TCA: A look at CBS' press tour schedule

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The last couple of press tours, I tried to begin each day of the network portion of the tour doing a rundown of that day's schedule to give you a sense of what I'd be seeing and what I might be (depending on time and interest) writing about. CBS is first up in the network rotation, and I'll have some details about that just as soon as I explain that the above photo is of a note Craig Ferguson sent along with a few dozen pies of pizza he bought the critics the evening before the TCA Awards...

9:05-9:40 a.m.: An executive press conference with entertainment president Nina Tassler. Fienberg declined a $5 bet to ask her for the 50th time if "Joan of Arcadia" might be coming back.

10-10:30 a.m.: "The Good Wife," a new drama with Julianna Margulies as the spouse of a disgraced politician who tries to revive her long-dormant legal career.

10:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m.: A combination of writing time, lunch and, for those who are interested, more informal sessions with Craig Ferguson (who has actually turned the pizza thing into something of a tradition) and CBS' head of research, David Poltrack.

1:45-2:15 p.m.: A mystery press conference! I love mysteries! Particularly ones that involve haunted houses and snack-happy cartoon dogs. They'll tell us who/what it's for this morning; my guess is it's for the just-announced remake of "Let's Make a Deal," which will be replacing "Guiding Light" in the fall.

2:30-3 p.m.: "Accidentally on Purpose," a sitcom with Jenna Elfman as a San Francisco movie critic who gets pregnant after a one-night stand with a much younger guy.

3-4 p.m.: More break/writing time, plus another informal session with the folks from the CBS syndicated show "The Doctors."

4-4:30 p.m.: "Medium" time, in which Patricia Arquette, Jake Weber and Glenn Gordon Caron will inevitably talk about how much more welcome they feel at CBS than they ever did with those meanies at NBC. I've been to enough press conferences for shows that jump networks that I can practically recite the lines before the panelists say them.   <_<

4:45-5:15 p.m.: An Emmys panel, with host Neil Patrick Harris via satellite and the show's producer and the TV Academy chairman in the ballroom. Something tells me most of the time will be devoted to the Academy's plan to time-shift eight of the awards to a pre-taped portion of the ceremony, which is being viewed as a broadcast network vs. cable fight, since most of the time-shifted categories (writing for a drama, movies and miniseries stuff) are dominated by cable shows.

7:15 PM-whenever everybody gets tired and leaves: The CBS non-party party, which will actually feature talent not only from CBS shows, but the CW and Showtime. (If I can find them, I hope to chat with the folks from "United States of Tara" and "Nurse Jackie," in addition to the CBS/CW folk.)


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Press Tour Diary; "Medium"

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by Michael Ausiello

Categories: 'Medium', 2009 Summer Press Tour, News

WHO: Patricia Arquette, Jake Weber, and exec producer Glenn Gordon Caron
PREDICTIONS: Lots of Qs about the move from NBC to CBS.

4:01 pm/PST: The family element will remain a “huge” part of the show, says Caron. “We’ve got a bounty of stories to tell [about the kids] growing up.”

4:03 pm: Caron thought that by ending last season with a cliff-hanger NBC would feel compelled to renew it. “We saw how well that worked out.”

4:09 pm: Caron just dissed Heroes! Asked what it’s like being paired with Ghost Whisperer on CBS, the exec says, “Given our history, it’s nice to follow a show that people really like.”

4:11 pm: Spoiler alert! When the new season starts, “Allison comes out of the coma and she’s on a different network,” Caron jokes. Now for some real scoop: He’s planning a Mischief Night episode that inserts Allison into scenes from the original Night of the Living Dead. “It’s going to be the landscape of Allison’s dreams.”

4:18 pm: “We’re not in the buzz business,” says Caron of Medium’s lack of hype. “We’re in the broadcast business.” For example, Chuck has a tremendous amount of buzz but that “hasn’t translated into people actually watching the show.” Wait a sec, he’s going after Chuck now! Be careful, buddy. That’s not going to play well with this crowd.

4:23 pm: Weber says he and Arquette immediately found it easy to “pretend that we’re married.”

4:24 pm: Caron won’t rule out a guest spot by Patricia’s bro, David. “I’ve been looking for something for him to play,” he says. “It’s my personal goal in life to work with every Arquette.”

4:27 pm: Caron can’t resist the urge to take a swipe at his former network. “CBS has already run more promos than NBC had in five years,” he says. “But I say that with love in my heart.”

4:31 pm: Arquette says she decided to do TV partly because “poor or crippled people can be entertained without having to go to the movie theater.” I think her heart was in the right place with that comment.

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'Medium' producer talks NBC, joins 'Living Dead'

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The producer of "Medium" has acquired the rights to use George A. Romero's classic "Night of the Living Dead" and will stage a mash-up episode inserting Patricia Arquette's character into the film. The outing will air just before Halloween. 

"I'm so excited about it because I love that movie," Arquette said. "Also I started out in horror movies with 'Nightmare on Elm Street, Part 3.'" 

But what critics at the summer press tour really want to know is: What do showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron and Patricia Arquette have to say about NBC now that "Medium" is moving to CBS?

"The CBS conversation has been going on for five years," Caron said of the switch. "[Our new lead-in] 'Ghost Whisper' is clearly a show people like. And given our history [at NBC], it's nice to follow a show people really like. Last time we were [at press tour] NBC made us walk."

Caron emphasized that he was "incredibly grateful to NBC," yet was repeatedly pressed by critics to talk about the subject and obliged with a couple more critical statements.

"CBS has already run more promos than NBC has in the whole five years," he said, drawing appreciative chuckles from CBS executives at the back of the ballroom. "For the first time in three years we're going to do 22 episodes ... there were times along the way even a couple inside NBC thought maybe if we gave the show a little more attention -- that's no great secret there. Could things have been done differently? Sure."

Caron compared the fate of his show to the buzz-heavy "Chuck," which received a last-minute pickup.

"'Chuck' is a really, really good show ... that NBC has attempted to launch twice. ... Those people have generated a tremendous amount of buzz for the show ... but that hasn't translated into ratings ... and what does that say about the show? ... We didn't create as much buzz as 'Chuck,' but we did attract more viewers." 

Had he received a longer notice about his show's fate on NBC, "We had a whole Quiznos thing set up."

Caron was also asked about the showrunner protest against the TV Academy/CBS for cutting two writing categories, and he gave a rather eloquent answer:

"A big part of success or failure is the writing that contributes to the show, so the idea of moving the writing off of the main broadcast seems short-sighted," he said. "Television is in a unique position to say these things are thought about, written, read, and when we take those things off the main broadcast it diminishes the importance of that.... This is a written medium. but it begins with a blank page. How can you have this whole procession of people picking up prizes and not have the people who are there when nothing exists?"

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Related News:
TCA Press Tour: 'Medium' says Goobye to NBC and hello to CBS

Promotional Stills from the CBS Press Tour

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