Strike Plans Abound at Networks

When Fox distributed program-development booklets to advertisers last month at the Four Seasons hotel, the glossy folder of proposed series included one page titled “Contingency Plans.”

No, it wasn’t a new sitcom about great-looking young personal-injury lawyers, but rather a briefing of how Fox intends to withstand possible strikes by guilds representing writers and actors--a scenario that has introduced a degree of difficulty to the annual ritual of developing and scheduling new prime-time series.

With uncertainty hovering over what is known as pilot season--when new-series hopefuls are produced and screened for programmers--some network officials said this week that they are hedging their bets, preparing schedules with and without much of their regular scripted programming; still, CBS Television President Leslie Moonves admitted he’s hopeful the latter won’t be necessary when the network unveils its new lineup next month at Carnegie Hall.

“I want to go on stage May 16 and announce my real fall schedule, and if there are some encouraging signs, I will do that,” he said.

All the broadcast networks will announce lineups for the coming TV season in mid-May, beginning their traditional dog-and-pony shows roughly two weeks after the Writers Guild of America’s contract expires.

Programmers have stressed they are well-prepared to endure a strike by relying on a mix of such news magazines as “Dateline NBC,” unscripted programs such as “Survivor” and “Temptation Island,” sports and movies--including made-for-TV productions hoarded precisely for that purpose--to fill the breach.

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Still, fear of work stoppages has already affected the process of assembling shows, exacerbating the usual crush associated with that process.

With negotiations between the Writers Guild and studios slated to resume next week, networks face an awkward decision: present a lineup of scripted series that potentially won’t premiere in September if a strike occurs, or offer an alternative schedule likely to command lower rates from advertisers.

Moreover, doubt about whether scripted shows will be available raises logistical issues about how networks handle so-called upfront presentations for advertisers (the phrase refers to advertising sold in advance of the new television season). Do you fly stars to New York to schmooze media buyers, for example, if the series being touted are destined to languish?

ABC has also stated it will assemble an alternate schedule if no deal with writers is in place by early May. NBC said it will include scripted programs in its presentation whether or not a strike happens, providing an interim lineup if that becomes unavoidable. Fox--which will broadcast the major league baseball playoffs and have several episodes of such animated shows as “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill” in the can--remains prepared to offer a strike schedule as well, though the current plan is to announce a fall lineup including its full complement of scripted series.

Whatever the result of the negotiations, anticipation of a strike has clearly had an impact on development. Because of the rush to complete feature films before the Screen Actors Guild’s July strike deadline, producers say they have consistently encountered situations in which sought-after talent is unavailable--a problem that has extended to crews and locations.

“All aspects of the creative process were more difficult this year, including the search for actors, directors and facilities,” said Warner Bros. Television President Peter Roth.

Steve Levitan, creator and executive producer of the NBC sitcom “Just Shoot Me,” is developing two new comedies--”Greg the Bunny,” starring Eugene Levy and Seth Green, which has a 13-episode commitment from Fox; and “Say Uncle,” with Ken Olin and Teri Hatcher, for CBS.

Casting Becomes

a Major Challenge

“It seemed like every actor in the world was working this spring because of all the production, so casting was even a greater challenge than usual, and it’s always a challenge,” Levitan said. “I know some A-list writers who are still trying to cast their leads.”

As with “Greg the Bunny,” Fox jumped directly to ordering episodes of “Undeclared,” a coming-of-age college show from writer-producer Judd Apatow not unlike his cult hit about high school, “Freaks and Geeks.” The new show has been filming since November and “half of my cast was offered movies during production,” said Apatow, who is also producing a comedy pilot for ABC about struggling actors, “North Hollywood,” and still wondering whether the network will reveal its series orders in May, as is customary.

Casting executives, normally harried this time of year, have encountered an even more hectic climate. With the feature business pushing to finish projects before the two separate strike deadlines, 20th Century Fox Television began exploring other alternatives, noted senior vice president of talent and casting Marcia Shulman--among them looking more than ever before at talent from outside the U.S.

“There’s an openness to hearing other accents, [and] we’ve had to expand the gene pool,” said Shulman, whose studio had some two dozen pilots on its development roster this year.

“I’ve never seen a busier time in any pilot season,” added manager Joannie Burstein, whose clients include “Felicity” star Keri Russell, suggesting demand far exceeded the supply of recognizable talent for new series.

The accelerated pace also extended to talent agencies, which are determined to place writer clients in returning series prior to any deadline to avoid a mad scramble in the aftermath of a work stoppage.

“We’re working around the clock,” said Chris Harbert, co-head of the television department at United Talent Agency. “This could be the last opportunity for months to get deals closed.”

Festivities commonly associated with the upfront period--as executives, producers, talent and their representatives descend on Manhattan--could also be scaled back this year. Some companies will probably send fewer employees to New York, housing them in more moderately priced hotels, and certain parties and events may be canceled.

Only a few new programs, meanwhile, will beat the deadlines, which could be an odd blessing for those projects if a strike occurs. “It feels like an enormous opportunity to [be producing] what may be one of the only original dramas to premiere in the fall,” noted David Kissinger, president of USA Television Production Group, regarding “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” a second spinoff of “Law & Order.” Producer Dick Wolf is completing 13 episodes in time for fall, along with a half-dozen of the original series and 10 installments of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

Advertisers committed a record $8 billion in prime time on the six broadcast networks last spring, though a softening economy could yield a less robust market this year, even without a strike.

Add that to the list of unknowns, which include when to launch the TV season--November? January? March, after NBC broadcasts the Winter Olympics?--if the standard mid-September window is missed. “It is a little sticky,” Moonves said. “There are some interesting logistical puzzles that everyone’s trying to figure out.”