Steven Bochco

[maggiethecat]

Just read that Bochco is taking over as Executive Producer for Commander in Chief, on ABC Tuesdays at 9:00 (replacing Rod Lurie, the creator of the show after just two weeks on the air).

Commander in Chief's highest rating to date is something like 4.8 million. Uh . . . Blind Justice, as memory serves, was never that low. Once again, ABC blows it. They take a high profile show with an expensive cast, then put it against impossible competition, in this case House. Prediction? Cancelled after 13 weeks, if not before. I don't even like the show, but the schedulers at ABC really are pinheads.

And, as we all bitterly remember, Blind Justice was one of several shows axed "to make room for new fall dramas" (and to give that smarmy Boston Legal the Tuesday at 10:00 slot).

May they ALL fail! (The BJ-replacing shows, not Steven Bochco -- may he live forever.)

Sorry, but the schadenfreude is too good to resist.

[hoosier]

I have never watched this show--have to watch House and since it is preempted with baseball we watch Supernatural.

Have never understood why they persist in putting a new show against a proven ratings winner--like CSI on Thursday etc. You would think if you want your show to do well you would fight to have it put in on a lean day but go figure!

I greatly dislike Boston Legal(was going to say something else but decided on being PC) I noticed they didn't put a new show in that timeslot just moved Legal ! And when you see those sitcoms! Ugh! I also read that John Stamos is going to be on ER sometime this season. Thought they were doing Jake in Progress --it got renewed and BJ didn't and its rating weren't that stellar! I have and will never understand the networks and how they chose a schedule!

[bjobsessed]

I have never watched Commander in Chief either. With a rating of 4.8 million, I don't think that even Mr. Bochco can save it.

We all know that one of the reasons BJ failed was probably because it was not allowed a straight 13 week run, but was interrupted for things like Donald Trump. Sometimes I think networks sabatoge new shows before they get started by doing that and putting them up against well-established shows.

As for the new shows, I haven't seen anything I want to watch. I have not even tuned into a new show this season. Nothing comes close to the quality of Blind Justice as far as I'm concerned.

I have even grown tired of Survivor and I've watched them all up until now. I'm enjoying hockey now that it's back, ER, and BJ reruns on "bjobsessed tv." Other than that, I don't watch much tv anymore.

Just for the record--I detest Boston Legal.

[maggiethecat]

Bless you all, but I don't for a minute believe Blind Justice "failed."

Gotta come clean here, finally. Steven Bochco actually answered a letter I wrote him on May 17th, the sad day Blind Justice was cancelled. May I quote?

Here goes:

Thank you for your kind and supportive letter, which proves anew my long held belief in the difference between failing and not succeeding. Not succeeding with BLIND JUSTICE doesn't mean we failed -- it just means we couldn't control the part of the process that predicts renewal.

As for your five stages of grief [I'd made a joking reference to that in my letter], skip to the last one: acceptance. Cable could never afford this show.

Best wishes,

Steven Bochco

Genuine snail mail on thick, buff-colored Bochco Productions stationery, and signed. A letter I treasure and will never sell on eBay.

What a gent.

So. Here's the deal. Before ABC started jerking around the schedule, BJ had a straight eight-to-ten week run. And the ratings -- against a proven favorite like Judging Amy and the juggernaut Law & Order:SVU -- were respectable. Six to seven million, which is what NYPDBlue did in their last eighteen months or so. What happened, as I see it, was that Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and Lost set the bar too high. No longer was ABC satisfied with mid-range successes like Blind Justice, which finished something like 48th in the "over all" Neilsons for the (roughly) 185 network shows. Any number of shows, among them the ill-conceived Law & Order:Trial by Jury (or Trial by Bebe, as I called it) were cancelled with higher ratings. So was Judging Amy. Shows with lower ratings than Blind Justice were given another shot. (neilson.com had the inside skinny.)

Does this make sense? Probably not. Bottom line? ABC got greedy. They wanted an entire line-up of high profile ratings winners. And so they axed shows that were solid mid-range successes, shows that would have carried on with respectable ratings and a passionate fan base for a number of seasons -- Blind Justice, in other words -- to make way for new shows they hopefully (or blindly, no pun intended) thought would be ratings superstars. ABC started promo-ing Commander in Chief last spring . . . saturation bombing, if you remember . . . and it didn't work. No one cared. It tanked. Geena Davis's outstanding quality is cute (and, arguably, she's getting too old to get by on cute), but not strong enough to carry what is essentially a West Wing rip-off. Even the legendary Donald Sutherland wasn't enough of a draw. So ABC called in Bochco as a last ditch show doctor and guess what? It ain't gonna work.

Hindsight is great -- if heartbreaking -- but if ABC had not "rushed to judgement," they could have saved a solid show for Tuesday, up against only Law & Order:SVU (and who expects to win a time slot against an L & O franchise?) and a new, weak show on CBS.

Maybe the eventual failure of Commander in Chief, Bochco the Great notwithstanding, will teach ABC's programmers a lesson . . . but I doubt it.

And yeah, Boston Legal is the pits. The pluperfect pits. (Gee, Mags, speak your mind, why don't you?!)

[awlrite4now]

I think you are correct in that the show didn't fail. Too many good things came out of it for anyone to ever consider it a failure. I like Mr. Bochco's answer about it just not being a success. For a lot of us though, it WAS a success. Here we are still a community of fans, almost 6 months after the cancellation of the show.

That says volumes to me.

[bjobsessed]

I never ever thought Blind Justice was a failure. I just meant it failed in the ratings game, but definitely not where it counts the most. I too received a letter from Mr. Bochco back in the summer along with a really nice black hooded sweatshirt which I will also treasure forever. I sent him a thank you letter the following week. This is part of it.

Your note, although short, was very powerful and moving.

I have to disagree with part of it though. You said, "It's nice to know that even when we don't succeed, we touch people's lives."

My response to that was as follows:

It is for that reason that Blind Justice did succeed. No one wishes it was coming back more than I do, but it achieved more in thirteen weeks than most shows do in years, especially today. I know from personal experience that this show has changed the attitudes of many towards the blind and disabled. Many people have a greater understanding of the challenges and difficulties we face each day. But even more important than that, they realize that we have the same feelings, hopes, and dreams as they do. If you change one attitude, you change many because of all the people that person comes into contact with. That is true success and although it cannot be measured, it will be felt for years to come.

I wrote that in July and that feeling will never change. BJ will always be #1 in my book.

[maggiethecat]

bjobsessed said:

I never ever thought Blind Justice was a failure. I just meant it failed in the ratings game, but definitely not where it counts the most. I too received a letter from Mr. Bochco back in the summer along with a really nice black hooded sweatshirt which I will also treasure forever.

What a beautiful letter! Steven Bochco sent you a sweatshirt? Did it have the show logo on it? I'm very curious. And yeah, he really is one of the good guys!

Thanks so much for sharing that with us!!!

[bjobsessed]

maggiethecat said:

bjobsessed said:

I never ever thought Blind Justice was a failure. I just meant it failed in the ratings game, but definitely not where it counts the most. I too received a letter from Mr. Bochco back in the summer along with a really nice black hooded sweatshirt which I will also treasure forever.

What a beautiful letter! Steven Bochco sent you a sweatshirt? Did it have the show logo on it? I'm very curious. And yeah, he really is one of the good guys!

Thanks so much for sharing that with us!!!

I always get kind of emotional when I read that letter. Not because I think I wrote such a great letter, but because if it made that much difference in 13 weeks, how much more could it have done with even one more year? There is so little worth watching anymore. Blind Justice was a quality show with a message which is so rare these days.

People are still signing the petition even though it doesn't really mean anything anymore. It does prove though that six months after being cancelled, it's still affecting people in some way. How many shows can say that?

Anyway, enough said. I could talk about this forever.

The sweatshirt says "Blind Justice." Under that is the 8th precinct logo and then under that is "Blind Justice" in braille.

I wore it once for about five minutes. It looks good and feels great and is sooo warm. I'm afraid to wear it though. What if something happens to it? It's not like I can get another one.

Forgive me for a minute while I do a little bit of shameless plugging. I created a Blind Justice rememberance book which I tried to send to Steven Bocho once. It was returned--probably mistaken for a script. I mentioned it in my thank you letter and explained what happened the first time and what was in it. I only asked for a short email on how to get it accepted. Never heard from him, but some of you, (my friend included), seem to be getting mail from him months later. Should I ask one more time or forget it? I don't expect anything in return. I just thought of it as my gift to him. (The only time I got a response was when I sent a fax.)

By the way, if anyone is interested in it, let me know and I'll tell you what's in it. I have mailed a few copies to people on other boards. It's about 175 pages long and includes all kinds of articles and pictures.

P.S. Can someone tell me how to do partial quotes? I can't figure it out. Thanks

[hoosier]

I never thought that BJ 'failed'--in fact it stood out from the pack of what have become rather mediocre programs. It was different and dared people's preconceived notions. I think that ABC got big-headed and complacent .It had hit it big with Lost and Desperate Housewives and why? People--because they were different!!! I ,for one, was tired of the same-o, same-o of knock-offs and really welcomed something that was new. ABC failed big-time when they 'failed' to renew it and instead went with yet another ripoff.

Do we dare yet hope for a DVD with all the deleted scenes and extras. If they are willing to do it with all the less-than-stellar programs which disappeared and no one noticed, why not one with such a fan- following? From this board to their ears!!!

[Duchess of Lashes]

As BJobsessed so astutely pointed out, people are still signing the petition, 4 months after the show's demise; since that time, we have collected over 500 signatures - all with the same message: that Blind Justice is missed, that for them, like many of us, it will never be replaced.

As petition author, I have had the pleasure and honor of communicating with people from all walks of life, but especially those individuals who live in Jim's world every day. Blind Justice bridged a gap, opened doors of communication, provided them with a solid role model, someone to cheer for, and allowed the rest of the world a very different view of their capabilities.

In no sense did Blind Justice fail - ABC failed, failed to recognize and realize the true worth and merit of not only the show, but its message. I have never been as touched by a television show and I doubt if I ever will be. I have never wanted to fight to save something as hard as I wanted to fight for Blind Justice.

And what is left to us now? The legacy of something so uniquely special that it still touches us.

I am hopeful that I will now be able to take the petition and use it as backup to prove that there is a market for the release of the show on DVD. Let's hope they listen a little better than ABC did.

To Steven Bochco, thank you, for the courage and the vision to bring this show to life.

LongLashes

[bjobsessed]

I'd like to think there's hope for a dvd. Joan of Arcadia is out, I think. That was only on for two years wasn't it? So why not BJ?

Longlashes--if you know what to do with the petition when you finally take it down to convince the powers that be to put the show on dvd, go for it! If you need any support in that regard, let us know. I'll be right there with you as I'm sure everyone else would.

[housemouse]

Well said everyone! May I second Darediva and say this is a fabulous group of people, who will hopefully be posting together for quite a long time to come!

[mlm828]

I also want to second the excellent comments already made in this thread.

Blind Justice and the talented people who created it did not fail. No show that touched and moved so many people can be considered a failure. The only failure was by those who failed to appreciate what a unique and special series it was.

[carl1951]

Blind Justice had everything people DO NOT want in a television show...
Good acting;
Excellent writers;
Great storyline;
and an element most of today's viewers do not have:
Intelligence
I said it was waaaay above people's heads. It is a thinkiing person's series.
And, we are thinking people.
Later, Carl

[bjobsessed]

Well said Carl!