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Person

Robert E. Costello

"I think television is basically an entertainment art. If you entertain, within certain parameters, I think then it's at its best. For instance, on Armstrong, my dictum, and everybody agreed, was that we have to entertain first, even if we're doing a drama. If you don't entertain them, they're not going to watch. It doesn't matter how valid your information is."

Person

Les Flory
"The Farnsworth [electronic television] system was you might say a real time system, while the system that we were using involves storage. The energy was stored from frame to frame so that it could operate with less light."
Person

Julian Fellowes
"The skeleton of 'Downton Abbey' was, in fact, American. It was much more like 'West Wing' and 'ER' and these very pacey, multi-narrative stories. We consciously were making them to this modern energy, to this thing where you can't miss it. You pick up the phone - 'No, no, I'm watching 'Downton Abbey' - because you know if you miss more than a minute you've lost part of one of the stories. It was right for the zeitgeist."  
Person

Gareth Neame
"I don't think the job of producing entails anything beyond taste and judgment. I was told when I was originally trying to put 'Downton Abbey' together, 'Nobody in the United States will ever be interested in this project,' and it's one of the highest rating shows in America, despite the incredibly competitive landscape. If I'd been wobbled by that, maybe it would never have happened."
Person

Paul LaMastra
"An editor puts all the pieces together in a nice fashion. The first cut is technically his. You used to be able to hold off directors at the door saying 'back off.' But now the directors can't wait until they get into the cutting room. But I still want my two weeks."
Person

Gail Parent
"Being hired for 'The Carol Burnett Show' was exciting because they were not hiring women to do variety shows in those days. They didn't want a woman in the writers' room because they thought that a woman would inhibit them. Then here was Carol, willing to give us the job."
Person

Jeannie Epper

"I don't know whether the guys really were trying to protect us, or whether they just didn't want women in their field. It wasn't until sexy ladies like Linda Evans or Lynda Carter said, 'We don't want hairy-legged boys doubling us anymore. We've had these girls doubling us, and oh my god, they're just as good as the guys, only they have shaved legs and they don't have hairy armpits.'"

Person

Lucy Lawless
"There were lots of letters from people who wanted me to be 'Xena.' If people choose to make the character you played into a hero of theirs, they can do that. They'll say, 'you gave me courage to help me get out of an abusive relationship,' or 'it helped me come out to my parents,' or 'it helped me get off drugs and become a teacher.' I say, 'well, you did that. I can't take any credit for it. Congratulations to you.'" 
Person

Sam Waterston

"One of the joys of doing television is the huge reach of it. When we did 'Much Ado About Nothing' for CBS, the producer told me that more people saw the play that evening than had seen it in it's entire history from the time that the play was first written and performed. Whatever you're talking about, the numbers of people you're reaching are staggering."

Person

Steve Carlin
"I volunteered to testify in front of the grand jury about the Quiz Show scandals. I said 'I want to do this because I want to completely clear my name.' And they said, 'You're fine, listen, you're a little tired. Go home and go to sleep, and then go back to work.' And that's what I did."
Person

Silvio Horta

"The challenge of the television industry is to generate hits and continue to be successful. It's a very tough business with lot of ebbs and flows. It is a constant challenge to do good work and it's lightning in a bottle when it finally happens."