Anyone remember ABC's stated reasoning behind the decision to turn down the MD series? Something about "nobody wants to watch serialized narratives"? Which are now pretty much the only thing on television anyone cares about anymore?

From a New York Times article on Kidnapped and Jericho:

Like so many other dramas this fall, they follow a serialized narrative for a reason: there is a market for DVD’s of television shows, and those that most artfully prolong the suspense sell best.

 

I just don't understand why people don't let me run the world.

By the time the Pilot was mixed in late April or early May of 1999, the entire staff at ABC had changed. They were all Disney folks. The numbers for the people we had dealt with did not work anymore - they were gone. Dave cut a 118 minute or so version of the Pilot, and the new people said, "I'm sorry, we sell commercial time in shows, you have to cut it to 88 minutes". David agrued to make it a 2 1/2 hour show then, but they would not relent. He sliced it mercilessly, and the resulting Pilot was not very good. It was shown to affiliates and sponsors in May of 1999, and nobody liked it. "Too slow", "Doesn't make sense...", etc. The network backers were all gone, no one fought for it. Dave was mad about the cut, and that was it, nobody wanted to talk about it any more except Imagine Entertainment (Ron Howard's company), who had a stake in it and didn't want to see their money go away.

But remember this significant news event from that time period, guys? 

I recall a long and very very favorable article that was written for the New Yorker once the pilot for Mulholland Drive had been filmed.  Then, the Columbine High School massacre.  Directly after, as usual, the US Congress went bonkers over what made those two suburban boys run amok like that?  Was it video games, violent movies and TV or bullying? 

Well, in my opinion it was none of those things but the confluence of two angry young boys who liked guns sharing a brain meld along with a common superiority complex that convinced and reinforced one another's fantasy that they were about to become immortal with the biggest school massacre in history!  Who would play Dylan and who would play Eric they discussed while planning their really big day.  

It was after Columbine that the network started to be very discriminating about shows with bloody random violence.  That's when it became "too slow" I believe.  I can't recall which other television show but another was also axed in its birth at the same time for excessive violence.

Network heads have as much gumption as your run of the mill university dean.  

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

If this "upbeat" guide to getting your show on TV is any indication of what David was going through, I can see why he never wants to deal with tv networks again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijFtbBPDt-I

I thought it would be interesting to let you know that here in Italy the third channel bought the rights for David Lynch's Mulholland Dr. to be aired.

The first time it was aired late night, at 11.30 pm or so and nobody (except the Lynch fans) did notice that MD was being aired. Now, with the occurance of the Venice Festival and its INLAND EMPIRE  premiere Enrico Ghezzi, the director of two independent evening shows on this channel, decided to air the film during the prime time show splitting it in short pieces so that it looked like a soap opera or any other TV-series.

In a way, everybody got to see this wonderful movie in pieces for a whole month! It was fairly entertaining, although this kind of airing method went against Lynch's law that prevents you from watching a film of his little by little

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

Susan, you bring up something interesting, because I forget who, but someone at ABC in a statement about MD did reference Columbine. I forgot about that. It was a way to whitewash the whole thing by hiding behind a socio-political event.

Hope springs eternal, maybe.

As for HBO, it was my understanding (John would know better) that HBO was not able to provide a sufficient budget necessary for Mulholland Drive.  It broke my heart that HBO and Lynch did not end up in a "It's not TV - It's HBO" marriage.  Could have been a perfect match as it's been for David Chase.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Screw ABC...I dont know why Lynch even tried to work with those guys again.

I get the impression of Mr Lynch that once the air has been let out of a particular balloon for him, it can't really be reinflated.  It would be inorganic.

Twin Peaks...on HBO? My God that would have been awesome!