Across town, another group of TV honchos is also preparing to take viewers behind the scenes of a city obsessed by power. But over at Fox’s acerbic new Hollywood sendup, “Action,” there’s no need for consultants. One of the show’s executive producers is Chris Thompson, a man steeped in show business since the “Laverne and Shirley” era. Another is Joel Silver, producer of such films as “Die Hard,” “Lethal Weapon” and “The Matrix.” “You read those ‘Hollywood Wives,’ those Jackie Collins books, and they’re bulls–t,” says Silver. “This is going to be a lot closer.”
Accuracy aside, “The West Wing” and “Action” promise to be terrifically entertaining peeks at two of America’s favorite contact sports: politics and show business. But by the TV-industry calculus, they’re also risky. A cop show? Good idea. Medical drama? Love it. Washington? Hollywood? We’ll get back to you, babe. “Traditionally, there were two things you never went in and pitched if you wanted to sell a show,” says “Action’s” Thompson. “You never pitched Hollywood, and you never pitched Washington.” In the past, shows about show business have typically tanked. Remember “The Famous Teddy Z”? Didn’t think so. Even HBO’s sharp satire “The Larry Sanders Show” pulled minuscule numbers. And while political settings have worked for sitcoms–“Benson,” “Spin City”–nobody’s ever tried a drama like “The West Wing.”
“Action,” for its part, breaks rules the way movers break china. The show was originally developed for HBO as a replacement for “Larry Sanders,” but financial details scotched the deal. “Action” then landed at Fox essentially intact. Cable-ready profanity is bleeped but decipherable, and there is a penis joke on almost every page. What “Action” offers in sheer crudity, however, is more than matched by its deliciously vicious sense of humor. The excellent Jay Mohr stars as Peter Dragon, a peon-berating action-movie producer whose latest project, “Slow Torture,” bombs. He finds solace in the friendly embrace of former child star turned prostitute Wendy Ward (Illeana Douglas). As he cowers before the substantial manhood of an irate studio head who scolds him au naturel after a shower, or manhandles a pesky screenwriter, Mohr snaps seamlessly between irascibility and unctuousness. His shallowness speaks depths, and, in the end, the comeuppances his character suffers more or less redeem his sins–which are not inconsiderable. “I have three words on my bulletin board,” says Thompson. “Fear, ego and greed. If an episode isn’t about one of those things, then we don’t have a show.”
But how’s an insidery take on Hollywood going to play in Peoria? Silver and Thompson argue that a proliferation of entertainment coverage has upped Johnny Couchpotato’s showbiz savvy. “I knew when my grandmother called me up and knew the grosses of the movie I’d just written that the business had changed,” says Thompson. But isn’t the show’s portrayal of the industry just a tad cynical? “It’s not all that far off base,” says Mohr. “I loathe Hollywood–actually, ’loathe’ is a kind word.” Besides, says Silver, “cynicism is the watchword of the millennium.”
“The West Wing,” for its part, is hoping cynicism is the watchword of the last millennium. “I think there’s a tremendous pent-up desire in this country to believe in our leaders,” says John Wells (“ER”), who executive-produces with Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme, both of “Sports Night.” The show’s pilot, written by Sorkin and directed by Schlamme, is a warp-speed, hyperverbal symphony played over a kinetic background of rolling long takes. Among the ensemble we meet Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe), an aide who can think on his feet–when he’s not stepping into a mess. Deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) fears for his job after bluntly blasting the Christian right, and his ex-girlfriend (Moira Kelly) is working for a rival candidate. To top it off, Cuban refugees are making for Miami in a storm, the polls are slipping and President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) has hurt himself in a bicycle accident. The show is one part humor, one part drama, one part politics and–thank heaven–no part C-Span. There may be a dash of schmaltz, but all in all it’s a snazzy, highly watchable bit of television.
To win viewers, a show that deals in politics will have to tread carefully. Sorkin’s White House is clearly a Democratic one, and the pilot episode takes a swipe at a radical anti-abortion group. Says Sorkin, “It’s easy to draw the conclusion from the pilot that ‘West Wing’ is going to be sort of a left-wing diatribe at some point–that one of the characters will unzip themselves and Barbra Streisand will step out and tell us exactly what we’re doing wrong. I assure you that’s not going to happen. The show isn’t about issues. It’s about these people.” The other potential liability is a viewing public burned out by Beltway scandal. In fact, “The West Wing” was originally intended for last season, but NBC held it back. “I think they felt that people were overexposed to the White House at that point,” says Sorkin. Whether we’re over Monica remains to be seen, but Sorkin does make one promise: “There won’t be a sex scandal, at least for a long time.”
Well, there goes the realism factor. Both shows, actually, get mixed marks in verisimilitude from those in the know. White House chief of staff John Podesta seems amused by “The West Wing,” but says, “The chief of staff should be younger and meaner-looking.” A pair of White House aides took issue with the spacious offices depicted, and with the frenetic activity. “There was this sort of cacophony and constant motion,” says one. “The White House is more dignified. There’s no running in the hallways.” Still, the aide says, “We think the show will do well. We watched it twice.”
Some Hollywood types are inclined to see a little too much reality in “Action.” Silver insists the characters are composites, but insiders have their doubts. Studio boss Bobby G (Lee Arenberg) is a semicloseted, balding titan with a marriage of convenience and an appendage “like an anaconda.” Let’s just say that someone reputedly very much like this really exists–and wouldn’t be entirely flattered. “I didn’t think the show was so smart or evolved,” says a top producer. “It’s really mean.” Then again, nobody’s portrayed worse than Peter Dragon, and Dragon bears a marked resemblance to one Joel Silver–in some respects, anyway. “It made me laugh because I know it’s kind of honest–true to the essence of who Joel is and his relationships with women,” says DreamWorks mogul David Geffen. “But I’m amazed anyone would think there’s a series in Joel Silver’s life.” There’s a series, for sure. Now we’ll see if there’s a hit.
Action.Fox. Premieres Sept. 16.The West Wing.NBC. Premieres Sept. 22.
