ATTN JMS: Familiar Sentiments?

[B5JMS Poster]

Subject: ATTN JMS: Familiar Sentiments?
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 No. | DATE        |  FROM
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+  1: May 22, 1996: devnull at sidehack.gweep.net (John Trussell)
*  2: May 23, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)

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From: devnull at sidehack.gweep.net (John Trussell)
Lines: 98

Ok, this is a little off the beaten path, subject-wise, but it struck me
that some might find it interesting and/or appropriate...

There were five shows on TV this past year which I religiously watched: B5
(obviously :), Law & Order, X-Files, Murder One, and Nowhere Man.  Having
now seen the last (ever -- it's been cancelled) episode of NM, I decided to
peruse the nets to see if I could find a few answers to lingering questions
about the show's plot.

In my searchings, I came across the following online note from Nowhere Man's
creater, Lawrence Hertzog... it's old (posted about six months ago), but
given the show's cancellation this past Thursday, it's a timely parting
note.

I'm including it here primarily for JMS to read (and possibly react to).
I'm curious to know how many of the sentiments expressed by Mr. Hertzog --
one of the few other series creators who's been active on the nets, and who
has had a chance to see "his dream" (partially) played out on-screen -- seem
familiar or "hit home."

(Please, no flames, no comments of the "you actually _watched_ that piece of
tripe?" variety.  I like(d) the show... your mileage may vary, and I don't
feel any need to argue about it.  'k?)

***
[begin quoted text from http://www.abacus.ghj.com/sci_fi/nowhere/hertz.htm]
***

>Since Nowhere Man will air no new episodes in December, this week becomes
>our Christmas episode and the last of the "old" year. It seems (mixed in
>there with Turkey day) a good time for me to say "thanks." 
>
>Nowhere Man began, extraordinarily, when Mike Sullivan, President of UPN,
>sat across from me and asked, "If you could do anything you wanted to do -
>what would you do?" It took a little while, but I came up with "Nowhere
>Man." Mike simply said, "do it." 
>
>How or why I was deserving of this treatment, I'll never know. But there
>it was. What at first seemed exciting became something of a "charge."
>Though I doubt that Mike intended it, his "do it" had quickly become "put
>your money where your mouth is."  I wouldn't have the Network (or anyone
>else) to blame on this pilot. In short, it was "all mine." 
>
>Well, we came, we saw and we - er, semi-conquered? 
>
>Whatever the fate or fortune of Nowhere Man, it began as a labor of love
>and, as in most relationships, there are times when the labor has
>outshined the love.  But we're in therapy and we're "working on it." 
>
>Perhaps the most rewarding part of the entire "Nowhere Man" experience has
>been the opportunity to interact with the small "core" audience who come
>online to praise, question, and even jeer the show. Though there are few
>consistencies among the posters, it certainly appears that the "NOWHERE
>MANiacs" out there are a bright and literate bunch. 
>
>What's rewarding, however, goes way beyond the blurbs, the barbs, the
>jokes, the questions and the comments. I have been writing for television
>for almost 20 years now (yikes!) and have never been asked to "do what [I]
>want." Having done that now for almost 13 episodes, heart in mouth, liver
>in - who-knows-where? - the support and feedback from the online community
>have been nothing short of "life's blood." 
>
>For those who've compared the show favorably to "The Prisoner" and/or "The
>Twilight Zone," I thank you. I consider those comparisons a major
>compliment (and will never believe that they are deserved - but I'm
>working on it). 
>
>For those who are "intrigued," "hooked" and in the "wouldn't miss it" 
>category - again, thank you. 
>
>To know that, in some way, I was able to take Mike's charge and run with
>it - that I have communicated something to someone - is tremendously
>gratifying. To further know that we have managed (at least through the
>first 13) to get episodes on television that are actually about something
>is - mind-blowing, to say the least. 
>
>Whatever the fate of "Nowhere Man," it has been worth the countless
>episodes of "Hart to Hart(s)" and "Hardcastle and McCormick(s)" to get
>here. I've had a chance to do something that was meaningful to me and to
>come online and talk about it with those on the "receiving end." 
>
>When it comes to the Holidays - I've already received and unwrapped my
>best and biggest present - our online conversations. For the ones passed
>and the ones to come, I can't thank you enough. In return, I will fight
>the fight as long as it's "fightable" to keep "Nowhere Man" on its toes. 
>
>That said, I wish all of you Happy, Healthy and "Them-free" Holidays.  And
>you can be sure, when I count my blessings, you'll all be among them. 
>
>                                          Larry

***
[end quoted text]
***

-- 
John Trussell
devnull at sidehack.gweep.net / truss at tiac.net

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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Lines: 27

While my experience on other shows has not been quite the same as
Hertzog's, I can understand his sentiments, certainly.  I've been
uncommonly fortunate in that in most of the shows I've done, I've had a
pretty free hand to do pretty much whatever I wanted.  But nowhere as much
as on B5.  Nowhere, man.  

(sorry)

I wanted to check out Nowhere Man more often, but only actually managed to
watch the first and last episodes of this season.  I thought it held great
promise.

To the overall tone...yes, there are times when doing a show becomes a
terrible, grinding responsibility on a day-to-day basis.  Especially one
as mind-bogglingly complex as B5.  You can't just go off and sit by the
shore for a day or to, it's the totality of your waking life.  Go watch
Jack Klugman in "A Game of Pool" from TZ1, you'll understand.

In that light, the online experience -- with its occasional ups and downs,
potholes and rooftop snipers -- can be a source of great emotional
sustenance.  (When one is not driven mad by them.)  It's a great
community.



 jms

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