Here we are in November, the new season is in full swing, and the development season for next year has begun. So here’s what’s going on right this very minute:
New shows have gotten their pick-ups for the back nine. Showrunners find that even though the workload increases, the job becomes easier because the network that touted their show as the next great thing now has a modicum of faith in it.
Every new series picked up will be promoted on air as either “the Number One New Comedy” or “the Number One New Drama” of the season. Half will be canceled by season's end.
Producers of long running shows that changed time slots and are not faring as well are doing everything short of sending in goon squads to get their old time periods back.
Actors on first year shows are going to New York on hiatus to promote their shows. Actors on second year shows are booking flights to Hawaii and Aspen.
The Kim Kardashian jokes have not stopped. Nor will they until December or when she remarries, whichever comes first.
The reality shows that will premiere next month are staging runthroughs. Cue the lasers and fog machines.
Writing staffs are counting the days until Thanksgiving and their first real break. Since production began in the summer they’ve been jamming non-stop. Now they’re saying, “If we can just get to Thanksgiving.” Then they’ll be saying, “If we can just get to Christmas.” And finally, “If we can just get to the medicine cabinet.”
At least three shows in production are imploding and will be shut down “temporarily”.
Producers of midseason shows are being told to step up production. Instead of premiering in January they might need to go on the air tomorrow.
Network development executives are looking at their slates after a wild and frenzied buying season and saying, “What the fuck did we do?”
Many of these pilot scripts have been assigned to actors and feature writers who have never written a TV pilot and are discovering, “Hey, this is hard!” This realization comes on page 3.
Development executives are scrambling to find projects with fairy tale characters.
Hang in there all! Thanksgiving is right around the corner!
