Hollywood Immortal

[Chapter 356: Hit TV Show]

Since the third season began, the ratings for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire had stabilized around 4.5%, consistently ranking as the top show in its time slot. It had become a cultural phenomenon.

Before the first season even finished airing, broadcasters from the UK, France, Germany, and Japan were lining up, eager to negotiate local production rights.

After consulting Linton, CEO Chris led the negotiation team with a sharp, take-no-prisoners approach, fully capitalizing on the show's rare value.

Take BBC in the UK as an example -- the final deal was as follows:

1. BBC would pay $20 million upfront to acquire the UK production rights from UPN Television Network.

2. The license would last for 5 years, and BBC would pay 15% of net profits from each season's airing to UPN.

3. If the 15% share from any season did not reach $10 million, BBC was responsible for covering the shortfall.

Just from selling the rights, UPN made a huge windfall.

The company was already planning the show's second season, scheduled for production and airing in June.

Since producing Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, UPN's finances had improved rapidly, and its influence had grown significantly. The operations team capitalized on this momentum by aggressively signing over 60 local TV stations, now reaching more than 90% of the American population.

However, the network's weakness remained glaring: only one hit show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire; other programs hadn't made any breakthrough progress.

But with the improved financial health and expanded audience reach, more TV drama project proposals were coming their way.

Any network, even one of the big three, couldn't rely solely on in-house production; they had to bring in external TV series projects.

---

In America, to minimize risk, production companies secured broadcast platforms before starting. Shows were usually produced and aired simultaneously. Typically, two episodes were filmed and aired first; if the response was positive, filming continued. If not, production stopped immediately, minimizing losses on both sides.

This was why American TV series were weekly broadcasts -- filming on the fly, often adjusting to audience preferences. The production pace wasn't fast, and sometimes shows stopped mid-season because later episodes hadn't yet been filmed.

UPN was no exception. Their earlier limited reach and low ratings meant few quality drama projects sought them out. They barely received any cooperative project proposals or scripts annually, mostly producing or rebroadcasting older series.

But this year was different; in less than two months, they'd received over 20 scripts and 10+ project proposals.

Linton asked Grace, head of TV drama production, to bring over the latest scripts and proposals to see if anything looked familiar.

To his surprise, he found a hit project: ER.

Opening the script outline, it told the story of a Chicago emergency room where staff treated critically ill patients daily, using their top-notch medical skills and compassionate care.

This wasn't just any series -- it was a mega-hit that lasted 15 seasons and won countless awards, truly a cultural phenomenon.

Its influence extended beyond America; it had been sold worldwide, with dozens of countries buying remakes adapted into their local stories.

George Clooney rose to fame starring in this very series.

Such a prime project, how could it possibly land with a still-struggling network like UPN? Linton set aside his doubts and read on.

This was a unique case. The script and project came not from a production company, but directly from the writer Michael Crichton.

Michael Crichton was no unknown; his bestselling novel Jurassic Park had been adapted into that blockbuster hit.

This time, he wasn't just selling a script; he wanted to pitch ER as a full project seeking partnership. He demanded not only to be the scriptwriter but also a producer -- and as the project's initiator, he wanted a share of future profits.

That explained the high asking price. Likely, other networks and producers had rejected his conditions, so he was trying his luck at UPN.

TV dramas differed from movies dramatically. Writers held higher status than directors, and as a producer, Crichton would essentially rule the set. Demanding a share of profits without investing capital was rare -- most companies wouldn't accept such terms.

Linton didn't know how negotiations had ended in the past, but knowing the potential of ER as a blockbuster, he agreed immediately.

He separated the proposal and handed it to Grace.

"This project looks promising. Get in touch with them and start negotiating ASAP," he said.

"Boss, it's a fantastic project, and Michael is a renowned figure, but aren't these terms too tough?" Grace asked.

"That's exactly why it landed with us. Otherwise, do you think this project would come our way? Besides, do you have any better projects?" Linton replied sharply.

Grace felt embarrassed. "Alright, boss. I'll contact Michael Crichton right away."

---

After a week of negotiation, UPN and Michael Crichton finalized their partnership on ER.

The deal centered on Michael's rights and compensation.

His pay consisted of three parts:

First, as the sole scriptwriter of this acclaimed series, UPN bought the ER scripts from him, paying $20,000 per episode for season one.

Second, as a producer -- though Grace was the lead producer -- Michael would serve as co-producer, receiving $20,000 per episode.

Lastly, as project initiator and overseer, if the series was well received and continued production, UPN would pay a $500,000 bonus to Michael.

He would also receive a 3% share of season one's net profits.

The contract included other clauses:

UPN owned all copyrights for ER and future derivative works, ensuring that even if Michael left, the project could continue.

Michael had exclusivity during his contract -- he couldn't work on competing projects for other companies.

He retained significant control, including the final say on main cast selections.

Season one of ER had 25 episodes with a production budget of $8 million.

There was a recurring Asian-American female character, Dr. Jing-Mei Chen. This was an excellent role with strong fan appeal if cast well; one of his Asian women could be cast.

As for other roles, none of Linton's women were interested. Hollywood film stars generally looked down on TV roles as beneath them.

No matter how great the show, it didn't attract his women's interest in TV projects.

But for Vivian Chow, Michelle Reis, Izumi Sakai, and Noriko Sakai, this was a rare and valuable opportunity. Quality Asian-American roles in Hollywood were scarce, and even Linton had no better alternatives.

Accepting the inevitable, Linton claimed the role of Dr. Chen for Vivian Chow, advising her to prepare seriously.

*****

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