Thanks to the Hollywood writers strike which seems to have no end in sight, repackaging and editing popular pay cable series on broadcast networks is on the horizon.
Michael C. Hall - Sunday, 28 January 2007. EPA/PAUL BUCK
CBS Corp. president and CEO Leslie Moonves told the Hollywood Reporter that CBS is planning to run some series that air on its Showtime cable unit, including the offbeat serial murderer in Miami tale, "Dexter."
"'Dexter' is probably the first one to go on -- with some edits," Moonves told reporters at UBS' Global Media & Communications Conference in New York. "It fits with our crime shows."
The show "Dexter" is a huge critical and ratings success for Showtime, and stars Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under) as a Miami police forensics expert who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer with a code of conscience.
Moonves said it should come "in the near future."
Now in its second season on Showtime, "Dexter" has broken ratings records for the premium cable network. The November 18 episode ranked as the most-watched in Showtime history.
The high production value stunner "The Tudors," starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers which chronicles the lusty young King Henry VIII and the brilliant dark comedy "Weeds," starring Elizabeth Perkins, Kevin Nealon and Mary Louise Parker are also being considered, though heavy editing will have to happen to make them broadcast primetime ready.
With scripted series running out of original episodes, the broadcast networks have been exploring the idea of recycling series from their sister cable networks as a strike plan B.
NBC may run USA's "Monk" and "Psych" and Sci Fi's "Battlestar Galactica." This week, NBC exercised its option to recycle "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," which had moved from the broadcast network to USA in the fall.
The Hollywood Reporter claims that Fox and ABC, because of their strong reality shows impervious to the strike, "have not yet seriously considered borrowing fare from such corporate siblings as FX, ABC Family and Lifetime."
The Reporter claims that talks with Showtime are part of CBS' preparations for a lvery ong writers walkout. On Monday, the network announced a strike-impacted midseason schedule that includes three hours a week of "Big Brother," as well as fresh episodes of reality veteran "Survivor," the quiz show "Power of 10," and procedural crime drama reruns.
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