"It's important to the audience that shows be about something. Unless you know what it's truly about, you will never understand your show and it'll never be a good show. Never."

    About This Interview

    In his three-hour interview, Brandon Stoddard (1937-2014) talks about his early interest in acting despite the pressures to enter law (with both his parents being lawyers and the profession going back five generations on his father's side and six generations on his mother's side). He describes his short-lived tenure at Columbia Law School and his entrance into the workforce in the advertising industry, at BBD&O and later Grey Advertising. He talks about his transition to television, becoming the director of daytime programming at ABC. He recounts the shows that appeared on the schedule during his tenure, including the groundbreaking and award-winning ABC Afterschool Specials and the pop culture classic Schoolhouse Rock. He speaks of his appointment to vice president of motion pictures for television at ABC and chronicles the rise of the television miniseries from QBVII; to Rich Man, Poor Man; to the ratings hit Roots. For Roots, he recalls the original pitch meeting with Alex Haley, discusses the casting of unknown LeVar Burton, and details the show's promotion and placement on the schedule. He notes the explosion of the television miniseries in the wake of Roots and details the development and production of The Winds of War, The Thorn Birds, and Masada. Stoddard then speaks in depth about one of the most controversial programs ever to air, the television movie The Day After, which depicted the effects of a nuclear holocaust on a small town in Kansas. He talks about coming up with the idea for the telefilm, the intense reaction from the political community (including the White House), and the personal effect that the telefilm's controversy had on his life. He also mentions other prestigious television movies he helmed, including Love Among the Ruins and Friendly Fire. He relates how he became the president of ABC Entertainment in the mid-1980s, and talks about hit shows Moonlighting, Roseanne, and China Beach. Finally, he discusses his later work as an independent producer and as an adjunct professor at USC. Brian Lowry conducted the interview on December 12, 2007 in Los Angeles, CA. 

    All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.
    People Talking About ...
    Thumbnail of Brandon Stoddard

    Brandon Stoddard on developing the "novel for television" and early made-for-television movies on which he worked

    04:06
    Thumbnail of Brandon Stoddard

    Brandon Stoddard on developing the ABC Afterschool Specials

    03:22
    Thumbnail of Brandon Stoddard

    Brandon Stoddard on problems with selling ad time for Roots  and problems with Southern affiliates

    04:50
    Thumbnail of Brandon Stoddard

    Brandon Stoddard on the difficulties of airing The Day After

    08:43
    Thumbnail of Brandon Stoddard

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Roseanne

    03:18
    Play Full Interview

    Chapter 1

    On his early life and influences; on acting as a child; on how being an actor helped him later as an executive

    14:23

    On his career in advertising; on going to work for ABC and launching All My Children

    15:48

    Chapter 2

    On the culture at ABC when he started; on working as Director of Daytime Programming for ABC

    16:22

    On becoming Vice-President of Motion Pictures at ABC; on various movies he developed at ABC, including Love Among the Ruins and Rich Man, Poor Man

    14:02

    Chapter 3

    On developing Roots; on casting Roots; on problems selling Roots to advertisers

    12:08

    On Roots' ratings success and his reaction to it; on developing Roots: The Next Generations; on developing The Day After

    16:44

    Chapter 4

    On the difficulties of airing The Day After; on White House reaction to The Day After; on public reaction to The Day After

    16:38

    On developing the mini-series Amerika; on developing The Thorn Birds

    11:37

    Chapter 5

    On developing and casting The Winds of War; on developing War and Remembrance

    13:46

    On developing the mini-series Masada; on his stint as President of ABC Entertainment 

    16:03

    Chapter 6

    On developing Moonlighting; on developing Roseanne; on moving to ABC Productions

    15:53

    On quitting television to teach; on his favorite projects of his career; on how television has changed

    13:22

    ABC Afterschool Specials

    Brandon Stoddard on developing the ABC Afterschool Specials

    03:22

    All My Children

    Brandon Stoddard on going to work for ABC and launching All My Children

    05:14

    Day After, The

    Brandon Stoddard on developing The Day After

    05:16

    Brandon Stoddard on the difficulties of airing The Day After

    08:43

    Brandon Stoddard on White House reaction to The Day After

    04:35

    Brandon Stoddard on the reaction to The Day After

    03:20

    Friendly Fire

    Brandon Stoddard on his favorite projects of his career

    01:43

    Herman Wouk's The Winds of War

    Brandon Stoddard on developing the mini-series The Winds of War

    02:49

    Brandon Stoddard on casting The Winds of War

    04:32

    Irwin Shaw's Rich Man, Poor Man

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Rich Man, Poor Man

    06:18

    Love Among the Ruins

    Brandon Stoddard on developing the "novel for television" and early made-for-television movies on which he worked

    04:06

    Mad Men

    Brandon Stoddard on his career in advertising

    04:10

    Masada

    Brandon Stoddard on developing the mini-series Masada

    04:25

    Moonlighting

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Moonlighting

    03:34

    Roots

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Roots

    05:31

    Brandon Stoddard on casting LeVar Burton on Roots

    01:47

    Brandon Stoddard on problems with selling ad time for Roots and problems with Southern affiliates

    04:50

    Brandon Stoddard on Roots' ratings

    04:43

    Brandon Stoddard on his personal reaction to Roots

    03:40

    Brandon Stoddard on network reaction after Roots aired

    01:31

    Roots: The Next Generations

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Roots: The Next Generations

    01:34

    Roseanne

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Roseanne

    03:18

    Thirtysomething

    Brandon Stoddard on his favorite projects of his career

    01:43

    Thorn Birds, The

    Brandon Stoddard on developing The Thorn Birds

    04:28

    War and Remembrance

    Brandon Stoddard on developing War and Remembrance

    04:00

    Brandon Stoddard on the staggering budget of War and Remembrance

    02:25

    Civil Rights Movement

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Roots  and Roots: The Next Generations

    23:36

    Cold War

    Brandon Stoddard on developing The Day After

    16:38

    Criticism of TV

    Brandon Stoddard on television living up to its potential and how the industry has changed

    01:57

    Ronald Reagan

    Brandon Stoddard on White House reaction to The Day After

    04:35

    Television and the Presidency

    Brandon Stoddard on White House reaction to The Day After

    04:35

    Television Industry

    Brandon Stoddard on television living up to its potential and how the industry has changed

    01:57

    War

    Brandon Stoddard on developing The Winds of War  and War and Remembrance 

    13:46

    World War II

    Brandon Stoddard on developing The Winds of War  and War and Remembrance 

    13:46

    Executives

    Brandon Stoddard on his stint as President of ABC Entertainment 

    06:08

    Brandon Stoddard on his guiding philosophy of development

    02:03

    Brandon Stoddard on teaching development

    02:34

    Television Executive

    Brandon Stoddard on his stint as President of ABC Entertainment 

    06:08

    Brandon Stoddard on his guiding philosophy of development

    02:03

    Brandon Stoddard on teaching development

    02:34

    Comedy Series

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Roseanne

    03:18

    Cop/Detective/Mystery Series

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Moonlighting

    05:16

    TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Rich Man, Poor Man

    06:08

    Brandon Stoddard on developing the "novel for television" and early made-for-television movies on which he worked

    04:06

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Roots and Roots: The Next Generations

    23:36

    Brandon Stoddard on developing The Day After

    05:16

    Brandon Stoddard on developing The Winds of War and War and Remembrance 

    13:46

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Masada

    04:25

    Brandon Stoddard on developing The Day After

    16:38

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Amerika

    02:41

    Brandon Stoddard on developing The Thorn Birds

    04:28

    Steven Bochco

    Brandon Stoddard on Steven Bochco and Aaron Spelling

    02:38

    LeVar Burton

    Brandon Stoddard on casting LeVar Burton on Roots

    01:47

    Glenn Gordon Caron

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Moonlighting

    03:34

    Richard Chamberlain

    Brandon Stoddard on developing The Thorn Birds

    04:28

    Leonard H. Goldenson

    Brandon Stoddard on the culture at ABC when he started there

    02:35

    Alex Haley

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Roots

    05:31

    Katharine Hepburn

    Brandon Stoddard on developing the "novel for television" and early made-for-television movies on which he worked

    04:06

    Robert Mitchum

    Brandon Stoddard on casting The Winds of War

    04:32

    Leslie Moonves

    Brandon Stoddard on his stint as President of ABC Entertainment 

    06:08

    Paul Newman

    Brandon Stoddard on casting The Winds of War

    04:32

    Agnes Nixon

    Brandon Stoddard on going to work for ABC and launching All My Children

    05:13

    Irna Phillips

    Brandon Stoddard on going to work for ABC and launching All My Children

    05:12

    Roseanne

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Roseanne

    03:18

    Cybill Shepherd

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Moonlighting

    05:16

    Aaron Spelling

    Brandon Stoddard on Steven Bochco and Aaron Spelling

    02:38

    Barbara Stanwyck

    Brandon Stoddard on developing The Thorn Birds

    04:28

    Brandon Tartikoff

    Brandon Stoddard on his stint as President of ABC Entertainment 

    06:08

    Bruce Willis

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Moonlighting

    05:16

    David L. Wolper

    Brandon Stoddard on developing Roots

    05:31

    Herman Wouk

    Brandon Stoddard on developing the mini-series The Winds of War

    02:49

    Brandon Stoddard on casting The Winds of War

    04:32

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