Network Honchos Survey the New TV Season

The next few weeks will be rough for the networks, as they parse what works — and what doesn't — among this year's crop of new shows. We asked the five broadcast network heads, plus a few key cable bosses, to give us their thoughts on what will big on the small screen.

TV Guide Magazine: What will be your network's new sleeper hit?

Paul Lee (ABC Entertainment Group president): I don't want to jinx.

Nina Tassler (CBS Entertainment president): Never predict.

Kevin Reilly (Fox Entertainment president): Ben and Kate

Jennifer Salke (NBC Entertainment president): Hannibal(midseason)

Mark Pedowitz (The CW president): Emily Owens, M.D.

Jeff Wachtel (USA Network co-president): Suits

Michael Wright (TNT/TBS/TCM president, head of programming): Monday Mornings (summer 2013)

TV Guide Magazine: What actor is a superstar in the making?

Lee (ABC): Jane Levy (Suburgatory), Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23)

Tassler (CBS): Michael Urie (Partners)

Reilly (Fox): Jordana Spiro (Mob Doctor), Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate)

Salke (NBC): Andrew Rannells (The New Normal), Josh Gad (1600 Penn, mid-season)

Pedowitz (The CW): Stephen Amell (Arrow), Mamie Gummer (Emily Owens, M.D.), AnnaSophia Robb (The Carrie Diaries, mid-season), Jay Ryan (Beauty and the Beast)

Chris McCumber (USA Network co-president): Aaron Tveit (Graceland, 2013); Gareth Malone (The Choir, 2013)

Wright (TNT/TBS/TCM): Drew Roy, Connor Jessup, Jessy Schram (all from Falling Skies)

TV Guide Magazine: Which show would you love to steal from a rival?

Lee (ABC): Homeland(Showtime)

Tassler (CBS): Nashville (ABC)

Reilly (Fox): Nashville (ABC). But we would do it differently.

Salke (NBC): The Following(Fox); Nashville (ABC)

Pedowitz (The CW): None

McCumber (USA): The Mindy Project(Fox)

Wachtel (USA): Homeland (Showtime)

Wright (TNT/TBS/TCM): Once Upon a Time(ABC)

TV Guide Magazine: How do you watch TV?

Lee (ABC): On a television set in my living room.

Tassler (CBS): Broadcast and cable series on my big screen; rough cuts on my iPad.

Reilly (Fox): I am now 50/50 between streaming on iPad and DVR/big screen.

Salke (NBC): In bed with family and dogs at the end of the day. Some live TV but mostly on the DVR.

Pedowitz (The CW): On the TV.

McCumber (USA): Big screen (living room); iPad (train)

Wright (TNT/TBS/TCM): We use our 'smart TV,' which lets us surf between DirecTV, Apple TV, Netflix, YouTube and the web, all from one screen.

TV Guide Magazine: What's your TV guilty pleasure?

Lee (ABC): Call of the Wildman(Animal Planet)

Tassler (CBS): Girls(HBO)

Reilly (Fox): Pawn Stars(History)

Salke (NBC): Here Comes Honey Boo Boo(TLC) and The Real Housewives(Bravo)

Pedowitz (The CW): The Walking Dead(AMC)

McCumber (USA): Anything on VH1 Classic

Wachtel (USA): Bravo with my 15-year-old daughter; old Family Guy(Fox) episodes with my 12-year-old son.

Wright (TNT/TBS/TCM): Hell's Kitchen(Fox)

TV Guide Magazine: What failed show is "the one that got away"?

Lee (ABC): None

Tassler (CBS): Swingtown

Reilly (Fox): Lone Star

Salke (NBC): Awake. It was too ambitious for a large audience.

Pedowitz (The CW): Ringer

Wachtel (USA): We've been enjoying a pretty good run, so it wouldn't be fair to kvetch about the rare one that didn't.

Wright (TNT/TBS/TCM): Men of a Certain Age."It was very tough to lose that show — it still bothers me.

TV Guide Magazine: What show do rabid fans email you about the most?

Lee (ABC): Once Upon a Time

Tassler (CBS): The Young and the Restless

Reilly (Fox): Fringe. I got about 200 cases of Red Vines from Fringe fans last year.

Salke (NBC): Days of Our Lives

Pedowitz (The CW): Supernatural

McCumber (USA): Psych. If you don't count the Walker, Texas Ranger emails.

Wright (TNT/TBS/TCM): Falling Skies

TV Guide Magazine: What keeps you awake at night?

Lee (ABC): My wife and her family. They're Irish, they don't go to bed until 3.

Tassler (CBS): Everything.

Reilly (Fox): What doesn't?

Salke (NBC): I'm a very sound sleeper, but I have been vividly dreaming of the future success at NBC, so I hope those dreams come true sooner than later.

Pedowitz (The CW): Caffeine.

Wachtel (USA): Measurement and monetization: How to capture full value from the audience that is watching our shows on other platforms.

Wright (TNT/TBS/TCM): My 4-1/2-year-old

TV Guide Magazine: What would you be doing if you weren't running a TV network?

Lee (ABC): Hiking the Andes.

Tassler (CBS): Producing Broadway musicals.

Reilly (Fox): For a living? I can't imagine anything else. If I had free time to fill? There are too many things to list.

Salke (NBC): Producing television. I just love the medium.

Pedowitz (The CW): I haven't really had time to think about it.

McCumber (USA): Go on tour with my high school heavy metal band Rapid Fire.

Wachtel (USA): Directing plays and playing tennis. Or laying on a beach in Greece.

Wright (TNT/TBS/TCM): Running a repertory company, teaching or playing Lego Batman with my son.

TV Guide Magazine: What's the best part of your job?

Lee (ABC): Probably all the creative aspects. It's great to be at the heart of the action. We tell stories that are watched around the world, and the biggest kick I get is out of helping create and market great storytelling.

Tassler (CBS): Watching a show evolve from the germ of an idea into a global hit.

Reilly (Fox): I love good stories and storytellers and I also love a good business challenge — and the modern media landscape serves up great ones.

Salke (NBC): Getting to work with incredibly talented writers and supporting exciting original creative vision.

Pedowitz (The CW): The people I work with and deal with on a daily basis.

McCumber (USA): Working with the USA team — they inspire and challenge me every day.

Wachtel (USA): What Chris said, and also being in the privileged position of helping great writers, actors and directors realize their vision.

Wright (TNT/TBS/TCM): Working with talented people. Writers, directors, actors — these creators are my heroes, and I love that I get to work with them and even, sometimes, enable that work.

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