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Interview with Bryan Fuller

December 28, 2006

As a special holiday present, our little corner of Brilliantbutcancelled.com was graced by none other than one of television's best writers: Bryan Fuller -- creator of fantastic fare such as "Dead Like Me" and "Wonderfalls." He's currently writing for the NBC hit "Heroes," and has thus become even more of a hero around the TV-obsessed offices. Fuller shared with us everything from his early influences, to his thoughts about gay characters on TV, to the cancellation of some of his pet projects.

BrilliantBC: What were the shows that you watched as a kid? And what shows do you think influenced you the most?
The “Twilight Zone” has to be the biggest. It was the first time that I was watching television that wasn’t confined by the boundaries of reality. In my house, growing up it was often westerns and very grounded kind of stuff on TV. So when I first discovered the “Twilight Zone,” it was an epiphany. You don’t have to talk about things that don’t necessarily happen? And of course, I was a huge fan of “The Munsters.”

BrilliantBC: Which Munster did you want to be?
I think I was Eddie. You know, sleeping in the drawer. A little inconspicuous. And you know, he had a pet dragon, that’s not a bad thing to have around for emergencies.

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Dead Like Me

December 12, 2006

Seems like a simple enough conceit. Girl drops out of college, lives in a disgusting apartment she can barely afford, eats only diner food, slogs her way through a soul-crushing temp job, observes her family slowly grow accustomed to her not being around, and generally learns what adulthood is all about. Classic coming-of-age story, nothing new to see here.

Not so fast.

The girl, in this case, is dead (or “undead”, but more on the difference in a moment), and is forced to walk the earth in a body that is not hers, all the while moonlighting as a Grim Reaper. And here is the premise for the brilliant, but prematurely cancelled "Dead Like Me."

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Wonderfalls

December 04, 2006

Here’s the thing about the premise of “Wonderfalls:" it’s part coming of age comedy, part science fiction drama, part Joan-of-Arc-narrative. And all of it is nearly impossible to pin down. Nevertheless, for a show that lasted on-air for only four episodes, “Wonderfalls” is repeatedly on every list of shows marked brilliant, but cancelled.

One of the most (if not the most) critically acclaimed shows of the 2004 season, “Wonderfalls” had a flawless creative team. Spearheaded by Todd Holland, Bryan Fuller (“Dead Like Me,” “Heroes”) and Tim Minear (“Firefly”), the show boasted a perfect cast and an inventive idea.

“Wonderfalls” told the story of Jaye Tyler (played with great energy by Caroline Dhavernas), an Ivy League-educated philosophy major who moves back to her hometown near Niagara Falls. She gets a job working retail in a souvenir shop, lives in an “I Dream of Jeanie”-looking trailer, and is spoken to by inanimate objects. The show not only crosses genre boundaries, it twists and shapes them into something fantastic, and something brand new. It is also a reason why Fox, and some viewers, didn’t know what to make of it.

Each episode begins with an inanimate object (a souvenir teddy bear, lawn flamingo, mounted fish -- to name a few) speaking to Jaye, and giving her instructions in the form of a cryptic quote. She must follow their instructions, even if she doesn’t know what they mean, or face the consequences -- which vary from her father getting run over in the driveway to one of the objects keeping Jaye up all night with his singing. She then finds herself performing good deeds, intentionally or not, and helping those around her.

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