ABC Giving Interactive Drama/GAME a Huge 'Push'
By DAVID KRONKE
7/22/02
LOS ANGELES (Los Angeles Daily News) -- One of ABC's new series is ``Push, Nevada,'' an interactive drama/game in which viewers watch the shows for clues to the whereabouts of a cash prize. ABC Entertainment President Susan Lyne told reporters at the Television Critics Association meeting in Pasadena this week that, while ``audiences are not looking for groundbreaking shows, and we want to give audiences what they really want and leave the groundbreaking to someone else,'' ``Push'' was an exception.
Lloyd Braun, chairman of the ABC Entertainment Television Group, added that the series was also ``unique with respect to reruns.'' While it might seem there would be little incentive to watch the show in reruns - after the initial prize had been won - Braun called the network's plans for ``Push'' ``repurposing with a purpose.''
``We might show it on ABC Family, and enhance the episodes (with new material), so that the game can still be played. This will be beyond the network model - it's getting harder and harder to repeat dramas on network television. We hope to find a way to rerun dramas in a smart way that provides a new experience, and 'Push' may do that.''
In other news, ABC announced its pickup of another midseason replacement series, ``Regular Joe,'' starring Daniel Stern as the head of a family who must take care of his daughter's baby. ``The Bachelorette,'' featuring one of the rejectees from the original ``Bachelor,'' Trista Rehn, will air in the winter, after the next ``Bachelor'' series. ``NYPD Blue'' will mark its 200th episode on its season premiere Sept. 24, preceded by an hourlong retrospective. And Mark Derwin has been cast as Bonnie Hunt's husband on ``Life With Bonnie.''
By DAVID KRONKE
7/22/02
LOS ANGELES (Los Angeles Daily News) -- One of ABC's new series is ``Push, Nevada,'' an interactive drama/game in which viewers watch the shows for clues to the whereabouts of a cash prize. ABC Entertainment President Susan Lyne told reporters at the Television Critics Association meeting in Pasadena this week that, while ``audiences are not looking for groundbreaking shows, and we want to give audiences what they really want and leave the groundbreaking to someone else,'' ``Push'' was an exception.
Lloyd Braun, chairman of the ABC Entertainment Television Group, added that the series was also ``unique with respect to reruns.'' While it might seem there would be little incentive to watch the show in reruns - after the initial prize had been won - Braun called the network's plans for ``Push'' ``repurposing with a purpose.''
``We might show it on ABC Family, and enhance the episodes (with new material), so that the game can still be played. This will be beyond the network model - it's getting harder and harder to repeat dramas on network television. We hope to find a way to rerun dramas in a smart way that provides a new experience, and 'Push' may do that.''
In other news, ABC announced its pickup of another midseason replacement series, ``Regular Joe,'' starring Daniel Stern as the head of a family who must take care of his daughter's baby. ``The Bachelorette,'' featuring one of the rejectees from the original ``Bachelor,'' Trista Rehn, will air in the winter, after the next ``Bachelor'' series. ``NYPD Blue'' will mark its 200th episode on its season premiere Sept. 24, preceded by an hourlong retrospective. And Mark Derwin has been cast as Bonnie Hunt's husband on ``Life With Bonnie.''