At the time, I used to say, "We should market this like Everybody Loves Raymond. It's just a guy dealing with his family." Instead, it was irresistible to show all these funny people. So, I actually think this could be more inviting to a new audience because they can just watch one character, find out what's going on in his life, and then meet another character and find out what's going on in her life, and then see how it intersects the other one.
I think it actually makes more sense for a new audience than the old show did because we're focusing on one character at a time. It's all conjecture why somebody didn't watch, but one of the theories was that there was just so much information, even in the trailers and promos, of all these different people.
We mapped out the whole movie, and then worked backwards from that to do these shows. It might not be a movie. It might be something else.
As somebody who wanted to be creative, growing up, I remember always thinking that the thing I had going against me was Orange County because it seemed like all of the comedy was coming out of New York, and it still is, to a certain extent.
I joked recently that I thought 30 seconds a day for three years would be the best way to enjoy it, and I'm going to stand by that statement.
One of the best ways into the business is to get a job with a production, which you can do by cold-calling or by getting your résumé out there, and also through contacts. That's where nepotism really helps.
I always liked magic. I was always embarrassed by liking magic because I liked the fact that they're just lying.
The TV industry works in this crazy system where everybody's trying to get the same actors at the same time.
Television is so much about continuing to work with people.
I think it's a big part of being a creative person.
Character is what someone does, much more than who they are. I can be sarcastic or I can be fearful, but it doesn't really matter until there's a story - until someone comes in and holds us hostage.
Regret is a tricky word. Here's a big secret: nobody knows what wasn't.
I think of there being two conditions that creative people go through. I think it's fear and curiosity.
I have this identity for myself as a writer and the only thing that can happen is that I chip away from it.
I remember being asked when I was in high school what do I want to do when I grow up and the answer is so indicative - I would like to have been a successful playwright.
The "executive producer" title either means that you're the person who created, or co-created, the show, or you're the person who's in charge of day-to-day operations. Whereas "producer" is often just a writing credit.
For the most part you are dealing with jealousy, you are dealing with love, you're dealing with hatred, you are dealing with revenge and all of these sort of classic things.
The more constraints I have, the more opportunities I have to be creative to fix those constraints.
But, you have to watch them in order. That's very important because, as it turns out, stories have to be told in order. It's like reading a novel. There are times when it's tiring. And then, you get hooked and it's a page-turner, and you really want to keep reading. I do think there will be some fatigue that sets in.
One of the things I liked about bringing this show back was that it gives people something to look forward to. In doing the show, I was very aware that some people will watch it all in one night, but there is enough that it will be fun to re-watch. Hopefully, people will be laughing a lot.
What you'll gain is the macro story. You'll get a good command of that. And what you might lose is some of the fun of it.
My knee-jerk is that it is comedy and, if you watch them all back-to-back, you will gain something and you will lose something.
One of the great things about TV is the story to tell can be very internal and really character-based.
Writers need restrictions. If somebody just says, "Hey, do you want to write a novel, or an article, or a movie, or a short story, you get shut down."
Everybody keeps falling back to the same patterns without doing too much dramaturgy.
