Category: The TV Biz

‘Designing Women’ Creator Goes Public With Les Moonves War: Not All Harassment Is Sexual

NOTE FROM LB: Yesterday, longtime friend and co-worker Harry Thomason, producer, director, former member of the Clinton Administration – and one of the influences behind my creation of Cloud Creek Institute for the Arts in beautiful, rugged home state of Arkansas – suggested that his Facebook friends take a look at an article his wife, the incomparable writer Linda Bloodworth Thomason had written for The Hollywood Reporter.

A suggestion from Harry is always something to take seriously, so off I clicked to see what Linda was writing about. The good news is that the article is about show business, not politics so you can all relax. More good news is that it’s extremely timely, well-written, and honest as hell.

The bad news is that it’s painfully honest. But that’s the thing about showbiz. Being part of it can bring great rewards…but the price all too often is, indeed, great pain. read article

It’s Humanitas Prize Time!

Our  second favorite favorite TV and film writing contest. (You all know what the first placer is, right, wink, wink?) The only drawback to the Humanitas Prize Awards is that they’re for produced material only.

Have at it, all you deserving pros!

read article

Where Do You Stand on the Upcoming ‘Bewitched’ Reboot?

by TVWriter™ Press Service

We admit it. TVWriter™ has been dead set against most reboots on principle for, like, forever, and included in that blanket mindset have been all efforts to bring back, modernize, or even duplicate one of the most beloved TV series of the ’60s, a little bit of witchery called Bewitched.

Then we saw the following article, including comments like these from our very own Contributing Editor Emeritus, Herbie J Pilato. read article

Larry Gelbart on Writing Television Comedy

Yesterday we posted comedy writer Ken Levine’s tribute to the irreplaceable Neil Simon, the comedy paradigm-changing playwright who for all practical purposes set the bar for Broadway comedy (and perhaps drama as well).

We were never satisfied with any of the available interviews with “Doc” Simon, but late last night we came across an 8 part video interview with another comedy writing legend, Larry Gelbart, who worked on many of the same TV shows as Simon.  Gelbart died in 2009, but his work lives on…and so do his words of writing wisdom, thanks to this video – and 7 others – in the archives of the Television Academy.

More about – and from – Mr. Gelbart HERE

The 50 Most-Watched TV Shows of Summer 2018

A sure sign that Fall approacheth, yet an entertaining as well as educational delight in itself – Michael Schneider’s collection of this summer’s rating winners. (Wonder how it’ll rate with TVWriter™ visitors here and now…)

“Yellowstone” star Kevin Costner

by Michael Schneider

Talk about a reversal of fortunes: While the movie box office world recovered this summer after a disappointing 2017, television — at least the programming that’s measured by Nielsen ratings — took a dip. Blame some of that on the lack of “Game of Thrones,” which dominated last summer among adults 18-49.

NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” still scored plenty of eyeballs, as once again the summer’s most-watched program. But Simon Cowell and company were still down to 14.56 million viewers, vs. 15.28 million last year. read article