Television

Hack work: It’s a pressure zone

By Gail Shister
The Philadelphia Inqurer
11-07-2002

David Morse is playing Hack by the numbers. Before starring in the new CBS drama, Morse never bothered with ratings or box-office figures. Now that he’s carrying a whole show — and the jobs that come with it — the numbers matter. "I actually feel more pressure than I thought I would," Morse said the other day between takes at Loews Philadelphia Hotel. "As the lead, jobs are depending on me." No surprise, then, that Morse was a happy fella last week when CBS ordered nine more episodes of the Philly-based Hack, for a full season’s 22. It’s averaging a respectable 11 million viewers Friday nights at 8. "Everybody was on pins and needles," says Morse, who checks the Nielsen ratings every week, even though he’s a numbers novice. "It’s exciting. Now we can do this show the way we feel it should be done." To Morse, that means digging deeper into his character, Mike Olshansky, a disgraced Philadelphia cop seeking redemption as a beneficent cabbie. Andre Braugher is his former partner. "Now you really feel like Olshansky’s soul is on the line. You’ve entered dangerous territory. That’s what you hope for as an actor." Hack camped out at Loews for three days last week. The story line has Olshansky discovering $10,000 left behind by a fare he had dropped off at the hotel. Olshansky spends the episode (Nov. 22) trying to find the guy and return the cash. CBS chief Les Moonves says Hack has better than a 50-50 shot to return in the fall for a second season: "I believe in the show. The stars are great. I’m very pleased with its performance in the time slot." Official Hack site: www.cbs.com/primetime/hack ‘CSI’ boss: Spin(off) the globe By Allan Johnson Chicago Tribune 11-07-2002 When CBS announced it was putting CSI: Crime Scene Investigation spinoff series CSI: Miami on its fall schedule, the network was hoping to create a franchise not unlike NBC’s popular Law & Order umbrella of crime dramas. But if CBS is looking for "CSI: Boise" for next season, it should talk to creator Anthony Zuiker first; he has other ideas. "I think that a third one would probably be in the future," says Zuiker, 34, "but I would think it should (appear) at least (in) Season 6" of the original "CSI," which made its debut in 2000. Moreover, Zuiker isn’t interested in basing "CSI" in another American city. If there is a third show, it shouldn’t even be in the United States, he says. "It should be ‘CSI: London’ or ‘CSI: Paris,’" he says, "someplace outside the country, so that when aired in North America you’re bringing them into a world that you don’t see often because it’s hard for people to fly to London. ‘CSI: New Orleans’ or ‘CSI: Los Angeles,’ or New York or Chicago feels like it would be another (‘CSI’)." Official CSI site: www.cbs.com/primetime/csi All the trivia, again Associated Press 11-07-2002 A television history, to be true to the medium, should be lively and entertaining — not to mention moving, ridiculous, shocking and, of course, comprehensive. The TV kaleidoscope is smartly captured in Stay Tuned: Television’s Unforgettable Moments, which lives up to its title and to the daunting task it sets for itself. Scrutinizing five decades of entertainment, news and sports programming, author Joe Garner has picked out those indelible instances that make up our electronically filtered national memory — everything from "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" to Ricky and Lucy bickering. The package (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $49.95) includes a picture-filled book, compact discs and a DVD that allows readers to be viewers as well, seeing for themselves the milestones of modern life. The DVD, with more than 150 minutes of TV clips, and two CDs cover the 35 landmark broadcasts with Dick Van Dyke, Walter Cronkite and Bob Costas as guides. Garner includes his own interviews with actors, newsmakers and others who were part of the events. The book offers additional context, with background on programs, news stories and television decision-making. Order this book from Amazon.com: Stay Tuned: Television’s Unforgettable Moments