or


[08/03/10 - 10:20 AM]
FX at TCA: Landgraf Renews "Louie," Orders "Alabama"
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- John Landgraf opened FX's executive session at the TCA Summer Press Tour with a pair of announcements: ordering a 13-episode second season for "Louie" and a comedy pilot from "Reno 911" co-creators Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant.

"U.S.S. Alabama," which Lennon and Garant will also co-star, is a partially scripted comedy that "takes place in space with a crew of spacefarers who might not be too much brighter than the cops in 'Reno 911,'" Landgraf said. Production on the pilot will begin next month.

Beyond said developments, Landgraf spent the bulk of the session celebrating the channel's successes - both past ("Without 'The Shield' we wouldn't have 'Sons of Anarchy' because [creator] Kurt Sutter... started as a junior writer [there].") and present (all four of its new series in the past 12 months - "Louie," "The League," "Archer" and "Justified" - received second season pickups).

As for the future, FX plans to kick off 2011 with season two of "Archer" and newcomer "Lights Out" in January followed by the return of "Justified" in February or March. And on the pilot front, drama "Outlaw Country" goes into production next month while comedy "Wilfred" just wrapped principal photography.

Other topics included the transition of "Damages" from FX to DirecTV where FX Productions will continue to produce the series, but the network itself will not air it. "DirecTV felt very strongly - they were willing to underwrite it to a very substantial amount financially, they enabled it to move forward, that was a deal that Sony worked on very aggressively - but they wanted it exclusively so this was really the best and only way for 'Damages' to move forward. So we stepped aside as a network entity and we're still involved as a production entity."

He also addressed the DVR issue, which seems to haunt FX series in particular. "I think anybody who sits in this chair as an executive who tells you they don't wish the DVR hadn't been invented is lying. I think it's a great device for consumers and I use it heavily as a consumer myself but we do pay a penalty. We're now losing upwards of 25% of the saleable audience from our shows - in other words if you take a show on FX we get paid from an advertiser standpoint typically now for about 75% of the people actually watching the show. The [other] 25% are in fact watching the show and measurably watching the show but not watching the commercials. And so, thankfully we have a dual revenue stream [with cable operator fees]."

Ultimately, Landgraf proved to be most proud of the general elevation of cable series from afterthoughts to sought after sources of entertainment as of late. "I think it's become almost a status symbol for an actor to have a cable show," he said. "I think many, many actors really want a show. I think part of that has to do with the creative boldness of 'The Shield' and 'The Wire' and 'Mad Men' [etc.] - I think what you see in the film business is that kind of [drama] or that adult film that is very ambitious creatively and from a tone standpoint has really nuanced, defined roles for characters and is made for an adult audience has really almost disappeared. And so a lot of being a movie star these days is standing in front of a green screen in a latex costume with guide wires on, learning how to do karate. And I think in that environment actors want to go where the best writers are [which is cable television]."





  [august 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· ALABAMA (FX)
· ARCHER (FXX)
· DAMAGES (AUDIENCE)
· JUSTIFIED (FX)
· LEAGUE, THE (FXX)
· LIGHTS OUT (FX)
· LOUIE (FX)
· MAD MEN (AMC)
· OUTLAW COUNTRY (FX)
· RENO 911! (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· SHIELD, THE (FX)
· SONS OF ANARCHY (FX)
· WILFRED (FXX)
· WIRE, THE (HBO)





[11/04/24 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Zombieverse 2: New Blood" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The groundbreaking K-zombie series returns bolder than ever, with enhanced zombies, new members and wilder quests full of non-stop thrills and laughter.

[11/04/24 - 02:01 PM]
"Outer Banks" Renewed for Fifth and Final Season Following Fan Celebrations at Poguelandia and Multi-Country Pogue Tour
The news comes two days after the second Poguelandia: An Outer Banks Experience, held November 2 at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

[11/04/24 - 01:31 PM]
Acorn TV's Hit Detective Crime Drama "Dalgliesh" Returns with All-New Episodes Monday, December 2
Season 3 is made up of three distinct mysteries, each two episodes long.

[11/04/24 - 12:01 PM]
NBC Unveils Lineup of New and Returning Beloved Holiday Programming
New programming for 2024 includes "Jimmy Fallon's Holiday Seasoning Spectacular" and "A Motown Christmas," hosted by Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey.

[11/04/24 - 11:01 AM]
The Final Bell: Production Begins for the Third and Final Season of "Heartbreak High"
In Season 3, it's time for Hartley High's graduating class to say 'goodbye' to school, and 'hello' to adulthood!

[11/04/24 - 11:01 AM]
NBC's "The Voice" Taps Music Icon Sting and Multi-Hyphenate Jennifer Hudson as Season 26 Mega Mentors
Hudson joins Michael Bublé and Reba McEntire while Sting joins coaches Snoop Dogg and Gwen Stefani to mentor the remaining artists as each team prepares for the Knockouts, beginning Monday, November 11.

[11/04/24 - 10:31 AM]
Aussie Luke Hemsworth Joins the Cast of Prime Video's Global Hit Series "Deadloch" Season Two
Hemsworth will join lead cast members Kate Box, Madeleine Sami, Nina Oyama and Alicia Gardiner.

[11/04/24 - 08:32 AM]
Netflix Announces Release of the Documentary "Avicii - I'm Tim" and Avicii's Last Show from Ibiza's Ushuaia
The documentary "Avicii - I'm Tim" and "Avicii - My Last Show" will launch globally on Netflix on December 31.

[11/04/24 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson" - Narrator Announcement, Sneak Peek & Key Art Debut
Ice T will narrate the three-part follow-doc leading up to the Netflix and MVP's heavyweight boxing mega-event.

[11/04/24 - 08:02 AM]
"La Liberacion" Will Premiere Exclusively on Prime Video on January 17
The unique series created and directed by noted filmmaker Alejandra Márquez Abella premieres January 17 on Prime Video.

[11/04/24 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey" - Official Trailer - Netflix
On December 26, 1996, John and Patsy Ramsey woke up the morning after a loving family Christmas to discover their youngest child, six-year-old JonBenét, was missing, a chilling ransom note left downstairs.

[11/04/24 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland" - Official Trailer - Hulu
St Nick (voiced by Gerard Butler) receives a delayed letter on Christmas Eve from the Princess of Hearts.

[11/03/24 - 07:30 PM]
Video: AMC Networks Releases a First Look at Season Three of "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon"
Starring Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride as the beloved characters "Daryl Dixon" and "Carol Peletier," the new season is set to premiere in 2025 on AMC and AMC+.

[11/02/24 - 06:12 PM]
Video: "Outer Banks" Season 4 - Part 2 Official Trailer - Netflix
Buried secrets surface as the Pogues race to find a legendary artifact - with a dangerous gang of rival treasure hunters hot on their trail.

[11/01/24 - 03:15 PM]
ABC News Studios Announces "Price of Fame: The Liam Payne Story - A Special Edition of 20/20," Airing Nov. 3 at 10 P.M. EST on ABC
The one-hour special explores Liam Payne's meteoric rise to celebrity as a member of boy band One Direction and his personal journey, including his struggles with mental health and the pressures of stardom, as well as his efforts to reinvent himself as a solo artist.