I don't think a show's ever changed networks in the middle of the season before, but it was cool because they gave us those extra couple years of life that was necessary to get us to syndication.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Every year, the Friday before the new Saturday-morning shows would premiere, the networks would do this big preview special, and I was always glued to the TV. As horrible as they were, they were entertaining at the time. There was a lot of showmanship from the networks based around the new lineup.
Cable series have more time to focus on characters, and a structure that allows for a development in character as you go along. Network shows have a pressure of time and space that is completely different.
We were making new ones the second year. We were in syndication the second year. So we were on Saturday nights, prime time, every morning, and then they put it on Sunday evenings too. So it was all over the place.
I knew I wanted to do a show on NBC - it's rooted in its history; it's part rooted in nostalgia and part rooted in the potential of it. For me, there was no other choice.
I've been on one TV series after another. None of the network decisions have ever made sense to me.
There was concern whether SCI FI would want the show back with all the recent changes. But now, the changes have made it feel fresh, like starting over.
But as a result of that, there was, once the show ended, there was this talk for sort of four, five months about what was going to happen, and if we were going to move to Showtime, and if we were going to be bought by ABC or whatever.
I've been on so many primetime shows that were cancelled - after one episode, after 10 episodes, after just one season. I got used to that. But I found myself choking up a bit at 'OLTL.' It was really hard to say goodbye to those people. It was not the way we wanted to go out.
I respect the hell out of everyone who does a network show. That is a marathon. It's so many episodes, and it can be a meat grinder. Anyone making a network show, and on top of that making a very good network show, that's an insane feat of Herculean endurance and fortitude.
I've never been on a TV show for more than a season and you have to continually keep it interesting and you have to keep it connected, even as you change.