About
"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."
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.
Highlights

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

Brandon Stoddard on developing the ABC Afterschool Specials

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

Brandon Stoddard on the difficulties of airing The Day After

Brandon Stoddard on developing Roseanne
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
On his career in advertising; on going to work for ABC and launching All My Children
Chapter 2
On the culture at ABC when he started; on working as Director of Daytime Programming for ABC
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
Chapter 3
On developing Roots; on casting Roots; on problems selling Roots to advertisers
On Roots' ratings success and his reaction to it; on developing Roots: The Next Generations; on developing The Day After
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
On developing the mini-series Amerika; on developing The Thorn Birds
Chapter 5
On developing and casting The Winds of War; on developing War and Remembrance
On developing the mini-series Masada; on his stint as President of ABC Entertainment
Chapter 6
On developing Moonlighting; on developing Roseanne; on moving to ABC Productions
On quitting television to teach; on his favorite projects of his career; on how television has changed
Shows
ABC Afterschool Specials
Brandon Stoddard on developing the ABC Afterschool Specials
All My Children
Brandon Stoddard on going to work for ABC and launching All My Children
Day After, The
Brandon Stoddard on developing The Day After
Brandon Stoddard on the difficulties of airing The Day After
Brandon Stoddard on White House reaction to The Day After
Brandon Stoddard on the reaction to The Day After
Friendly Fire
Brandon Stoddard on his favorite projects of his career
Herman Wouk's The Winds of War
Brandon Stoddard on developing the mini-series The Winds of War
Brandon Stoddard on casting The Winds of War
Irwin Shaw's Rich Man, Poor Man
Brandon Stoddard on developing Rich Man, Poor Man
Love Among the Ruins
Brandon Stoddard on developing the "novel for television" and early made-for-television movies on which he worked
Mad Men
Brandon Stoddard on his career in advertising
Masada
Brandon Stoddard on developing the mini-series Masada
Moonlighting
Brandon Stoddard on developing Moonlighting
Roots
Brandon Stoddard on developing Roots
Brandon Stoddard on casting LeVar Burton on Roots
Brandon Stoddard on problems with selling ad time for Roots and problems with Southern affiliates
Brandon Stoddard on Roots' ratings
Brandon Stoddard on his personal reaction to Roots
Brandon Stoddard on network reaction after Roots aired
Roots: The Next Generations
Brandon Stoddard on developing Roots: The Next Generations
Roseanne
Brandon Stoddard on developing Roseanne
Thirtysomething
Brandon Stoddard on his favorite projects of his career
Thorn Birds, The
Brandon Stoddard on developing The Thorn Birds
War and Remembrance
Brandon Stoddard on developing War and Remembrance
Brandon Stoddard on the staggering budget of War and Remembrance
Topics
Civil Rights Movement
Brandon Stoddard on developing Roots and Roots: The Next Generations
Cold War
Brandon Stoddard on developing The Day After
Criticism of TV
Brandon Stoddard on television living up to its potential and how the industry has changed
Ronald Reagan
Brandon Stoddard on White House reaction to The Day After
Television and the Presidency
Brandon Stoddard on White House reaction to The Day After
Television Industry
Brandon Stoddard on television living up to its potential and how the industry has changed
War
Brandon Stoddard on developing The Winds of War and War and Remembrance
World War II
Brandon Stoddard on developing The Winds of War and War and Remembrance
Professions
Executives
Brandon Stoddard on his stint as President of ABC Entertainment
Brandon Stoddard on his guiding philosophy of development
Brandon Stoddard on teaching development
Television Executive
Brandon Stoddard on his stint as President of ABC Entertainment
Brandon Stoddard on his guiding philosophy of development
Brandon Stoddard on teaching development
Genres
Comedy Series
Brandon Stoddard on developing Roseanne
Cop/Detective/Mystery Series
Brandon Stoddard on developing Moonlighting
TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials
Brandon Stoddard on developing Rich Man, Poor Man
Brandon Stoddard on developing the "novel for television" and early made-for-television movies on which he worked
Brandon Stoddard on developing Roots and Roots: The Next Generations
Brandon Stoddard on developing The Day After
Brandon Stoddard on developing The Winds of War and War and Remembrance
Brandon Stoddard on developing Masada
Brandon Stoddard on developing The Day After
Brandon Stoddard on developing Amerika
Brandon Stoddard on developing The Thorn Birds
People
Steven Bochco
Brandon Stoddard on Steven Bochco and Aaron Spelling
LeVar Burton
Brandon Stoddard on casting LeVar Burton on Roots
Glenn Gordon Caron
Brandon Stoddard on developing Moonlighting
Richard Chamberlain
Brandon Stoddard on developing The Thorn Birds
Leonard H. Goldenson
Brandon Stoddard on the culture at ABC when he started there
Alex Haley
Brandon Stoddard on developing Roots
Katharine Hepburn
Brandon Stoddard on developing the "novel for television" and early made-for-television movies on which he worked
Robert Mitchum
Brandon Stoddard on casting The Winds of War
Leslie Moonves
Brandon Stoddard on his stint as President of ABC Entertainment
Paul Newman
Brandon Stoddard on casting The Winds of War
Agnes Nixon
Brandon Stoddard on going to work for ABC and launching All My Children
Irna Phillips
Brandon Stoddard on going to work for ABC and launching All My Children
Roseanne
Brandon Stoddard on developing Roseanne
Cybill Shepherd
Brandon Stoddard on developing Moonlighting
Aaron Spelling
Brandon Stoddard on Steven Bochco and Aaron Spelling
Barbara Stanwyck
Brandon Stoddard on developing The Thorn Birds
Brandon Tartikoff
Brandon Stoddard on his stint as President of ABC Entertainment
Bruce Willis
Brandon Stoddard on developing Moonlighting
David L. Wolper
Brandon Stoddard on developing Roots
Herman Wouk
Brandon Stoddard on developing the mini-series The Winds of War
Brandon Stoddard on casting The Winds of War