By
Published: May 13, 2012

It was once the ultimate prize for a creator of drama series on television: a call from one of the broadcast networks during upfront week to say that his or her new project had been selected to fill an hour on the prime-time schedule.

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Ryan Murphy, with the actress Lea Michele, has created  cable and network TV shows and said cable offers more freedom.

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For some, at least, that thrill is gone.

"Yes, we do have A-level producers who say, 'I don't want to be on the network; I only want to be on cable,' " said Zack Van Amburg, the president of programming and production for Sony Pictures Television, a studio that generates shows for both network and cable channels.

In growing sections of the television drama business, a condition known as "cable envy" has been setting in — and spreading. Cable, the land of small budgets and even smaller audiences, has become the place creators of drama go if they want to take big creative risks — and win golden trophies.

But increasingly, networks are trying to lure talent that otherwise might succumb to the allure of cable. It helps that some of the top network programmers cut their teeth in cable: Kevin Reilly of Fox once was the top programmer at FX, Bob Greenblatt at NBC earned his post because of his success leading Showtime, and Paul Lee, the top programmer at ABC, previously had that job at the ABC Family Channel.

They are not trying to reshape their hourlong dramas along the lines of the hot cable series of the moment, but they are willing to bend traditional network rules.

For example, networks are willing to offer shorter seasons — a staple of cable programming — and to run serialized shows without interruption by reruns. This season interruptions, primarily repeated episodes, clearly drove viewers away from certain network shows. "Unforgettable," on CBS, sank late in the season after long stretches of reruns.

Last week, the producer Kevin Williamson, among others, released the news that Fox had ordered a new high-concept drama called "The Following," about a police officer's pursuit of a charismatic serial killer. The officer will be played by the busy film actor Kevin Bacon, who put a cablelike stipulation into his deal: he will work only on 15 episodes a year.

Mr. Reilly, the president of entertainment at Fox, who said he could not officially confirm the show's order until Monday, said that, with serialized shows like "The Following," audiences "want to sit down and blow right through them." Fox set the standard for that kind of scheduling with "24." Like that series, "The Following" could be held back until January and then allowed to run without interruption.

"The networks are opening up to that scheduling model, and we're going to drive it," Mr. Reilly said.

The term "cable envy" was either invented or popularized by the longtime program-planning executive and outspoken industry wise man, Preston Beckman of the Fox network, who did not like the condition. "Cable envy is something that needs to be guarded against," he said. "If you believe in it, go work for a cable network."

Rather than give in wholly to guard against cable-style scheduling, networks are trying to offer a little taste of it to producers and writers. Mr. Greenblatt, for example, said NBC is holding back the second season of its Broadway drama, "Smash," until January so it can run uninterrupted, "a little bit in the cable way."

But it is not easy to coax drama creators to return to the broadcast airwaves.

A big reason is prestige. Of the six dramas nominated for Emmy Awards last season, exactly one, "The Good Wife" on CBS, was from a network. AMC's "Mad Men" was the winner for a fourth consecutive year. This season, quality drama has become even more pervasive on cable, thanks to shows like "Homeland" on Showtime and "American Horror Story" on FX.

Another reason is the wider palette offered by cable — in language, sexuality and subject matter. "There's one word about cable," said Ryan Murphy, a whose résumé includes "Nip/Tuck" and "American Horror Story" on cable and "Glee" on network. "And the word is freedom."

A version of this article appeared in print on May 14, 2012, on page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: As Talent Flees to Cable, Networks Fight Back.
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