Month: November 2014

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 11/24/14

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Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are=&0=& (THE GAME PLAN) are writing the pilot for PARIAHS, a legal drama in development at ABC. (In other words, since TV will never give leading roles to characters who are genuine pariahs – cuz by definition they’re outcasts to everyone in society including the viewers – this one’s gonna feature some misunderstood ex-cons who now are practicing law. See how reading this column improves your life?) Chris Collins (SONS OF ANARCHY) and Marc Abrams (PINKERTONS) are the new showrunners of RAIN, a cable series starring and produced by a dude named Keanu Reeves. (Have our people call their people pronto cuz Chris and Marc should be staffing. Although inasmuch as the announcement doesn’t mention any network, this whole project could be JPBS. As in Just Plain Bull Shit. Who the hell knows?) =&1=& (THE ASSETS) is writing the pilot for ABC’s MKULTRA, a historical spy drama about, um historical spying. (Great name, though. I mean really great name. Yep, kids, back during the Cold War our ever-lovin’ CIA was creative as all get out when it came to labeling its secret ops. But, since they were secret, why?) =&2=& (LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER) is writing LAS REINAS, a drama about the Miami Police Department. (And, we assume, its Spanish speaking employees, of whom there must be one or two. Cuz the title, you know? As a major fan of MIAMI VICE – saw it in reruns cuz, you know, my full name is munchman millennial – you’d better believe that yer friendly neighborhood muncharooni will have his eyes on this ball. )

That’s it for now. Write in and tell munchilito what you’ve sold today. TVWriter™ can’t wait to brag to all your friends. (And, more importantly, enemies. Hehehe….)

“Good writers are hard to find”

So sayeth the television industry. No, not the U.S. industry but worldwide. Everybody in power says they’re looking for good writers but just can’t find them. Over here at TVWriter™ we think it’s all about definitions, as in “What are those so eagerly seeking “good writers” really looking for?

Sparing no expense, we’ve scoured the globe for more info on this situation. Here’s what we think is the most interesting take, direct from…Mumbai:

film-tv-production-manager-job-in-mumbai-123962457-1402411456by Ritwika Gupta

MUMBAI: The heartbeat of any television programme lies in its story and content. Developing good content through various ideas and imagination is a significant priority for television channels and producers. Story-telling, as they say, is an art and the small screen is constantly looking for compelling scripts that tell stories which entertain, engage and enrich the audience. Over the past few years, the Indian television industry has been exploring new formats and series of programmes in order to give the viewers an excellent TV viewing experience. read article

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 11/23/14

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Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are=&0=& (CHILDREN OF MEN) is adapting yet another comic book into a TV series. This one’s called FROM HELL and is going to FX. (Yeppers, comic book nerds, the print version of FROM HELL was written by Alan Moore. Anybody know if he signed off on this? If they’ll be using his name? Yer pal munchikins really wants to know.) Jeff Eastin (WHITE COLLAR) has renewed his overall writing and producing deal with Fox TV. (So we can expect more mediocrity to land on our teeny little cellphone screens. Ain’t showbiz grand?) =&1=& (GROUNDED FOR LIFE) are the new showrunners of TV Land comedy THE SOUL MAN. (Showbiz and TVWriter™ vets know the drill: If you know these guys, call ’em, take ’em to lunch. Pitch your heart out so your agent can jump for joy and tell you how he got you staffed!) =&2=& (THE GLADES) is writing an ABC drama pilot based on a series of books by Ingrid Thoft who basically sound like refugees from a Shonda Rimes show. (Which ain’t bad, really, if, like a certain muncher, you like to get stoned and watch primetime soaps.)

That’s it for now. Write in and tell munchilito what you’ve sold today. TVWriter™ can’t wait to brag to all your friends. (And, more importantly, enemies. Hehehe….)

Humanitas Prize Finalists Announced

From the lips of the Humanitas Foundation to, um, God’s ears? (Well, ours anyway.)

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by Team TVWriter™ Press Service

40 years ago, the Humanitas Prize was created to honor television and film writers “whose work explores the human experience in a way that both entertains and enlightens.” A worthy goal if ever there was one. This year, 31 writers, including some genuine Big Names, are finalists in eight interesting – and quite specialized – categories for the 40th annual Humanitas Prize. These writers are competing $90,000 in prize money to be handed out at the annual luncheon January 16 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. read article

Are TV Showrunners Paying Too Much Attention to Fans – or Too Little?

Well, well, lookee here, kids. The interwebs, which we’ve always seen as empowering fans, may in fact be taking away their power instead. Seems that all this fan attention has turned showrunners into diva-like creative gods. Personally, we don’t see anything wrong with writer-auteurs…but we may be a little biased:

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TV Writers and Showrunners Increasingly ‘Mute’ the Fans
by Drew Grant

Back in the day, television writers would get feedback about their shows in one of two ways: from the occasional review in a publication, or from the ratings. Then around the late ’90s, shows like The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer ushered in an era of fandom; viewers were empowered by the Internet and its burgeoning fandom communities. Note that the people who were early adopters to message boards and listservs had a certain bias in what they favored: geeky, cerebral shows that rewarded vigilant, and recurring, viewings. Think Twin Peaks. Think, later, and for another generation,Lost. Think what we’ve come to understand as the (new) Golden Age of Television, co-created equally by its writers and its most passionate fans. read article