The Fox Network makes no apologies for wanting it all. Fox plans to become the No. 1 network in American television, and if that means cadging ideas from other networks, so be it. The cocky Fox attitude is still there.
Everyone was anxiously awaiting Fox's portion of the annual television press tour, but not through any real interest in its new fall series, which most critics have already screened and deemed dreadful. True, the network went to considerable effort decorating the designated press area as a faux beachside location, with cabanas and chaise longues and beach umbrellas, but no one really noticed the set dressings.
The critics were there because fireworks were expected. Fox must have broken some unspoken TV etiquette; people have been talking trash against the network all week. The anti-Fox slights came from network presidents, producers and even Sylvester Stallone. They've all accused Fox of intellectual thievery and devious scheduling moves.
To wit: Fox has a new boxing reality show called The Next Great Champ, which it announced not long after NBC revealed that it, too, had a boxing reality show, called The Contender, hosted and co-produced by Stallone, which had Rocky quite riled up. NBC was already huffy at Fox after it aggressively spun off The Apprentice with its own version, Richard Branson's The Billionaire. The Fox show has a dotty Brit mogul in place of NBC's dour Atlantic City wiseguy, but it was the same concept.
The Fox tricksters also pulled a fast one on ABC recently by moving up the start date of its reality show Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy to this week, which puts it months ahead of ABC's Wife Swap. It's the same show, really, but Fox was out of the gate with the idea before ABC even finished its pilot.
Hence it was little surprise when most critics turned up early to obtain a seat for the traditional executive session. On deck: Fox entertainment president Gail Berman, a tough lady who knows that the best defence is a smart offence. She suggested straight off that the other networks stop their sobbing.
"There's no need to defend ourselves," said Berman. "The baseless allegations of theft and extortion are outrageous and unacceptable. I will not participate in perpetuating this myth."
Berman was rightfully unapologetic and even managed to rally critics to her side. You could feel it in the room. She put proper perspective on the bitchy barbs from Contender creator Mark Burnett, who accused the Fox of stealing his boxing-show idea. "People who are acting as if they invented the sport of boxing are disingenuous," said Berman.
Employing the same Spock-like logic, Berman patiently pointed out that ABC had been hanging onto Wife Swap for more than a year. It just missed its window. "Why ABC chose not to put the show in the spring or summer, as they declared they were going to do, was a big surprise to us," said Berman. "When we learned they were putting it on in the fall, there was an opportunity."
It was the most aggressive opening pitch from a network president on the current TV tour. Berman came in with that cocky Fox attitude, which may have been notched a bit higher than usual from the Emmy announcements just two hours before her presentation: Fox's brilliant but low-rated Arrested Development nabbed five Emmy nominations, including a coveted best-comedy nod. Frasier and Friends were blanked in that category.
Ten years back, when Fox was struggling through the puberty stage of its TV-dynasty timeline, Berman's approach would have seemed inappropriate, but it's entirely in keeping with the network's heightened cachet lately. Back then, Fox's biggest hit was Married . . . With Children. Today, Fox has American Idol, the No. 1 show on U.S. television, which is edging it up the scale in network rankings, and that means respect. The little channel spawned by Rupert Murdoch is now a network player, and it wants more.
The Idol phenomenon clearly has Fox programmers all fired up. Fox's goal at the press tour was to officially unveil its sparkly summer TV season, which explained the beach-blanket décor. It launched six new series last month, including Quintuplets, The Jury and Method & Red. None of the six could even remotely be considered ratings successes; it's a given each will be cancelled and replaced by more Fox fodder.
But ratings and failed shows aren't the point. Planning for the future means "taking risks," said Berman. And thinking big. "We are up to the challenge at Fox," said Berman. "Others might seek to discredit or distract us, but we won't be distracted. We are focused on reaching number one, building a competitive 52-week schedule, and always being creative innovators."
The Fox master plan will see this summer season followed by an early-fall season, then World Series baseball coverage, after which a late-fall season commences. Then a spring season, and, by gosh, it'll be time for another summer season. The notion of a year-round season isn't an original idea for broadcasters these days, but Fox's plan is more pronounced than most.
Once Fox had announced its lofty mission statement, it was time to talk about the shows that would fill the hours and hours of prime-time space. To no one's surprise, Fox has directed more energy to an ever-expanding slate of reality programming. In November we can expect the aforementioned The Next Great Champ, before The Contender. There's no question it will be harsher and bloodier than NBC's stylized outing. The Branson show also starts in November, after which Fox will initiate a slow rollout period of testing new reality series.
They include The Complex, with couples competing in a reno makeover of an apartment building; and The Partner, which follows a firm's lawyers behind the scenes. The network has at least a dozen more reality series in development.
Fox also trotted out the stars from its two new, ambitious dramas. The medical series House casts intense Brit actor Hugh Laurie as a bitter medic, named Dr. House, who works in the field of infectious diseases.
The other hour-long drama is a bit livelier: Jonny Zero, starring a brutish chap named Franky G as an ex-con trying to steer clear of his old mob crowd. Every time Franky thinks he's out, they keep pulling him back in, but he gets through it with a little help from a female pal, who's a stripper.
This is still Fox, don't forget.
John Doyle will return.