It's A "G"Day For Simon

good

Pilot Season Beckons for the Usual Suspects

Source:The Hollywood Reporter
Date:January 29, 2007
By Nellie Andreeva

If a network has a pilot with a strong male lead this season, chances are they have an offer out to Paul Rudd, Peter Krause, Jeremy Sisto, Simon Baker or Gabriel Macht.

The five -- along with "Alias" veteran Michael Vartan, who last week signed on to do an untitled ABC drama, and perennial favorites Christian Slater and Steve Zahn -- have been keeping a great number of pilots on hold.

What the actors have in common is that they're in their 30s, they are good looking, and they are accomplished.

"They have a body of work that proves their ability to be who we want them to be," says Sharon Klein, head of casting at producer 20th Century Fox TV.

And they all fit the description of the male lead most shows are after, which Klein describes as "32-38, a guy's guy who is accessible and has good looks."

So far, all have passed on several pilots. But network and studio executives are not deterred.

They've made it an annual ritual to kick off the pilot casting season by reaching out to a group of five to six thirtysomething actors, mostly guys who have never or rarely done television.

"Once in a while, one or two will shake loose," NBC's head of casting Marc Hirschfeld said. "You don't want to go with your fourth choice because you were gun-shy about your first three."

After a lengthy courtship, Hirschfeld and Klein two years ago persuaded Jason Lee to give TV a chance with an NBC/20th TV comedy pilot called "My Name Is Earl." And it took CBS a couple of years of trying, but this season, the network finally landed Stephen Dorff on a pilot, the drama "Skip Tracer," which he also helped develop and executive produces.

Klein and Hirschfeld believe that the great demand for thirtysomething lead actors stems from the fact that a lot of the show creators are of that age who are writing about the characters they know best: themselves and their friends.

"There is dearth in that age category," Hirschfeld said. "We're chasing the same people, and it seems like we are all chasing each other."

To alleviate the shortage, U.S. network and studio executives look across the pond. Englishman Damian Lewis stars in NBC's drama pilot "Life," Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau landed the title character in Fox's pilot "New Amsterdam," and Scotsman Kevin McKidd is meeting for the leads on several projects.

While breaking a new actor is a possibility, some lead roles "need an incredibly charismatic actor who has star power, and it is unlikely for that actor to come out of a relatively unknown talent pool," Hirschfeld said.

The high demand is jacking up prices.

"There is a massive premium for leading men," a talent agent said.

In the past two years, ABC and Touchstone TV signed two consecutive deals with Jason O'Mara, most recently shelling out close to $1 million to have him available for their pilots.

While not at the same magnitude, there is a wishful-thinking period at the beginning of the pilot season for leading ladies, too.

Jordana Brewster is red hot this season, fielding numerous offers, with Lucy Liu and Debra Messing also in high demand with multiple offers. And there is Christina Applegate, who is at the top of the TV casting directors' wish lists every year.

But there are just not that many female-lead shows out there. For example, only four of the 11 pilots picked up by 20th TV so far have female leads.

In the next week or two, TV's most wanted actors will make their choices. A few will say yes and many will pass, prompting casting directors and executives to widen the characters' age range or look at relative unknowns.

Who knows -- the next Johnny Depp, George Clooney or Bruce Willis might be just a screen test away.

From backstage.com.

Smith, Now Airing On Demand Exclusively On The CTV Broadband Network including 4 never-seen episodes

Ray Liotta (left) stars as a criminal mastermind married to Virginia Madsen (left of center) in a drama about a close-knit crew of career criminals including Franky G (left) who plot and execute intricate and ingenious high-stakes heists across the country.





Source:Channel Canada
Date:January 09, 2007
By RAD

Smith is back. Following up on the recent landmark deal with Warner Bros. International Television, CTV announced today its broadband plans for the abbreviated seven-episode season of the critically-acclaimed drama Smith.

Canadians now have the opportunity to see the remaining four, never-seen, action-packed episodes alongside the previously-aired first three episodes. Episode 1 is currently available on demand on The CTV Broadband Network at CTV.ca and during the next six weeks, one new episode will be available each Thursday at 12 noon ET - on demand, free and in its entirety. In addition, on Feb. 15, CTV will release four, 10-minute, audio-based stories (podcasts) created by the producers that conclude any unfinished story lines.

Smith on Broadband Schedule:

Ep. 1 - Now Available
Ep. 2 - Premieres Thursday, January 11 at 12 noon ET
Ep. 3 - Premieres Thursday, January 18 at 12 noon ET
Ep. 4 - Premieres Thursday, January 25 at 12 noon ET (Previously Unseen)
Ep. 5 - Premieres Thursday, February 1 at 12 noon ET (Previously Unseen)
Ep. 6 - Premieres Thursday, February 8 at 12 noon ET (Previously Unseen)
Ep. 7 - Premieres Thursday, February 15 at 12 noon ET (Previously Unseen)
Podcasts - Premieres Thursday, February 15 at 12 noon ET

Smith episodes will be available exclusively to Canadians coast-to-coast who have broadband access through a Canadian-based internet service provider. To watch CTV programs on broadband, visit CTV.ca and click on "The CTV Broadband Network."

Smith debuted in September to critical acclaim, described by the Globe and Mail as a "must-see series" and by the Toronto Star as "one of the best new TV dramas" of the fall. The series went on to become a Top 20 program in Canada. For three straight weeks, it won its timeslot and was en route to potential breakout hit status before it was shelved.

In November, CTV and Warner Bros. International cemented the first multi-program broadband deal between a Canadian broadcaster and a major U.S. studio. The deal resulted in the first U.S. dramas to air on broadband in Canada on The CTV Broadband Network. Adding Smith to the list of broadband titles that includes Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and The O.C. represents CTV's commitment to building a dynamic online roster of audience favourites as CTV continues its rollout of Canada's industry-leading broadband service.

These three U.S. Network dramas join more than 100 hours of top Canadian programs also available on demand, including Corner Gas, eTalk, Degrassi, Instant Star, Whistler, W-Five and The CTV National News.

Smith, which stars Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Simon Baker, Amy Smart, Jonny Lee Miller, Franky G, Chris Bauer and Shohreh Aghdashloo, is a serialized drama that delves into the world of high-stakes robberies, where Bobby Stevens (Liotta) finds himself leading a double life as both the leader of a band of thieves who pull off intricate and ingenious jobs and also as a typical nine-to-five, suburban family man. Emmy(r) Award winner John Wells, Chris Chulack, Brooke Kennedy and R. Scott Gemmill are executive producers for John Wells Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

From Channel Canada.

On TV as in Hollywood, Little Breathing Room for the Modest Success

Source：New York Time
Date：October 23, 2006
By EDWARD WYATT

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 — Few new television shows had as much going for them this fall as “Smith,” a CBS series about a career thief out for one last big score before he retires.

In most seasons, “Smith” would be considered a hit. Even after drawing mixed reviews from critics, its debut attracted 11 million viewers, and the first three episodes attracted an average audience of more than 9 million.

Then, like a thief in the night, “Smith” suddenly disappeared, pulled from the schedule by CBS after just three weeks — despite the fact that the producers had already shot or were well on their way to completing four more episodes.

The quick cancellation of “Smith” elucidates how television, like the movie industry, has become a business where there is little room for the modest success. Network executives might talk endlessly about how, in an era where the attention of audiences is ever more scattered, new shows need time to find themselves. But those same executives are often quick to pull the plug on an expensive production that does not immediately perform to expectations.

Combined with NBC’s announcement last week of plans to cut back on expensive programming, the experience of “Smith” demonstrates how the recent trend in television — costly serializations with large casts and complex plots — changes the basic rules of engagement for networks. Viewers cannot easily dip in and out of these kinds of shows, as they can with a half-hour situation comedy or game show. So networks have to make decisions on more expensive, more complex series based on very small samples — a few episodes, typically — to predict whether viewers will commit to an entire season, as they have for similar shows like “Lost” or “24.”

The calculation is perilous as well for the television studios, like Warner Brothers, which is experiencing a tough season. In addition to canceling “Smith,” CBS pulled out of another planned Warner Brothers series, “Waterfront.” Several other Warner series are also on the ropes, including “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” which is broadcast on NBC; “The Nine” on ABC and “The Class” on CBS.

Among the new fall shows, “Smith” had one of the best pedigrees. The series starred two accomplished actors, Ray Liotta, an Emmy winner, and Virginia Madsen, an Oscar nominee, as the thief and his unsuspecting wife. The show was the product of John Wells, one of the most prolific and successful television producers of current times, who had a hand in the building of the hit shows “ER,” “Third Watch” and, along with Aaron Sorkin, “The West Wing.”

The first episode of “Smith” cost $7 million, roughly double the usual cost of a television premiere. CBS executives were so enthusiastic about the results that they agreed to let the first episode run nearly a third longer than most hour-long dramas; to accommodate the extra length, they recruited a single sponsor — the Warner Brothers film “The Departed” — and ran the show with limited commercials.

Nina Tassler, the president of CBS Entertainment, said that “Smith” was not the victim of networks looking for quicker results. At a panel discussion here last week that featured the heads of all the major television networks, she said that at CBS the emphasis is on giving new shows the time and attention they need.

“One of the things we do very well is continue to work and develop a show well into its first year and second year,” Ms. Tassler said. She cited the network’s experience with “Criminal Minds,” which grew from a modest opening last year to last week attracting more viewers than ABC’s “Lost.”

When asked in an interview how those comments meshed with the network’s quick retreat on “Smith,” Ms. Tassler said the problems came from the show’s confusing story line. In addition, she said, “Smith” was keeping a shrinking portion of the audience of the two hit shows that preceded it on Tuesday nights, “The Unit” and “NCIS.”

“When you launch a new show, you certainly want it to retain a certain percentage of its lead-in,” she said. “You also want it to build in the second half hour, and we really weren’t doing that with ‘Smith.’ ”

In its first week, 11 million, or 93 percent, of the 11.8 million viewers of “The Unit” stuck around for the first episode of “Smith.” In the second week, that percentage fell to 81 percent, then plummeted to 63 percent in the third week.

Not only was “Smith” keeping less of its lead-in audience, but a shrinking portion of the previous week’s viewers returned each week to see the next installment of “Smith.” And the number of viewers also fell consistently from the first half hour to the second.

Still, those results were not so different from the experience of several other new shows this fall — most of which are still on the air. “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” has seen its ratings and viewers fall each week, from 13.4 million viewers for its first episode to 8.6 million for its fourth. “Vanished,” on Fox, “Kidnapped,” on NBC, “Brothers & Sisters,” on ABC, and “Jericho,” on CBS have all seen their audiences fall from week to week. But they are still on the air.

The problem with “Smith,” Ms. Tassler said, is that CBS executives did not believe it was going to get any better.

“We have a unique vantage point at the network,” she said. “I’ve seen cuts and read scripts for the next four to five episodes, so I could see where we’re headed creatively. And we weren’t 100 percent happy with what we were looking at.”

Specifically, she said, the show’s scripts were becoming harder to follow. “You have to have clarity in the story-telling,” she said. “Confusion kills. I think it was particularly challenged in that area.”

Neither Mr. Wells nor executives at Warner Brothers Television would agree to be interviewed for this story.

Despite cutting the series from its schedule after three weeks, CBS had a commitment to buy several more episodes, which Warner Brothers had spent handily to produce — well over $2.5 million a show, according to people close to the production.

Unlike most television series, which are filmed on studio lots in Los Angeles to help contain costs, “Smith” shot large segments of its debut episode on location — in Hawaii and Pittsburgh, for example — and made ample use of collisions, explosions and other special effects. “It was a gorgeous show,” Ms. Tassler said. “It looked beautiful. But an audience sits at home and they don’t watch a show influenced by how much it costs. It’s not a factor in why they become a fan of the show.”

Ms. Tassler said CBS was planning to put the already filmed episodes of “Smith” on its Internet site for viewing and to post synopses of the plans for the full season of shows.

From a financial standpoint, however, it might be hard to argue with CBS’s decision to can “Smith.” The week after the show was cancelled, the “CSI” re-run that replaced it drew more than 10 million viewers, 20 percent more viewers than the last episode of “Smith” and a far higher percentage of the lead-in audience from “The Unit.”

But with an average of nine million fans having tuned in, inevitably there were many disappointed viewers who went looking for the fourth episode of “Smith,” only to find yet another episode of “CSI.” Some of them took to Internet bulletin boards to express their outrage, like a viewer named Matthew on the Web site TVSeriesFinale.com.

“I just want to say how much of a relief it was to sit down and watch a show like ‘Smith’ without having to hear any medical mumble jumbo,” he wrote.

From NY Times.com.

Thick as thieves

Source:Newsday
Date:October 8, 2006
BY MARIA ELENA FERNANDEZ

CBS is Hoping for a big payoff as actor Ray Liotta and producer John
Wells team up on the new heist drama 'Smith'
BY MARIA ELENA FERNANDEZ
LOS ANGELES TIMES

October 8, 2006


By now, John Wells, one of television's producing giants, knows a
thing or two about the number of script pages it takes to fill an
hour's worth of episodic drama on a broadcast network.

Then why did the pilot episode for his new show, "Smith," come in 20
minutes longer than what is acceptable? And why was CBS, with its
conservative reputation, so willing to reportedly spend $7million on
the pilot alone and work around its length? [CORRECTION: "Smith," a
new television series with Ray Liotta, has been removed from CBS'
schedule. The show is featured in Sunday's FanFare, which was
printed in advance. Pg. A17 ALL BULLDOG 10/8/06]

One reason is the in-demand Wells, who hasn't written a pilot since
he co-wrote "Third Watch" but has been busy running "ER" and "The
West Wing" for several years. Then there is an ensemble cast headed
up by Ray Liotta and Oscar nominee Virginia Madsen. And, thirdly, a
network that ranks as the most popular but still yearns to be among
the most talked about.

"It's a great way to work and a luxury I don't expect to have often
in my career," said Wells, referring to the atypical creative
process that allowed him to develop a drama about criminals that
isn't really about crime.

Airing Tuesdays at 10 p.m., "Smith" follows the double lives of five
master thieves whose ringleader is Bobby Stevens, played by Liotta,
starring in his first TV series since he started on the daytime
soap "Another World" in 1978. Bobby's band of specialists includes
his lieutenant, Tom (Jonny Lee Miller, "Trainspotting"); firearms
aficionado Jeff (Simon Baker, "The Devil Wears Prada");
transportation expert Joe (Franky G, "The Italian Job"); and master
of disguises Annie (Amy Smart, "Crank"). Bobby is also a suburban
married father of two, and Madsen ("Sideways") plays his intriguing
wife, Hope. "Smith" refers to the name FBI agents give the elusive
Bobby.



Getting to know you ...

"I watch a lot of television, and I noticed that we were catching
all these criminals, but we weren't getting to know much about
them," Wells said. "I started thinking that maybe we could do a show
that focuses completely and wholly on the criminals and what makes
them tick, and how their lives work."

As Wells started to flesh out his lead character, he thought of
someone he'd been trying to persuade for a year to work in the
medium. With only a sketch in his head, Wells met with Liotta, who
won an Emmy for a guest role on "ER" in 2005.

"It wasn't really a concrete idea, but the fact that it was coming
out of his mouth was enough for me to trust that it was going to be
classy, inventive and a different idea just based on his track
record," said Liotta, taking a break while shooting a scene at a
warehouse in Lancaster, Calif., recently.

"I had been approached for a while about doing a series, and I saw
that the landscape of the business was changing a lot, where movies
are getting safer and safer, and television is becoming more
interesting," Liotta said. "I also liked the fact that the character
was a leading man, where I'm usually playing some wacko. I didn't
have to gain weight, put crazy makeup on to make me look older or
drugged-out."

With Liotta's consent, Wells sat down to write. But other actors
kept popping into his head: Would Madsen be interested in TV? Would
Miller, whom he'd been courting for a while, take to this idea?
Would Franky G, the star of Wells' failed Fox drama "Jonny Zero,"
want to work with him again? Would all-American girl-next-door Smart
want to play a bad girl for a change? Wells approached each of them
with his ideas, and they all agreed to be in it, provided, of
course, that the script lived up to its billing.

Although many TV critics have already picked "Smith" as one of the
year's best pilots, they also wonder if viewers are weary of the
genre, considering the failure of NBC's "Heist" and FX's "Thief" to
attract audiences last season.



Shopped script around

Wells shopped his script to all of the networks, but CBS, home of
the crime procedural, was enthusiastic about offering its audience
something unexpected this season. This drama won't be based on a
crime of the week, said Nina Tassler, CBS president of entertainment.

Capitalizing on the talents of the cast, Emmy-nominated director
Chris Chulack filmed the pilot entirely on location in the L.A.
area, Pittsburgh and Hawaii, giving it the kind of range and pacing
usually associated with movies.

"Action is action, but some of the most interesting things in the
pilot are how these people maneuver in the world and get through,"
Chulack said. "They're bad people, and how they interact, their
interior, is what interests me. With this cast, the most interesting
stuff they do is when they're not talking. As a director, you want
to put the audience in the position to experience that.... With all
of the fast cutting and the people talking, television rhythms today
are all the same. I hope this show stands out because it is
deafening sometimes."

But what about the length? Even though Wells turned in an average-
length 65-page script, which typically yields 42 minutes of air time
(the rest of the hour is for commercials), the pilot was 62 minutes
long. To his surprise, no one at CBS balked. In fact, executives did
not even notice its length when they first screened it.

"These are all actors' actors. So because of the cast, because of
the way the stories are told, there is information, there are looks,
gestures, subtleties and information being conveyed character to
character that has story value," Tassler said. "It deserves and
merits screen time."



Only a slight trim

Instead of demanding that Wells and Chulack, also an executive
producer, cut 20 minutes out of the episode, they were asked to trim
five minutes, and CBS premiered it Sept. 19 with limited commercial
interruption and only one sponsor, Martin Scorsese's new film, "The
Departed."

Meanwhile, the cast is racking up the miles on their cars and
frequent-flier programs because the series, like the pilot, is shot
entirely on location. Instead of building sets on a soundstage,
Warner Bros. Television, which produces it, has leased and dressed
homes for all of the characters in the Los Angeles area. But for the
heists, the cast has traveled to Reno for a future episode and will
probably fly to Montreal and Miami later this year, Wells
said. "They really are not messing around with the size and scope of
this thing," Liotta said. "The locations always seem to be an hour
or so away from home, and I didn't factor that in. But as I'm ...
moaning on the drive in at 4:30 in the morning, when you get to the
location, it all makes sense."

Baker describes it as a "traveling circus." And so far, he's
enjoying his impulsive character's exploits: surfing in Hawaii (yes,
that really was Baker riding the waves in the first episode),
shooting a couple of surfers for kicks and stealing a motorcycle and
riding it down the Venice, Calif., boardwalk.

"When we went to Hawaii, that really proved to me that they are
really committed to this show," Baker said.

Although Jeff appears to be the group sociopath in the pilot, Wells
warns viewers not to judge too quickly. Jeff has brotherly love and
deep loyalty for Tom. Annie, on the other hand, cares about no
one. "She's the kind of woman who would laugh with you one minute
and shoot you in the back the next," Smart said. "I couldn't believe
John Wells saw me playing someone like that, and it was [even]
better than I thought when I saw the script. I don't feel like I'm
doing a TV show, to be honest. I feel like I'm doing a fast film
that keeps growing and keeps going."

From Newsday.

Smith’: When good kittens do bad things

Source:EW.com
Date:October 04, 2006
by Michael Slezak

Maybe it was because I was a little groggy from a dose of NyQuil last night (I’m fighting a nasty chest cold…waah!), but I was a little stumped by the use of kittens to override the military security system on last night’s episode of the highly addictive Smith. Yes, I understand the boys had to trip the alarm system five consecutive times to shut it down, but didn’t you find it a tad far-fetched that none of the soldiers at the military base thought to investigate the source of the sudden and frequent appearance of infant felines? No matter, though, I’m not going to complain too bitterly about the pairing of Jonny Lee Miller and small furry creatures. How do you say adorable in British?

Of course, when I first caught sight of sociopathic Jeff (Simon Baker, pictured) slipping Kitty No. 1 under that chain-link fence, I worried he was using it to trigger some kind of land mine or explosive device. Could Jeff be the most unapologetically amoral character on TV? And don’t you just love watching him? Even from behind his plastic mask during last night’s main set piece, you could see his sinister anticipation of shooting up that armored truck. You know deep down dude was bummed that both of the security guards ducked.


Considering Jeff’s nastiness, I always find it odd that he doesn’t seem remotely interested in his female counterpart, Amy Smart’s Annie, even when she’s very unsubtly choosing to slip on her panties right up in his grill. (She nasty!) Seriously, though, I think she’s only interested in Jeff because he’s the one guy who won’t succumb to her sleazy charms. But any woman who can get caught flipping through her sugar daddy/financial advisor’s wallet and turn it into flirty foreplay deserves whatever she gets -- good, bad, or otherwise. And with a very appealing cast of FBI agents on her tail (including Jillian Armenante, so memorable with only a line or two per week) her comeuppance may be arriving sooner than anticipated.

What did you think of last night’s Smith? How do we ensure this nasty little gem stays on the airwaves? And am I the only one not buying the Joe-Macy romantic/rescuer plotline?

From EW.com.

PopWire

Source：PopMatters
Date：September 18, 2006
By Luaine Lee

Just when we thought Australian Simon Baker ("The Guardian") had gone home, he shows up on CBS’ series, “Smith.” The John Wells-produced drama stars Ray Liotta as a loving family man who plots high-stakes robberies in his spare time. Baker plays his nefarious cohort who is in charge of fire power. The Aussie has been in the U.S. ever since he tried out for the Guy Pearce role in “L.A. Confidential.” (He didn’t get that part, but copped another.) After completing three years on “The Guardian,” he’s more TV savvy.

“I’ve always thought pilots are kind of interesting because they’re almost like infomercials for a television series,” says Baker.

“And what John (Wells) did unashamedly with this was just threw these characters out there. And they’re all very unique and different, and they do their own thing. And you do sort of go, `Well, what’s going on there?’ And that’s the idea of serialized television, in a sense. It’s like you’re either interested in finding out or not. In this case, I was interested enough in finding out, so I wanted to sign on.”

From PopMatters .