Fox President Kevin Reilly told reporters at this week’s Television Critics Assocations’s winter press tour that things are looking good for a second season of “Fringe.”
“It’s a keeper,” he said of the show, which will soon benefit from a lead-in from “American Idol.” “They’ve really found the storytelling model now. What you’re going to see in the second half of the year. The stories really do reset themselves each week. … I would not expect it to take off after ‘Idol,’ but I do think it will tick up another level.”
Reilly was asked about if the new programming model that has limited commercial interruptions for the freshman drama was working and if he was going to pursue it for next season.
“Viewer feedback was great. … Advertisers were very happy. … Studies showed retention was high,” he said. “But not every advertiser wants to pay that premium.”
However, the news may not be as positive for the new Ron Moore project, “Virtuality.”
“It could air as-is and a certain segment of the audience would flip for it,” Reilly said. “But it’s a little dense.”
Also working against the show is a new commitment to live-action comedy by the network. Currently the show only has one live-action comedy on the air. Reilly would like to see at least five more comedies on Fox in the future. One of those could be the comedy series, “Boldly Going Nowhere” though that pilot for that show is being reshot.
And the new empahsis on comedy could mean that “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” and “Dollhouse” will face a big uphill battle to survive.
“Joss does a certain kind of show and it’s the kind of show that has a core, passionate audience,” said Reilly. “Other scheduling scenarios were going to put a lot of pressure on it that would in turn put pressure on Joss or worse, force us to yank it from the schedule. We’re going to let the show play out for 13 episodes and hopefully it’ll catch on.”
When asked why “Dollhouse” didn’t get a slot behind powerhouse “American Idol,” Reilly told the Boston Globe, “By nature, this show has a particular kind of audience. That’s just what Joss does. You could say, why “Lie to Me” (on Wednesdays) after “Idol”? I think that’s a broader show. You don’t want to put in something with more of a sci-fi bent.”
Meanwhile, it appears the end of the run has been reached for “Prison Break.” Reilly confirmed the series has been cancelled and says the concept is “played out.”
It might just be me, but wouldn’t you *want* to put something less traditional after American Idol? Say what you will for that cratastical talent show of a series, but it gives big boosts to whatever follows it. Wouldn’t you rather shore up what you perceive as a show with “less appeal” instead of fan the flames of yet another procedural? Am I just dumb?
Reilly said. “But it’s a little dense.”
TV exec talk for: “It is too far above my limited intelligence level so not sure if we will keep it.”
“Meanwhile, it appears the end of the run has been reached for “Prison Break.” Reilly confirmed the series has been cancelled and says the concept is “played out.””
Um, duh….