The annual broadcast TV upfronts are an opportunity for networks to trot out new shows and top talent to advertisers — but it's also the time of year when that talent remind themselves that their industry is called show business. The upfronts put the business in the show and put the shows on display to do some business. The Frame's John Horn tracked down some talent in and around the Fox upfront presentation to get their perspective on what this annual confab means to them.
Interview Highlights
Lee Daniels, “Empire” + “Star”
You’ve been to award shows and film festivals. If people have never been to an upfront, how do you explain it to them?
I’m still processing it myself. You are selling the advertisers to the show. You’re selling them what the network is producing. My first year doing it was for "Empire" and I just thought it was cheesy. I thought, 'What is this song and dance and pony show?" And then I realized, "Oh no, this is quite important. This is very, very important." I really gathered this time around that it was more about making sure that advertisers understood, not only content, but the demographic and the importance of their dollar and how it was being spent.
What are you thinking as you’re watching these kids present your new series "Star"?
I was very nervous because I thought people would just compare it to the biggest hit on TV.
Which is your show, Empire...
They just build you up to drag you down, so you’re just preparing for the rug to be yanked from under you. But I thought that we held our own and showed that "Star" is the anti-"Empire" in many ways. Even though we’re dealing with an urban environment of wealth in "Empire," now we’re dealing with grit, poverty and ruthlessness — what these girls will do to get to the top.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2snL9QUIZI&feature=youtu.be
The Fox presentation started with the cast of "Empire," and at the end of the presentation was bookended by the cast of "Star." It really was the Lee Daniels show, even if you didn’t come out on stage.
It was terrifying. Overwhelming. I started crying at the end of it because I got caught up in this TV racket. I’m a filmmaker. I didn’t think I would have to stay, but I have to stay for a bit.
Peter Jacobson, “House" + “Colony”
Once you’re in a show, once you’re cast and once you’ve shot a pilot — is the upfront the ultimate or the penultimate test for the actor to say, here’s what I’ve got?
It’s definitely the penultimate, because the ultimate is the numbers that come in and whether or not you’re sticking around to do the upfronts the next season. You get dressed up and rolled out on stage, people ask you questions and then you have a big party. Mostly it’s about meeting and mingling with the executives and, obviously, the advertisers. I’ve always felt like it’s part of my job to be as friendly and forthcoming in that situation, because it’s what we do. It’s what we get paid for.
These are really nervous moments, right? Getting on a series and being a regular is really the difference between having a steady income and starting to scrap for a job all over again.
I have nothing to say because that was perfectly put. It’s an exciting time, because you shot the pilot. That usually happens sometime between January and March, and then in April you hear rumors that are never true and facts that aren’t facts. My rule on this, whatever you hear is bull----. Literally, if the head of the network came to my house and said "You're picked up," I would consider it a lie.
Geena Davis, “The Exorcist”
How do the upfronts fit into the sequence of getting a show on the air?
Well, this is the last step before it gets on the air. This is what you wait for and what you do all that work for. It’s very exciting to hear that we got picked up! We all loved the pilot and we loved shooting it. I think it’s going to be really fun.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/942170
In film, there are not a lot of parts for women who are above 25. Does television give older actresses an opportunity to keep acting and play meaningful roles?
Definitely. TV is doing a better job than film. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s doing a much better job. My research institute has looked at all of that. There are more opportunities for women now. We all can name shows that are very gender-balanced and very diverse. Also, female characters get to do more on TV. In our research on occupations of female characters in film, only 20 percent of those jobs are held by female characters. It’s hard to find a top judge or a lawyer or a politician, whereas you really can on TV.
Guests:
Lee Daniels is a filmmaker whose credits include "The Butler," "Monster's Ball" and "Precious." His first upfront was when he presented "Empire," which he co-created with Danny Strong. This year at the Fox upfront he presented his new show "Star."
Geena Davis has attended the upfronts twice before this year for her comedy "The Geena Davis Show" and for the drama "Commander in Chief." This year she is in attendance for the Fox reboot of "The Exorcist."
Peter Jacobson is a working actor who has been to the upfronts five or six times, mostly with the Fox medical drama "House" on which he was a regular for five seasons. Now he's in the USA show "Colony."