Executive Producer Scott Rosenbaum on the March Return of “V”

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.”

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: New “V” Showrunner Scott Rosenbaum

“V” has certainly had its share of behind the scenes turmoil since production of the pilot, including a pair of production shut downs and several shifts in showrunners. The latest, and the one likely to stick for the long haul, is the addition of former Chuck executive producer Scott Rosenbaum, whose influence on the series will be felt beginning with episode five, which airs in March when the show returns to ABC.

In the following exclusive interview with SciFi TV Zone editor Edward Gross, Rosenbaum discusses his approach to the series and his creative intentions.

SCIFI TV ZONE: With you taking over as show runner on “V”, what do you see as the primary differences between you and Scott Peters?

SCOTT ROSENBAUM: I have a slightly different story-telling sensibility. I think Scott and I share the same vision for the show, but our execution will be a little different. I’m going to probably do the show a little more visceral, it will be a little more fast-paced, it will be learning more of the mythology and the history of the Vs. In my mind, viewers are very advanced at this point, and I want them to come to “V” and see, A, stuff they can’t see anywhere else, and, B, also feel like they’re getting storytelling that doesn’t feel retread or old, that’s, frankly, exciting. That being said, is Scott Peters’ vision of the show, his overall conceit, those things he feels strongly about, are they going to go away? No, I just think you will see it executed in a different manner.

SCIFI TV ZONE: So there will be more revelations?
SCOTT ROSENBAUM: Listen, my goal is that in every single episode there will be an “Oh my God, I can’t believe that happened” moment, or a “Wow” moment – at least one – in every single episode. And I think that would not only be a mythology plot reveal, but also a character reveal. I want the characters to be able to make mistakes, to make the wrong choices sometimes, and that’s where you get the most amount of drama. I would prefer that the stories come from them making mistakes, and the snowball effect of those mistakes, or, rather than mistakes, choices made for the right reason, but then there are consequences of that. I don’t want people to watch this show and ever be able to guess what’s going to happen next, because that’s the problem with some of the TV I watch. Maybe this is because I watch so much TV, but you have this vast number of stories you’ve seen because you’ve been watching TV since you were a kid. So I think I have to be ahead of that curve, and have it be completely organic, and to have it make sense, but to just surprise people, in a good way, and challenge them as well.

SCIFI TV ZONE: But not mire us down like Lost…

SCOTT ROSENBAUM: That’s a good point – the one thing “V” will definitely not have is it will not be steeped in mythology so that you can’t just watch an episode or you’ll be confused. The complexity will be in the thematics of the storytelling. And when I say complex storytelling, I mean the main characters don’t always make the right choices, it’s not always a happy ending. A lot of times in TV, all the leads have to be heroes and make the right choice and every episode has to have a happy ending, and I don’t want to go down that road. But one thing that I do think I can add to the show is to make it more fun. I don’t want it to be a dark, fugitive, purely resistance story. I want there to be the dark elements, and I want there to be incredibly high stakes, but I also want the show to be fun. At it’s core conceit, it’s probably one of the most fascinating ideas ever presented. It’s the first time that aliens have come to Earth and when I was a kid, I could identity with where Tyler is coming from, I would want to be the first one to sign up; to say, “Hey, let me on that ship!” And I want more of the show to be seen through the eyes of the characters, the wonder and the joy of how incredible it is, so it doesn’t just feel like it’s our people against the world, against the Vs and constantly running.

That’s a strong element of the show, too, but I think this sort of fun and wonder and excitement of these visitors being here for the first time is something I want to cover as well. I think the human elements are super exciting, and we’ll have characters who people will love and care about, but I think at this point what is incredibly new and unique in the show is these aliens. So it will never be the aliens’ show, but I think we have to spend more time with them, with the Visitors, and understand why they’re here, what they’re planning to do, who they are. If in fact they are lizards, what does that really mean? Normal questions you would ask, like what do they eat? What do they need for survival? What about their brains? Are they capable or incapable of love? Are they capable of sympathy or empathy? All of those things I think are interesting, and the more we know about that, the more it’ll inform our human struggle, and what the humans in the show are up against, and what the consequences will be if they fail.