How many producers does it take to make crappy TV nowadays?!

In Hollywood, it's all about the deal and about the money.

This practice started in the mid-1970s, when James L. Brooks was one of the head producers on the Mary Tyler Moore show. He wanted to give a couple of the writers a raise; CBS refused, saying that they didn't want the precedent of paying writers salaries that high. Brooks got around it by giving them the titles of "producer," technically giving them a new job, and was able to push the raises through. This is what started the trend of staff writers being credited as producers.

There are at least seven types of TV producers in Hollywood:

1) producers who initiate the deal with the networks & distributors and line up the talent (and this often includes managers and other dealmakers), often given the title "executive producer"

2) the series creator (who came up with the concept for the show)

3) the show-runner, who is literally the hands-on guy responsible for keeping every facet of the show going, from pre-production (writing) to production (shooting) and post-production (editing)

4) staff writers (who endlessly rewrite scripts credited to other people)

5) script consultants (who are often called in to punch-up scripts at the last minute, or to come up with initial ideas that are later developed by other people)

6) the line producer (mainly responsible for keeping track of schedules and money)

7) the post producer (mainly responsible for finishing the show at the end, including the sound mix, color-correction, visual effects, etc.)

I don't know why they don't just throw in the towel and call the writers "staff writers," since it's not exactly a big secret anymore.

But the bottom line: trust me, every name you see in those credits usually represents somebody working 60-80 hours a week, under tremendous pressure, often in a very tough, pressure-cooker environment. True, a lot of these guys make huge money, but the stress and workload is enormous. A lot of them genuinely earn and deserve the money.

Having said that: I have worked on shows where we've gotten to the closing credits, and I'd point to an on-screen credit and asked, "who is that guy? I've never seen him around." And the real producers would tell me, "aaaa, he's part of a big talent agency. We had to pay him $10K a week and give him a credit simply because he represents the star, two of the writers, and the show creator." So a few of these people have absolutely no day-to-day involvement with the series. That's a cushy job. Ditto with actors who are given the "producer" title, which usually means they have input on scripts and story ideas (first given to Carroll O'Conner for Archie Bunker's Place, I believe).

 

I worked on The Maury Show for 10 years. The people who get credits on that show as producers, coordinating producers, etc., are really nothing more than show bookers. All they do is book the guests and then prep them to go on the air and coach them as to what to say. In terms of actually being able to produce a television show in the truest sense, they couldn't produce a tray of ice cubes if you gave them the water, the tray and the refrigerator. I was in the post-production department and none of these so-called producers ever so much as stuck their head in to see how the shows were being edited and put together.

 

Bet they were all chicks, too. :thumbsdn:

 

The overuse of the word producer has clearly been exposed. As Orwell had one character say:

"It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words."​