Entertainment Weekly’s The Visionaries
Excerpts from Patricia Morris Buckley’s piece on Entertainment Weekly’s The Visionaries: Showrunners Meeting the People with the Answers —
The panel consisted of Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof of “Lost” (dropping jokes that only those who listen to their videocasts would get; Josh Schwartz of “Chuck” and “Gossip Girl”; Bryan Fuller of “Pushing Daisies”; and Josh Friedman of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.”
Moderator Jeff Jensen (JJ) of EW, obviously a fan of all the represented shows, started off the questions.
JJ: What was the inspiration for the world of your series?
BF: I am a very sensitive soul and I couldn’t do a series like “CSI” where I had to be in a negative headspace. I wanted to do a show with all the things I liked crammed into it — dogs, pies, bees.
DL: Why not cake?
BF: Cake is dry and a bit of a gamble. Pie is always moist.
JJ: How important is the mythology to your show?
CC: I don’t think of us as doing a genre show. I think that we’re doing a character show with the mythology. Character is the cake and mythology is the frosting. I think our show transcends being a genre show.
JJ: What shows have influenced you?
BF: I’m a diehard “Star Trek” fan. But the procedural element is the backbone of the show. I live for that sh*t.
DL: Have you noticed that the buzz here (at ComicCon) is always for genre shows? Last year it was “Pushing Daisies” and “Heroes.” This summer, the big movies are “Batman,” “Iron Man” and Indiana Jones” — all genre shows.
JJ: Will you ever explain the magic of the show?
BF: There’s a fine line that George Lucas drew when he came up with midichlorians and we’re not crossing it!
CC: There’s something about having a mystery that keeps things magical.
BF: We need more awe in our lives. When we talk about how it works in a no-nonsense way, it isn’t fun anymore.
Q: Now that you are hit shows, is it easier to cast genre shows now?
BF: The thing about casting is that most actors want to work. I remember when Swoosie Kurtz (Aunt Lily) came in with all this paraphernalia, swimwear and such. I had to tell her “You already have the part!” She had already been cast.
JS: When we first cast “Chuck,” I think we looked at every young actor out there, except for Lee Pace. When Zachary Levi came in, we knew he had that he could play comedy and drama.
JF: (on casting Brian Austin Green) I had seen him in the “Freddy” and when I saw him in person, I wondered when he got so hot. I cast him right there. The part was shooting the next day. Everyone thought I was crazy until he appeared on the set and then they saw. Casting is like looking for your keys. It’s “panic, panic, panic — oh gosh, there they are!”
A: Which TV shows do you watch?
Most of the showrunners cited each other’s show.
BF: I like “Project Runway!”
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