Adventures in pilot casting

The most important decisions you as a producer/creator/writer/whoever will make is casting. Everything else can be fixed. But the wrong people will kill you. On the other hand, the right people can send your project soaring. This is why networks today routinely replace actors in pilots. These decisions are often the result of testing but truthfully, actors are given a quick hook today if they don't score immediately in rehearsal.  Too quick in many instances, if you ask me.

Okay, on to THE MARY show.  You can see the pilot here.

We had several advantages while casting that show. We had a firm series pick-up. This made our project more attractive. Also, there was less network interference. We were asked to bring two choices for each role to CBS when we felt we were ready. And even then, in a couple of cases, we only came in with one person. The other big advantage we had was Molly Lopata, our extraordinary casting director.
Molly discovered Katey Sagal. Our other choice for the part was Kathy Bates, who was also marvelous but Katey just seemed so fresh. Kathy Bates survived the rejection by winning an Oscar. (Aside: You should see Katey in SONS OF ANARCHY. She’s amazing. As is Ron Perlman. And I love the fact that this series about bikers stars two Jews.)

Proud to say John Astin was my idea. We had been searching for months for the theater critic role. Lots of excellent actors came in and played him very pompous, and that was a major facet of the character. But the danger was he could become insufferable. John brought a sweetness, goofiness, and dignity to the role. John came in, started reading, said "Ed LaSalle" and that was it.  We knew he was the guy. We didn’t even bring him to the network. CBS approved him over the phone.

For the part of Lester, the shady guy that Mary’s friend Susan was engaged to, we pictured James Tolkin when we wrote the pilot. He too came in to read and was exactly what we imagined.  That's so nice... and rare when that happens.

Finding Susan wasn’t so easy. We must’ve read at least a hundred actresses including Sandy Dennis, Brenda Vaccarro, Susan Strassberg, and Janet Margolin. We had a wealth of riches. Ultimately, we went with Carlene Watkins who had been so funny in one of the great underrated sitcoms -- BEST OF THE WEST.

But the big challenge was Frank. He had to be handsome, charismatic, could hold his own comedically with Mary (not an easy feat), and be a potential love interest. Here too we read at least a hundred actors, maybe more. Robert Loggia, Jerry Orbach, Robert Vaughn, Ron Liebman (who played him “scary”, an interesting but disturbing choice) were among them. It seems like any leading man who starred in a series between 1965 and 1982 came in to read. 

James Farentino’s name was mentioned and honestly, we were skeptical. We had never seen him do comedy. Molly believed in him so we saw him and were very pleasantly surprised. So surprised that we didn’t believe it. We brought him back. He was even better.

But we were still nervous. Dabney Coleman’s name was mentioned. This intrigued us. Both David and I were huge fans of BUFFALO BILL (and if you haven’t seen it, Netlix it today!), knew he could pull off the comedy, but our concern was that he usually played villains. This character had to keep you guessing. Was he really a cad or just testing people to get the best out of them? We were relatively sure he could pull off the charm but we still needed to see it. Plus, we had never met the gentleman.

And here’s where it gets sticky. A few months before when we were looking for directors there was one we had our eye on. We had never worked with him but were fans of his work. We contacted his agent who said the director wouldn’t meet. We had to make him a firm offer first. To us that was ridiculous. We needed to see whether we were on the same page. The agent held firm. So we moved on.

Next we came up with Danny DeVito. He had directed some TAXIS at the time. Unfortunately, he had that same agent who told us the same thing as before.  No offer, no meeting.  We said fuck that. We knew Danny personally. He’s married to Rhea Perlman who we worked with for years on CHEERS. So we called Danny. He read the script, loved it, and wanted to do it. Now the agent calls us furious for going around him.

Anyway, guess who Dabney Coleman’s agent was. Yep. His client would not meet. There was no way we were going to say hello to our leading man for the first time at the table reading. The network was excited about Dabney. But we wouldn’t budge. Dabney didn’t have to read. Just meet with us, have a cup of coffee. The agent still said no. We enlisted Mary’s help. She had played tennis with Dabney. She called on our behalf and he really wanted to do the part but was entrusting the negotiations to his agent.

This was the day before we were going into production. At 5:00 we said we couldn’t wait anymore and went with James Farentino.

I’ll never know how Dabney Coleman might have been in the role but I think we caught a break. Jimmy was everything we wanted and much much more.

So that’s how we cast the show. Again, thanks to Molly Lopata. 

And here’s the epilogue: For the last ten years I see that agent in my gym. I know who he is and he knows who I am. You’d think it would be very awkward. But it’s not. We get along great. Yeah yeah, I know – that is sooooo Hollywood.

You'd think a show starring Mary Tyler Moore would work

Thanks for the nice comments on the Katey Sagal/MARY episode I posted over the weekend. Also thanks to reader Dave Benson for actually keeping it these many years and uploading it on YouTube. I can’t believe in 24 years he didn’t tape over it. What follows, also thanks to Dave, is the pilot. Talk about a lost episode.

So today I thought I’d answer the NAQ’s (never asked questions) about the MARY show.

We originally had a different premise. In our initial idea Mary was the editor of the paper and Frank was her ex-husband now forced to work for her. Ironically, this is the exact premise CBS would employ for the Ted Danson series INK a few years later. We liked the idea of Mary being in charge.

But CBS had a big problem with it. They felt the audience wouldn’t accept Mary in that role. America wanted to see her as more of an extension of Mary Richards, they reasoned. Our BIG mistake was not saying no, we don’t want to do that. But we were young and stupid and Mary was also okay with the new (old) direction so we forged ahead.

But that decision proved ultimately to be the fatal flaw of the show because as we got into production it was clear that neither we, nor Mary was very comfortable. We all did the best we could. I think we created some fun characters. And tried to put a spin on the format by having some sexual tension between Mary and her editor. And it seemed fun seeing Mary in a real sleazy tabloid having to deal with lowlifes.

The pilot filming went so well that the president of CBS took us aside before pick-ups and said, “You’ve got five more.” So our order was upped to eighteen. Producers today will tell you that’s unheard of. Now they test everything ten times, wait for ratings for the first five weeks, and maybe give you a script order for two more.

But I can honestly say they liked the pilot TOO much. Originally we were supposed to be a 9:00 show but CBS decided this could be their COSBY and lead-off a night. So we were scheduled on Wednesdays at 8:00 against HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN, a top five show. We got decent ratings considering, but not the COSBY type numbers Mary was hoping for.

The creative differences kept mounting. Eventually we asked CBS to cut back the order to the original thirteen. Still, we were a good candidate to be renewed. But we told CBS and MTM that we would not return should the series come back. Our entire writing staff followed suit. Mary’s disappointment with the numbers was also apparent. Ultimately, CBS thought this was a headache not worth the effort. I felt bad for the rest of the cast and crew. They did a sensational job under trying circumstances.

Tomorrow I’ll let you in on the casting process.  It was, uh... lively.  But for now, for the first time in 24 years, here is the MARY pilot. Hope you like it. I’m still very proud of it.

A couple of things I'm up to...

On Saturday night the California State Parks Foundation is staging a salute to MASH at Paramount Pictures. A couple episodes will be screened followed by a panel discussion. I’ll be participating in the panel along with producers Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe, director Charles Dubin, and Father Mulcahy himself – William Christopher.

For information you can go here.

I’m also planning to do another free teleseminar about TV sitcom writing. No date yet but the last one was well received and a lot of new readers have found this blog in the past year so what the hell?

Here’s how it’ll work, I begin collecting your questions and eventually narrow them down, pick a date, and let you know when and how to sign up. Again, this is free and I have nothing really to plug.

Here’s where you go to ask your question.

Leo DiCaprio called me!

I was excited. Sure, it was a recording but it was really him! He was plugging some candidate. But still. Leo DiCaprio! I was supporting the other guy but now that I know that Leo DiCaprio, an Oscar nominee for Godsakes, is supporting his opponent I have to switch my vote. How can I not? You saw Leo in INCEPTION. He’s really SMART! Plus, who studies the issues more diligently than Hollywood actors?

Later I got a call from the great Martin Sheen! Wow! He also had a candidate recommendation for me. And remember, Martin Sheen was the president once. You saw WEST WING. He was such a knowledgeable and compassionate leader. I could study the candidates myself, read their positions, watch their debates, analyze their records but I’m just a layman. Martin Sheen is an actor. And not just an actor. A father. One just has to look at how well his sons turned out to be supremely impressed.

Susan Sarandon has called twice asking me to vote yes on legalizing marijuana.  She's an Oscar winner so not only am I going to vote yes, I'm going to get some marijuana!
 

And then there’s Sally Field. Mama Gump herself called! I’ve seen her quite often at the gym and she’s never said a word to me in five years. I had no idea me and Sal were this close.

These stars are providing a great public service – giving of their recorded time to set us straight on the complicated issues of the day. And it’s scary out there. You’ve seen the commercials. It seems every candidate really wants higher taxes, has no experience and will destroy our way of life, is a serious criminal, is a puppet to corporate greed, is in bed with the terrorists, and every proposition will bankrupt us, cost us our jobs, and is really supported by tobacco growers and the oil industry.

In the past we’ve voted, life has moved on, we’ve been pleased or displeased with the results and have voted accordingly next time. But this time, if we make even one bad decision then it’s Armageddon. So it’s clear. The stakes are waaaay too high to not listen to actors, especially ones who can open a movie.

I hope you’ll get out and vote today. But of course, who am I?

The Flying Nun hopes you’ll get out and vote.

Happy Birthday, Matt

You're a great kid and I love you.  Hopefully this year all of your sports teams won't lose.  

Dad

Muscle Machines JGTC Amemiya RX-7

Muscle Machine is back now this time featuring the Amemiya Matsumoto-Kiyoshi Aspara RX7!!! *gasp*
as the name is too long i will just shorten it to Amemiya since Amemiya is the car's sports tuner..and also said to be the pioneer of rotary engine tuning.
I first came to like the RX-7 and the rotary engine since watching the anime of initial D back in the 90s.
compared to RX8, the RX7 seems to gain more popularity. and there are a lot of after market body kits and just put any of them it will still look good. guess the design of RX7 can really fit any kind of modifications.

looking at the side, you'll notice how minimum the door gap is. at first glance u might not think that this model actually has open-able doors! very neat.

the only thing that i think too stand out is the big antenna..looks a lil' bit cartoon-ish to me

the popular pig nose exhaust..lol~ 

This exact car driven by T.Ohi and N.Taniguchi managed to win 3rd place in 2003 JGTC. Anyway in case you are wondering, Matsumoto Kiyoshi or Matsu-Kiyo is one of the most popular pharmacy in japan and the Aspara is a type of enegy drink v(￣∇￣)

The latest trend in TV development: buying blogs and Twitter feeds

In addition to $#*! MY DAD SAYS networks are snapping up internet properties left and right for potential sitcoms. CBS and ABC each have two pilots and SHOWTIME just picked up one. (I don’t know what NBC is doing. They’re probably still dancing in the halls because Jeff Zucker is gone.)

At this moment there must be 10,000 hopefuls hastily creating blogs and Twitter feeds. Each looking for a hook. “My mom after three drinks. com”, “@theSexNun”, “Locked In My Room For Five Years”, “@HeathLedgerSpeaksThroughMe”.

They’re thinking, “This is great. I can break into sitcoms and I don’t have to go to Yale!”

What was once a forum for self expression has now become the next California Gold Rush. It reminds me of when my partner David and I sold our first script. We had been diligently writing specs for two years, taking classes, studying sitcoms. Once we landed a sale at least ten of our friends immediately began banging out spec scripts. The implication was obvious. “If these two idiots can make it, anybody can!” Of course, once they launched into their scripts and discovered it was a lot harder than they thought, all but one junked the idea. (and he also broke through and had a nice career.)

I suspect this will be the case with most of these new bloggers who have dollar signs in their eyes. After a few weeks of cranking out tweets and posts for a readership of four the SexNun will throw in the towel.

I know a number of established comedy writers who are very opposed to this trend. It’s hard enough to pitch and sell an idea. And this year there will be fewer open slots because “I’mBoyCrazy.com” and “Dear Girls Above Me” will have claimed them.

Aside from the golddiggers who will be cluttering up the blogosphere, I applaud the trend, and here’s why: What these blogs and Twitter feeds that have sold have in common is that they all have strong voices and personal visions. This to me is what television comedy needs. All too often sitcoms get so watered down by committee and research. And that has led to the generic, bland, familiar sitcom that has threatened to kill the genre.

To those bloggers who have landed a sale – first off, congratulations. But your big challenge now is to hold onto that voice. And it will be a big challenge. A similar trend occurred almost thirty years ago when (sparked by the success of COSBY) networks clamored to sign stand-ups to star in sitcoms based on their acts. But they were performers with proven material at a time when there was far less interference from networks and studios.

Most bloggers aren’t experienced television writers. In all likelihood you’ll be paired with established showrunners (so those writers who don’t sell a pitch may still hook on with a project). The blogger might have to really fight to maintain his voice and vision. I encourage you to protect that at all costs.

And for the rest of you bloggers, don’t be discouraged if your site is not discovered and becomes the show that replaces TWO AND A HALF MEN because Charlie Sheen is in Bellvue. There is the satisfaction of knowing your readers appreciate you. And isn’t that alone worth the effort?

Isn't it?

Okay, well, there are also GoogleAds.