I posted the press release earlier, but I didn’t have any time to think about then. Here are my quick thoughts now:
- What’s with FOX and all the Peters? Peter Chernin decides to call it quits and start running a production studio and Peter Liguori is out, Peter Rice in. FOX seems to have its own brand of the Peter Principle – and I’m meaning that only as a play on words. By all accounts it seems Peter Chernin was a fantastic executive.
- As for Dollhouse, I seriously doubt it means anything at all. We think all the episodes will air this year and based on the ratings and trends so far, I was never particularly optimistic for next year anyway. I don’t see the exec changes meaning anything at all for Dollhouse. But it will be interesting to see what the new regime thinks of things like Remote Free TV.
- But what do these changes mean for Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly? Reilly is slated to report to Peter Rice. But with Peter Chernin gone and now Peter Liguori gone as well, that doesn’t seem to bode well for Kevin as it looks like the people who brought him back to Fox are now out. Will we be hearing of more organizational announcements in the future? It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
- The timing seems curious. The changes were made before the upfronts and before the current development season cranked out all its pilots. Effectively that seems that Liguori wasn’t even given a chance to see how well the development stuff he set into motion panned out.
Didn’t Liguori step down? Or is that just PR-speak for canned?
I’m not too worried about Reilly. He’s built a schedule that is pretty concrete, at least in the spring, with the exception of Fridays. Replacing him would be almost as ridiculous as NOT replacing Silverman.
Combining the film and television divisions makes sense, and other companies have already started doing it.
Rice has done a great job heading Fox Searchlight, so I guess FOX is hoping his skill translates over to the TV side, but the TV side seemed to be run quite well under Liguori…
From DHD:
“Liguori was perceived as a business type, and Vinciquerra is also a business type. And therefore there was no reason for two of them when what’s needed in that job reporting to Vinciquerra is a creative type. And that’s what Rice has been and will be. So Liguori got screwed.”
and possibly that “Peter Rice is being groomed to be the next Peter Chernin.”
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/exclusive-fox-film-tv-shakeup/
Julia, he was definitely canned. Usually the PR speak for that is more “left to pursue other career interests”, but he was pretty clearly pushed out rather than stepped down. Dominoes falling into place was inevitable after Chernin left, but Rice for Liguori seemed a surprise.
Kevin knew this was coming and I think he and Pete will get along just fine. Pete is a GREAT choice right now for FOX’s future. The guy knows good creative talent, and he’s smart enough to know to leave talent alone more than others.
Has anybody heard how the News Corp / FOX changes will affect MyNetworkTV? Does MNT still report up throught Mr. Roger Ailes?
“Effectively that seems that Liguori wasn’t even given a chance to see how well the development stuff he set into motion panned out.”
Bully for him. “Kitchen Confidential” and “Killer Instinct” weren’t even given a chance by Liguori to see how well they would have panned out with actual promotion and lead-ins. What goes around… I think the fact that Reilly put more hits on FOX in a single year that Liguori put on in three means FOX made the right decision.
As for the other thing in the thread title, I refrain from comment on account of I’m not allowed to discuss it on here any more. Even though it seems to be the subject of every other thread at TVbytheNumbers as of late. Including ones it has seemingly nothing to do with.
Whoever is running Fox will have a pretty easy job of it, at least as easy as a network executive can have (this side of CBS, of course). The network has a deep line-up and with LTM holding on Wednesdays at 8pm and Bones surprising Thursdays at 8pm (whenever it’s on), the network really only has to work on Fridays and Sundays. Fox will probably revert Fridays back to repeats – it’s attempts at original programming, drama or otherwise – are admirable, but the network gets better results with repeats. As for Sundays, that’s a bit deeper of a hole to get out of, but it may be time to develop a new series to anchor the night, and to move The Simpsons into a half-hour timeslot. It’s really not that tall of an order.
dumont, the way I read it (which could be wrong!) is that Ailes’ span of control hasn’t changed at all and he is still reporting directly Murdoch. It’s not crystal clear based on the memos Fox sent out, but I’m pretty sure he still has MNT.
Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO of FOX News Channel and Fox Business Network and chairman of the Fox Television Stations and Twentieth Television, and Peter Levinsohn, president of Fox Interactive Media, will continue to report directly to me.
Doug, Sundays are not that big of a problem. It still is decent in the demos. The first job for Rice should be to extend the success of Spring to Fall.
BTW, Riff, only 3 out of the last 60 posts have mentioned Dollhouse by name, so from a posting perspective it’s not one out of two, but one out of twenty! If, however, you are talking about where it winds up getting mentioned in comments, your Dollhouse sensitivity meter may be functioning correctly. Though I see a similar theme with at least a couple of other shows too.
julia, i totally agree. fox’s problem for the last few years has been strong springs but super weak falls resulting in a lot of “24 and Idol can’t come back soon enough”. if they can fix that, they will really be a force to be reckoned with.
robert, be honest did you phrase the title of this post to try and intentionally get some crazed fan comments pouring in?
Absolutely not! I was just trying to tick off Riff!
Seriously though executive changes bring uncertainty, but when it comes to the current FOX lineup of shows, there really isn’t any uncertainty at all except with regard to the fates of Dollhouse (which to me is closing in on certainty, though I know Nick C and others have a different view) and Remote Free TV.
Thank you, Robert.
With successes like Fringe, House, Lie To Me and American Idol, I’d say Fox is in good shape for the long haul. The only question is, “Do they have enough room on the schedule for pilots?” How will they work that one out with Human Target and Glee coming into the schedule?
FOX giving the green light to a pilot is different than picking up a series. Every network pays for more pilots they never air episodes of than ones they do.
I’m rather sure Pete is going to try and find a way to make REMOTE FREE TV work. We know JJ is demanding it for season 2.
Find a way for REMOTE FREE TV to work, and another way to make some money off downloaded content.
Pete is lucky that he has a strong enough lineup that he can worry about such things and take only a couple gambles on new shows.
What’s all this talk about creativity? Its business, fox doesn’t give a hoot of its creative. They just want the masses to gaze at the house altar.