28 August 2007

Will someone keep a Tim Minear show on longer than 4 episodes?

Ever-underappreciated TV journeyman Tim Minear and Emmy-winning director Todd Holland have landed a pilot commitment from ABC for Miracle Man. Minear is penning the script, Holland will direct, and both will exec-produce.

Minear is often called one of the best TV writers out there and his last effort, the under appreciated Drive, showed why. Still, FOX cancelled after just four episodes. Which, in some ways, should not surprise him -his association with the mini-network has not gone well. But his work is usually characterized by a sharp, black humor and an ability to portray characters who are sympathetic, understandable, yet completely wrong. That is so wrong of FOX’s -if not all the networks - demographics.

Minear’s career began in the mid 1990's, scripting episodes of Lois and Clark and The X Files before hooking up with the Joss Whedon created universe of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and Firefly, where he wrote and directed many episodes.

Before the Firefly debacle, he came to FOX for the Bryan Fuller and Todd Holland created brilliance that was Wonderfalls, penning two episodes -one which never aired - because FOX cancelled the show after 4 episodes.

After that, he was hired by FOX retool the short lived The Inside and then last year’s Standoff -which died just as quickly. Drive was another show that was pulled too soon.

Now, he’ll head over to ABC for Miracle Man which focuses on a disgraced televangelist who realizes that God is using him to perform real miracles and change lives.

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