As promised, David DiGilio, the creator of ABC's unjustly dispatched Traveler series, has come forth with a final TVGuide.com celebrity blog entry revealing not just the secret of the Fourth Branch and the true identity of the Porter, but also the (would-be) game plan for Seasons 2 and 3. Explaining the Fourth Branch alluded to in the "series" finale, he writes, "Our founding fathers wanted independence from England, and they needed to unify a fledgling country populated by a multinational constituency to win the war. What better way to rally a disparate army against the oppressors than to promise the common man a voice in the new government? But what if the founding fathers were also scared of the common man’s power? Would they have perhaps put safeguards into place? A branch that sits above the people’s three official branches of government? That, my friends, is the Fourth Branch. It is the realization of one of our worst fears, that though we live in the world’s g...
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Hello Porters, fans of Traveler and any folks who may have randomly found this page. First off, on behalf of the cast, writers and everyone involved in Traveler, I want to thank all those who fought so hard over the past two months to get our show back on the air. It was inspiring to see your effort and devotion. And you fought valiantly. But in the end, I think the same thing that doomed our show — lack of awareness — also made it impossible to muster the kind of numbers needed to save it. So, while I will never forget the great — albeit frustrating — experience of Traveler, the time has come for all of us to move on to new season passes, new Web page bookmarks and new "save the show" campaigns, as I'm sure there will be some deserving series this fall that will get the short end of the marketing/ratings stick. But before I get to your much-deserved (and lengthy) Traveler answers, I also wanted to say that it's been a blast interacting with you here and on the T...
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Question: Why haven't ABC, CBS and NBC copied the cable networks with new summertime programs like The Closer, Damages, Burn Notice, etc.? Don't they know the public is clamoring for good programs to watch during the summer hiatus?
Answer: The networks often say they'd like to put good stuff on in the summer months, not just failed burn-offs and shows they've otherwise given up on (Traveler, for instance). And the trades continue to announce provocative projects (like a horror anthology for NBC) that could air in the off-season. But for the most part, I'm betting we'll still see mostly reality on the networks in the summer. Some good (So You Think You Can Dance), some awful but popular (America's Got Talent), some hateful (Big Brother), and many that come and go without a ripple (Pirate Master, anything on ABC). The reason: economics. Cable networks see the summer as an opportunity to promote and produce some of their best work, to establish their brands and make noise. The networks will
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Question: Why is it that networks rarely grab each others' shows after they are canceled? This year there were a few cases where this would have made a lot of sense. For example, a show like The Class had average ratings, but it was canned because CBS didn't have many hours available. Wouldn't it have made sense for ABC, which is starving for even a marginal comedy, to pick it up instead of renewing According to Jim or Notes from the Underbelly? Traveler and Masters of Science Fiction are other shows that I think have some cult following despite the lack of network support and might prove profitable elsewhere. Why do networks put their faith in ratings-challenged or untested shows rather than something that can obviously improve their present situation?
Answer: The reason this rarely happens is the same reason situations like Jericho's (being resurrected after cancellation) are so rare. When a show fails on one network, there usually isn't a clamor elsewhere to keep something alive that
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Tonight at 9 pm/ET, TNT's The Closer kicks off a two-part season-ender that pits Brenda against one of her toughest-to-crack cases ever, and in turn a formidable adversary in the form of guest star Steven Culp. TVGuide.com asked the alum of Desperate Housewives to tease the drama ahead. Plus: What happened with ABC's Traveler?
TVGuide.com: Obviously we don't bring in Steven Culp for just anything, so what have we got you doing these two weeks?Steven Culp: Well, I don't know how much I'm allowed to give away about the plot, but it's a two-parter, and I'm playing Lucas Cordry, a lawyer who's defending the guy accused of murder.
TVGuide.com: So he has to go up against
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