CBS boss defends TV networks' dependence on franchises and reboots

The Wall Street Journal

"'Franchise’ is a bad word only if you do the exact same thing,” says CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl, who tells The Wall Street Journal each show has its own identity despite sharing source material. Last week, Kahl revealed a fall schedule that includes a new NCIS, a CSI revival and three straight hours of FBI, including the brand-new FBI: International. Meanwhile, the constant reboots and franchises has frustrated writers. Mike Royce, who co-created the One Day at a Time reboot, says "if we had pitched that same exact show without the IP (intellectual property) of the old show, we never would have gotten anywhere." He adds: "It becomes very hard and frustrating when the thing you’ve been doing most of your life is coming up with an original idea and turning it into a TV show."