Cougar Town/Scrubs Creator Bill Lawrence Has a Lot to Say About the State of Network TV

Who do you think serves as a beacon for this kind of change?

I don't know, man, you never expect it. Let's be honest: Jon Stewart did it first. If that were a network show, it would be successful, and it's not in the same vein as these guys. It's snarky, and it goes after the issues, and it's an equal-opportunity offender. You know? Maybe the transition to that kind of sensibility [can work] on network TV. My dad is as conservative as they get, and he tells me every night what he liked about The Daily Show.

Have we reached a point where the reign of reality TV can never be stopped? Is there a scripted comedy that can win control back?

The cynic in me says that there's no real chance anymore for the true, giant, grab-the-zeitgeist-by-the-hold monster hit, unless you are something like American Idol that appeals to all levels of age, economy, everything. Only because television, and it's exciting for writers, except from the network angle, has become a niche media. My father has 200 channels, man. He likes to watch what he likes. He watches Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. He loves that shit. You know? When I was a kid, I knew CBS, Monday night, M*A*S*H* was on. But like, now, Modern Family, biggest breakout comedy hit of the year? When I was doing Spin City, that demo rating wouldn't have been in the top 50. And that's not a long lifetime ago. So that's the reality.

What's will revitalize multicamera sitcoms for you? Is there a particular idea that, now, would strike a nerve?

It's not about the idea. It's the exact opposite. Multicamera sitcoms are 100% about execution. When multicamera sitcoms fail, besides for obvious reasons, which is they're miscast or poorly written or there's no chemistry, there was a wave when they really started to fail -- when single-camera comedy got popular. In single-camera, you can go out on locations, and they seem more modern and hipper, and there was this wave of multicamera sitcoms -- and I think I even made a pilot that didn't work -- that were trying to be cool and hip. Like 'Hey! It's three single gals that live by themselves in a cool apartment in SoHo!' Except that there's backdrops and everyone stands around. It didn't work. "They say 'frack' and 'fudge'!" Multicamera works when it's a throwback. You look at Raymond, what CBS is doing, those are shows that could've been on TV -- albeit a little less raunchy -- 20 years before. That's what someone needs. They need that lucky chemistry of cast, decent writing, good producing. It's pure escapist entertainment. I know it still works. Two reasons, man: One, I still watch reruns and like them, as do a lot of people. Two, if you look at the highest-rated shows on cable TV, they are as traditional as a four-camera sitcom comes, when you look at Hannah Montana or Suite Life of Zach and Cody. And by the way, it's so weird, as a producer, that you hear executives go, "Man. These kids! Their attention spans! You have to feed them little bits of comedy!" Except for the millions of kids that are watching traditional sitcoms on the Disney Channel. Those kids are different.

Pages: 1 2 3 4