There was a lot in that article on the Pulse that was really badly reported,
things were misphrased, two different sentences were put into one, sections are
wholly incomprehensible...it's just a train wreck of a piece.

However, even though the article totally misstated the sentence so it didn't
make any sense, the last phrase is correct, in that I have zero desire to
return to a third season of Jeremiah. Showtime was great, no mistake, but MGM
has overall been the most heinous, difficult and intrusive studio I've ever
worked for. I've worked for, and had great relations with, Viacom, Universal,
Warner Bros., and a bunch more. But I will never, ever, work for the present
administration at MGM.

I didn't know why so many other writers had a problem there and never wanted to
go back. Now I do.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

>Joe, could there even *be* a third season of "Jeremiah" without you?
>I don't know how this works--i.e., whether MGM owns the show and
>could conceivably bring in someone else to keep it going.

Sure, they could definitely do so. At the end of their day, it's their show,
and if there should be a season three, they would have no choice but to bring
someone else in.

As an aside...none of this should be taken as a diss of the coming season. I
honestly think that the second season is miles better than our first season.
It's more consistent, takes more chances, it's really a very strong season.

Thing of it is, you look at the quality of the work, and the amount of blood on
the floor in getting to that point, and have to decide if the one is worth the
other. The process is hard enough without others making it even harder than it
has to be.

And there we are.
jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

>I have no recollection of the B5 actors
>chronically being forced to wait on the set for JMS to come rushing in
>with the latest few pages of his scripts. He works (admittedly very
>long hours) to keep this from happening. He works closely with the
>studios to know what his deadlines are and he makes those deadlines.

I have this kind of antiquated notion that if someone gives you x-million bucks
to make a show, it behooves you to act *responsibly*. So really it's just a
matter of being responsible in how you run a show.

As a result, in every season of every show I've run, we always came in under
budget, anywhere from $100K to $500K. When I said I'd do that on Jeremiah,
they kind of laughed at me, 'cause it was a big show, big names, big production
values...we came in about $300K under in year 1, and about $200K under in year
2.

On B5, Crusade and Jeremiah, we never had a forced call on an actor, never had
actors waiting around for pages to arrive on stage. We stay 5-6 scripts ahead
at all times, so directors can prep efficiently. And in 5 years of B5 plus
Crusade, we had maybe 20 days of any serious overtime. On Jeremiah I think we
had a total of 18 over two seasons.

Just a matter of being responsible with other people's money.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)