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« The Biz
Can Back to You Save Multi-camera Comedy?
Back to You by Sam Jones/Fox
A time-period-winning 9.5 million viewers watched Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton return to prime time Wednesday in their new Fox sitcom, Back to You. Most of them surely tuned in to see two stars from two of their favorite shows, Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond. But the industry insiders are watching carefully for another reason: They’re curious as to whether the series about two over-the-hill local TV news anchors with a past can prove that the multi-camera comedy has a future. Steve Levitan, executive producer, writer and creator of the show with partner Christopher Lloyd, offered his thoughts to The Biz about meeting the challenge.
TVGuide.com: Do you feel the future of the multi-camera sitcom is riding on this show?
Steve Levitan: I hate the thought of that. We have enough pressure trying to do a funny show. But some people are saying it, and it does start to weigh on you. I’m not sure that’s fair. The No. 1 comedy on TV is a multi-camera show in Two and a Half Men. So I’m not sure it’s entirely accurate [that the genre is dying].
TVGuide.com: Why do you believe it’s going to work?
Steve Levitan: I’ll tell you why Christopher Lloyd and I wanted to do it. The way things go in Hollywood is the whole town makes a collective decision that one thing is cold and one thing is hot, and we don’t buy it. We don’t buy that audiences only want single-camera comedy. We believe audiences are starved for another multi-camera comedy that has wonderful actors and great characters and good writing. I find it impossible to believe that human nature has changed so much in the past few years since Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond and Will & Grace, you name it — and people say, no, I don’t like that form of comedy anymore. Perhaps there haven’t been enough shows that have connected.
TVGuide.com: But putting on a sitcom with such a strong cast and production auspices is something of a test as to whether there is still a real appetite out there, right?
Levitan: One agent has told me, "if this show doesn’t work, I am quitting the television business and going into movies, because I don’t get it." I think there’s a sentiment out there that if this doesn’t work, we really don’t know this business anymore.
TVGuide.com: Some people would say local TV news has seen better days, too. What makes it such an appealing setting for a sitcom?
Levitan: You’ve got stories that come in naturally. [A local TV newsroom] is looking for stories. It becomes easy for us to find ways for interesting things to happen. For example, in our second episode, one of the reporters gets tasered. We wrote it months ago and just shot it weeks ago, and what’s the biggest story in the news today? It all comes around.
TVGuide.com: What made the pilot episode immediately contemporary was showing Chuck Darling’s gaffe on YouTube. Today when you make a fool of yourself on TV, you can’t run and hide.
Levitan: If you make a mistake, the world is going to know. It’s great for us because we’ve used YouTube as a wonderful source of reporter and anchor screw-ups. The changing world affects those in TV news and they’re wrestling with the digital age. It’s just another element to play with.
TVGuide.com: There’s a lot of goodwill towards the two stars. Does that give you a lift when you’re taping in front of an audience?
Levitan: When people come to the show, they’ve said, "I feel like I’ve been watching this show for five years. I come in and feel comfortable watching this show. They all seem like they’ve been doing it for a long time together." It doesn’t feel like we have that slow, creaky start. It feels like we’ve hit the ground running from our point of view.
TVGuide.com: But it’s different because…?
Levitan: This is a very different dynamic for both of them. Kelsey didn’t really play against a single strong woman in Frasier. There were a bunch of women who would come and go. It was largely his family. Debra on Raymond was dealing with married issues. Now they are both dealing with very different things, and I think that’s what makes it fresh. But the fact that they are strong characters and great actors makes it feel reminiscent of their great shows. Hopefully, people will say it’s funny and smart like those shows were, but it’s different enough that I want to watch it. One critic suggested, "Why do we need this show when we have Raymond and Frasier?" That’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Why do anything new? Should we stop making television?
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Sep 21, 2007 1:27 PM
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I enjoyed the first episode it certainly has potential. I prefer 3 camera live studio audience comedies so I hope this gets better and makes it. The soap opera ending about the child gives them many levels to play with and Kelsey & Patricia are very enjoyable.
His character is very pompous like Frasier but he does that well.
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Sep 21, 2007 3:53 PM
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Great interview! I watched this episode last night (I was out of town when it premiered and had to DVR it). I have to say I was worried that I'd be let down from anticipation. But I wasn't. I really enjoyed the first episode - and I look forward to the rest of the series.
As nyjoey said - I love the three-camera approach - don't care for the single-camera approach at all.
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Sep 22, 2007 11:11 AM
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I REALLY ENJOYED THE FIRST EPISODE.BACK TO YOU WILL SEND A MESSAGE THAT THE SITCOM IS ALIVE AND WELL AND POISED FOR A COMEBACK.
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Sep 23, 2007 10:35 AM
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I didn't enjoy the first episode and won't tune in next week. It wasn't funny, it was predictable, and it won't succeed.
Grammer is great ... except in how many more sitcoms can he play Dr. Crane? Change the amount of hair, change the clothing, but the character is the same: pompous and arrogant.
Heaton is okay, except she overdoes every scene. Didn't like her on Raymond, so I doubt she'll endear me with this one. Granted, she has an edge, but after awhile it gets old. It's already old.
Of course the daughter was theirs. Didn't take 22 minutes to figure it out. When Heaton said she had an 8 year old, you could see the lie in her face. ZZZ.
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Sep 23, 2007 8:18 PM
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Well, can't say I agree with these comments. It would be nice to have a sitcom where the whole family can watch without worrying about sex being mentioned three hundred times. I was disappointed with Patricia Heaton seeing that she comes out as the very few conservative actresses.
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Sep 23, 2007 8:20 PM
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Hi - Am I the only person in the world who doesn't see/understand the difference between one camera and multi-camera? Maybe I'm an idiot, everyone else talks/writes about it like it's really common knowledge. Can someone explain to me please? Thanks so much in advance, Betty
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Sep 26, 2007 10:50 AM
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The sitcom is DEAD !!!
Such unlikeable drech and drivell.
I like the actors. The writing is awful and the premise is pathetic. "Joey" is now a comedy classic.
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Sep 27, 2007 10:00 AM
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This may be a stupid question but what does "multi-camera" mean? Of course it means more than one camera but in this context how is it different from other comedies? What are some examples of each?
Thanks
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Oct 7, 2007 1:30 PM
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