Jen Grisanti: I think that if there were an exact science as to what will hit, then writers
would be making it all over the place.
I think really, I’m going to tell you from being a studio executive for the number of
years that I was and still being a writing instructor at NBC and studying pilots and
knowing that Hollywood doesn’t know exactly what’s going to hit, they are throwing it
out there and praying that Middle America is going to show up.
And I think if you were to survey a bunch of studio executives at the beginning of each
season and say what shows do you think are going to be the breakout hits versus what
shows are already, it’s hit or miss.
Like when you take a show like TRANSPARENT, I’m sure there were so many doubts about
that show, would it hit?
Yet we take someone like Jill Soloway who did SIX FEET UNDER and you know that she has
a track record and you know it’s based on emotional truth and you look at the current
climate in the world and everything just happened together.
I think that happens a lot.
I definitely think there are shows that the first season blows peoples minds and so therefore
all the expectation isn’t on the second season and that is a large expectation.
Film Courage: So you’ve seen that a lot where the first season is amazing and for
some reason the second season falls short.
Jen Grisanti: Yes!
Film Courage: Is that because the writing becomes stale or it’s not clear?
Jen Grisanti: I believe that is because the series concept wasn’t set up in a strong
enough way to understand what season two, three and four will be and I’ve seen shows…say
for example LOST.
LOST was developed oddly enough at Spelling [Entertainment Group] even though it went
to ABC because the writer…Spelling was going to do it with ABC but then the writer Spelling
had, the script didn’t come in the way that ABC wanted it so they got Damon Lindelof and
J.J.
Abrams who had overall deals there.
Now LOST, to my understanding, did not have a clear sense of what the show was going to
be beyond the first season and it worked.
And that was okay because the concept was set up in a strong enough way that we cared
and we wanted to return and the way it evolved each season was mind-blowing because we were
with them.
The set-up of the series arc was strong enough even though there wasn’t clarity on what
the other seasons were going to be versus other shows where you could feel that they
had one really strong season in them and are they going to be able to keep up with that?
And I think the mistake that is made that leads to the show not succeeding is that season
two goes too far away from the core concept that was set up.
Question for the viewers: What TV show disappointed you the most in Season 2?