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Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo The creative team behind The Sentinel

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Chat transcript

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo
The creative team behind The Sentinel
Moderator: Paul -- can you type???

Paul-DeMeo: See us?

Moderator: Yes I do!

Moderator: Hi everyone -- thanks for joining us. Our guests tonight are Danny

Moderator: Bilson & Paul DeMeo, the creative team behind THE SENTINEL which begins

Moderator: airing on The Sci-Fi Channel Tuesday, October 5 at 7 PM Eastern Time.

Moderator: For episode airdates, check out our web site's schedulebot here:

Moderator: http://www.scifi.com/schedulebot/

Moderator: For more information about The Sentinel, set your browser here:

Moderator: http://www.scifi.com/sentinel/ And we also have VERY active message

Moderator: boards, including this one:

Moderator: http://www.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/1419

Moderator: Brief word about the drill: this is a MODERATED chat and that means

Moderator: your questions for Danny & Paul will need to be submitted through me

Moderator: (Moderator) as private messages. To send a private message, just double

Moderator: click on my name.

Moderator: Our first question:

Moderator: kandacek> to : What were your plans for season five?

Danny-Bilson: After a few episodes at the Police Academy

Danny-Bilson: Sandburg was goibg to flunk out

Danny-Bilson: GA

Paul-DeMeo: We had thought that we weren't gonna make him a real cop. Return him to academia

Paul-DeMeo: Play with relationships

Moderator: By the way everyone -- Danny & Paul are not hyping tourism in the state of Georgia -- GA means "go ahead."

Moderator: Danny B: What kind of stories did you like reading as a kid? How did it affect your creating THE SENTINEL?

Paul-DeMeo: We were on shakey gtound so we didn't plan too far in advance

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Danny-Bilson: Well, I think I read all of the Hardy Boys

Danny-Bilson: Our guys are like Frank and Joe

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: : Danny and Paul, Did you have a "theme" in mind when writing The Sentinel? Some sort of message you wanted to get across to your viewers? Like Blair's famous line, "It's about friendship"?

Paul-DeMeo: That was certainly a theme that emerged very quickly. We don't have themes in mind. We want to entertain . The themes eolve organically. Though the relationship was central to what the show was to be

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: Danny? Have any thou ghts?

Moderator: : Were you surprised that the show attracted so many female viewers?

Danny-Bilson: Yes. We were surprised

Danny-Bilson: But when we began to understand that value we nurtured it

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: : For either Danny or Paul....what type of research did you two do for the Sentinel's abilities?

Paul-DeMeo: I think we had lots of male viewers as well. But they weren't nearly as vocal or active. That surprised us

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Paul-DeMeo: None

Danny-Bilson: We made it up!

Paul-DeMeo: It's like Sandburg says. Some people have heightens senses of smell and taste.

Paul-DeMeo: That much is true

Paul-DeMeo: The rest we made up

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: There are a LOTTA questions along the lines of these next three:

Moderator: kandacek> : Did you have any plans to delve deeper into the mystical parts?

Moderator: : Where did you plan to take the mystical elements (panther, wolf, etc.) of TS in the 5th season?

Moderator: Do you think Jim has a six sense, like in Waiting room?

Danny-Bilson: Yeah, I think he does. We might have done another few episodes along those lines

Paul-DeMeo: We didn't intend to turn it into X-Files.

Paul-DeMeo: But we enjoyed exploring the supernatural. It was a natural area to explore

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : Would Jim and Blair have stayed with the Cascade PD, even if Blair was an observer, or would they have branched into a different direction?

Danny-Bilson: I think they would have stayed with the PD. Perhaps loaned out to a different city for story arcs elsewhere

Danny-Bilson: gA

Moderator: : For Danny or Paul: Watching your shows, not just Sentinel - I've noticed a lot fo the same faces. Do you find certain actors like to stick with you through your numerous works?

Danny-Bilson: I think we stick with them

Danny-Bilson: If it worked for John Ford it can work for us

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: : Paul or Danny - do you have a favorite episode of THE SENTINEL, and if so why did you like it?

Paul-DeMeo: All the way back to the first movies we did in the 80's there are a lot of the sma efaces, the same crew, and the same writers

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Danny-Bilson: I think Warriors

Paul-DeMeo: For me. The pilot. The first episode. The excitement of doing it for the first time and seeing it work

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: For late-comers: our guests tonight are the creative team behind THE SENTINEL -- Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo. THE SENTINEL begins airing on The Sci-FiChannel October 5. To ask Paul and Danny a question, please submmit yr question to me (MOderator) as a private message.

Moderator: : Do you like the combination of dashing hero with brilliant, nerdy sidekick?

Paul-DeMeo: Pretty classic. Worked for us

Danny-Bilson: Obviously. Of course

Paul-DeMeo: But I don't know how nerdy he was...Ask Garrett next week

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : Will any scenes be edited out for time on SciFi, or edited back in, for content?

Danny-Bilson: Nothing will be edited back in. We don't know beyond that

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: If Sci Fi Channel asked you to do a brand new 5th season of The Sentinel, would you do it?

Danny-Bilson: Yes

Paul-DeMeo: Sure

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: to : Are you interested in doing a 'Sentinel' movie anytime?

Danny-Bilson: Sure

Paul-DeMeo: Yeah. We'd do it. Speaking for ourselves

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : If the show had continued for another season, would Blair really have become a cop?

Danny-Bilson: No

Paul-DeMeo: Nope

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : is there a chance for books to continue the series?

Paul-DeMeo: Nobody's asked us about it. Paramount would be involved and it hasn't come up

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: CJ> :Does it surprise you that the show is still this popular?

Paul-DeMeo: That's tough. I never felt that it was that popular. I'm happy that it has a continuing life with its loyal fans.

Paul-DeMeo: There was alot of effort and love involved

Paul-DeMeo: If it was REALLY popular there would be another season

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : I always enjoyed the multiracial makeup of the regular cast as well as guest stars. Was this a conscious decision?

Moderator: Start writing those letters, folks...

Danny-Bilson: Absolutely

Danny-Bilson: We always try to have a multi-ethnic, multi-racial cast in anything

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: : Was there a lot of adlibing in the show as far as dialog?

Danny-Bilson: More than we would have liked

Danny-Bilson: We cut alot out

Paul-DeMeo: WAY toooo much

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : Danny - Did you ever go on sets, like maybe the Andy Griffith show, with your dad when you were a child?

Moderator:

Moderator: Rusty must know something I don't, Danny...

Danny-Bilson: To be fair -- sometimes the ad libs were great and we left them in

Danny-Bilson: Yes. I walked the streets of Mayberry as a child

Danny-Bilson: I played with Opie

Paul-DeMeo: He inspired Otis the town drunk!

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: You were -- a child star? A child of one of the cast or crew? Explain!

Danny-Bilson: No...no...My dad was the assistant director

Moderator: But in case you don't want to...

Moderator: : The Sentinel was a blend of cop and sci fi. Do you have a preferance of one over the other?

Danny-Bilson: I think I prefer the scifi. You can do more with it

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: santana> : With all of the joking around on the set by Richard, how did you ever find time to tape the shows???

Paul-DeMeo: We created the Sentinel to spin a cop show in a new direction

Paul-DeMeo: WQe're you there?

Danny-Bilson: It's called...Overtime

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: For late-comers: our guests tonight are the creative team behind THE SENTINEL -- Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo. THE SENTINEL begins airing on The Sci-FiChannel October 5. To ask Paul and Danny a question, please submmit yr question to me (MOderator) as a private message.

Moderator: : Speaking of ad libs, we loved the blooper reels! Will there be another??

Danny-Bilson: We never made one for the last season

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: Do either of you ever do "solo" projects or is it strictlt teamwork?

Danny-Bilson: No. Not really

Paul-DeMeo: We done seperate work on the same project. I might write and Danny direct...But we were always connected to the same thing

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : What did happen to Grace/Mrgaret Ellison?

Paul-DeMeo: I think the idea was that the parents split when Ellison and his brother were very young

Danny-Bilson: The mom runs a brothel in Spokane...I think

Paul-DeMeo: I remember we had a mom episode and we never did it

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: Any theories on who Blair's father was?

Danny-Bilson: Tinmothy Leary, of course!

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: : How difficult was it to cast the roles of Jim and Blair?

Paul-DeMeo: Well, we cast Blair pretty quickly. We knew Garrett would be the guy

Paul-DeMeo: Ellison was much more involved and difficult. We knew what we wanted, but the network didn't necessarily agree. We'd known Richard for awhile He was almost the Flash

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : Was Jim's mother a Sentinel?

Moderator: : Does Jim's mom still live?

Danny-Bilson: No. She wasn't a Sentinel... And I think she's still alive.

Paul-DeMeo: Maybe somebody out there knows... You guy know the details even better than we do

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: Is there any kind of plot thread or ideas you wanted to do that UPN wouldn't let you do? We've all heard how they edited out the hug in 'Flight'

Moderator: For late-comers: our guests tonight are the creative team behind THE SENTINEL -- Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo. THE SENTINEL begins airing on The Sci-FiChannel October 5. To ask Paul and Danny a question, please submmit yr question to me (MOderator) as a private message.

Paul-DeMeo: Well the one they wouldn't let us do until the last season when we said "what the hell" was The Waiting Room

Danny-Bilson: And they wouldn't let us do a dog story

Paul-DeMeo: K-9 unmit thing

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : Mr. Bilson, what was the first thing that went through your mind when UPN cancled Sentinel just after the cliffhanger. After dragging you and Richard all the way up there?

Moderator:

Danny-Bilson: I was shocked and disappointed

Danny-Bilson: But I took it as well as I could

Danny-Bilson: Things happen in our business that don't make sense or seem unfair all the time

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: : Please explain the reasoning behind having Jim become "attracted" to Alex Barnes in Sen Too P2. I thought Jim out of character...

Paul-DeMeo: I think the idea behind that was instinctual. That somehow the two sentinels should mate. It was primal and beyond his control

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : msg Other shows have made use of the internet to keep track of fan comments, critiques and kudos. The Sentinel has a rather substantial net presence, have you ever checked it out?

Danny-Bilson: We were very aware of it while the show was in production. Feedback from the fans guided some storylines

Paul-DeMeo: I was not only impressed by fan webpages, but also how sophisticated some were. Fun to cruise through

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: Sorka> : I've many of the different shows you've produces, The Flash, The Rocketteer, Viper and The Sentinel. Do you have any new shows in the works at the moment?

Danny-Bilson: We're working on a pilot for CBS called Copper

Paul-DeMeo: It's about a female dective who is haunted by the ghost of two crimals. Fantasy comedy with lots of action

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : What story lines were influenced by the fans input?

Danny-Bilson: Sentinel Two was

Danny-Bilson: To Go So Far Into thte Mythology for sure

Danny-Bilson: And the last episode was for the fans

Paul-DeMeo: Absolutely the finale

Paul-DeMeo: The fact that we were able to have the story conclude in case we didn't get another season

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: Instinct seemed to play a rather large role in the Ellison character, indeed seemed to excuse or explain some of his less than sterling moments. Is this a message that you felt would be popular with your target audience?

Paul-DeMeo: It wasn't about creating a message. It was about making a chacter interessting by giving him flaws

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : Were there some ways that the last episode fell short of what you wanted it to be? Parts that were left out for time reasons?

Danny-Bilson: I think it could have been two hours, for sure

Paul-DeMeo: Sure

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : If the series were to continue, would Blair's role of Shaman be expanded?

Danny-Bilson: But all in all I was proud of the last episode. It didn't fall short for me

Paul-DeMeo: I would think so because we would have kept the mystical part of the show alive

Danny-Bilson: I think most of the expansion would have looked at their relationship as people, not mystical stuff

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: marmoset> : Do you see the character of Blair Sandburg as a heroic one?

Moderator:

Danny-Bilson: Absolutely. I did

Danny-Bilson: A hero without a gun or violence

Paul-DeMeo: A hero with unexpected methods

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: : Incacha as Jim's teacher in Peru was such a pleasant surprise to many of the fans. As was the way you handled Santeria in the ep The Trance. The thing that stands out to me about this show is how evenly you treated different religions and views. I just wanted to thank you for that.

Moderator: : Why were so many new love interests in the show, if they were obviously misliked by the main audience?

Danny-Bilson: You're welcome!

Danny-Bilson: I think we were trying to find love interests they would like...So we kept trying

Danny-Bilson: GA

Moderator: : For Danny or Paul: OVer the four years of the show, the characters grew a lot. Which one did you find you developed most? Jim, Blair, or Simon?

Danny-Bilson: I think it would have to be Blair..And in the cases of all three the actors contributed a lot of themselves --that helped the characters develope

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: Spectre> : Did you base any of your characters on acutual people? o you see yourselves in you characters?

Danny-Bilson: I think there's more of us in Sandburg than the others

Paul-DeMeo: Yeah. I'd identify more with Sandburg than the others personally

Paul-DeMeo: GA

Moderator: And our final question for the evening -- and Danny & Paul THANKS for joining us here tonight! It's been a pleasure:

Moderator: Rubicon> : Guys, what would you say is the theme of the show as a whole?

Moderator:

Danny-Bilson: It's about friendship

Paul-DeMeo: And... I would also say it's aboutthings happening in the world beyond our understanding or recognition

Paul-DeMeo: Thanks for having us. Hope you all enjoy watching the show

Moderator: Danny & Paul, thanks so much for joining us! THE SENTINEL begins airing on The Sci-Fi Channel next week on Tuesday, October 5. Check the schedulebot for exact times --

Moderator: http://scifi.com/schedulebot/

Moderator: and don't forget --

Moderator: No --

Moderator: I'm being told that it begins airing on Sunday.

Moderator: We will be hosting another chat next week --

Moderator: with SENTINEL stars Richard Burgi and Garrett Maggert!

Moderator: October 4 at 9 PM ET!!!

Moderator: Mark yr calendars.

Moderator: Thanks everyone for joining us here tonight.

Moderator: Great questions -- I'm sorry that we couldn't get all of them answered but there were well over a thousand!

Moderator: There will be a transcript!

Moderator: Check it out!

Moderator: It will be up on our transcript page -- linked off the chat page at http://www.scifi.com/chat/

Moderator: Again thanks everyone!

Moderator: You were a wonderful audience...

Moderator: We will be going UNmoderated now...

Moderator: Hold on...

slidecat: THANKS GUYS IT WAS A BLAST!

Rembrandt: d-ohh

spacefan1: Thanks for chatting with us Danny and Paul! :-D

PA: Oh, man. Of all the Q's I asked, the mod just had to pick the one with the typo! LOL!

rusty: Can we all talk now!

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