When Kevin Bacon signed on last month to play a serial killer in the new Fox pilot from The Vampire Diaries producer Kevin Williamson, there was a catch: Bacon would only commit to star in 15 episodes a year. Eager to make Bacon sizzle in primetime, the network agreed.
Fox execs view the Bacon drama, should it go to series, as an opportunity to start airing more cable-like short-order TV series. ABC struck a similar deal this past year with Missing star Ashley Judd in order to accommodate her schedule. Only ten episodes of Missing were shot this year, and even in success, that number will never be more than 13.
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A Gifted Man, which moves to its new 9 p.m. time slot on Friday, February 17, could use a bit of divine intervention. CBS still sees potential in the medical drama, which stars Patrick Wilson as a doctor haunted by the ghost of his ex-wife, but the show remains firmly on the bubble. Executive producer Neal Baer is no stranger to medical drama, both on screen and in real life. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Baer used to practice medicine between seasons as a writer on ER. Later, he made the transition to Law & Order: SVU, which he ran for 11 seasons. Now, as the creator of A Gifted Man, Baer has made several tweaks to the show in recent months, putting the focus on the show's medical setting (where Wilson's character is assisted by critics' fave Margo Martindale) and bringing in both Rachelle Lefevre as a love interest and ER alum Eriq La Salle as an old colleague. Baer answered our showrunner survey in the hopes that Man will be gifted with more viewers.
TV Guide Magazine: Friday night is usually date night. Why should I stay home and watch A Gifted Man instead?
Neal Baer: We're a cheaper date than
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Every week, editors Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams satisfy your need for TV scoop. Please send all questions to mega_scoop@tvguide.com.
Can't wait for Bones to come back in April! Got any scoop until then? — Gina
ADAM: One of Brennan's books is being turned into a film, and wouldn't you like to know who Hollywood has chosen to play our blood-and-guts lovers? You will, when a murder on set brings Booth and Bones and their movie alter egos together. Booth's stand-in is an action star whose stunts aren't limited to filming. It seems his criminal history of drug use and assault are just attempts to make headlines on TMZ. The actress playing Brennan? Well, she's kind of a slut. No thanks, poetic license; we'll stick with the originals.
So Ivy won the role of Marilyn Monroe on Smash. But Katharine McPhee is in all those commercials! Safe to say that's not permanent casting? — Lucy
NATALIE: You're...
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The future of CBS' A Gifted Man may still be up in the air, but executive producer Neal Baer hopes the show has packed its remaining episodes with enough punch to earn a second season.
Get more scoop on your favorite shows in our Winter TV preview
For starters, Friday's episode (8/7c, CBS) finds Dr. Michael Holt (Patrick Wilson) in the center of a hostage situation after he testifies that a young man charged with manslaughter and arson only committed the crimes because he was suffering from a brain tumor...
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When CBS' A Gifted Man returns in January, Patrick Wilson's Dr. Michael Holt will place his family jewels in the delicate gloved hands of the very sexy — and very married — Dr. Kate Sykora (Rachelle Lefevre). While not a sex scene, it...
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