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'X-Files' creator signs major deal with Fox TV

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - ``The X-Files'' creator Chris Carter has signed a production deal with 20th Century Fox TV, which sources said was worth $25-$30 million over five years. 

The exclusive pact includes a first-look feature component and calls for him to develop at least one new series for Fox 
Broadcasting Co. next fall. He will remain as executive producer of ``The X-Files'' for at least two more seasons and 
``Millennium'' for at least one more, while he develops new projects for Fox under his Ten Thirteen Prods. banner. 

In valuing the deal, sources said it was about on par with the deal Warner Bros. TV made recently for ``ER'' executive 
producer John Wells. When the film and TV components and ``The X-Files'' profit advances are factored in, sources say 
Carter could take home more than $100 million. Neither 20th nor Carter would comment on terms of the deal. 

Carter's next series for fall 1999 is likely to be a sci-fi drama based on a comic book called ``Harsh Realm,'' which Carter is expected to write and Dan Sackheim (``The X-Files'') will direct, Carter said. 

Fox would actually like Carter to develop a second new drama for next fall, if he has the time, but Carter called that 
``wishful thinking.'' 

``There are other things I want to do,'' he told Daily Variety. ``But it's really about the workload and not forsaking the shows that are already dear to me.'' 

Carter's feature deal with 20th Century Fox makes a reality Fox's desire to turn ``The X-Files'' into a feature film franchise, much like ``Star Trek'' is for Paramount. This summer's ``X-Files'' feature has earned nearly $150 million in worldwide grosses, and sources say ``The X-Files'' stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have already agreed to star in the next feature, intended for a 2000 release. 

Carter joined 20th Century Fox in 1992, and his deal resulted in one of the company's most-profitable franchises and earned him multiple Emmy nominations for his writing and directing on ``The X-Files.'' As it enters its fifth season, ``The X-Files'' is still Fox's highest-rated series, and its value to News Corp. is estimated more than $1 billion. 

Show with gay male lead deemed ready for prime time

NEW YORK (Reuters) - If the lesbian lead character in ''Ellen'' made television history, NBC's new sitcom ``Will & Grace'' ups the ante with a gay male lead and a matter-of-fact approach to homosexuality that could be revolutionary. 

It all depends on how they play it. 

Actor Eric McCormack, taking on his first television series to play gay lawyer Will Truman, figures, ``If we opened with 
two men in bed kissing, we'd be dead in the water. At the same time, if we slowly phase that out and Will becomes this 
asexual creature, we're also dead.'' 

McCormack talked with Reuters on a day off from filming the new series, which premieres Sept. 21 at 9:30 p.m. The show revolves around Will and Grace, a gay man and a straight woman (played by Debra Messing) who are best friends. 

They are backed up by Will's flamboyantly gay friend Jack and Grace's flighty, wealthy assistant Karen, who works only 
because it keeps her down to Earth. 

While promotional spots, not to mention the title, make ''Will & Grace'' look like a clone of ``Dharma and Greg,'' the ABC 
comedy that follows the exploits of two adorable newlyweds, the pilot's very first scene shows Will talking to Grace on the phone while ogling George Clooney, the sexy star of NBC's hit hospital drama ``ER'' 

SOFT-PEDDLING GAY MATERIAL? 

Still, McCormack acknowledged, ``I think you can actually watch the pilot and miss that he's gay.'' 

He said he initially thought NBC was soft-peddling the gay material. Now he sees Will as ``maybe a friend-of-a-friend you play basketball with for seven weeks and when you finally ask him, 'So are you married?' he says (matter-of-factly) 'No I'm gay.' Will is that guy; he's the guy we want to introduce to America.'' 

It was only 18 months ago that the notion of a gay lead sitcom character got Ellen DeGeneres on the cover of Time magazine, when both she and her ABC sitcom alter ego came out of the closet. 

But with a tip of their hat to DeGeneres, the people behind ''Will & Grace'' say their show is different, no doubt mindful of the fact that, while the world watched Ellen come out and win an Emmy in the process, it did not stick around long when her story became ``My So-Called Lesbian Life,'' and the show lasted only one more season. 

``'Ellen' was about a woman discovering the 'new her,' so the show couldn't help but be in-your-face,'' McCormack said of 
the criticism that many say helped sink ``Ellen.'' ``This is about guys who have been gay for 15 years, 20 years. They've been out for a long time, they're comfortable with it ... so we don't have to make an issue of it.'' 

``It's not like 'Ellen' in any way,'' said Emmy award-winning director James Burrows, renowned for such NBC powerhouse hits as ``Cheers'' and ``Frasier.'' 

``Ellen'' is ``more of a proselytizing gay show,'' he said. ''Will & Grace,'' which he is committed to direct for NBC's entire 13-show order, is about ``a relationship between friends where one guy just happens to be gay.'' 

TV'S FIRST 'GAY MAN WITH DIGNITY' 

Of course a sitcom with a gay man at its center is not just another television show, but Burrows said what sets ``Will & Grace'' apart is that it has ``the first gay man on television with dignity. That's what I think makes the show different.'' 

Burrows and others involved with the show said they have yet to hear of any objections, protests or campaigns against it 
from right-wing Christian or fundamentalist groups. 

NBC chief Warren Littlefield is solidly behind the show, having had a hand in its genesis. Will and Grace were originally secondary characters in another script by series creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Littlefield passed on that show but liked the gay-straight friends so much he asked the two to create a series for them. 

William Donohue of the conservative Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, which has campaigned against other shows, notably ABC's canceled ``Nothing Sacred,'' said the fact that the show is centered around a gay character ``is not of concern to me either way.'' 

The American Family Association, which opposes positive media depictions of gay people, said it had not yet previewed ''Will & Grace'' and would not comment until it did. 

In fact, about the only glimmer of controversy so far has come from TV critics and the press, who asked after previewing the show how far it will go in depicting Will's love life. 

``It will be interesting to see,'' is about all Burrows will say about that prospect. 

Episodes of ``Mad About You'' and ``Roseanne'' as well as ''L.A. Law'' have shown women kissing, generating varying 
degrees of controversy, but so far no one on network TV has ventured into the territory of the man-on-man romantic kiss. 

``The show is about entertaining. It's not about teaching. ... If we can find a way to do it that's dramatic or entertaining, we'll do it,'' Burrows said. 

TOYING WITH SEXUAL STEREOTYPES 

In the meantime, early episodes are content to rely on typically topical jokes targeting Jerry Springer and the Spice Girls while toying with sexual stereotypes and preconceptions. 

For instance, a poker night featuring gay and straight characters chomping on cigars and quaffing beers is punctuated by jokes about show tunes in a relatively seamless juxtaposition of the Rat Pack with ``The Boys in the Band.'' 

Gay watchdog groups are pleased -- so far. 

``The folks at ``Will & Grace really get it,'' said Joan Garry, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against 
Defamation (GLAAD). ``Any time you put a gay character in a leading role in a TV show it's historic in its own right.'' 

She added that she found the show ``smart and savvy. It reflects the fact that lesbians and gay men are part of the fiber of society.'' 

As to that historic kiss, Garry echoes Burrows, saying ``it should make sense in the context of the scene or story.'' But she said the group will keep an eye on Will's love life to make sure that his down time does not consist only of mundane things ''like going to the grocery store.'' 

McCormack vows he will not let that happen. 

``I'm sure down the road if this attractive gay lawyer in Manhattan can't get a date in four seasons someone's going to go, 'Wait a minute, whose life is this, this is nobody we know.' The obvious plot, which I think they're all thinking about, is that we fall for the same guy.'' 

He said he is looking forward to getting letters from viewers telling him ``what the tenor is out there.'' But he asks viewers, and gay activists, for some time. 

``Give us a chance to let America like us, and eventually they'll be rooting for Will to be happy. ... When old ladies out there say, 'Oh I hope he meets a nice man,' that's when we'll know the show has succeeded,'' he said. 

``The issue will be how much can we make it look like this is just a part of people's lives.'' 

Now that could be a truly revolutionary approach. 

Nielsen Ratings

``The Oprah Winfrey Show'' averaged a 6.9 national Nielsen household rating for the 52-week period spanning the week of Sept. 1, 1997 through the week of Aug. 31. Nielsen data for the final week of the period was released Thursday. 

The red-hot ``Jerry Springer Show'' was right behind in the No. 2 slot with a 6.5 household rating. ``Springer,'' which has been the nation's top-rated talk show for the past 25 weeks, did top ``Oprah'' on the adults 18-49 demographic front, with Springer pulling in a 3.8 in that key group to Winfrey's 3.0. 

``Springer'' also was the only syndicated talk show to post year-to-year growth. Compared to the same 52-week period of the 1996-97 season, Winfrey's household numbers were down 12% from a 7.8, while Springer surged 124% from a 2.9. 

In a tie for third place, ``Montel Williams'' pulled alongside ``The Rosie O'Donnell Show,'' each averaging a 4.2 household number for the season. Compared to 1996-97, Williams was off 4% and O'Donnell was down 7%. 

``Sally Jessy Raphael'' weighed in with a 4.0 season household average, down just 2% from the previous season. ``Jenny Jones'' finished with a 3.9, down 5%. 

``Live with Regis & Kathie Lee'' banked a 3.5 household average, down 15% from 1996-97. ``Ricki Lake'' slipped 7% from the past season to a 3.4. ``Maury Povich,'' in his final lame-duck season with producer Paramount, earned a 3.0, down 21% from 1996-97. Povich has relaunched his talk show this month under a new deal with Studios USA. 

Elsewhere in syndication, courtshow queen ``Judge Judy'' finished out its sophomore season with a 4.3 household average, making a huge gain over its first year average. The first-year verdict on the revival of ``The People's Court'' was a 2.6, while fellow freshman ``Martha Stewart Living'' ended up with a 2.4. 

Among magazines airing in the ``access'' hour before primetime the race was little changed from the previous season. ``Entertainment Tonight'' reigned supreme with a 5.8 household average. ``Inside Edition'' held onto the No. 2 spot with a 4.2, followed closely by ``Extra'' with a 4.1. ``Hard Copy'' earned a 3.2 and ``Access Hollywood'' came in at a 2.3. 

As for syndicated weeklies, the off-network ``X-Files'' towered over the competition with a 6.8 household average. The firstrun ``Xena: Warrior Princess'' lassoed a 5.1, followed by ``Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' with a 4.8. ``Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,'' which is heading into its final season later this month, closed out season six with a 4.2. 

The off-network ``Walker, Texas Ranger'' kicked up a 4.2, while ``Baywatch'' rode the tide to a 3.5. Of the season's new 
firstrun dramas, the sci-fi ``Earth: Final Conflict'' was at the top of the heap with a 3.4 season household average. 
 
 
 

               SF actors Walter Koenig, George 
               Takei, Grace Lee Whitney, Majel 
               Barrett Roddenberry, Bill Mumy and 
               Wil Wheaton will guest star in an 
               upcoming episode of Diagnosis 
               Murder, tentatively scheduled to air 
               on Oct. 29. The installment is titled 
               "Alienated" and deals with a 
               mysterious encounter that Dr. Jesse 
               Travis (played by series regular 
               Charlie Schlatter) has while 
               vacationing in the California 
               wilderness. 

               The episode is being directed by 
               Bruce Seth Green, whose credits 
               include Babylon 5 and Buffy The 
               Vampire Slayer. It was written by 
               David Bennett Carren and J. Larry 
               Carroll, the supervising producers 
               for Diagnosis Murder and former 
               producers for Star Trek: The Next 
               Generation. 

               As if "Alienated" didn't already have 
               enough SF ties, composer Joel 
               Goldsmith will be writing the score 
               for the episode. Goldsmith served 
               as co-composer on Star Trek: First 
               Contact and also received an Emmy 
               nomination for his work on Stargate 
               SG-1. 

               Diagnosis Murder stars Dick Van 
               Dyke, Barry Van Dyke, Victoria 
               Rowell and Schlatter. It airs 
               Thursdays on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/PT. 

               Shaun Cassidy has quit his role as 
               executive producer of the troubled 
               Fox TV series Hollyweird, according 
               to published reports. Cassidy, the 
               creative force behind series such as 
               American Gothic and Roar, 
               apparently became fed up with Fox's 
               demands that the show be rewritten 
               and recast, as reported on earlier in 
               Sci-Fi Wire. 

               "Having spent much of the last year 
               trying to fix something I never 
               viewed as broken in the first place, 
               I am withdrawing from the process 
               of deconstructing Hollyweird," 
               Cassidy said in a prepared 
               statement. He went on to praise the 
               actors and directors of the show, as 
               well as his co-executive producer, 
               Wes Craven. 

               Fox responded to Cassidy's 
               departure with a statement that 
               read, "One can't help but respect 
               Shaun Cassidy's passion for 
               Hollyweird. It's unfortunate his 
               insight will no longer help to amplify 
               and build upon an already ambitious 
               series concept." 

               Meanwhile, Variety reports that 
               Hollyweird has been removed from 
               Fox's fall schedule and that the 
               show may be canceled altogether. 
               As originally planned, Hollyweird 
               was about three Midwest teens who 
               brought their local access cable 
               show about unsolved murders and 
               bizarre night life to Hollywood. 

               Fox has pushed back the debut of 
               its supernatural crime drama 
               Brimstone from Oct. 6 to Oct. 27 in 
               order to make room for the Major 
               League Baseball playoffs, according 
               to Variety. The network plans to fill 
               Brimstone's preempted Tuesday, 9 
               p.m., timeslot with Guinness World 
               Records: Primetime on those nights 
               when baseball doesn't claim the 
               spot. 

               Brimstone stars Peter Horton as a 
               dead police detective who has been 
               sent to hell but who can go to 
               heaven if he captures 113 evil souls 
               for the devil. 

               Acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford 
               Coppola is seeking U.S. distribution 
               for his new SF TV show First Wave, 
               according to The Hollywood 
               Reporter. The series debuted in 
               Canada on Sept. 9 and is set to air 
               in Europe soon, but Coppola has yet 
               to sign a deal with a U.S. market, 
               although he's reportedly had at 
               least one firm syndication offer. 

               The Vidatron Entertainment Group, 
               which owns the North American 
               distribution rights to First Wave, will 
               begin actively shopping the series 
               around in the coming weeks. With 
               nine episodes already shot, it's 
               conceivable that First Wave could 
               premiere in the U.S. this fall as a 
               midseason replacement. 

               First Wave focuses on a group of 
               alien scouts who have come to 
               Earth to see if our planet should be 
               taken over. The aliens are disguised 
               as nearly perfect humans, which 
               they think is the norm because most 
               of their information about us has 
               come from TV broadcasts. 

               The X-Files: Fight the Future will be 
               released to home video on Oct. 13, 
               including exclusive interviews with 
               Chris Carter and Gillian Anderson, 
               according to Fox Home 
               Entertainment. The video will be 
               available in pan-and-scan format for 
               a suggested retail price of $22.98 
               and in widescreen format for 
               $24.98. 

               Fox also plans to release a 
               collector's giftset for Fight the 
               Future that includes both video 
               formats, a numbered script printed 
               on non-reproducible red paper, 
               individual frames from the 35mm 
               film print and reprints of the three 
               theatrical posters. The giftset will 
               also feature The Making of The 
               X-Files video and a special Making 
               of The X-Files book from 
               HarperCollins. 

               The giftset will be available on Nov. 
               2 for a suggested price of $79.98. 

               Granada will develop the new 
               project--tentatively being called 
               Frightful Corners--with Spencer. The 
               show will center around the family's 
               16-year-old son, who may be able 
               to break the curse that grips the 
               household.