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CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With Melissa Grego

Aired February 16, 2003 - 10:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Reality TV will take a big bite out of network ratings this week with several finale shows. There's the hunk on the horse, "Joe Millionaire." Well, he'll be picking the lucky winner and he'll be telling that person that he's really broke. Will she stick around? And the babe in the black dress, not in this shot, but there you go, that one right there. She'll be picking her Prince Charming or at least what she hopes is going to be her Prince Charming.
For some Hollywood writers, the popularity of such reality shows is quite the cause for a whole lot of anxiety. Why? Well, Melissa Grego with "Variety" magazine joins us now to talk about that and perhaps, you have some answers for us, Melissa. What's all the anxiety about?

MELISSA GREGO, "VARIETY" MAGAZINE: Well, you know, this show business is a business and like anything else, it's got cycles. Right now, the big cycle is reality television. When I started covering this business, someone half jokingly warned me, you know, that imitation is a sincerest form of television. And to a certain extent, you know, now more than ever, that is true. At the same time, obviously, TV can be one of the most creative businesses there is, but you know, reality is working. We've had some big hits and so, those are followed up by, you know, shows along the same lines. And that's just what's hot right now.

WHITFIELD: And there are some critics who were saying well while these shows ask for a lot of creativity on the producers' standpoint -- whoa! He almost fell off the horse, not quite the rider is he. However, the big problem is it's putting out of work a lot of writers and actors because it doesn't take a whole lot of talent to become a reality TV star, right?

GREGO: Well, you know, there is a certain element of casting that really is important to a reality show and I think that goes all of the way back to, you know, MTV's "The Real World" where the dynamics between the people on the show are really important.

WHITFIELD: Yes, but they're not actors. And that's the complaint from a lot of actors and writers in Hollywood who saying, OK, you put all of these reality shows on and all you do is, you know, get some folks off the street who don't mind, you know, putting their lives out in the open and putting themselves on TV and getting a quick little 15 minutes of fame.

GREGO: Right. WHITFIELD: In the meantime, these talented, trained writers and actors are not getting parts because the next fall lineup, I understand, is going to have something like 10 new reality show. So there aren't a whole lot of sitcoms or dramas to compete with these new reality shows, right?

GREGO: Right. Right. Well there are a lot of things actually going on. I mean it's not to the point where there are no dramas and no sitcoms on television. Those always...

WHITFIELD: There aren't as many.

GREGO: There are a few less, but at the same time, there are also a lot more opportunities in cable, for instance. There are a lot of -- that's sort of a burgeoning area for people who are writers, who want to write even more daring stuff, you know, whether it's on HBO or Showtime or on, you know, FX or USA. There are different networks that...

WHITFIELD: So Melissa, how do you see this? So how do you see this? This week, the finales of "Joe Millionaire," "The Bachelorette" and I think even "Surreal Life," right -- is it the fact that viewers, perhaps they're not as critical about their TV watching anymore or this stuff really is good?

GREGO: I think there's a little bit of both. You know, there certainly are kind of the genre leaders, the "Survivors", "The American Idols," "The Bachelor," things that were sort of first in their area and best in their area. And those will continue to survive. I think, you know, what we saw this past season where "The Bachelor" was going head-to-head with "The West Wing," "The Bachelor" started beating "The West Wing" in the ratings, in some key ratings among 18 to 49-year-olds. And what a lot of people told me was, you know, "The West Wing" was getting to be like work to follow for some people. And a reality show, you can just pop in. It's really easy to figure out what's going on. And you know, maybe...

WHITFIELD: You know maybe these reality shows are fairly cheap to put together, correct?

GREGO: For the most part, yes. For the most part, yes.

WHITFIELD: The networks are saving a dime or two.

GREGO: Yes, for the most part. I mean some of them, you know, have slowly creeped up. You know "Survivor," by no many means is produced for a small budget as it was when it started. That, you know, in success, these things get bigger and bigger budgets. But at the same time, you know, it's going to be a part of the TV landscape for a long time. I think...

WHITFIELD: Really? So you think reality TV is here to stay? You don't think folks are getting tired of it?

GREGO: I do. You know what? There are certainly some weaknesses starting to show. There was a show last week that was produced by the same producer of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," which I think are actually some of the better reality shows, that I thought was one of the weaker things that I've seen. And it's starting to show signs of weakness. You know maybe people are -- the same people are producing too many shows.

But at the same time, we're at a peak right now and we're going to continue to be at the peak. There are more scheduled this summer than ever, more reality shows.

WHITFIELD: OK.

GREGO: But at the same time, there are normally reruns, you know, in the summertime. So it's a matter of more original programming. It'll be part of the landscape to stay for a long time, I think, but not at this level, you know.

WHITFIELD: All right.

GREGO: Certainly, the good ones will stick around.

WHITFIELD: So ride the wave while the getting's good, right, Melissa?

GREGO: Yes, exactly.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Melissa Grego, of "Variety" magazine. God see you.

GREGO: Thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired February 16, 2003 - 10:40   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Reality TV will take a big bite out of network ratings this week with several finale shows. There's the hunk on the horse, "Joe Millionaire." Well, he'll be picking the lucky winner and he'll be telling that person that he's really broke. Will she stick around? And the babe in the black dress, not in this shot, but there you go, that one right there. She'll be picking her Prince Charming or at least what she hopes is going to be her Prince Charming.
For some Hollywood writers, the popularity of such reality shows is quite the cause for a whole lot of anxiety. Why? Well, Melissa Grego with "Variety" magazine joins us now to talk about that and perhaps, you have some answers for us, Melissa. What's all the anxiety about?

MELISSA GREGO, "VARIETY" MAGAZINE: Well, you know, this show business is a business and like anything else, it's got cycles. Right now, the big cycle is reality television. When I started covering this business, someone half jokingly warned me, you know, that imitation is a sincerest form of television. And to a certain extent, you know, now more than ever, that is true. At the same time, obviously, TV can be one of the most creative businesses there is, but you know, reality is working. We've had some big hits and so, those are followed up by, you know, shows along the same lines. And that's just what's hot right now.

WHITFIELD: And there are some critics who were saying well while these shows ask for a lot of creativity on the producers' standpoint -- whoa! He almost fell off the horse, not quite the rider is he. However, the big problem is it's putting out of work a lot of writers and actors because it doesn't take a whole lot of talent to become a reality TV star, right?

GREGO: Well, you know, there is a certain element of casting that really is important to a reality show and I think that goes all of the way back to, you know, MTV's "The Real World" where the dynamics between the people on the show are really important.

WHITFIELD: Yes, but they're not actors. And that's the complaint from a lot of actors and writers in Hollywood who saying, OK, you put all of these reality shows on and all you do is, you know, get some folks off the street who don't mind, you know, putting their lives out in the open and putting themselves on TV and getting a quick little 15 minutes of fame.

GREGO: Right. WHITFIELD: In the meantime, these talented, trained writers and actors are not getting parts because the next fall lineup, I understand, is going to have something like 10 new reality show. So there aren't a whole lot of sitcoms or dramas to compete with these new reality shows, right?

GREGO: Right. Right. Well there are a lot of things actually going on. I mean it's not to the point where there are no dramas and no sitcoms on television. Those always...

WHITFIELD: There aren't as many.

GREGO: There are a few less, but at the same time, there are also a lot more opportunities in cable, for instance. There are a lot of -- that's sort of a burgeoning area for people who are writers, who want to write even more daring stuff, you know, whether it's on HBO or Showtime or on, you know, FX or USA. There are different networks that...

WHITFIELD: So Melissa, how do you see this? So how do you see this? This week, the finales of "Joe Millionaire," "The Bachelorette" and I think even "Surreal Life," right -- is it the fact that viewers, perhaps they're not as critical about their TV watching anymore or this stuff really is good?

GREGO: I think there's a little bit of both. You know, there certainly are kind of the genre leaders, the "Survivors", "The American Idols," "The Bachelor," things that were sort of first in their area and best in their area. And those will continue to survive. I think, you know, what we saw this past season where "The Bachelor" was going head-to-head with "The West Wing," "The Bachelor" started beating "The West Wing" in the ratings, in some key ratings among 18 to 49-year-olds. And what a lot of people told me was, you know, "The West Wing" was getting to be like work to follow for some people. And a reality show, you can just pop in. It's really easy to figure out what's going on. And you know, maybe...

WHITFIELD: You know maybe these reality shows are fairly cheap to put together, correct?

GREGO: For the most part, yes. For the most part, yes.

WHITFIELD: The networks are saving a dime or two.

GREGO: Yes, for the most part. I mean some of them, you know, have slowly creeped up. You know "Survivor," by no many means is produced for a small budget as it was when it started. That, you know, in success, these things get bigger and bigger budgets. But at the same time, you know, it's going to be a part of the TV landscape for a long time. I think...

WHITFIELD: Really? So you think reality TV is here to stay? You don't think folks are getting tired of it?

GREGO: I do. You know what? There are certainly some weaknesses starting to show. There was a show last week that was produced by the same producer of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," which I think are actually some of the better reality shows, that I thought was one of the weaker things that I've seen. And it's starting to show signs of weakness. You know maybe people are -- the same people are producing too many shows.

But at the same time, we're at a peak right now and we're going to continue to be at the peak. There are more scheduled this summer than ever, more reality shows.

WHITFIELD: OK.

GREGO: But at the same time, there are normally reruns, you know, in the summertime. So it's a matter of more original programming. It'll be part of the landscape to stay for a long time, I think, but not at this level, you know.

WHITFIELD: All right.

GREGO: Certainly, the good ones will stick around.

WHITFIELD: So ride the wave while the getting's good, right, Melissa?

GREGO: Yes, exactly.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Melissa Grego, of "Variety" magazine. God see you.

GREGO: Thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com