JAY TARSES : The Black Tie Affair

“Black Tie Affair” draws elements from any of several dozen audience-grabbing thrillers the networks churn out routinely these days as movies of the week: lots of sex, tension and, of course, a murder plot. But this show is also a comedy.

The series, which made its bow last Saturday, is the brainchild of Jay Tarses, the producer-writer behind the critically acclaimed “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd” and “Buffalo Bill.”

The series explores the relationships of a rumpled private detective, Dave Brodsky (Bradley Whitford), who is smitten with the wife of an outdoors-wear tycoon (Kate Capshaw). She has hired him to follow her husband (John Calvin), suspected of philandering and murder.

In an interview with writer Ted Johnson, Tarses reveals the genesis of his latest creation, and why he’s as outspoken as ever over the network’s quest for ratings’ gold. (The series was titled “Smoldering Lust” at the time of the interview, but NBC announced it would be changed to “Black Tie Affair” less than two weeks before its premiere. Tarses, out of town when the announcement was made, released a statement the next day saying NBC “has not only violated my creative rights, but has driven a stake into the heart of this show.”

How did you come up with this idea?

About four years ago, (former NBC entertainment chief) Brandon Tartikoff came to me with a one-line idea. It was “black-tie affair, a Donald Trump-type guy.” He thought it would be interesting to see how people in society lived. The Trump-like character was supposed to be having an affair, and the wife was desperate. That’s about the only element that stayed in. So I came up with a way to do the story. I wanted him to be a young guy, a private investigator, who felt passionately about a woman who had hired him to investigate her husband. It just seemed like a fun kind of way to deal with interesting characters, to take them to the brink of logic and reason and drive them crazy.

Did you have these actors in mind when you created the characters?

No. But usually I have a person in mind. You think about who, in the best of all possible worlds, could you get to play the part. You use that in sort of a shadowy way. I remember thinking that Brodsky would be the perfect role for a guy like Michael Keaton. But you’re not going to get Michael Keaton, so you just use the physical image of something like that. You think of Michelle Pfeiffer for Kate Capshaw’s part, but you’re not going to get these people. You just use an image in your mind.

Will this show be groundbreaking?

I don’t think anything we’re doing is all that revolutionary. I think the combination of words, the way these characters talk and relate, is different. It’s quirky. I get accused of doing things that there is no audience for, but I think this is a commercial show.

Did you keep that in mind when you developed the show?

Yeah. I tried to do what I thought (the network) wanted. I tried to get something they could promote and something they would be proud to put on their network. The conscious commercial catering that I did in this show is the element of mystery. But what drives the show are the characters. You’ll want to see these characters move on, see what happens to these characters sexually and emotionally. If your characters are honest, you can put them into any situation you want, the most ridiculous situation in the world. It’s a good-looking, smart, sophisticated relationship television show.

You completed all 13 episodes by last fall. What took so long for the show to be aired?

I don’t know what (NBC) had in mind. They were probably just busy up in their offices just bashing into each other. Falling down and getting up, so it probably takes a lot of time. I don’t know. I have no answer to why it took so long.

You’ve criticized NBC’s decisions on some of your past series. What brought you back?

I had a (three-year) deal. I just had to get rid of it. This is the last of the commitment.

Will adults be watching on Saturday nights?

It’s pathetic. It’s an awful time slot. It’s like giving us Sunday afternoon at 3:30. I don’t know how to do a half-hour show at 10 on Saturday night.

Your daughter, Jamie Tarses, is an NBC executive in charge of comedy development. How is that working out?

Not very comfortably. We’re very close, we love each other very much. But we don’t see eye to eye on this at all. She’s in a different business than I am. She is in the network business, I’m a supplier. This is a romantic comedy, but I really didn’t want to have a conflict with my daughter, so I thought I would go outside of her division. I thought that I could minimize a lot of family friction if I did.

Since you finished the series, you worked on your first play in New York, “Man in His Underwear.” Does this mean you are leaving TV?

I would love to do more episodes (of “Black Tie Affair”). I think there is a lot more to do with this show. I don’t know what NBC’s plans could possibly be. It’s very mysterious to me how they operate. Will I do more television? I don’t know. If there is an interesting project coming along or I think of something, I would talk to the networks or even the other venues. I don’t know where I’ll be. I’m getting a little older. I may just buy a minor league baseball team and live in Idaho.

“Black Tie Affair” airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.