Word: bellisario
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...into Archie Bunker's Place), stayed popular for years despite cast and format changes. On the other hand, "high concept" shows, which rely mainly on gimmicks or stunts (Mork and Mindy, for instance), seem to lose their appeal suddenly and irrevocably. The whole process may be accelerating, says Don Bellisario, executive producer of Magnum, P.I.: "The life of a show is getting shorter. Audiences are more sophisticated and have more options...
...other words, watching JAG was like signing up for a permanent hitch in the Square Force. But now, suddenly, American flags are stitched into the logos of news broadcasts and the nation is abuzz about, of all things, the military justice system. As creator and executive producer Don Bellisario likes to say, "JAG didn't find its patriotism on Sept. 11." But America's renewed national pride has evidently found JAG. Ratings for the show, once known for appealing mainly to older viewers steeped in old-timey values, are up 39% this fall among 18-to-49-year-olds...
They didn't always. Bellisario (Magnum, P.I.; Quantum Leap) conceived the drama as "Top Gun meets A Few Good Men" and sold it to NBC, where it debuted in 1995. But in 1995-96, its first season on the network of Seinfeldian cool, JAG finished 77th in the ratings. nbc wanted more shootouts and hardware; Bellisario wanted to retain the legal drama. The show was headed for a dishonorable discharge when Moonves, seeing a good fit for his network's older audience, snapped it up, rolling gunslinging action and courtroom drama into one star-spangled package...
...only play good guys," says North, who has acted on TV but once before (if you discount the Iran-contra hearings, considered by some his best work). North has no plans to pursue a serious acting career, although he'd like to work again with JAG director Don Bellisario. Says North reassuringly: "He's no Oliver Stone...
| 1 |