Get Ready for LOST

Don't click the links below if you don't want to be spoiled. The first is a preview of the season that aired tonight on ABC.

The next video is the first four minutes of the sixth season. The first two are the very end of last season. Check it out here.

And check out this video that shows the crash 24 style.


Two days till LOST! Can't wait.

Dollhouse ends tonight...and why I am okay with that.

I'm a huge Joss Whedon fan. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is what got me hooked on GOOD television. It's the one show that probably set me on this path of wanting to work in television. So I have great respect for Joss Whedon as a television writer/producer/creator.

So of course last season I checked out his new show Dollhouse. Intriguing concept? Check. Eliza Dushku getting to look sexy and kick ass? Check. It should have been the perfect combination.

But it doesn't always work out that way. I was engrossed in the story. But with its Friday-Night-Deathslot, it just didn't get the ratings it needed to survive.

I think the first season actually got better as it got closer to the finale...and closer to what most people thought would be its cancellation. How everyone was surprised that it got renewed. And I think the same thing happened this year. As it gets closer to that cancellation point, the show just gets better and better. Some of the recent twists (Ballard is who?!) have been amazing. It's like getting three Lost season finales shoved into two episodes.

But I'm actually okay with Dollhouse ending. It was never going to be a huge hit. I'm glad Fox gave it 26 episodes and committed enough to at least show them all. That's more than can be said for many shows recently. I hope Joss takes his talents to a cable network, where he can stretch his creative juices without needing to attract a mass audience. Regardless, I know I can't wait to see how the story wraps up tonight.

In the Writer's Room

Yesterday was a very exciting day at work. It was the first time I actually got to observe the writer's room.

In the writer's office, the writers room is where all the magic happens. Its where the story ideas come together and everything is fleshed out.

I spent a few good hours in the morning, just getting to sit on the couch and watch the writers work. It was pretty amazing to watch. There's no way to teach this...to learn this. This is one of those things you have to see to understand. That's why this position is such a great opportunity for me.

So picture it. You're a television writer. It's your job to sit around and discuss what happens on the episodes of a television show. Pretty amazing job if you ask me. Of course I could talk television all day.

Yesterday, the writers were working on breaking the story for the next to the last episode of the season. There are so many things that you don't even think of that they take into account. They discuss why characters would do the actions they do, how to make the scenes tense enough, how to break up the acts. While they do that, they basically create an outline of the story on one of the many dry erase boards the office has. Then after the episode is pitched to everyone from the executive producers to network executives, the writer of the episode takes that outline and creates the script. Writing for television is a very collaborative effort. The television show I am working on has about twelve writers on staff. Some of these writers are partnered with another person on staff, creating there writing team.

Getting to watch a television story get created was amazing. There is so much more to the process than I ever could have realized. I can't wait to make the most of this opportunity.

Drinks at Merlotte's

The television show that I am working on right now happens to have there writer's office on the Warner Brothers lot. That fact in itself is very exciting because it gives me an opportunity to explore all over the lot. It's a pretty sweet deal since the official tours cost like $45.

Part of my job involves running new script pages to various executives on the lot. So of course I also do some sightseeing while I'm out making my runs.

I've already found a good bit of stuff (and I'll make sure to post more of it later). But today I set out to find a certain set that I have been dying to see.



Yes, this is the building they use for Merlotte's bar for the hit HBO show True Blood. Here's a picture of the building all set up for the show:



I'm old slightly obsessed with True Blood but I've been reading the Southern Vampire books that the show is based off for a long time. I can't wait for Season 3 to kick-off. Maybe they'll be filming the show on the lot soon!

I'll be sure to post back later this week with more stuff from working in the writer's room.

Greek returns tomorrow

One of my favorite shows is back tomorrow night with all new episodes. Yes, Greek has made its return.

I think this show really clicked with me because it came on while I was still in college. While I was in a fraternity that I had been president of myself. Yes, its easy to relate to this show. And its likable characters and sharp writing only make it easier to love.




There's rumors floating around that Greek may not get renewed if its ratings aren't good enough. So I hope everyone checks it out!

Greek airs Mondays at 10 PM EST on ABC Family.

Late Night Wars Coming to an End?

The last few weeks have been a very interesting time at NBC, as both there primetime and late night schedule is being mixed up. The NBC bashing has come from all sides, even house. And I for one am kind of glad with the results to come so far.

Let me start by pledging my late night affiliation: I'm team Chelsea Handler all the way. That's the only late night show that I can and do watch every night. I've even been to a taping of her show. But that's for a different post.

So I don't regularly watch Leno/Letterman/O'Brien. But I think for the most part, everyone is coming out a winner, with the exception of NBC itself.

Most creative people in the television industry are glad to see The Jay Leno Show failed at 10 PM. Nothing against the guy, but his show meant there were five less shows on the air at NBC. So now that they are going back to the way things should be, that means more opportunities for shows to do well in those slots. That means more shows for all of us to work on. Definite win. And can you imagine if The Jay Leno Show had actually been successful? Then maybe CBS and ABC would have tried to do the same. The television community ended up getting five slots back, instead of possibly losing fifteen.

So now Jay Leno moves back to 11:35. Which is where he wanted to be all along. He wasn't ready to retire. He was still at the top of his game. Sure he's coming back with his reputation a little bit damaged. But still, I think its a win for him.

And poor Conan O'Brien. Only he's not so poor after all. By playing the underdog, he's managed to build a huge image for himself. And he and his staff are getting up to $40 million to NOT put a show on the air. I could NOT work for that amount of money. And come next season he'll be able to launch a show on another network. Most likely on a network that will appreciate his humor and his young adult following. Yes, Conan is a winner in all of this, even if it means he only had the Tonight Show for seven months.

The big loser in all this - NBC. There primetime schedule is in a mess, they really have no breakout hits. It's going to take them a long time to bounce back from this mess they put themselves in. Hopefully, they can start launching some creative and unique shows that audiences will latch onto. Only then will they become a winner.

And I'm still trying to figure out how all of this can help Chelsea Handler. Oh well, she still has E! Some things never need to change.

Life Unexpected..Return of The WB?

A show that premiered earlier this week has suddenly found itself in my weekly viewing list. That show: Life Unexpected.

What its about:The plot all seems pretty simple. Lux is on the cusp of her 16th birthday. She's been bounced around foster care her whole life and is ready to get emancipated. The only problem is her birth parents have to sign off on it. So she tracks them down.

Nate and Cate (yes their names rhyme) had a one night stand when they were only sixteen years old themselves. Nate never even knew Cate had the baby. Only in there early 30s, both don't have there lives together just yet. They act like teenagers more than the actual teenager on the show. Cate has commitment issues and Nate is a man-child who lives above the bar he owns.

All the characters get thrown together when the judge decides that Lux isn't ready to be emancipated and puts her back into custody of her birth parents.

My take: The whole premise sounds like it could veer into being too sweet. The sharp writing and strong cast makes sure the show never crosses that line.

What I really enjoyed was that this feels more like a show that used to air on the WB. You know, those strong dramas like Everwood, Gilmore Girls and Felicity that managed to be feel good shows with real emotion and characters that weren't caricatures. Hopefully Life Unexpected will mark a return for strong, quality dramas on the CW. For now, I'm interested in seeing where the show goes from it. This is the kind of show that I would love to work on!

Favorite Quote: "That was the opposite of being emancipated" - Lux, after the judge rules that she is to return to the custody of her birth parents.

When it airs: Monday nights at 9 PM EST on The CW.

Who I Am

Who am I and why should you care what I have to write about?

My name's Nick. I've been living in Los Angeles for roughly three and half months (for the second time). And I love television so much that I'm trying to make a career in it.

Most people can easily name off their favorite movies. Not me. I can name off a half dozen television shows that I truly love right now. Or another half dozen shows that I think are amazing and truly hold up the test of time. Yes, I watch more television shows then I need to. But, I can at least write it off as 'research'.

Yes, I want to work in television. Specifically I am really interested in producing but writing also goes hand and hand with that. So I'm trying to learn everything I can about the television industry.

2010 has started off really well for me in that I am working my first job on an actual scripted television show. Now I'm only working on this show a couple days a week for the rest of the season, but it's still a major foot in the door that I need. The show I'm working on is on one of the major networks and has been on the air for well over seven seasons. I'm working in the writers room, which has been a great eye-opening experience.

That's me in a nutshell. Now why do you want to read anything I have to write? I'm going to write about television. Both working in it and what I watch. I think it should be interesting. I'm going to have a pretty unique perspective about the television industry. This should be a great way to keep up with my journey.

Thanks for reading this much so far. Hopefully you'll be reading even more to come.