Tag: Shane Brennan

Insights from the PaleyFest NCIS: Los Angeles Fall Premiere

HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 12: Actors Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Tobias Menzies and executive producer Ronald D. Moore attend The Paley Center for Media's 32nd Annual PALEYFEST LA "Outlander" at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

By Kelly Jo Brick

To celebrate the arrival of the fall TV season, the Paley Center for Media held its annual PaleyFest, featuring premieres and panels highlighting several new shows as well as some returning favorites, including a special evening with the cast and creative team of NCIS: Los Angeles sharing their experiences and reflections as they begin their 7th season.

When did Executive Producer Shane Brennan know this cast would work for the show? “I knew, to be honest, the very first scene that we shot, James Whitmore was directing it. It was the first scene we shot when we were making the imbedded pilot on NCIS and the very first scene we shot was Chris and LL Cool J together and the director and I stood in video village and we watched these two guys appear on screen and we thought, is there going to be chemistry? And it was there. At that point we knew we had it, because that’s the thing.” read article

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 4/3/14

Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are=&0=& (LAYER CAKE ?WTF?) is adapting Wilbur Smith’s novel Birds of Prey into a series scheduled for the UK. (So we know it has to be good. After all…it’s going to be British. Woo hoo!) David Benioff & Dan Weiss (GAME OF THRONES) have signed on for two more seasons on the show. (Which is great news cuz munch me would much rather hang with those guys than with THRONES creator George R.R. Martin. Can you imagine GRRM as your wingman? Didn’t think so.) Carol Leifer (SEINFELD) has a memoir – Lessons from a Life in Comedy – coming out April 8th. (The way we hear it, said tome is loaded with life and showbiz lessons. Which should be interesting since the two have absolutely nothing to do with one another. Wait, was that mean? As mean as what I said about His Wonderfulness, George Martin? Cool! Thanks!)

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 9/26/13

Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are

  • Jason Micallef (BUTTER) is writing the pilot for THE WHOLE SHEBANG, a Fox drama pilot about Jennifer Garner. (Well, there may be more to the premise than that, but we here at TVWriter™ don’t care cuz…Jennifer Garner!!! y’all.)
  • Shane Brennan (NCIS) is developing a musical drama with Tiesto, who is described as “a superstar DJ and record producer.(And we’re sure you’re all thrilled about this because so what if nobody outside a very small circle has ever heard of Tiesto, he’s a fucking superstar…y’all.)
  • Matt Venne (A BAG OF BONES) is developing an untitled drama based on Linwood Barclay’s  novel Never Look Away for NBC. (Where of course they’d never think to actually use the title of the book. Cuz that might make “readers” tune in. As in people who read once in awhile. As in, “Oh, you think you’re so damn smart,” y’know?)
  • Jeff Dixon (sorry but we have no idea who he is) has sold a spec pilot to ABC Family called THE FINAL GIRLS  and is some kind of a horror project. (And we use the word “horror” in its fullest sense cuz look out world, Jamie Lee Curtis is set to star in this thing. And, yeppers, we find her horrifying indeedy.)
  • Jamie Abrams & DJ Lubel (WOMEN OF LA) have sold a showbiz comedy, LAST NIGHT, to Fox. (This particular sale is a Big Deal cuz Jamie and DJ are newbies who got one Acme Ton O’Attention when their WOMEN OF LA video went bigtime viral. We can do it, kids. Really we can! Congrats, guys, you’re an inspiration.)

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 1/24/13

Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are

  • Nick Bakay (TWO AND A HALF MEN) is writing the script for an NBC sitcom based on Jessica Simpson’s life and starring – OMG! – Jessica Simpson. (Former NBC programming chief  Ben Silverman is the producer here, demonstrated his vaunted good taste and judgment by saying, “Jessica Simpson is truly a modern-day Lucy with incredible comedic chops….” He said some more too, but we were too busy gagging to listen.)
  • Shane Brennan (NCIS) has a 10 episode commitment for an untitled TNT series based on novelist David Baldacci’s books about a couple of private eyes. (Considering that Shane’s one of those writers who has kept CBS on top for so many years, we’re kinda curious about why this project didn’t end up there. Anybody got a guess?)
  • Steven Bochco (um, what hasn’t he written?) & Eric Lodal (nol produced credits but a great IMDB bio) have sold MURDER IN THE FIRST to TNT, about two San Francisco homicide detectives working on a high profile murder case. (We love Bochco, but when we think of his last TNT outing, RAISING THE BAR, we start getting a little nervous.)
  • Jeffrey Nachmanoff (THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW) is writing and directing the drama HOSTAGES at CBS. (The good: It’s based on an Israeli series. The not-so-good: The Israeli series was never produced.)
  • Scott Pendergast & Amy Berg Scott did WILFRED, Amy’s a documentarian) have written the script for are an unnamed TNT drama starring Geena Davis as a bail bonds-uh-person. (The good: It’s being produced and, presumably, run, by LEVERAGE’s Dean Devlin. The bad: It stars Geena Davis, whom we all remember from…um…wait, it’s on the tips of our tongues….See what we mean?
  • ALPHAS, a Syfy show featuring one of the least distinguished casts in TV history, has been cancelled. “We’ve been proud to present this entertaining, high-quality series for two seasons and to work with an incredible ensemble of talented actors, producers and creatives,” says someone identified as “The Network.” Our 1st question: What? You didn’t work with any writers? Our 2nd question: What? The show’s writers weren’t creative? OTOH, looks like TNT isn’t blaming the writers this time around.

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 11/9/12

“Of course I write for the love of it. If I wanted money I’d be a #$%! plumbing contractor!” (Anonymous Award-Winning TV Writer Person)

  • Kat Coiro (LIFE HAPPENS) is writing the pilot for an NBC sitcom based on Sally Koslow’s  Slouching Toward Adulthood, about a “messy blended family…where adult children are still living at home. (Note: If you have children of any age you probably see this as a horror show. Nothing to laugh at here, folks. Move on, move on.)
  • Shane Brennan (NCIS, NCIS: L.A.) is writing the pilot for another CBS NCIS spinoff, this one about a team of agents that goes across the country to solve what we assume are otherwise the usual NCIS style crimes. (Note: Yes, LB is still kicking himself for having turned down the chance to be a producer on JAG, the source of all this NCIS fun. Nothing to cry about here, LB. Move on, move on.)
  • Bill Lawrence (COUGAR TOWN) has sold the pilot for cop comedy FEEL THE FORCE to ABC. (Note: Bill already has 3 pilots placed at various networks, so if you want to bitterly blame someone for snatching up your piece of the pilot pie…hey, he’s the guy. If you don’t want to blame him, well, move on, move on.)
  • Janine Sherman Barrois (CRIMINAL MINDS) is writing the pilot for DARKNESS FALLS, an FBI procedural about “the darkest, most twisted single murders” over at CBS. (Note: Janine’s writing the pilot over at CBS. The murders are elsewhere…some would say, unfortunately. We, however, can only say “Move on, move on…” ’cause we’re tired of this game and wish we hadn’t started it. Damn.)