“Bible documents are French for ‘Can we trust you?’”
—TOM NUNAN, FORMER NETWORK PRESIDENT AND PRODUCER OF THE ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING FILM CRASH
Chapter 12
The Show Bible as an Essential Sales Tool
In 2000, veteran TV writers/producers Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran (who’d worked together on USA’s La Femme Nikita) went into the Fox network offices with a groundbreaking new format for a one-hour political conspiracy/drama series. It was a simple pitch: What if each season is comprised of 24 episodes—with each episode constituting one hour in a single 24-hour day?
When Surnow first discussed the idea over the phone with Cochran, his initial response was, “Forget it, that’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard, it will never work and it’s too hard.” Nevertheless, ...
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