MovieChat Forums > Dead Like Me (2003) Discussion > Old John Masius interview

Old John Masius interview

posted 12 years ago by occono-782-773755
1 reply | jump to latest

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3839333

I found an old NPR interview with Masius that's still up, from right before Season 2's premiere. Not very long, but it's the only interview with Masius or Godchaux I've found except the brief clips on the DVDs. Wish I could find something more substantial somewhere, I really want to know how they came up with stuff and what they drew on from their lives and stuff. :(

The interview only briefly touches on how Masius ended up running a sort of dark foulmouthed Touched by an Angel when that was the show he originally created. He made the original pilot for Touched by an Angel and it was about the Angels being foulmouthed and argumentative and sarcastic, and the network threw it out and remade the show as a lighthearted very Christian show show, no swears or conflict haha. And he ended up making his idea for a show in the end 10 years later after Fuller left!

This interview touches on it a bit:
http://onlineathens.com/stories/062603/ent_20030626022.shtml

He compares Fuller to where he was in his 30's when he wrote the original TBAA and was angry spiritually about his two disabled sons.....

[–] Danioton 12 years ago

Nice find.

I stumbled on the connection between Masius/DLM with TBAA sometime back thru some articles, but I don't believe I've ever heard that interview.

As you point out Masius had a very different vision for the show and after another (very very Christian) showrunner was brought in they dropped his version and we got the one that took such high ratings for several years. I put something up comparing the different types of these series on one of these threads some time back. While I won't say it was a direct inspiration I'm sure the very high sustained ratings that TBAA achieved (1994-2003) did not go unnoticed and had some influence on other studios attempting to put something out there with the after death spin. Brimstone 1998-99 was much darker and only lasted one season. DLM - a 'dark comedy' - made its appearance in 2003 followed closely by a Canadian show - The Collector' 2004-06 for three seasons was a lighter Brimstone. Two more shows that found a balance - i.e. not so sugary coated as TBAA - and lasted a while were 'Medium' 2005-11 and 'Ghost Whisperer' 2005-10.

Anyway, a couple of things ... I was surprised that they used the same lead actors for the Masius pilot (Downey and Reese and maybe others too) as they did for the super clean version. I would like to see that original pilot with Roma and Della smoking, swearing, and backbiting as they go about collecting souls. I've watched a couple of seasons of the TBAA and it's hard to imagine Roma in the original pilot.

I believe they have a credit for Masius on all the TBAA episodes even tho he had nothing to do with the show after the other showrunner took over. And Masius then later worked on DLM in which you see a credit for Fuller even tho after the 4th episode Fuller was not involved.

Sorry to hear that Masius had such misfortune in his life. But I've never seen DLM as reflecting anything negative input from the writers etc - it all seems rather positive to me.