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Mediaweek
July 27, 2007
The Programming Insider: On the ABC Panel Front
By Marc Berman
BIG SHOTS
Thursday 10:00 p.m.
-The Premise:
Four successful male friends at the top of their game support each other through life’s surprising twists and turns. The cast includes Michael Vartan (Alias), Dylan McDermott (The Practice), Christopher Titus (Titus) and Joshua Malina (The West Wing).
-Lead-in:
Grey’s Anatomy
-Competition:
Without a Trace (CBS), ER (NBC)
-Who Was on the Panel:
Michael Vartan, Christopher Titus, Joshua Malina, Dylan McDermott; creator/executive producer Jon Harmon Feldman.
-The Scoop:
Jon Harmon Feldman on the creation of Big Shots:
“I just think this is an attempt to try to tell honest stories about friendship. It’s a genre that has sort of had its up and downs, but I think there’s an appetite for it. To me the most relatable male character on TV was Tony Soprano because he had issues at home, issues at work, and I think there is a way to explore that with sort of more mainstream characters. Obviously when you create something, you hope people come to it and you hope people will come to the humor and honesty and the friendship of these guys."
-The Reality:
Unlike the days of yesterday when no scripted show could survive opposite ER, the success of CBS’ Without a Trace (which moves back into the hour after a one season stint on Sunday) and ABC’s recently launched October Road (which returns in midseason) means it is time for the medical drama to retire. With Grey’s Anatomy the lead-in, fading ER expected to lose more viewers and Without a Trace not benefiting by a weaker CSI lead-in, there definitely could be room for this sharp, ensemble drama about four very different male friends. While you could say ABC is relying on too many relationship type dramas (Grey’s Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, Men in Trees, October Road and the upcoming Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money), smart counter-programming and a compatible lead-in definitely could give Big Shots the edge.
-Chance of Survival for Big Shots (Based on a scale of 1-1 to 10-1):
3-1
-Did You Know?:
Prior to Six Degrees, which launched in the Thursday 10 p.m. hour last fall, the last scripted ABC drama to air in the time period was Murder One in the 1995-96 season.
© 2007 Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
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