L.A. Screenings Buyer Feedback: RTE

LOS ANGELES, May 24: Dermot Horan, the director of broadcast
and acquisitions at Irish terrestrial RTE, tells World Screen Newsflash about
what he thinks of some of the new shows being showcased at the L.A. Screenings.

While Horan is reluctant to identify specific shows he is
interested in, he did reveal that broadcaster is acquiring the new ABC drama Private
Practice as a “companion piece” to Grey’s
Anatomy.

“I would say that the 2007/2008 season is one of transition
from high-concept serial dramas to self contained shows,” Horan says. “This
transition may take a couple of years to succeed, so many of the shows this
year appear rushed and badly thought through. Heroes’ relative success has spawned a host of dramas about
people with special powers, but there are too many of them, many are too
contrived and most will probably not survive.”

In addition to noting a shift away from serialized drama,
Horan also sees a preponderance of “lead characters with special powers,” which
he has seen in New Amsterdam, Journeyman, Pushing Daisies, Chuck,
Moonlight and The
Bionic Woman.

Another theme Horan noticed is that of “men and women
juggling career success with home life,” as seen in Big Shots, Lipstick Jungle and Cashmere Mafia.

Comedy, meanwhile, “is still in crisis,” Horan says. “There is the odd comedy like Back to You which will perform well in the U.S., but probably no
breakout international hits.”