NBC is so amazingly stupid. Law&Order varieties are keeping NBC afloat, yet the only reason they may still be on the air is that NBC doesn't want to pay Dick Wolfe just to cancel them? Link
Must be trying out out-chimp ABC execs. Ya know, because they're "fighting". I can't wait to see Wolf pull the mothership from NBC and give it to TNT for shortened seasons. He can really screw them and with all the stinken cost cuts they've done, you'de think the money would be around to pay the man whose single handedly kept your network afloat for years in the drama department.
According to the article, NBC and Wolfe are still on good terms. What surprised me is that NBC would be at interested in scrapping any of the L&O series now, given how poorly all their new stuff did this year and how well the L&O's have performed in their return.
Am I misreading the article? To me, it says that no matter how much longer the shows run, when they are ultimately canceled, Wolf expects to be paid for two years of shows that he doesn't produce. I am loathe to defend NBC, but Wolf seems like the nutty one to me.
Originally posted by SW: Am I misreading the article? To me, it says that no matter how much longer the shows run, when they are ultimately canceled, Wolf expects to be paid for two years of shows that he doesn't produce. I am loathe to defend NBC, but Wolf seems like the nutty one to me.
I agree with you that it does sound like Wolfe is expecting 2 years of 'pay' after the show ends. NBC seems to be acting like they just needed to order 2 years (48 episodes) more of L&O's after the contract was signed. I think it is much more likely that the original intent was that NBC would have to give a 48 episode notice of cancellation (or pay anyway for any number of episodes less than that total). If NBC hasn't yet stated that they wish to cancel the show, they would/should be on the hook for 48 more episodes: either paying Wolfe for doing nothing or paying Wolfe for a final 48. On the other hand, if Wolfe thinks that they will have to pay him for 2 more years after his final episode no matter when they give him the notice of cancellation (final renewal), he is as you said, 'nutty'.
