Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Monday, May 8th, 2023

A Netflix executive talks about writer's rooms

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, May 8th, 2023.

ONE REASON WHY NETFLIX IS PUSHING BACK AGAINST MANDATED WRITER ROOM SIZE
Regular readers will know that I have some pretty good inside sources at the streamers and they help to give me some unique insight into the inner workings of the industry.

In February, I posted some thoughts from a Netflix executive, who talked about some of the issues likely to cause a writers strike. Including the issue of so-called mini rooms:

I am of the opinion that mini-rooms work best for a lot of shows. Streaming services are ordering a lot of shows that are essentially primarily written by one writer and perhaps a very small room. But how can we make that work better for the industry? The money aspect is part of a bigger pay discussion, although I'm sympathetic to the argument that a per-episode payscale isn't viable long-term. But how do we make it better for everyone without blowing up the budget? As it is, we're often shifting writing money into other parts of the production. So we need to figure this out in a way that helps writers make a living without making every show economically unsustainable. I think we can talk about changes in span and make sure writers aren't being hold so long on a project. Those are doable changes that cost money, but not the entire bank.

I'm also sympathetic to the complaints that mini-rooms and extended production schedules mean that writers don't get the same access to the set they would if they were working on a network procedural. I honestly don't know how we work that out. There's no money in the budget for flying someone to the set just to gain some production experience. Or keeping writers around after the room has closed. But we also need to grow the industry's younger writers. Maybe that means more mentorship programs or something we haven't thought of yet.

We have continued to talk in the ensuing weeks and following some reports in the Hollywood trades that Netflix seems to be the AMPTP member pushing back the hardest against WGA proposals to mandate a minimum staff size for writers rooms, the executive passed along some thoughts about the proposals. It's worth reminding you that this executive is not directly involved in negotiations with the WGA, but is familiar with the thinking of both AMPTP and Netflix:

It's clear the writers room proposals might be the toughest to work out. Even the AI stuff can be finessed into something both sides can live with for a few years. But while the company (Netflix) is taking the most heat over mini-rooms, I can tell you that the position isn't any more friendly at Amazon or WBD. Mandates create a minimum overhead and that's not a small issue for streamers. And from Netflix's perspective - and I think it's also shared at other companies with a global footprint - there is a fear that whatever is established during negotiations with the WGA will become the expectation across the globe. That will lead to a massive cost increase and I'm not sure the company is willing to take that hit. It would be terrible for the bottom line in the short and mid-term.

And to be honest, streaming executives are no different than executives in any other industry. They are much more concerned with the impact now or next year then they are about ten years from now. Asking for set writer's room staffing solves a longer-term problem. But media company executives are not set up to worry about the next decade. It's much more about the next quarter's numbers and Wall Street narratives.

S.W.A.T UNCANCELED BY CBS
After Late Friday’s cancelation of S.W.A.T., talks immediately picked back up between CBS & SONY over the weekend to renew the drama series for Season 7. And just minutes ago as I write this, CBS has confirmed the show will return for another season by releasing a statement confirming the deal:

“We have listened to our viewers and their outpouring of passion for S.W.A.T. and we have reached an agreement to renew it for a final season of 13 episodes to air during the 2023-2024 broadcast year,” Amy Reisenbach, President, CBS Entertainment, and Katherine Pope, President, Sony Pictures Television Studios, said in a joint statement. “S.W.A.T. has aired for six seasons on CBS and garnered a devoted following. We are pleased that we found a way to bring it back and give closure to the show’s storylines and characters, which audiences deserve. Once again, we appreciate the talents and efforts of the cast, writers, producers and crew and everyone who has contributed to the success of S.W.A.T. We look forward to its return next season.”

It's tempting to see this as some side effect of the writers strike, but this type of wrangling between the network and studio over finances is not unusual. But it is unusual for a broadcast network to cancel and then uncancel a long-running series in the span of three days:

Sony was not willing to take another S.W.A.T. renewal at a flat license fee as that would compromise the show’s financial model. CBS eventually went up on the license fee but the offer came with a cut of the order, which would’ve pushed up the per-episode budget even higher and further hurt the show’s economics.

Canceled series finding new homes is more common; a network reversing its cancellation decision is rare. Coincidentally — or not — three previous cases involved Sony TV series, Timeless on NBC (co-created/executive produced by S.W.A.T. exec producer/showrunner Shawn Ryan), Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime and Breaking In on Fox.

STUDIOS BEGIN SUSPENDING FIRST LOOK AND OVERALL DEALS
It's not at all surprising, but several outlets are reporting that some studios have begun suspending some first look and overall deals as the WGA strike enters its second week:

Most studios have avoided broaching the word “termination,” although one is said to have raised the option in their letter in order to maintain transparency. There’s also a variation by studio in terms of whether all overall deals have been suspended, or if it’s a case-by-case with producers depending on whether they’re still working. Some studios have chosen not to suspend all term deals — choosing not to suspend deals with showrunners whom they expect to continue non-writing producer duties. However, most showrunners who have received that letter have publicly argued that there are no “non-writing producer duties.”

YOU NEED TO LEARN TO READ THE ROOM
If you think writers get a raw deal, then spend some time speaking with animators about their jobs. Many of them work a non-union gig and even when they do work at a union shop, the pay is substantially less than if they were writing live action.

So if you own a small non-union animation house, writing a guest column for Variety arguing that animators should learn to welcome their AI overlords certainly doesn't seem like a great idea:

Writers can use predictive learning tools in two ways to ultimately devote more time to writing and reach additional audiences. The first way is to think of an AI engine as a supercharged focus group. Instead of filling screening rooms with people to gauge reactions, AI engines can use the power of the internet to more accurately predict how content will play with a wide variety of audiences. It can also provide suggestions for how to improve or better gear your work for a specific audience type based on key story elements such as character, setting, plot and themes.  

First of all, I defy you to read the paragraph above and discern what he's talking about. "The power of the internet?" I am no AI expert. But I have talked to a number of people who crunch data for the streamers and their attitude pretty much across the board is that AI or other predictive data isn't particularly accurate when it comes to predicting what titles will be a success. Data crunching does much better at explaining behavior after the fact and that is how streamers most often use the consumer viewing data they've collected.

ODDS AND SODS
* A new season of 90 Day Fiance: Before The 90 Days premieres Sunday, June 4th on TLC

* Season two of The Bear premieres Thursday, June 22nd on Hulu.

* The MTV Documentary film The Fire That Took Her premieres Tuesday, May 23rd on Paramount+.

* The animated series Clone High premieres Tuesday May 23rd.

TWEET OF THE DAY

WHAT'S NEW FOR MONDAY:
* Dalgliesh Season Two Finale (Acorn TV)
* Fantasy Island Season Finale (Fox)
* Independent Lens: Sam Now (PBS)
* Jeopardy Masters Season Premiere (ABC)
* Spirit Rangers Season Premiere (Netflix)
* Two Sides Of The Abyss (Die zwei Seiten des Abgrunds) (HBO Max)

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.