Nina Tassler Quotations

We're doing it in drama, comedy and alternative. But right now a lot of the stuff is under the cone of silence in the development world.

We'll be as competitive in the time period as we can.

We're going back to our original form. . . . We know that our audience loves that brand. We just tried something different, and we're going back to what I think everybody is really looking forward to.

Shes an incredibly multi-talented performer whose comedic skills and energy promise to deliver an Emmy Awards broadcast to remember.

I saw them in Spanish when I was a kid, because my grandmother watched them. Half of them I didn't understand, but they were a part of my experiences growing up.

Our attitude is: There is something for everybody, and the audience seems to be onboard,

Survivor' is that rare television breed -- a show with seemingly endless audience appeal. Part of that is testament to a concept with inherent drama that features different faces and places; the other part is the ability of Mark Burnett and his talented team to inject new ideas and new wrinkles to keep the format fresh.

I think, clearly, there is something in the zeitgeist, ... but for us, it was based on producing the best pilot scripts that we had. . . . We don't literally go out to the community and say, 'Because that particular show is successful on another network, please bring us that.' We encourage writers. We encourage producers. We encourage directors. . . . They don't necessarily look to develop only based on what's successful at other networks. They sort of listen to their own inner voice.

I think it will never really be resolved.

You know, we tried something. I don't think we were particularly successful with it, but sometimes you get criticized for not experimenting with a form. ... The nice thing is, when we come back to the next cycle, it's exciting. We're going back to our original form - five continents, great competitions - so we know our audience loves that.

We like to call it scheduling Darwinism. Survival of the fittest.

We like to call it scheduling Darwinism. It's survival of the fittest.

We trust our producers to be creative in their storytelling and follow their creative path,

We look to our audience to tell us when they've had enough.

We're disappointed with the way some of our movies have performed.

We see all this as an opportunity to enhance the network's marketing power and distribution so that more people see our hit shows. Philosophically, we know we need to get our programming to the audience -- where they are, when they want to watch it.

These series are the foundation of a schedule that is broader and deeper than any on television. From the start of the night through 11PM, from Monday through Sunday, CBS is populated with successful programs on every night and in every time period - many of which are number one in their time period, and some even number one on the entire night.

So you haven't admonished them at this point?

Audience viewing habits are evolving. And to that end, we want to be there with them when they want to view elements of their favorite TV shows.

As long as there is a way to keep the audience current or refreshed in terms of the events in a character's life, they'll stay connected.

That (move) took 'Close to Home' from the verge of being canceled to being a successful show on Friday night.

It's a kind of storytelling that we think will appeal to a Latin audience, but we think that our audience will enjoy it as well.

It started as a cultural phenomenon and has evolved into a consistent Top 10 show that leads off the most successful night of television on any network. We look forward to taking audiences to more exotic locations next season and introducing them to the next wave of ordinary citizens marooned as 'Survivor' castaways.

Dave Ramsey has the potential to be a true force on the television screen, combining a dynamic and inspiring persona with knowledge and expertise of how to make a difference in someone's life.

The bosoms may not heave as much. There's a lot of hyperbole and there's a lot of melodrama. I think we're going to modify it for our audiences.

It's always smart to have a healthy balance of traditional and non-traditional.

Once creators hear that you're trying something like that, they're more inclined to come to you with even more outrageous ideas.

I?m part Latin, so everything in the Latin culture is ? there?s a lot of hyperbole and there?s a lot of melodrama. I think we?re going to modify it for our audiences.

In each episode, there is a significant dramatic event. You also have at the core of a lot of these stories a big, sexy, juicy love story.

Clearly there is something in the zeitgeist ,

I don't think anybody really knows where we're headed. But it is imperative that we make our content available to audiences where they are and when they want to watch it. Their habits are changing, and we have to be there when they want to see our hit shows.

Comedy was really our first priority heading into development season, and we wanted to reinforce Monday. And with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jenna Elfman, we have two big star vehicles for mid-season.

Rob Doherty has been a real superstar for us The Mentalist for years. He is an extremely talented writer, and he just tapped into the DNA of this character in a way that we'd not heard before. So, from the moment it walked in the door, and then we read the script, it was a definite player for us.

So many of the great detectives that we see on television now owe their origins to Sherlock Holmes. What was very exciting about Rob's pitch and script was that he is a real Holmes-ian expert. He knew all of the mythology. He was very well-versed in the genesis of Holmes and the stories. And the twist with Watson is something we jumped at immediately. It's a very forward-thinking way of doing the show.

We're big fans of the show on BBC, and some of the greatest actors in film and television have done this character, from Basil Rathbone to Nicol Williamson to Michael Caine. (Executive producer) Rob Doherty came in with the pitch last season, it was immediately a show that we gravitated towards.

Well, when you have an opportunity to build a show around one of the greatest detectives in all of literature, you're going to jump at that opportunity.

And ultimately, it's good for all of us to have more original programming on the air. Business doesn't drive the creative. So, in identifying a project like Dovekeepers, looking at something like Extant and looking at Under the Dome, it was about falling in love with a piece of material, getting excited by the creative direction, hearing a vision, and getting excited about the potential for those projects and building the business model around it. And they're not all modeled the same way. Every one is different.

The truth is, you can't sort of bottle and prepackage a show like Desperate Housewives. But I think the nice thing is, we know that audiences are making a commitment to serialized drama. And absolutely, we're going to continue to develop in that genre.

This is all emerging so quickly. My husband just learned how to e-mail, and yet my son has been communicating on his cell phone for the past two years. So I don't think anybody really knows where we're headed. But it is imperative that we make our content available to audiences where they are and when they want to watch it.

You've got close-ended stories, serialized storytelling. It should be a nice surprise. The form will be tweaked.