Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 19, 1993 TAG: 9404070006
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD HUFF NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
They chuckled among themselves as they toured the elaborate sound stages at Universal Studios in California, where the series was being produced. Each wondered how show creator Steven Spielberg could have been behind something so inept. Several scenes in the pilot were laughable, when it was clear the producers were trying to be serious. In short, critics felt NBC had a bomb on its hands.
That show was ``seaQuest DSV,'' a futuristic hour of undersea adventure brought to NBC by Spielberg's Amblin Television and Universal Television. ``seaQuest'' is about a deep submergence vehicle (DSV) with the dual role of conducting research missions and acting as an underwater peacekeeper. Spielberg has described the show as ``part science, it's part fiction and it's part complete pure fantasy.''
Prompted by the disastrous reception at the critics' screening, Amblin began a major overhaul of the show. By the time ``seaQuest'' debuted last Sunday night at 8 o'clock, it had received a minor face lift. The show managed to win its time slot in the major TV markets, thanks to a boost from a late pro football game and the Spielberg cachet.
``SeaQuest'' is one of the new shows most important to NBC. Desperate for a strong showing on Sunday, the network is banking on the program to help it out of the ratings basement. A year ago, NBC took the unusual step of buying 22 episodes of the show. The network's decision was based almost entirely on a 75-page ``bible'' describing the characters and Spielberg's own vision for the show.
Not only did NBC agree to pay $1 million per episode to license ``seaQuest'' (slightly higher than the average network hour), but the order for 22 shows came during a time when the Big Three networks - ABC, CBS and NBC - were committing to picking up only six or eight episodes of the new season's efforts. ``We needed some excitement,'' says Warren Littlefield, president of NBC Entertainment. ``We needed some sense of adventure.'' NBC also needed a solid Sunday night leadoff.
Given the competition - ``Murder, She Wrote'' on CBS, ``Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' on ABC, ``Martin'' and the new ``Living Single'' on Fox and fall football telecasts on ESPN - NBC would be happy getting a 20 percent share of the audience, and decent demographics. ``Murder, She Wrote'' last season attracted 26 percent, compared with 14 percent for ``I Witness Video,'' the show ``seaQuest'' replaced.
It's estimated that each episode of ``seaQuest'' costs $1.5 million to produce, well above the average price tag of $1 million for an hour drama. Most of the costs come from the complicated nature of the production. It takes five sound stages to house the show, and underwater scenes are created using computer graphics.
Amblin has also invested some money in acting talent. Veteran actor Roy Scheider, who spent a lot of time in the water once before in Spielberg's ``Jaws,'' has a lead role, as does Stephanie Beacham, who starred in such series as ``Dynasty'' and ``Sister Kate.''
According to those interviewed, upcoming epsiodes of the show have taken a dramatic turn for the better. Instead of being dominated by torpedo shootouts and challenges from underwater pirates as in the two-hour pilot, ``seaQuest'' will now focus on more issues dealing with underwater adventure and exploration.
``The stories now serve more to help get us to know who these characters are,'' NBC's Littlefield says. ``Clearly, there is more character work.'' Beacham says Scheider recently turned to her on the set and said the show ``finally had a heart.''
But will these fixes save a series that has been ripped by critics, who have called the show ``Das Bomb'' and gave the first show two fins down? Executives at the network pooh-pooh the critics' initial reaction, though they do hope writers will review later episodes.
by CNB