Friday April 08, 2005

Ongoing Development?

The current issue of TelevisionWeek—which I faithfully read because the company I work for publishes it, so there’s always a copy or two folded up in the bathroom stalls—has an in-depth look at the uncertain future of Arrested Development, aka The Best Show on Television. (Although a free registration is required, hardcore geeks—speaking!—will want to read the whole thing.)

As has been widely reported, Fox cut this season’s order of the Emmy-winning series from 22 to 18 episodes in order to keep it from sullying May sweeps with its poison ratings. (The article points out that the episode that aired on March 27 actually alluded to the cut when a Bluth Company construction order was similarly cut from 22 houses to 18. The episode summary begins, “Michael Bluth had just been stunned to discover that a contract his company was counting on had been scaled back.” Excellent.)

While Fox has not actually canceled the show, things look even more dire with last week’s departure of Fox entertainment president Gail Berman, who has been named president of Paramount. According to TelevisionWeek, Berman was a “longtime champion of the show”—despite, of course, cutting its second season order. Berman’s replacement, former FX head Peter Liguori, has said it’s too soon to tell whether the show will be picked up. Fox has until its May 19 upfront presentation to decide.

Meanwhile, although AD creator Mitchell Hurwitz has said he will shop the show to cable if it’s canceled, the series appears to be caught in a Catch-22. The channels that can afford it—HBO and Showtime—prefer to develop original programming, while the networks that might want it—TBS, Comedy Central—might balk at the price tag. TelevisionWeek estimates that the show costs $1.5 million per episode, compared to the $300,000 to $1 million for typical cable half-hours. Oddsmakers will want to check out the sidebar detailing why the above channels might or might not make a play for the show. Especially intriguing is the possibility of the series jumping to FX, particularly since new Fox chief Liguori arrives from the cable net. A snippet:

Like HBO, the Fox-owned network is another commonly cited potential Arrested destination that is less likely than it appears. FX does not want to be seen as Fox Junior and already has a packed development slate. Still, with former FX Networks President and CEO Mr. Liguori named president of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting last month, he might look to FX as a way to keep the acclaimed, home-grown Arrested in the corporate family. The series would also provide the drama-packed FX with an element the channel lacks: a sense of humor.

(via TelevisionWeek)