A Two-Sided Tiff Sinks ‘Triangle’ : Television: ‘Creative differences’ between CBS official and producer result in shelving of show.

Just eight days ago, CBS issued a press release announcing the April 18 debut of a new drama series, “Triangle,” starring Bruce Boxleitner and Jameson Parker.

But suddenly this week--following a disagreement over creative control and an angry meeting involving a top CBS official and the producer of the show--”Triangle” was dropped by the network as production was winding up on the third of six planned episodes.

“The series has been discontinued due to creative differences,” said CBS, adding that it “will not be presented on the network.”

The shutdown came Tuesday for “Triangle,” in which Boxleitner was a detective, Parker a police chief and Daphne Ashbrook the editor of a local newspaper--and the woman of both their dreams since school days.

“Triangle” originated under the previous CBS regime of Kim LeMasters, the network’s entertainment president who was replaced at the end of last year by Jeff Sagansky.

Co-executive producer Philip DeGuere, whose credits include “Simon & Simon” and “Max Headroom,” said in a phone interview that he is upset with both CBS and Columbia Pictures Television, which he felt did not protect him from network interference.

On Thursday of last week, said DeGuere, he showed CBS officials “the first episode in rough-cut form.”

DeGuere said Peter Tortorici, senior vice president of program planning for CBS--and Sagansky’s No. 2 man--”then proceeded to blather at me about things.”

“I got angry (at Tortorici) and told him that if I had my way, I would never see his face again. And I don’t think I will.”

Last Friday, said DeGuere, he was removed from the show.

“When I informed them I had creative control, they fired me and stopped production on the show,” he said.

Tortorici acknowledges the volatile meeting, but has a different version.

Like other CBS officials, he said he was disappointed with the results of the show, particularly because the third-place network was looking forward to it for a possible ratings boost. It was to have run in the “Wiseguy” 10-11 p.m. Wednesday time slot.

“But unfortunately,” Tortorici said Thursday, “both we and the studio concluded after looking at the material that it was not what we were looking for. Basically, what we were looking for was romance, some real romantic tension between the three people.”

As for the angry words, Tortorici said he was displeased with what he described as DeGuere’s criticism of “people who work for me” who were in the room.

He said the criticism was also “abusive to me . . . and at that point I walked out of the room. I didn’t engage in any name-calling. There was nothing to be accomplished.”

Added Tortorici: “In a creative business, you expect that people are going to be passionate about their work, and have a right to be. That has to be respected. This was an unfortunate incident. But the reason for not going ahead with the series was not because of one particular incident.”

Tortorici said the three episodes probably cost about $1 million each, and other preparation undoubtedly will add to the financial loss if the show is scrapped entirely. While CBS said it would not present “Triangle,” Tortorici added that it was being pulled “at this time.”

Columbia TV declined comment on the entire matter, said spokesman Don DeMesquita.

DeGuere, who also produced a new 1980s version of “The Twilight Zone” and was co-creator of “Triangle” with James Crocker, wrote the April 18 episode that was to launch the new series.

He said he felt Columbia was supposed to tell CBS that he was in charge of the series. “The network doesn’t have creative control over things like performance,” he said.

But he added that when the new CBS regime took over, “Sagansky ordered them to completely retool the show” and “change the concept.”

When he tried to put up a fight on the show, “They threw me off it,” he said. “I have to go away for a while and recuperate from this terrible experience.”

CBS said that it will fill the April 18 slot with a remaining episode of “Wiseguy” which it had intended to use as a cliffhanger, and that special programming probably would be used in following weeks.

Parker previously worked for DeGuere as A.J. Simon in “Simon & Simon.” Boxleitner starred with Kate Jackson in “Scarecrow and Mrs. King.” Ashbrook was featured in such series as “Hooperman,” “Fortune Dane” and “Our Family Honor.”