Can someone please explain the rift between Donald P. Bellisario & David James Elliott. Why did he want DJE to leave in the 10th (and final) season? Did DJE leave by choice? Did DPB really think the show could go on much longer upon DJE's exit? When did Vukovic join the show and why did they make him annoying?
I don't understand tv producers. Don't they realize fans are loyal to their shows and don't like these unnecessary cast shake ups. DJE was on the show for 10 years! What made DPB think people wouldn't be upset by his absence. Hollywood makes foolish decisions sometimes!
Full Version: DPB & DJE
First of all Hollywood is a business....JAG was a very expensive show to produce, and wasn't garnering CBS all that much money in advertising dollars. The last time DJE renewed his contract, Karri Turner's role was reduced, Chuck Carrington and possibly Randy Vazquez, had their roles eliminated due to the increase in DJE's salary. DJE's salary was 1/6 of JAG's total budget....
Do I fault him for getting more money? No, an actor has to *get* what they can while they can, DJE has a family to support and so on...It's not a nice business at times for sure!
As for the rest, I believe that there is so *much* more that happened behind the scenes that us fans don't know about...I don't think it was *all* DB's fault, I think there's so much more to it that that. There was a lot of stuff that happened off set, and quite frankly I don't want to know about that kind of stuff. Mainly I think it was a business decision, a no win business decision, I think the network is partly to blame, I believe they gave DB an ultimatum about lowering costs, and DB tried and it didn't work. Hollywood is a nasty business, and though we tend to *adore* our actors an actresses, we sometimes do forget IMHO that it is in fact a business.
JAG wasn't doing well in the 18-25 demographic group that the networks so want to pander too....its my belief (my opinion only) that even *if* DJE had renewed his contract, JAG would've been cut loose, because again, it would've cost more to produce and it just wasn't making the money for the network. It stinks, it really does, but again its a business.
DBn IMHO knew the risk, but he also had 300+ people working for him on the JAG set, and yes while its hard to replace a lead actor or actress, if you can get the show to continue on, and keep people working, why not at least try? If Catherine Bell had been the one whose contract was up, the same thing probably would've happened because of the cost of keeping the leads.
I don't think it was anything personal....I know a lot of the DJE fans do think it was personal, and that Don Bellisario is a total *&($#@Q, but I think it was a business decision, one based upon things that happened behind the scenes, which again, I really don't want to know about LOL!
Do I fault him for getting more money? No, an actor has to *get* what they can while they can, DJE has a family to support and so on...It's not a nice business at times for sure!
As for the rest, I believe that there is so *much* more that happened behind the scenes that us fans don't know about...I don't think it was *all* DB's fault, I think there's so much more to it that that. There was a lot of stuff that happened off set, and quite frankly I don't want to know about that kind of stuff. Mainly I think it was a business decision, a no win business decision, I think the network is partly to blame, I believe they gave DB an ultimatum about lowering costs, and DB tried and it didn't work. Hollywood is a nasty business, and though we tend to *adore* our actors an actresses, we sometimes do forget IMHO that it is in fact a business.
JAG wasn't doing well in the 18-25 demographic group that the networks so want to pander too....its my belief (my opinion only) that even *if* DJE had renewed his contract, JAG would've been cut loose, because again, it would've cost more to produce and it just wasn't making the money for the network. It stinks, it really does, but again its a business.
DBn IMHO knew the risk, but he also had 300+ people working for him on the JAG set, and yes while its hard to replace a lead actor or actress, if you can get the show to continue on, and keep people working, why not at least try? If Catherine Bell had been the one whose contract was up, the same thing probably would've happened because of the cost of keeping the leads.
I don't think it was anything personal....I know a lot of the DJE fans do think it was personal, and that Don Bellisario is a total *&($#@Q, but I think it was a business decision, one based upon things that happened behind the scenes, which again, I really don't want to know about LOL!
Excellent analysis, PT!! You nailed it IMHO.
PT, you did a great job of explaining a lot of how things work.
Ruby, while many of DJE's more rabid fans would like to lay sole blame for DJE's departure from JAG on DPB's doorstep, as PT said, there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than 95% of the fandom knows (or wants to know) about.
For the information that is readily available, let's start with some basic finances.
JAG cost between $2.4 and $2.7 million per episode to make (based on figures released during season 7 which had the cost at just over $2.3 mil). We know that during negotiations for seasons 9 and 10, DJE "leaked" that he was getting $300K per episode. Kip, the JAG insider who used to post at the Yahoo list, denied that figure saying that DJE wasn't making quite that much. So splitting the difference, let's say DJE was making $275,000 per episode for season 9 and probably $280-285 for season 10. At the same time, to keep the budget from exploding, many of the supporting/recurring characters were further reduced or eliminated completely. Was DJE's salary the blame? Not wholly, no, but it did have an affect that went beyond how big a trailer DJE had on set.
At the same time, every one of the remaining cast and crew had their own salaries go up. Some out of current contract raises (most union contracts require a minimum pay increase per year, plus increase in benefit contributions) and some as a means of keeping the good talent on the show. All of that contributes to a larger per episode budget.
As seasons 9 and 10 air, CBS is well aware that ratings aren't as high as they had been in the past. Some of this could be pushed off as the day/time change from Tuesday to Friday, but a lot of it is due to lack of viewers. Could that be attributed to a Friday night time slot? Sure, to some degree. But since the bulk of JAG viewers were in their 40s and 50s, that wasn't seen as a deciding factor on moving it off Fridays.
Season 10 starts. DJE's contract is up for negotiation again. DPB knows that if he renegos with DJE, there's virtually no shot of JAG going to season 11. So instead, he starts working on a possible spin-off. My guess is that JAG: San Diego was the concept he was aiming for with CB as the lead and Chris Beetam as her co-star.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, things changed behind the scenes. For reasons not readily available, DJE opted to reduce his time on set, which forced production to bring in Vukovic's character much sooner than originally planned. I personally think that at least two or three of the scripts we saw Vic in were written with Harm in mind, but because of the reduced work schedule, they had to do quick fixes to keep the shoot scheduling going forward.
All of this was a contributing factor to the ultimate demise of the show. The episode that CBS was looking at to determine potential spin-off-ability, happened to air on a day that most of the southern states preempted JAG for basketball. That skewed the numbers and made it look like it had a lot less viewers than a typical episode had. The network was also looking at the demographics of all the episodes that aired in 2005 up to that point to see if the coveted 18-49 were going up. Unfortunately, those figures weren't going up as much as they needed to to keep the show, in any incarnation, going.
About that time, DPB was notified that renewal wasn't looking very good, but nothing official was forthcoming. That's why there are several different versions of the Fair Winds script, some that had no definite conclusion to the Harm and Mac relationship, others that had variations of a pairing and the one we saw. The scripts was tweaked up until (and through) shooting to give the show a decent send-off.
I personally think that JAG: San Diego could have worked if given half a chance. We'll never know because CBS decided that pandering to the younger set was more important.
Ruby, while many of DJE's more rabid fans would like to lay sole blame for DJE's departure from JAG on DPB's doorstep, as PT said, there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than 95% of the fandom knows (or wants to know) about.
For the information that is readily available, let's start with some basic finances.
JAG cost between $2.4 and $2.7 million per episode to make (based on figures released during season 7 which had the cost at just over $2.3 mil). We know that during negotiations for seasons 9 and 10, DJE "leaked" that he was getting $300K per episode. Kip, the JAG insider who used to post at the Yahoo list, denied that figure saying that DJE wasn't making quite that much. So splitting the difference, let's say DJE was making $275,000 per episode for season 9 and probably $280-285 for season 10. At the same time, to keep the budget from exploding, many of the supporting/recurring characters were further reduced or eliminated completely. Was DJE's salary the blame? Not wholly, no, but it did have an affect that went beyond how big a trailer DJE had on set.
At the same time, every one of the remaining cast and crew had their own salaries go up. Some out of current contract raises (most union contracts require a minimum pay increase per year, plus increase in benefit contributions) and some as a means of keeping the good talent on the show. All of that contributes to a larger per episode budget.
As seasons 9 and 10 air, CBS is well aware that ratings aren't as high as they had been in the past. Some of this could be pushed off as the day/time change from Tuesday to Friday, but a lot of it is due to lack of viewers. Could that be attributed to a Friday night time slot? Sure, to some degree. But since the bulk of JAG viewers were in their 40s and 50s, that wasn't seen as a deciding factor on moving it off Fridays.
Season 10 starts. DJE's contract is up for negotiation again. DPB knows that if he renegos with DJE, there's virtually no shot of JAG going to season 11. So instead, he starts working on a possible spin-off. My guess is that JAG: San Diego was the concept he was aiming for with CB as the lead and Chris Beetam as her co-star.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, things changed behind the scenes. For reasons not readily available, DJE opted to reduce his time on set, which forced production to bring in Vukovic's character much sooner than originally planned. I personally think that at least two or three of the scripts we saw Vic in were written with Harm in mind, but because of the reduced work schedule, they had to do quick fixes to keep the shoot scheduling going forward.
All of this was a contributing factor to the ultimate demise of the show. The episode that CBS was looking at to determine potential spin-off-ability, happened to air on a day that most of the southern states preempted JAG for basketball. That skewed the numbers and made it look like it had a lot less viewers than a typical episode had. The network was also looking at the demographics of all the episodes that aired in 2005 up to that point to see if the coveted 18-49 were going up. Unfortunately, those figures weren't going up as much as they needed to to keep the show, in any incarnation, going.
About that time, DPB was notified that renewal wasn't looking very good, but nothing official was forthcoming. That's why there are several different versions of the Fair Winds script, some that had no definite conclusion to the Harm and Mac relationship, others that had variations of a pairing and the one we saw. The scripts was tweaked up until (and through) shooting to give the show a decent send-off.
I personally think that JAG: San Diego could have worked if given half a chance. We'll never know because CBS decided that pandering to the younger set was more important.
All very interesting with several facts I didn't know until now, such as the basketball conflict. It's too bad that JAG San Diego conflicted with games on Mar. 11 (I looked at a JAG episode guide for dates). Unfortunate timing. It must have been the weekend of conference final tournaments because there were no JAGs from Mar. 11 to April 1, the Fridays CBS would have been carrying NCAA Tournament games into the weekends.
Living in a university town that's big into basketball, I can imagine a lot of t.v. stations all over the U.S. pre-empted regular programs in favor of their conference semi-finals that Friday night. Even if CBS weren't the designated conference station, the fans would follow their teams at JAG-San Diego's expense. Too bad for ratings and the possible spin-off.
Living in a university town that's big into basketball, I can imagine a lot of t.v. stations all over the U.S. pre-empted regular programs in favor of their conference semi-finals that Friday night. Even if CBS weren't the designated conference station, the fans would follow their teams at JAG-San Diego's expense. Too bad for ratings and the possible spin-off.
I live in the South, where ACC Basketball is the *bomb*....a lot of the States were showing Regional ACC tournaments, that were gearing up for whoever from the conference would be going to the March Madness, a/k/a the NCAA Tourney....
Like I said, I don't want to know exactly what happened...Cause I don't want to have my views skewed on any of the actors, producers, etc....that's why it SHOULD and HAS remained behind the scenes.....
I wish all parties success....DB with NCIS and whatever else he comes up with, DJE reportedly is shooting a pilot for ABC, CB is reading scripts and had a huge success with The Triangle, JMJ has a recurring role in Bones, and so on.
Like I said, we as fans tend to *adore* the actors/actresses that are part of our favorite shows....we IMHO tend to push aside that this is still a business, and its obviously a very hard, nasty business at times, where tough decisions are made, some of those the fans obviously don't like or agree with, but we aren't the ones who are footing the bills.
Its a dog eat dog world, and I'm soooo glad I'm not in Hollywood LOL!
Like I said, I don't want to know exactly what happened...Cause I don't want to have my views skewed on any of the actors, producers, etc....that's why it SHOULD and HAS remained behind the scenes.....
I wish all parties success....DB with NCIS and whatever else he comes up with, DJE reportedly is shooting a pilot for ABC, CB is reading scripts and had a huge success with The Triangle, JMJ has a recurring role in Bones, and so on.
Like I said, we as fans tend to *adore* the actors/actresses that are part of our favorite shows....we IMHO tend to push aside that this is still a business, and its obviously a very hard, nasty business at times, where tough decisions are made, some of those the fans obviously don't like or agree with, but we aren't the ones who are footing the bills.
Its a dog eat dog world, and I'm soooo glad I'm not in Hollywood LOL!
Here is a link to a TV Guide article on this subject. It was stated that DJE had cut back on the time he was on set, but this article says something else. If you are serious about wanting to know do some searching on line. You can then make up your mind.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Insider/defa...mp;cmsSrch=true
Two weeks after this interview TV Guide printed a short letter in the viewers column from DJE. In it he said that he was sorry that his long association with DPB ended the way it did and that he very much appreciated the opportunity that DBP, CBS and Paramount had given him. From what I heard it was from DJE.
This is just one of several interviews that were done at the time, if you do a search you may be able to turn them up.
As for "March Madness" taking away from JAG: San Diego...thats pretty much a stretch. The 18-35 year old demo's do not stay home to watch TV on Friday nights unless it's something big like basketball. That's the reason JAG was moved to Friday, it's viewers were mostly in the older demos who are home on Fridays.
And yes JAG was an expensive show to make considering the revenue it brought in, but the biggest reason it wasn't renewed is that it was a 10 year old show and it was time. At the end of season 9 CBS made it pretty clear they weren't looking to give it another season. Harriet's comment that "they were trying to save their jobs" would have rung true accept for the fact that (and this came from someone who spoke with one of the producers) "JAG has no budget, but the skies the limit for NCIS". If they were serious about revamping JAG into a show that would appeal to younger viewers they would have been sinking in the money needed to make that happen. They weren't. It's sad that it ended the way it did, but I am glad it ended. DPB's willingness to trash the military had only begun with the introduction of Lt. V., I cringe to see what would have come next.
Hollywood is a business just like any other. And as in other business's it's the man at the top who is responsible for the way his business is operated. I use to be a big fan of DPB, would defend him to everyone, but what happened to JAG left a bitter taste in my mouth. What should have been a great season to end JAG with the dignity it deserved turned into a season that was flatlined from the start and rushed at the end to wrap up the loose ends they should have started tying up early in the season. JAG and the fans that faithfully watched it for 10 seasons deserved better. But apparently DPB didn't think so.
Despite the way JAG ended it's still one of the best shows to ever air on TV. Even though I have all 227 episodes edited to DVD I will still buy at least the first 8 seasons on DVD when they come out. In one thing DPB was right, JAG has a timeless quality about it that will pull new viewers for years to come.
I would suggest that you check out the TV Guide article soon as it's been almost a year and it may be changed soon. If you miss it and would like to read it post here and I can send to you as it's in my files.
DJE is fliming a new pilot called "The Sixty Minute Man" for ABC. It's about a suburban family man who realizes he is missing an hour of each day and can't remember what he did. It's a serial drama and from what I've read about the characters and the pilot script it looks like it may be worth watching if it makes it to TV. By the way, the character he plays is afraid of heights.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Insider/defa...mp;cmsSrch=true
Two weeks after this interview TV Guide printed a short letter in the viewers column from DJE. In it he said that he was sorry that his long association with DPB ended the way it did and that he very much appreciated the opportunity that DBP, CBS and Paramount had given him. From what I heard it was from DJE.
This is just one of several interviews that were done at the time, if you do a search you may be able to turn them up.
As for "March Madness" taking away from JAG: San Diego...thats pretty much a stretch. The 18-35 year old demo's do not stay home to watch TV on Friday nights unless it's something big like basketball. That's the reason JAG was moved to Friday, it's viewers were mostly in the older demos who are home on Fridays.
And yes JAG was an expensive show to make considering the revenue it brought in, but the biggest reason it wasn't renewed is that it was a 10 year old show and it was time. At the end of season 9 CBS made it pretty clear they weren't looking to give it another season. Harriet's comment that "they were trying to save their jobs" would have rung true accept for the fact that (and this came from someone who spoke with one of the producers) "JAG has no budget, but the skies the limit for NCIS". If they were serious about revamping JAG into a show that would appeal to younger viewers they would have been sinking in the money needed to make that happen. They weren't. It's sad that it ended the way it did, but I am glad it ended. DPB's willingness to trash the military had only begun with the introduction of Lt. V., I cringe to see what would have come next.
Hollywood is a business just like any other. And as in other business's it's the man at the top who is responsible for the way his business is operated. I use to be a big fan of DPB, would defend him to everyone, but what happened to JAG left a bitter taste in my mouth. What should have been a great season to end JAG with the dignity it deserved turned into a season that was flatlined from the start and rushed at the end to wrap up the loose ends they should have started tying up early in the season. JAG and the fans that faithfully watched it for 10 seasons deserved better. But apparently DPB didn't think so.
Despite the way JAG ended it's still one of the best shows to ever air on TV. Even though I have all 227 episodes edited to DVD I will still buy at least the first 8 seasons on DVD when they come out. In one thing DPB was right, JAG has a timeless quality about it that will pull new viewers for years to come.
I would suggest that you check out the TV Guide article soon as it's been almost a year and it may be changed soon. If you miss it and would like to read it post here and I can send to you as it's in my files.
DJE is fliming a new pilot called "The Sixty Minute Man" for ABC. It's about a suburban family man who realizes he is missing an hour of each day and can't remember what he did. It's a serial drama and from what I've read about the characters and the pilot script it looks like it may be worth watching if it makes it to TV. By the way, the character he plays is afraid of heights.
How many shows have lasted longer than 10 years? The Simpsons may have, but that's a whole other subject. As badly as I hated to see JAG go, it probably was at the end of its life. Some may disagree.
Quote:
As badly as I hated to see JAG go, it probably was at the end of its life. Some may disagree.
You won't get any disagreement frome me on that. I think that's the main reason JAG was cancelled. After 10 years, it was time, and as much as I hate to say it, JAG was showing its age. And I bet just about all involved (if not all) were ready to move on.
Yes, I wasn't too thrilled with Season 10 or 9, they
were mostly repeated storylines and stuff like that.
Not very attention holding.
were mostly repeated storylines and stuff like that.
Not very attention holding.
QUOTE (Ninja_Girl @ Feb 24 2006, 12:23 PM) 
How many shows have lasted longer than 10 years?
yrs eps US primetime drama
20 635 Gunsmoke (Western)
20 588 Lassie (incl. syndication)
20 436 Simpsons (Animated)
18 420 Law & Order (Police, revolving cast)
14 430 Bonanza (Western)
12 284 Hawaii Five-O (Police)
12 261 NYPD Blue (Police)
11 251 MASH (Dramedy)
11 243 7th Heaven (Family)
10 227 JAG
Also -
"Ski Week"
10 years
130 episodes
Nationally syndicated series about the sport of skiing.
(Not in the same caliber of your list, but as I was the producer, I'm still proud of it)
"Ski Week"
10 years
130 episodes
Nationally syndicated series about the sport of skiing.
(Not in the same caliber of your list, but as I was the producer, I'm still proud of it)
Congratulations on the long run with your show. Is it no longer on the air?
Maybe you would comment on the challenges and difficulties of keeping a show on the air for an extended time. I doubt your show involved maintaining a cast of actors, which would add a whole new dynamic to things, but surely there is a lot of similarity in producing a show that a network or individual tv station is willing to broadcast year after year.
Where was Ski Week on the air? What was the focus? Techniques for skiing, best locations, human interest stories about people who ski? Just curious.
My favorite long-running syndicated show is Texas Country Reporter which we receive on RFD-TV through DISH Network. I understand it has been on since the 1970s and each week has 30 minutes with 3 features about interesting Texans doing interesting things of all kinds. It is on Friday night and again on Sunday morning.
Maybe you would comment on the challenges and difficulties of keeping a show on the air for an extended time. I doubt your show involved maintaining a cast of actors, which would add a whole new dynamic to things, but surely there is a lot of similarity in producing a show that a network or individual tv station is willing to broadcast year after year.
Where was Ski Week on the air? What was the focus? Techniques for skiing, best locations, human interest stories about people who ski? Just curious.
My favorite long-running syndicated show is Texas Country Reporter which we receive on RFD-TV through DISH Network. I understand it has been on since the 1970s and each week has 30 minutes with 3 features about interesting Texans doing interesting things of all kinds. It is on Friday night and again on Sunday morning.
Thanks for your kind comments.
"Ski Week" ran from 1982 to 1991 on various independent stations around the country. It was a half hour, magazine format show, and we went to a different ski area each week. The first half of the show was shot skiing with an area guide, showing off the ski area. The whole crew were all good skiers, so we were able to cover a lot. That was followed by the "Ski Tip" of the week, and followed by the "Ski Week Theater" which featured special clips from all different sources (from Warren Miller, fashion shows, equipment demos, etc.) We shot at almost every ski area in the northeast, parts of Canada, as far west as Colorado, and two trips to Europe covering Switzerland, Austria with side trips to Germany and Holland.
We did 13 shows a year, then repeated each show for a run of 26 weeks per year. We were lucky enough to earn a few awards and had great fun with it.
That was followed up with a similar series about short track auto racing called "RaceTime". That aired on New England Sports Network. NESN is seen nationwide on DirecTV channel 628 and many cable companies. However, that only ran from 2000 to 2002.
"Ski Week" ran from 1982 to 1991 on various independent stations around the country. It was a half hour, magazine format show, and we went to a different ski area each week. The first half of the show was shot skiing with an area guide, showing off the ski area. The whole crew were all good skiers, so we were able to cover a lot. That was followed by the "Ski Tip" of the week, and followed by the "Ski Week Theater" which featured special clips from all different sources (from Warren Miller, fashion shows, equipment demos, etc.) We shot at almost every ski area in the northeast, parts of Canada, as far west as Colorado, and two trips to Europe covering Switzerland, Austria with side trips to Germany and Holland.
We did 13 shows a year, then repeated each show for a run of 26 weeks per year. We were lucky enough to earn a few awards and had great fun with it.
That was followed up with a similar series about short track auto racing called "RaceTime". That aired on New England Sports Network. NESN is seen nationwide on DirecTV channel 628 and many cable companies. However, that only ran from 2000 to 2002.
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