Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Monday, July 24th, 2023

A studio exec talks about SAG-AFTRA's "two percent revenue share" idea

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, July 24th, 2023.

EXCLUSIVE: STUDIO SOURCE SAYS TWO PERCENT REVENUE SHARE PROPOSAL IS 'WRONG SOLUTION FOR A REAL PROBLEM'
I am not a psychic. But the fact that I was contacted out of the blue last night by a high-placed executive from one of the streamers who wanted to speak with me in order to "provide some perspective" on negotiations with Hollywood's striking unions...well, I predict that at least some of the people on the studio side are concerned about the success of their PR campaign.

The conversation this morning was quite interesting and I shared a large piece of it today in this piece, which focused primarily on the SAG-AFTRA proposal that asked the studios to set aside two percent of their revenue in order to pay what are essentially performance bonuses to actors:

Q: What do you make of the public response from writers and actors to the AMPTP statement on New Media revenue sharing?

A: Let me first say that while I think the overall framing of the response was accurate, it was certainly not written in a way that best suits our point of view. Of course, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are going to object when they're told they don't share in the risks. They obviously do in every project. But let me step away from that point for a bit and just talk about the idea of revenue sharing in general. And I want to reiterate that while I am comfortable discussing the overall studio strategy, AMPTP includes companies with very different strategies and business models.

I think we can all agree that whatever the scope of the final agreement looks like, it needs to include as much clarity as possible. Obviously, clarity makes it less likely that there are going to be ongoing disputes about various contract terms. But to be honest, clear terms also serve as solid guardrails for the various studios. We are publicly-traded companies. Our primary obligation is to our shareholders and investors. In fact, we're legally obligated to make decisions that are in the  best interests of those parties. So if there is a hole in the contract that can be exploited to our benefit, it will likely happen. Not because any of us are evil. But because that is the nature of contract law.

Q: One of the complaints you often hear from writers and actors is that Hollywood is now owned by people who don't care about the art, but only about the bottom line. There is a lot of longing for a time when the industry was run by people who had come up on the creative side of the business.

A: Overall, there is some validity to it. But it also ignores some positive consequences of the current Hollywood financial framework. I have joked that we would be a lot better off if some of the people I work with had an Undercover Boss experience. I think if they spent even a few days in the trenches, they would have a better understanding of the issues facing the industry. And also a clearer sense of how the process works. 

But there are also positives to our current organizational structure in Hollywood. There was a time not that long ago when a relative flop like The Flash would have buried a studio. And how many of those old-school studios could have survived the financial blows of the pandemic? There are a number of problems inherent in consolidation and the industry's fixation on mergers. But it does inject a financial stability into the industry, which I think is healthy.

Read the entire thing and if you have a comment or an insider perspective you'd like to share, reply directly to this newsletter or email me at rick@allyourscreens.com

MAYBE THIS IS THE TIME TO BRING BACK 'BRILLIANT BUT CANCELED'
Back when the sadly-forgotten cable channel Trio was still a thing, it had a series called Brilliant But Canceled. The series highlighted rejected pilots and short-lived TV shows that featured well-known actors in early TV roles or familiar IP that weren't compelling enough to spark a successful series.

The series aired a wonderfully diverse of programs, including Bakersfield P.D., Johnny Staccato, Now And Again, Profit and the Larry Gelbart series United States. The series also included unsuccessful pilots, including an adaptation of Diner, the first attempt at a Fargo TV series and L.A. Confidential. The idea was wildly successful (at least in terms of Trio's audience) and it was apparently inspired in part by the tendency of the broadcast networks in the 1960s and 70s to bundle so-called "broken" pilots into anthology shows under generic names such as "Summer Playhouse Theater."

I've often thought networks should bring back the idea. And given that we're in the middle of a writers and actors strike that feels as if will never end, having a show with content that is new to your audience feels like a good idea.

Then biggest problem with the idea isn't the availability of programming. There are hundreds and hundreds of hours of programming available. The primary problem seems to be in the clearing of the episodes.

Most of you are already aware of how difficult and expensive it can be to clear music in order to rerun a TV series. So any broken pilot or little known TV series that required any significant music clearance is likely off the list.

But as big of a problem are the talent agreements. Or more to the point, the lack of talent agreements with cast, directors, etc. Depending on whether or not the right talent agreement was negotiated at the time of the filming, airing the pilot or series might require having to go back and renegotiate new talent deals. Which is not going to happen in the middle of a strike.

The other legal complexity is that a lot of these failed programs have been written off the books of their respective companies as a lost investment. The process can be reversed, but my understanding is that a value would have to assigned back to the studio who produced it. And in these complicated times, convincing a studio to go through the aggravation connected with the move is probably not very likely.

Still, there should be plenty of shows that don't require clearance and could draw an audience.

WHAT'S NEW TODAY AND TOMORROW:

MONDAY, JULY 24TH, 2023:
Alien Sharks: Strange New Worlds (Discovery)
Children Ruin Everything Series Premiere (The CW)
Dew Drop Diaries (Netflix)
Futurama Season Eleven Premiere (Hulu)
Great White Fight Club (Discovery)
Monster Of Bermuda Triangle (Discovery)
Son Of A Critch Series Premiere (The CW)
The Golden Boy (HBO)
Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine (Netflix)

TUESDAY, JULY 25TH, 2023:
Dream (Netflix)
Jim Gaffigan (Prime Video)
Mako Mania: Battle For California (Discovery)
Mark Normand: Soup to Nuts (Netflix)
Monster Hammerheads: Killer Instinct (Discovery)
Raiders Of The Lost Shark (Discovery)
Sintonia (Netflix)
Windy City Rehab: Alison's Dream Home (HGTV)

Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.

SEE YOU TUESDAY!

If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.