Executive Producer Scott Rosenbaum on the March Return of “V”
November 24, 2009 by RetroEd
Filed under ABC, Featured, Sci Fi TV Zone
Tonight’s episode of “V” is scheduled to be the last one to air on ABC until the show returns in March, following the airing of the Winter Olympics. The question amongst fans of the show, however, is whether or not this is a programming mistake. As has become extremely evident over the past couple of seasons, there is very little viewer loyalty with audiences quickly growing used to not seeing a show when it’s off the air. Will this take away something from the momentum “V” has been building?
Scott Rosenbaum, the show’s new executive producer, whose real influence will be felt beginning with the its return in March, doesn’t think so. “This scheduling was done on purpose to make the show even better,” he offers. “I think the reason they [ABC] did this – and it makes a lot of sense – is that they view this as a big event, and it’s also an expensive show to do. By breaking it up into these different sections, I think it allows more time for writing and more time for production. The idea is to make the show even bigger and essentially better. Think of a television season as a movie. Look at the first season of ‘V’ as 12 episodes [after the pilot]. The first four are the beginning, Act 1; the second four will be Act 2 and the final four will be Act 3. Approaching it that way, I think, will make the show even better. Is it going to be frustrating for people because they want to see new episodes? Possibly. But I think the plan is, by doing it this way, is that more people will be excited by the next group, and they’ll know that when they get to that next group of episodes, they’re going to get something that’s better than anything they’re going to get anywhere else, because we were able to put more time and effort into every aspect of production.”
The fear, of course, is that the network will look at the fact that the ratings have dipped from week to week and decide not to proceed with additional episodes. Rosenbaum doesn’t see this as a possibility. “I think they’ll stick to the plan, because everyone here agrees it’s a good one,” he says. “It’s like event programming. Truthfully, I’m thrilled that this is the way they’re doing it. It might be a little annoying, but this will work. I also think that season two or three will be more like a regular show with 22 episodes. In this first season, this is a property that people know from before. It was a huge event back in the days when it first appeared, and I think the spirit here was, ‘Let’s reintroduce it in a way that’s different from what everyone else is doing.’
“I think ‘V’ has great potential,” closes Rosenbaum. “I think it can be not just an entertaining show, but I think it can be an important show, if done right. It can be a show that has a sort of lasting effect, and can be bigger than just a TV show. It allows you to dive into things that most TV shows don’t allow you to do. Just in terms of the state of the world, the state of humanity, who we are as people, what is good and bad about us, how we can fix things in our nature – everything about humans beings’ place in the world and in the universe. It can be an intellectual exercise as well, and not just a fun action show. It gives you all the tools to play with, which is really nice.”
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“…how we can fix things in our nature” Wooow, this Man have the words. He and Peters probably even baller than most of today’s television masterminds, except maybe BSG creators.
Such words he said might be provocative or I should say dangerous in American and Western culture at all. Especially for those, who works in kinda-sorta “low entertainment” sci-fi tv genre. This guy must be baller to an extreme.
Can’t wait for Episode 5 and fukken March!
wow, first- an “event series”? I see nothing what-so-ever epic about this show- it’s writing and effects are nothing beyond the normal network tv fair.
I do not for a moment see this as some grand plan. ABC simply wants a way out if it feels it’s not doing well. I’m sick to death of these behind the scenes folk trying desperately to invent some justification for the way this show is being cut up. Plain and simple! To pretend otherwise is truly spin at it’s tv finest!!!
lastly- “I think it can be an important show, if done right. It can be a show that has a sort of lasting effect, and can be bigger than just a TV show”… he is of course kidding right? there is NOTHING what-so-ever important about anything I’ve seen so far! It’s a very standard tv scifi show. We are not talking about the influence that Battlestar now carries, there is nothing ground-breaking about anything here- no topics being dissected where none have before, nothing shocking or anything that requires much from it’s audience!!! Quite the contrary- the writing is quite awful, the characters 2 dimensional, the story… well, it’s pacing is all off and it’s suspense almost non-existent!
All one has to do is reach back and look at it’s grand-daddy to the original V to see what a truly influential show is to realize that this guy is completely delusional! Sorry buddy, this new V is for the dumbed down teeny crowd who have grown used to the lost’s, the smallville’s to demand anything more… and that is exactly what you are giving them… long-lasting? wow…
i wonder how many more show-runners there will be until this show is rightfully put out of it’s misery…
I’m being a broken record here but I’ll say it again; I’m hearing nothing about the overall vision for the show. He’s saying he can do this, he can explore that, make this an intellectual exercise, etc. Rosenbaum sounds like a kid in the sandbox ready to play with all the cool toys. I just hope he takes care of his toys and doesn’t turn them into a twisted heap of metal rusting in the rain.
mm ok right…the show is good..but please wtf! pay attention to te fans!! why they want to ruin this show! we need more terror here! we need JANE BADLER AS AN ALIEN….look whats happening with melrose place when amanda get back! why are u yo blind? until now the aliens are not showing they really faces…try to work with kennet jhonson! i really love anna…but we need the same suspense we had with DIana… and by saying this is not that i am old series fan…im 25 i saw the old series via DVD….we need more energy to the show..brink back some of the old cast members..this will be very very great for the show belive me..