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[08/01/10 - 12:11 PM]
ABC at TCA: Lee Just 36 Hours Into New Job
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- "I am, as you can probably guess, super unprepared," incoming ABC Entertainment Group President Paul Lee told reporters at the network's executive session at the TCA Summer Press Tour. "I've been in the job for 36 hours. I apologize in advance if I don't have all the answers to all the questions."

Not surprisingly, the bulk of those unanswered questions revolved around his predecessor, Steve McPherson. "I don't want to talk about Steve," he confessed, a standard line throughout the day thus far.

With no programming announcements or schedule changes, the session ultimately became a discussion of Lee's philosophy going forward. A self-professed fan of "Modern Family," "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy," Lee called ABC "one, in my view, of the premier, iconic American storytelling brands. I grew up watching this on far-off shores, and it's a great honor to be a part of that."

As far as his pedigree, having come from BBC America and most recently ABC Family, Lee said, "They're very, very different networks. It was a very different job to get my brain around what the BBC would be like in America, because it wasn't what it looked like in London. We felt it was a very different job to say what would a millennial brand look like? We're optimistic and within Walt Disney Company. This is a whole new challenge, and I certainly don't want to say I'm going to be doing the same thing here as we did there."

He would later add, "But if I do get the chance here, as we did in the last couple of jobs, to take some risks, make some great shows, have some surprises and still do it to a defined target audience, hopefully it's going to be a lot of fun."

It's not an entirely new audience to Lee though. "We went out of our way to really identify and target a millennial audience [at ABC Family, whereas] this is a core 18-49 channel. But there are similarities in that particular demographic, because this is the first year... when the 18-49 demographic has actually dominated. 51 percent of that is millennial."

Lee in general didn't reveal any preferences in terms of procedurals versus serialized dramas, multi-camera versus single-camera comedies and so forth, nor any particular reliance to make decisions: "I remember when we tested the British 'Office.' It was the worse-tested show I had ever tested in my life as an executive. And that's because it broke rules. We never tested 'Secret Life of the American Teenager.' That may have been the same thing. So sometimes you get a counterintuitive response from testing. On the other hand, ignore testing at your peril, because it will often tell you weaknesses that you are too self-deceptive to realize yourself."

Additionally, Lee presented himself as fully aware of the hard decisions one ultimately makes in his job. "I was still getting e-mails about "Middleman," which got a terrible rating... and we only gave it the first run. In the end, it's about will the show over time not only grow creatively, match the network, and hopefully, have you got the patience to do that? And they're very, very difficult decisions. Even on the smaller cable networks that I've lived on, there were shows I was passionate about that we knew would never reach enough of a rating point, and they're tough. They're the worst parts of this job, because you're calling out people you love that you worked with to say, 'You know what? I think it would work on Syfy.' They're tough moments, even on cable."





  [august 2010]  
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· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· MIDDLEMAN, THE (ABC FAMILY)
· MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
· SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER, THE (ABC FAMILY)





[07/11/25 - 12:45 PM]
ABC Concludes September to May Season with Top Five Shows Among Adults 18-49 Including "High Potential," "Abbott Elementary," "The Rookie," "Shifting Gears" and "9-1-1"
Continuing to lead among broadcast series, ABC's "High Potential" stood as the No. 1 new drama among Total Viewers (16.41 million) and No. 1 new show among Adults 18-49 (3.85 rating).

[07/11/25 - 11:28 AM]
"Big Brother: Summer of Mystery" Premiere Up +10% from Last Summer
Last night, season 27 premiered to nearly 3 million viewers.

[07/11/25 - 10:01 AM]
FX's "Alien: Earth" Takes Fandom to New Heights with Premium Exclusive Content Including a Companion Podcast and Innovative Immersive Experiences
"Alien: Earth," a new drama series from Noah Hawley inspired by the acclaimed feature film franchise, will premiere on Tuesday, August 12.

[07/11/25 - 10:01 AM]
CBS Unveils Fall Primetime Premiere Dates for the 2025-2026 Season
Highlights include an early return for "Watson" on Monday, October 13 in place of the previously announced "FBI" spin-off "CIA."

[07/11/25 - 10:00 AM]
The "Outlander" Universe Expands in Hall H, as Starz Returns to San Diego Comic-Con
Look for can't miss panels for "Outlander" and "Outlander: Blood of my Blood" in Hall H on Friday, July 25 and an in-depth preview of the newest saga in the Spartacus franchise, "Spartacus: House of Ashur" on Saturday, July 26 in the Indigo Ballroom.

[07/11/25 - 10:00 AM]
Adult Swim Returns to San Diego Comic-Con with "Pirate Purrrty on the Green," Must-See Panel Events, and Exclusive First Looks and Giveaways
Adult Swim will bring its famed pirate ship outside the San Diego Convention Center (5th Avenue Landing and Convention Way), this time with a feline twist!

[07/11/25 - 09:01 AM]
HBO Max to Host Fan Experiences for Upcoming Seasons of "Peacemaker" and "It: Welcome to Derry" in San Diego
The festivities include a panel in Hall H, where showrunner/writer/director and Co-Head of DC Studios James Gunn and the cast of "Peacemaker" will share new details about the upcoming season and premiere the global trailer for season two.

[07/11/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Billy Joel: And So It Goes" - Official Trailer - HBO Max
There's always a message in the music.

[07/11/25 - 06:00 AM]
"Love Island (UK)" 10th Anniversary Special Date Announcement
The special premieres in the US on Friday, July 11.

[07/11/25 - 02:01 AM]
Netflix Will Release "Death Inc." Seasons 1, 2 and 3
The series is a comedy centered around a family-run funeral home and the relationships between the eccentric characters who inhabit it.

[07/11/25 - 12:01 AM]
"Too Hot to Handle: Italy" Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix
A special guest will guide the contestants in the first Italian edition of the reality show.

[07/10/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Winning Try" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After his career fell apart, a disgraced rugby star finds purpose coaching his old school's team - driving them and himself toward growth and redemption.

[07/10/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Nice Guy" - Teaser Trailer #3 - Disney+
He wants out for good. But the past comes with strings.

[07/10/25 - 05:03 PM]
Meagan Good Returns to Lifetime to Executive Produce and Star in the Alluring New Thriller "I'll Never Let You Go" Alongside Antonio Cupo and Thomas Cadrot, Premiering August 16 on Lifetime
Good stars as Emily Westover, a poised and successful art gallery director whose life takes a dark turn after a brief, impulsive affair with a magnetic Italian artist, Carlo (Cupo).

[07/10/25 - 12:01 PM]
"Virgin River" Is Returning for Season 8
"On behalf of myself and the whole 'Virgin River' family, we're eternally grateful to Netflix and to the fans for allowing us to continue on this journey with these beloved characters," said showrunner Patrick Sean Smith.