['Tos]

I took that as the writer's opinion, not Berlanti's. Because if it's Berlanti's, well, his key storyline this season on Brothers & Sisters IS a relationship drama between two (almost) teens...that just happen to have thought they were brother and sister. Whee! But yeah, that jumped out at me, but it just flies in the face of what he came up with for the two youngest characters on Brothers & Sisters so I take it as something the writer is assuming. At least, if Berlanti is tiring of it, he's still very much doing it. And if he sees it as something lower, why would he be doing it kind of thing and why would he be talking about relationships between young characters in such high regard as he has been doing this past year. All his shows are still about families and relationships and, for two out of the three shows, involve young characters. I really can't see how Berlanti said those words, because they make no sense based on what he's currently writing.

But yeah, I had the same reaction at first, but it really doesn't make sense coming from Berlanti. Not that Mr. Justin and Rebecca are the Ephram and Amy of Brothers & Sisters is making much sense these days...

[ShadowMagist]

Hey now, dont forget this is the guy that promised not to go all Justin/Rebecca for months and then once he gets back to work: WHAM!

Just sayin...

['Tos]

Yeah, he's lost credibility to say the least. What's weird is apparently they did know quite early on in season two that they were going to get together, and you think they'd see a backlash coming and would try to limit one as much as possible. But Berlanti going around saying she's a Walker, and going against what was coming, it just comes off as unbelievably stupid. He says some goofy things at times, although he can say some really eloquent things too (see sig for what I think is a great line), but I've never seen him come off as flat out stupid, but I guess this storyline really revealed a whole new side of him, didn't it? The bumface.

[MAKRO]

Berlanti may have lost credibility with some of us fans with his evil, or at least bizarre, machinations of the Rebecca storyline (not to mention his unfathomable comparison of Rebecca/Justin to Amy/Ephram), but ABC seems to still like him. He just signed a five year production deal with them purportedly worth more than ten million dollars.

[buffyannAlex]

So okay, Katie Holmes is guest starring on Eli Stone

Exclusive: Katie Holmes Cruises to 'Eli Stone' ep, you read that headline correctly. In arguably the biggest piece of stunt casting since How I Met Your Mother lassoed Britney Spears, sources confirm to me exclusively that Katie Holmes is returning to the small screen this fall on ABC's sophomore drama, Eli Stone. A spokesperson for the show declined to comment, but I'm told Suri's mama is on board for one episode. (For specifics on her character, check out my Live Press Tour Diary.) The gig, which should give a nice boost to the critically-adored but marginally-rated series, marks a reunion between Holmes and her former Dawson's Creek boss, Eli exec producer Greg Berlanti. Next month, Mrs. Tom Cruise heads to New York, where she'll be making her Broadway debut this fall in a revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. So, what do you think, Eli fans? I'm thinking you're embracing this news since it'll no doubt expose Eli to millions of potential new viewers. Plus, it's freakin' Joey Potter! You with me?!

Source

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this. I guess Berlanti must like her and I suppose it's good buzz for this great great show. I hope she'll be good in it though. I hate it when "stars" come in for a guest spot but they're not even good, it's all about the buzz.

['Tos]

Thanks, Alex. While it is stunt-casting to the extreme, and I would be LIVID if this kind of thing happened on Everwood, I'm kind of looking forward to it. I don't mind Katie, even like her quite a bit in some movies. And I think with Greg hopefully writing and obviously being there for her ep, it could be good. I think I read somewhere where he said it won't just be one or two scenes, and I think it was hinted elsewhere she may even sing and dance! Greg seems to be a huge fan of her, comparing her to Emily in the commentaries (or, really, comparing Emily to Katie).

Berlanti may have lost credibility with some of us fans with his evil, or at least bizarre, machinations of the Rebecca storyline (not to mention his unfathomable comparison of Rebecca/Justin to Amy/Ephram), but ABC seems to still like him. He just signed a five year production deal with them purportedly worth more than ten million dollars.

He deserves it alone from Everwood.

And even more success from Jack & Bobby. And I like what Eli Stone has turned into after a not-so-great start to a so-great ending. And DSM (although I really have no idea how involved he is with it, and it doesn't seem like a ton) is enjoyable for me. It's just he's...completely ruined B&S and his own story.

I guess I don't really get why ABC would give him a 5 year deal worth that much, though. I'm still a huge fan of the guy, but..what has he really done on ABC? Eli Stone is a bubble show and that's almost generous, DSM isn't too far from that, and he's saved a show and possibly killed it. Is that really worth 10 mil? Still, I hope he has a better go over the next five years. I still would love to see that magic I saw in Everwood and Jack & Bobby. I see some hints at it with Eli Stone at times, but not nearly enough.

['Tos]

Speaking of goofy things that Berlanti says, here are two choice examples about the backlash against the Justin/Rebecca storyline:

Regarding the backlash against Justin and Rebecca on Brothers & Sisters, Berlanti admits that "none of us expected that there would be a contingent of the audience that was as vocal as they were about not liking that storyline." Um, that sounds ominous.

Live Press Tour Diary: ABC Day Two | | Ausiello Files | EW.com

and

When Greg Berlanti was asked about the introduction of a second illegitimate Walker (Ryan) and the Rebecca-Justin miniscandal, he said he hoped that the fans remember that they're still the same writers who came up with all the storylines the fans universally like, so maybe they'll get at least a little charity or leeway from the audience when it comes to the more controversial stories.

Watch with Kristin - ABC's Big Boss Panel: Quick, Somebody Save Shonda From Heigl-Gate

Goofy, goofy stuff. You know you're in trouble as a writer when you're essentially begging your own loyal fanbase to give you some "charity". Ouch. Frankly, I wish he would just shut up about it altogether, because he's coming off more and more of an ass everytime he opens his mouth on the subject.

[Thief Of Love]

Man. I never thought that Berlanti would become one of those showrunners, with the whole "you're in our debt because we gave you good storylines at one point" thing he seems to have going now. I am glad it didn't happen during Everwood, though.

Hey, what do you think could have been the worst thing to happen to Everwood, had Berlanti ever pulled a Justin/Rebecca-level stunt there? For example, Andy/Amanda (which occurred under Rina's watch, but I assume was first developed when Berlanti was still around in S2) was bad, but it never once affected my love for the show itself, and even Andy was still redeemable -- he's a terrific character again in S4. The E/M baby was an iffy plot point, but I actually really like what was done with the story in S4, with Ephram/Kyle and Ephram developing a new understanding of Andy's love for him. But what could have happened, in, say, S5, that might have really made you question this show and its writers? Certainly, something like, say, pairing up Amy and Bright as a couple based on the actors' romantic history would have done the trick, but that would probably not have happened. Though perhaps one never knows.

['Tos]

Man. I never thought that Berlanti would become one of those showrunners, with the whole "you're in our debt because we gave you good storylines at one point" thing he seems to have going now. I am glad it didn't happen during Everwood, though.

Definitely. It's very frustrating to hear him like this.

I was actually worried about his season five idea, Nina being pregnant with Jake's baby. It reminded me too much of the Madison baby drama storyline. I too liked how that one ended up, but it took a lot of vomit-inducing scenes to get there. And it was such forced drama. It definitely wasn't Everwood. Same with the Nina pregnancy storyline there. I'm almost glad we didn't see it. I do think it would have ended up fine, and might have even been interesting, but it just is so un-Everwood from the guy who's supposed to know Everwood so well. That kind of reminds me of Justin/Rebecca, almost importing a storyline from a completely different show and forcing it in awkwardly in this show. The Madison one gave me that vibe too. He seems to like soapy storylines sometimes. *shrugs*

Hmm, I'd definitely question the writers had they had Ephram or Bright revert, like Ephram creating more needless drama with Andy after the bond they had created in season four with all their talks, or had Bright gone back to the womanizing ways after his relationship with Hannah. That would just go so counter to all they did in the final season. It'd be like Amy reverting and starting to rebel against Harold and Rose in season three, going completely against the point of her arc in season two.

I can't even imagine them doing it, though. In fact, I can hardly imagine what crazy things they could do.

[Thief Of Love]

I was actually worried about his season five idea, Nina being pregnant with Jake's baby.

I hated the sound of that story, too, not only for its sheer soapiness, but for what it might have meant for the characters involved -- would Nina have told Jake? If so, what would his role have been, given that Scott Wolf would have been off the show? If not, why not, besides the fact that it would have complicated her relationship with Andy? Andy's probably the only character who could have come out of this thing basically unscathed (unless he would have argued against informing Jake, which would have been sucky of him, but I don't think he would have done that).

The thing is, though, that this storyline, unsavory as it might have been, at least wouldn't have involved altering what had already occurred; the structure of the story would have remained sound. I think the only dealbreaker for me would have been if they had gone the way of retconning any significant part of the show's history or backstory. Character regression such as you mention would have been questionable, but the writers could have gotten themselves out of it just as they did with the questionable storylines of S2 and 3. There's no coming back from a retcon, though.

[ShadowMagist]

Yeah, I agree too with not liking the sound of season 5. Besides, how many times can they have Nina get pregnant before it gets old? Thats 3 so far, possibly 4 if Andy wanted his own...like...my god. The poor woman!

But Thief, you're right, the writers were able to save it...that may have more or less had to do with Greg's absence. I never got the sense that Rina was for the Madison Baby or Amanda Affair(she basically eliminated any mention of Amanda after it was wrapped up and didn't want to see the baby in season 4), so that could've been it. Also it seemed Greg only came back for Goodbye, Love(there was a big deal made towards the beginning of the season, I think Ausiello asked her about it. Saying he'd come back only for the death of Irv episode). So, judging from that and the fact that her name was at the top of the EP Listing: Rina Mimoun, Mickey Liddel, Greg Berlanti. It makes me think that he was...not involved, which is probably why, as Tos feels, season 4 was the second best season. And now looking at how things have gone down on Brothers and Sisters...it just makes you wonder if Greg really was the reason for these plot occurances. It's...unsettling though. The guy who gave us season 1 is the same person who gave us some of EW's worst...

Do we know if Berlanti is certifiably bi-polar?

['Tos]

I hated the sound of that story, too, not only for its sheer soapiness, but for what it might have meant for the characters involved -- would Nina have told Jake? If so, what would his role have been, given that Scott Wolf would have been off the show? If not, why not, besides the fact that it would have complicated her relationship with Andy? Andy's probably the only character who could have come out of this thing basically unscathed (unless he would have argued against informing Jake, which would have been sucky of him, but I don't think he would have done that).

Hmm. Good point. I had never thought it of it from that view before, but definitely. I guess they could have had the phone call to Jake, and then try to get him back for an episode in sweeps or something to talk to her, but yeah, why wouldn't he come straight back after finding that kind of a thing out.

Another reason I never liked the idea is there were a lot more natural stories to tell with Andy having that journey to be a good husband after being a good father, how Nina and Andy transition to being a married couple without ever having a date (which I think could be really cool), or how Sam deals with the new family when he obviously still likes Jake (as seen in the finale), or how Delia deals with it. There's already enough stories there with the Brown household that I don't really see the point of his idea, although obviously it's more dramatic and "exciting", but I always had a problem with how this would take so much of the focus away from the stories that were already in place and needed to be given focus as well. I especially really wanted to see Andy struggling to be a good husband, because he still has a LOT of work to do to get to there.

I hope that Berlanti would have never considered a retcon just because it was such a different show. B&S already has the soapy elements as part of the structure of the show, although he ramped it up the absolute extreme and made it a lot bigger and less subtle part of the show. I don't know..I'm still shocked that not only did he okay it, but he came up with it. I miss WB Berlanti. He was all wide-eyed and innocent. ABC has corrupted him.

ETA:

Besides, how many times can they have Nina get pregnant before it gets old?

More pregnancies! More! We must have more Nina pregnancies! Season five was going to be allll about the musical, and all about the Nina pregnancies! She'd be pregnant at the start from Jake and the reveal would be it's triplets, and THEN the season cliffhanger would be...Nina's pregnant! Again? What the hell? And season six would be Nina's heart wrenching decision whether she should get her tubes tied, but then Andy gets a vasectomy instead and..shocking twist? Nina gets pregnant. C'mon, that's good television. Berlanti would be alll over that right now.

About the Andy/Amanda and Madison baby storylines..it's hard to say. I think Rina would have input on setting up the stories before Greg left. There's nobody on the B&S writing team that can really stand up to his crazy bipolar(!) ideas, but Rina was..well they were good friends, and had been working together for years and his choice for showrunner, so I think she'd have to have some input into it as she did on the major season one and two storylines, and she definitely made Madison's storyline into something very worthwhile. Andy/Amanda, I don't think that one was salvageable at all. Seriously, what the frick was the point?? He needs a Rina at B&S to reign him in. I still have trouble coming up with who did what, because I do get the sense that they were more equal than just Berlanti coming up with stuff and then her having to pick up the mess of those two ideas when he left. Again, though, I love me some EverwoodBerlanti, so I can never fully blame the poor, crazy bugger when it comes to Everwood.

['Tos]

I've just been rewatching, or relistening, to the Everwood commentaries after I heard about the DVD announcement, heightening my expectations so that they'll never be reached. They really are something special, I think. Anyway, about Greg Berlanti, this is why I've been a fan of this guy as much as I have been: he's so eloquent and he gets this show so very well, gets why it works and gets why people respond so much to it. He completely gets his story, his characters, he loves the show and he knows what works and what doesn't.

I mean, he's the creator, so it's good that he gets it and loves it, heh, but it really contrasts with where he's gone lately where he has become unable to see what makes Brothers & Sisters work, what makes it what it is, who the characters are, what the story is, and he doesn't see why people responded to season one. The show has moved so far away from that season, from family to relationships (even relationships IN the family).

For Everwood, as much as season one is many fans' favourite, I don't think the show ever really went in another direction all that much or went against its foundations. I think in the latter seasons it shifted focus away from the small town aspect of the show to some extent, but it never strayed from the core message of Andy and Ephram, or the ripple effect of Julia's death, or Ephram and Amy. It brought a bit more relationship aspects to the show, but never ever went away from the family and generational storytelling either. It moved forward, but never moved away from what it began as.

['Tos]

The famous triple post (not to be confused with the triple axle, which you will not see from me) to post about Berlanti's new show.

Greg Berlanti's empire continues to expand: Scribe is developing a sci-fi project with Rene Echevarria for ABC. Berlanti and Echevarria are behind "The Return," which they're developing for the Alphabet net through ABC Studios (where Berlanti is based via a megabucks overall deal). Project revolves around the impact on the world -- including the White House -- when aliens land. Echevarria arrives with full-fledged sci-fi chops, having come from the world of "Star Trek" and exec produced "The 4400" and "Dark Angel." His other credits include "Medium" and "Now and Again." Berlanti is behind ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money," "Eli Stone" and "Brothers & Sisters." Both Berlanti and Echevarria are on board as exec producers on "The Return."

Greg Berlanti plots 'Return' for ABC - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety

Obviously there's not much info there. From the little premise sentence, it could be the coolest thing, or the absolute worst thing. I'm interested to see what kind of idea would get Berlanti on the sci-fi train. Jack & Bobby had some small elements of it in the future talks, but obviously this is much more sci-fi.

Even with how crazy he's gotten lately (well, maybe that's why he's moving to aliens?), I'll still check it out. The guy is amazing at creating compelling universes and characters, and he's also usually got some great arcs in his head too.