PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: CNN'S THE 2000s: A LOOK BACK AT THE DAWN OF TV'S NEW GOLDEN AGE {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented at The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles. This evening celebrates "The 2000s," the seven-part documentary series examining the cultural and creative milestones of the decade.
Host Rene Reyes (executive in charge of production, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks and introduces the series' first episode, "The Platinum Age of Television," which is then screened in its entirety (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 133654.) After the screening, Stacey Wilson Hunt (entertainment journalist) moderates the following panelists: Kim Masters (editor-at-large, The Hollywood Reporter; host, KCRW's "The Business"); Tim Matheson (director and cast member, "The West Wing"); Vince Gilligan (executive producer/creator/director/writer, "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul"); and Carolyn Strauss (former president, HBO Entertainment; executive producer, "Game of Thrones").
The panelists touch on such topics as: their memories of 2000, including Matheson's description of the immediate popularity of "The West Wing" and Gilligan's work on "The X-Files"; Strauss' interest in promoting creative freedom to draw artists to HBO; Gilligan's inspiration from "The Sopranos" and "The Shield" in creating morally gray antihero Walter White (Bryan Cranston) for "Breaking Bad"; the ongoing debate about protagonist "likability" and the audience's "complicity" in the characters' villainous actions; Matheson's interest in the aspirational aspects of "Wing" and how it portrayed "our better selves"; comparisons to the romantic comedy films of Howard Hawks in creator Aaron Sorkin's characteristically fast-paced banter; the challenges of shooting "Wing," including its many reflective surfaces and the expense of playing real CNN reports in the background; the rise of "the showrunner as celebrity," and why many showrunners got their starts in network television and later became auteurs, performing many different roles on their sets; how successful shows often "beget" other series; why Gilligan did not wish to become "the boss" on "X-Files," including his disinterest in budgetary issues upon becoming an executive producer; why more prominent film and theater actors began moving to television, once considered the "ugly stepchild" of the creative industry, with the example of Glenn Close's role on "Damages"; how serialized television series disrupted the syndication system, contrasted with cable's television's interest in keeping viewers hooked with ongoing stories; the importance of network ownership, and why a network will cancel a more highly rated show that they do not own over one that they do; funny memories of A&E's attempts to dub the profanity in "The Sopranos" when the show was in syndication; the relatively low ratings of the greatly acclaimed and profitable "Breaking Bad"; why networks will maintain certain series simply to "make the talent happy"; social media and the pros and cons of instant word-of-mouth feedback; why Gilligan eschews a constant dialogue with fans, compared to other showrunners like Shonda Rhimes, who is more actively engaged with viewers; Strauss' praise for her "Thrones" team; the tenth anniversary of the "Breaking" premiere and Gilligan's memories of his fears of disappointing the passionate fan base with the 2013 series finale, "Felina," which was then very well received; praise for the show's strong story continuity and logical conclusion; Gilligan's explanation of how the writers "mined" past episodes for small tidbits that could be recalled in later plots, like the seemingly tiny detail of affable meth cook Gale's (David Costabile) love of Walt Whitman; and Matheson's admission of his initial doubts about "Better Call Saul," the "Breaking" prequel/sequel, then proven unfounded by the show's exceptional quality.
Questions from the audience lead to a discussion of the following topics, among others: whether political and social strife will prompt a shift away from antiheroes and a return to a more classic "good guys and bad guys" format in future TV series; the rise of diverse characters with realistic "malaise," as seen on series like "Atlanta"; Gilligan's fond memories of visiting the "Breaking" set "as a fan" and watching director Rian Johnson's work on the seminal ante-penultimate episode "Ozymandias"; Strauss' gratitude for HBO's strong support of the creatively ambitious – and very expensive – "Thrones"; and praise for "The Wire," which never received an Emmy Award despite consistently strong acclaim from critics and viewers.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1999 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: N/A
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 133640
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rene Reyes … Host
- Stacey Wilson Hunt … Moderator
- Kim Masters … Panelist
- Tim Matheson … Panelist
- Vince Gilligan … Panelist
- Carolyn Strauss … Panelist
- David Chase
- David Costabile
- Bryan Cranston
- Howard Hawks
- Rian Johnson
- Shonda Rhimes
- Aaron Sorkin
- Walt Whitman