Fall TV Press Tour: 24, Fringe, Truth Talk & More
24 by Kelsey McNeal/Fox and Fringe by Mark Holzberg/Fox
Matt and Mickey here at the TCA press tour. Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly has taken the stage to field questions.
" First discussing
Fringe, Reilly says that Fox was hot to work with J.J. Abrams, and thus offered him a series "on Day 1." Pegging
Fringe as "
X-Files meets Indiana Jones," Reilly says, "Sometimes with these big show runners, it's all hype and no delivery.... This one is going to bring the goods."
" Reilly reiterates that which has been said before and by others: "
24 is going to come back rocking and rolling" after suffering
hard from a full season's postponement. "It was a good opportunity for [exec producer] Howard [Gordon], who is such a perfectionist," he explains. "He was really wanting this next season to be great, and it was unfortunate that he got interrupted [by the WGA strike]." Reilly adds that the "prequel" movie airing Nov. 23 "is a cool piece of business."
" Explaining the decision to get in bed with Ozzy Osbourne and family, Reilly says, "What's old is new again and this throwback to talent-driven variety shows is a good bet right now. [Versus derivative reality programming] this is zigging while the other guys zag."
" Answering for
Moment of Truth's perceived sins, Reilly shrugs, "This is Fox. We never give up our DNA." As long as the network continues on with "quality scripted shows," he argues, "Fox is free to do these types of things. No excuses for that."
" Teasing an in-development sitcom from the team behind
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: "It's like
The Office in space."
" Responding to Fox's last-place finish in GLAAD's ranking of gay visibility on network programming, Reilly said there are several shows with gay characters in the pipeline, including Peter Berg's in-development drama
Virtuality, which, he says, "features a gay relationship as honest and dimensional as anything on TV."
" Reilly says he has seen "no skittishness" in
Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon in the wake of his struggle with Fox on
Firefly: "I thought, No way is that guy coming back." But he has really enjoyed working with him. "That is a guy who has earned his reputation."
Complete TCA press tour coverage:
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Fall TV Press Tour: 24, Fringe, Truth Talk & More
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