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EXCLUSIVE: Influence, a drama project from Lone Star and Awake creator Kyle Killen, has received a put pilot commitment by ABC in a competitive situation involving multiple networks. The project, from 20th Century Fox TV where Killen is under a deal, is described as a provocative workplace ensemble centered on the complicated relationship between two brothers — a bipolar genius in human psychology and a slick ex-con — who head a unique agency designed to solve their clients’ problems using the real science of human motivation and manipulation. In addition to helping their clients, the agency’s staff sometime turn their powers to pull strings on one another. Killen is the writer/executive producer. Influence marks a departure from Killen’s previous two series projects, Fox’s Lone Star and NBC’s Awake, which both had very complex, non-linear narratives as they centered on protagonists living dual lives. Still, Killen kept a duality element in his new show too, making one of the main characters bipolar. On the feature side, Killen wrote the Black List script The Beaver, which was directed by Jodie Foster.
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This should be worth checking out if it gets to series. The guy has two ‘brilliant but canceled’ shows to his credit and if he’s found a way to be brilliant and stay on the air, that would be a Good Thing!
Brilliant?
I guess to each his own. I’ve found all this guy’s work to be pretentiously straining to be deep– utterly convoluted. His shows get canceled because no one wants to wade through his three-card-monte storylines. Confusing and convoluted is not deep or brilliant; it’s a con. Same for The Beaver.
Sooner or later the networks will get hip.
But again, to each his own. As a WGA member (and not a “hater,” I’m gainfully employed) I love to see writers selling shows. I just think this guy’s shows, for lack of a better word, suck.
THE BEAVER was the most overrated script in the world. He also has lost more money for people than any other writer in a generation. Now, to be fair, the money making projects like THE HANGOVER aren’t funny whatsoever.
But has anyone read his road trip movie, THE SCENIC ROUTE? He’s not a funny writer at all. He’s just coasting on THE BEAVER, and nothing he writes is compelling in my opinion. At some point, he’s going to run out chances.
I read Scenic Route. And while I’m not his biggest fan, I’ve found his writing to have at least a level of skill that made me double check the title page three or four times when reading Scenic Route. Because that script was so appallingly bad on every level, I was surprised Killen had written it. Then not surprised someone actually decided to make it. Nothing makes sense.
Actually, he’s had two Pilots that all alone were decent pieces of writing but were in no way viable setups for an actual series beyond three or four episodes — let alone three or four seasons.
He is a decent writer, so maybe this time he actually has a “series” on his hands instead of an idea.
The last 3-4 episodes of Awake, even more than the pilot, proved it was a viable series. Just because NBC gutted the tennis coach storyline and pushed a more procedural arc for the start of the series isn’t the fault of Killen. That writing room was under fire from the moment NBC ordered it to series.
Sucks. But it wasn’t a network show. NBC shouldn’t have picked it up if that was the type of show they were looking for.
Honestly, anything by Killen sounds and is great. NBC made the worst decision of last season by giving Awake the time slot it had. I have high hopes for him, as I’ll tune in to whatever he puts out.
I love anything Killen puts out, and NBC made the worst decision of last season by putting Awake in the time slot it had. It would’ve caught on with the right promotion, the kind that Revolution is getting right now.
Well, high hopes for this guy!
Cool, can’t wait! Bet this will be as compulsively watchable and brilliant as his last two shows!
(Fart Noise) (Foghorn) (Model T Car Horn)
Inception: The Series. Could be interesting but Killen needs to learn to write to the level of his audience.
Doesn’t 2 guys one who’s either a genius or a cop or a criminal etc… is EVERY USA show?
Dude needs to stop selling to network TV. His stuff is too smart for them. Seriously. Stop.
Because he’s at 20th and they’re probably pushing him towards network.
I’m so confused. The conventional wisdom i.e., Nielsen ratings said that his last two shows were terrible but doesn’t that mean they were complex, well-considered adult dramas? Is he just someone who should be writing novels instead of selling soap?
I want to be happy for him but what if’s just the flavor of the month. I mean if it gets on the schedule will this show be on long enough for me to even form an opinion? Le sigh.
Lone Star was probably the best new show of the 2010 season, and the fact it was canceled after (what was it?) 2 or 3 aired episodes was just criminal. This is a world where dreck like Whitney gets picked up… and renewed. Awake saw him trying to tweak things to be more viewer accessible, but even that couldn’t survive. I think Killen is one of the most talented guys on the scene today and am hoping he sticks with it and finds a way to push through without becoming totally derivative. This guy deserves a big hit. Not sure why he hasn’t just given up on “the networks” at this point and figured something out with HBO, Showtime, FX, USA, AMC, or some other premium cable network that will nurture his voice and give him a little more breathing room.
The Beaver was awful – just awful.
Lone Star and Awake were huge bombs and total pieces of garbage.
Who keeps buying from this guy?
Easiest prediction ever – this show will fail.
Ah, I love this part of development season!
People keep employing “this guy” because he’s had three critically acclaimed works behind him, like it or not. Will that equal a hit? Who knows. But clearly some network execs believe in investing in his scripts over something else.
But I’m sure you’ll have fun hanging in LA during upfront week?
Waste of money.
Another stolen movie concept that will fall apart after episode 5.
Please get some TV EXECS!!! who fucking know TV and aren’t jealous of movie ideas.
Why are people so hatefull I’m the comments, if yOu don’t like his work you don’t have to bash it, anyway lone star was great what we were able to see and awake though I unfortunately didn’t see the whole thing was incredible as well so high hopes for this
I liked both Awake and Lone Star. Better luck this time, Kyle.
Notice to crew — don’t get staffed on this.
LONE STAR was one of the best pilots I’ve ever seen, period. AWAKE had a lot of promise, but not sure if the premise really sustained it. I’ll definitely be watching closely anything that Killen puts out. Nice, genuine guy who actually cares about what he’s doing, and tries to write compelling, original stories… which is rarer than we’d like.
Kyle Killen is a great writer but this IS actually another double life story that will play out between two characters, brothers this time. The guy is stuck on one theme probably because the worst kept secret is that he lives a doble life himself.
Please elaborate on your comment.
Are you referring to his double life traveling between writing/working in LA and family/living in Austin? Or something more sinister?
I was an extra in one episode of awake. I thought it was a very good show and the lead actor was very nice so was Kyle it seemed. The week it got cancelled he came into my restaurant with his girlfriend and I thought it was wird but they seemed really happy. I considered saying something but knew my manager would fire me because we have rules about that. This is LA you know. It is a shame because I liked the show so much.
It feels like this years marching orders at the studio and network level was “no risks” this year.
Kyle is a talented writer. The Beaver was a great script, on the blacklist I think, that was turned into a bad film which happens all the time. His pilot projects have both been interesting and ambitious and for a website where people complain about how unoriginal ideas are you are very quick to attack a guy who produces them. Who cares wether he’s a philanderer or his last project failed. He is at least trying to make better television and that should be applauded.