Plugging the Strike Hole : NBC Chief’s Plan to Recycle Scripts Draws Writers’ Fire

Some writers are charging that NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff’s radical proposal for creating new TV shows during the writers’ strike poses a threat to their artistic integrity.

Reacting to the Writers Guild of America’s continuing walkout, now in its 18th bitter week, Tartikoff last week outlined what he called “American Revival.” Hollywood’s writers and producers call it everything from courageous and innovative to creatively revolting.

Here’s the idea: Take old TV scripts--those that were shelved and those that actually made it to the air--and re-cast and re-shoot them in order to create new shows. That is one of several plans for developing new programming that NBC will put into action if the strike continues beyond Thursday, he said.

As an example, Tartikoff said, “You go and get eight or 10 ‘Richie Brockelman’ scripts and redo it (the series) with Bruce Willis and call it ‘Jerry Buck, Private Eye’ and I don’t think viewer one would say: ‘Wait a second, didn’t I see that plot back in 1979?’

“We all know there’s a lot of recycling that goes on anyway with action-adventure shows, and you know that certain of the same plots seem to turn up with the same supplier through a variety of different television series,” Tartikoff said. “I think what we’re talking about is a form of revival. If you look at Broadway and theater--if there were no revivals, half of Broadway would be dark.”

The “Richie Brockelman” reference was to “Richie Brockelman, Private Eye,” a short-lived NBC series in 1977 that starred Dennis Dugan as a 23-year-old private eye, written by Steven Cannell and Steven Bochco (“L.A. Law.”) Tartikoff didn’t identify any other shows under consideration but an associate subsequently mentioned “The Life of Riley” (1949-1958) and “The Eddie Capra Mysteries” (1978-79) as possibilities.

To his detractors, Tartikoff’s comments suggest not only disregard for the artist’s work but also that he has little respect for his viewers, expecting them to be blissfully unaware that revamped shows such as, say, “The B-Team” or “Husky and Starch” or “I Dream of Joanie” or even “Jerry Buck, Private Eye” might be something they’ve seen before.

Tartikoff does have supporters--predictably, from the management side of the dispute.

“I’m obviously on the other side as far as moral outrage is concerned,” said independent producer Grant Tinker, whose GTG Entertainment has several shows on the ABC and CBS fall schedules, and who used to be Tartikoff’s boss as chairman of NBC.

“I don’t think that Brandon, or the other two networks, have any other choice. I don’t think anyone is going to be in the business of trying to fool anyone,” Tinker said.

“And no one has presented this as though one expects the work to be as good as if writers were writing original scripts. There’s just no other choice.”

Writers who object to the Brockelmanization of their scripts call Tartikoff’s idea particularly insulting because TV residual rights are a major sticking point in this strike. Old scripts are usually owned by the network or the production company that commissioned them; they can do with them what they please.

The idea that writers might be seeing their work repeated in the fall without getting paid for it, just as they might in the future if their contract demands are not met, is a double slap in the face, they contend.

NBC attorney Donald Zachary and Writers Guild spokeswoman Cheryl Rhoden said that whether writers would get paid if their episodes got recycled depends on the original contract. In some cases, Zachary said, writers have been paid for first-run and first rerun rights to the show, so wouldn’t get anything if the show never made it to the air or only ran once.

And, even if they would receive a residual payment, the owner of the script--the network or the studio, in most cases--has the right to make changes without the writer’s permission.

Ray Cunneff, a former CBS executive whose writing credits include “The Waltons” and “High Mountain Rangers,” expressed mixed feelings about Tartikoff’s notion.

“I know a little bit about networks, and I find it difficult to conceive how it would work,” he said. “It sounds a little desperate to me. Unless you were going to shoot a period piece, like a Western, I don’t see how it would work, and nobody’s doing Westerns anymore.

“Writers I’ve talked to have a wide range of reactions, from incredulity to chuckles to the occasional person who says, ‘Well, there was some great stuff done 10, 20 years ago.’ It’s hard to take it seriously, or feel particularly threatened.”

Other writers take it more seriously.

“I have nothing to say about it (American Revival) because it’s so patently ridiculous and disdainful of his entire audience--the people who made him No. 1,” said Jay Tarses, producer of “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd,” a quirky series that Tartikoff dropped after disappointing ratings performance last season.

“I think it’s obnoxious. If you want to see rehashed, re-chewed and re-vomited television, fine.”

Tarses admitted that Tartikoff’s decision to leave “Molly Dodd” off the fall schedule could have something to do with his unfriendly attitude.

His own suggestion for filling the fall season gaps: Put “Molly Dodd” back into production--his company signed a waiver before the strike, which would permit them to work. “He could have ordered more ‘Molly Dodds,’ if he had any brains at all,” Tarses said testily.

Other writers, who didn’t have their series yanked by Tartikoff, still give American Revival a chilly reception.

“I have a problem with it just on principle--unless the writer doesn’t object,” said Stephanie Liss, writer of the ABC movie “Second Serve: The Renee Richards Story.”

“This is one of the strike’s major issues--the problem of watching your work being bastardized. If you re-cast an old series, it could end up being high camp, which would be insulting to the writer.”

Norman Morrill (“The Taking of Flight 487,” “Intimate Strangers”) doesn’t think American Revival will work.

“ ‘Richie Brockelman’ is off the air for a reason: America said no, and America is not dumb,” he said. “I don’t really think he can salvage a season with shows that are off the air for a reason.”

Some producers think the writers miss the point by charging Tartikoff with artistic treason.

“I don’t think it’s fair to characterize him as someone who doesn’t respect his audience; I don’t think that’s his position,” said Barney Rosenzweig, executive vice president and chairman of the TV division of Weintraub Entertainment Group.

“I think Brandon Tartikoff can stand on his record as having been responsible for more creative freedom for more creative people than almost anyone in the business. I think he’s taking a stand, and that kind of stand could bring both sides back to the table a little bit.”

Some writers are less concerned about the artistic questions raised by the American Revival idea, but think a number of practical concerns will keep it from catching on.

“If you go and get old scripts and recycle them, they don’t fit in terms of casting and pacing--pacing was much slower 10 or 15 years ago, and now shows have more ensemble casts,” said veteran producer Phil Fehrle, who has worked on “Mission: Impossible,” “Eight Is Enough,” “Hell Town” and “Vega$,” among other series.

“And now, we’ve dealt with everything from AIDS to date rape; our subject matter is very sophisticated,” he continued. “In the old series, the biggest problem was somebody falling out of a tree and breaking their arm. You can’t do that these days. Plus, entirely different choices are competing for the audience’s attention now than 15 years ago.

“I don’t want to get into a discussion about art with Brandon Tartikoff or anybody else because that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about the delivery of an audience. Our writers have learned over the years to be very good at their craft, and the craft is to shape their show to a commercial audience, and you can’t do that with an old script without some serious massaging.

“If you take 22 episodes of an older show and put them on the air with no rewriting, you’ll have 22 episodes of the biggest bomb you’ve ever seen.”