Deadline (2000 TV series): Difference between revisions

*Deadline*
Deadline
Genre	Drama
Created by	Dick Wolf
Developed by	Robert Palm
Starring	Oliver Platt; Hope Davis; Bebe Neuwirth; Lili Taylor; Damon Gupton; Christina Chang;
Composer	Mike Post
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	5 (+8 unaired)
Production
Executive producer	Dick Wolf
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	Wolf Films; Studios USA Television;
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	October 2 –; October 30, 2000

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Deadline is an American drama television series created by Dick Wolf, that aired on NBC from October 2, 2000, to October 30, 2000. It stars Oliver Platt as Wallace Benton, star columnist for the fictional New York Ledger, a daily tabloid newspaper seen in many episodes of Law & Order and modeled after the real-life New York Post.

Cast and characters

Oliver Platt as Wallace Benton
Bebe Neuwirth as Nikki Masucci
Tom Conti as Si Beekman
Lili Taylor as Hildy Baker
Hope Davis as Brooke Benton
Damon Gupton as Charles Foster
Christina Chang as Beth Khambu

Production

Series creator Dick Wolf hired Robert Palm as head writer and executive producer.^[1] Palm had worked for years as a newspaper reporter on The Hartford Times and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner before moving into screenwriting with jobs on Miami Vice.^[1] He and Wolf had worked together previously on the tenth season of Law & Order. They didn't want to do another "cop show" and agreed on one with journalism as its focus.^[1] In 1999, Wolf pitched the show to NBC with Oliver Platt as its star and sold it with a three-minute trailer, instead of producing a pilot, as is the norm.^[2] Wolf and Palm worked with NBC Entertainment President Garth Ancier on developing the show with Platt in mind.^[1] Wolf invited director Michael Ritchie to direct episodes of Deadline but Ritchie had to drop out for personal reasons.^[3] Producer John L. Roman had previously worked with Wolf on Exiled and DC. (They would later work together on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Chicago Fire.)

Plots for the show were based on true stories from newspaper articles that Palm and Wolf found.^[1] Richard Esposito, a New York newspaper veteran of 20 years, was hired as a consultant on the show. He worked with the actors and writers on outlines of stories and on "everything that helps them get a feel for the tone and pace of a newspaper."^[1] He also introduced Platt and other cast members to journalists around the city.

Platt had been approached numerous times to do a television show but it was Wolf's reputation and the chance to work in his hometown and be close to his family that persuaded him.^[2] Wallace Benton was modeled on veteran New York journalist Jimmy Breslin, Mike McAlary, and other New York tabloid columnists.^[1] To research the role, Platt spent time with crime reporters Phil Messing of the New York Post, Lenny Levitt of Newsday, and Juan Gonzalez and Jim Dwyer of the New York Daily News.^[1] The actor went out on stories with them, watched them interview and listened to them work the phones. During lunches, he said, he "got them to tell me their trade secrets."^[1]

The New York Ledger's offices were constructed at the old New York Post building on South Street in New York City. The set design for the offices was based on old black-and-white photographs of the Post offices.^[1] The newspaper allowed the producers to shoot the pilot episode in its old offices and then agreed to a short-term lease through November 2000.^[1] Shooting started in mid-July of 2000 and the first episode debuted on October 2. Deadline was scheduled to air Mondays at 9 pm opposite ABC's Monday Night Football and Fox's Ally McBeal.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Viewers (millions)
1	"Pilot"	Don Scardino	Story by : Dick Wolf Teleplay by : Dick Wolf & Robert Palm	October 2, 2000 (2000-10-02)	14.30^[4]
2	"Lovers and Madmen"	Constantine Makris	Yahlin Chang	October 9, 2000 (2000-10-09)	10.90^[4]
3	"Perception"	Bob Balaban	Chris Mundy	October 16, 2000 (2000-10-16)	10.00^[4]
4	"Daniel in the Lion's Den"	Don Scardino	Willie Reale	October 23, 2000 (2000-10-23)	7.00^[4]
5	"Howl"	James Quinn	Martin Weiss	October 30, 2000 (2000-10-30)	6.80^[4]
6	"The Old Ball Game"	David Platt	Robert F. Campbell & Jonathan Greene	March 17, 2001 (2001-03-17)	TBA
7	"Don't I Know You?"	Richard Dobbs	Story by : Dick Wolf & Robert Palm Teleplay by : Willie Reale	March 17, 2001 (2001-03-17)	TBA
8	"The Undesirables"	Matthew Penn	Yahlin Chang	March 24, 2001 (2001-03-24)	TBA
9	"Somebody's Fool"	Michael Fields	Story by : Dick Wolf & Robert Palm & Willie Reale Teleplay by : Willie Reale	March 24, 2001 (2001-03-24)	TBA
10	"The First Commandment"	James Quinn	Matt Prudence & Michael Berns	March 31, 2001 (2001-03-31)	TBA
11	"Just Lie Back"	Constantine Makris	Story by : Liz Friedman & Vanessa Place Teleplay by : Robert Palm & Liz Friedman & Vanessa Place	March 31, 2001 (2001-03-31)	TBA
12	"Shock"	Robert Berlinger	Story by : Dick Wolf Teleplay by : Eva Nagorski	April 7, 2001 (2001-04-07)	TBA
13	"Red Herring"	Alexander Cassini	Story by : Robert Palm Teleplay by : Martin Weiss & Robert Palm	April 7, 2001 (2001-04-07)	TBA

Reception

Variety magazine praised Platt's work on the show in their review: "Platt, best-known for his work on the big screen, is a colorful choice for Benton, and, judging from the first episode, he can carry the bulk of the action."^[5] USA Today criticized the show's authenticity in their review: "The only thing accurate about Deadline is the sense of urgency implied by the title. Someone had better fix this show fast, before it becomes yesterday's news."^[6] The Boston Globe found fault with some of the characters on the show: "Benton's merry band of journalism students are silly, and the show should replace them with an expanded cast of Ledger co-workers."^[7]

The pilot episode was seen by 14.3 million viewers but the show's ratings declined steadily afterwards with 6.8 million viewers watching the last episode. NBC cancelled the show after five episodes.^[8] NBC showed the remaining episodes during the spring of 2001, in at least one part of the United States; they followed the network's broadcasts of Saturday night XFL football games in the western time zones.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Liebeskind, Ken (July 17, 2000). "On Deadline". Mediaweek.
^ ^a ^b G.G. (October 6, 2000). "In Wolf's New Deadline, the Detective is a Reporter". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
^ Grego, Melissa (July 17–23, 2000). "Auteurs Join Wolf Gang". Variety.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Deadline - Series - Episode List - TV Tango".
^ Fries, Laura (October 2–8, 2000). "Deadline". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
^ Bianco, Robert (October 2, 2000). "Deadline". USA Today.
^ Gilbert, Matthew (October 2, 2000). "Deadline Misses, and That's a Crime". The Boston Globe.
^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 1, 2000). "NBC Reports Deadlines Demise". The Hollywood Reporter.

External links

Official website on Wolf Entertainment
Deadline at IMDb
Deadline at epguides.com
Dick Wolf and Oliver Platt talk about Deadline at the New York Press Club

[liebeskind-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Liebeskind, Ken (July 17, 2000). "On Deadline". Mediaweek.

[gg-2] G.G. (October 6, 2000). "In Wolf's New Deadline, the Detective is a Reporter". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved February 18, 2020.

[grego-3] Grego, Melissa (July 17–23, 2000). "Auteurs Join Wolf Gang". Variety.

[Dealine_viewers-4] "Deadline - Series - Episode List - TV Tango".

[5] Fries, Laura (October 2–8, 2000). "Deadline". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2020.

[6] Bianco, Robert (October 2, 2000). "Deadline". USA Today.

[7] Gilbert, Matthew (October 2, 2000). "Deadline Misses, and That's a Crime". The Boston Globe.

[andreeeva-8] Andreeva, Nellie (November 1, 2000). "NBC Reports Deadlines Demise". The Hollywood Reporter.

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[2]

[3]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{For|the 1959 series|Deadline (1959 TV series)}}
 {{Infobox television
-| image                    = Deadline NBC.jpg
+| image              = Deadline NBC.jpg
-| caption                  =
+| caption            =
-| genre                    = [[Drama (film and television)|Drama]]
+| genre              = [[Drama (film and television)|Drama]]
-| creator                  = [[Dick Wolf]]
+| creator            = [[Dick Wolf]]
-| starring                 = <nowiki>{{Plain list|</nowiki>
+| developer          = Robert Palm
+| starring           = {{Plain list|
 *[[Oliver Platt]]
 *[[Hope Davis]]
@@ Line 11: / Line 12: @@
 *[[Lili Taylor]]
 *[[Damon Gupton]]
-*[[cameron wood]]
+*[[Christina Chang]]}}
-| country                  = United States
+| composer           = [[Mike Post]]
-| language                 = English
+| country            = United States
-| num_seasons              = 1
+| language           = English
-| num_episodes             = 5 (8 unaired)
+| num_seasons        = 1
-| list_episodes            =
+| num_episodes       = 5 (+8 unaired)
-| executive_producer       = Dick Wolf
+| list_episodes      =
+| executive_producer = Dick Wolf
-| producer                 =
-| location                 =
+| producer           =
-| camera                   =
+| location           =
-| runtime                  = 60 minutes
+| camera             =
-| company                  = {{Plain list|
+| runtime            = 60 minutes
+| company            = {{Plain list|
-*[[Dick Wolf|Wolf Films]]
+*[[Wolf Films]]
-*[[Universal Media Studios|Studios USA Television]]
+*[[Universal Television|Studios USA Television]]
 }}
-| network                  = [[NBC]]
+| network            = [[NBC]]
-| picture_format           =
+| first_aired        = {{Start date|2000|10|2}}
-| audio_format             =
+| last_aired         = {{End date|2000|10|30}}
-| first_aired              = {{Start date|2000|10|2}}
-| last_aired               = {{End date|2000|10|30}}
 }}
@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 | url =
 | access-date =
-}}</ref> Palm had worked for years as a newspaper reporter on the ''[[Hartford Times]]'' and the ''[[Los Angeles Herald Examiner]]'' before moving into screenwriting with jobs on ''[[Miami Vice]]''.<ref name="liebeskind" /> He and Wolf had worked together previously on the tenth season of ''Law & Order''. They didn't want to do another "cop show" and agreed on one with journalism as its focus.<ref name="liebeskind" /> In 1999, Wolf pitched the show to [[NBC]] with Oliver Platt as its star and sold it without producing a pilot, as is the norm, but instead with a three-minute trailer.<ref name="gg">{{cite news
+}}</ref> Palm had worked for years as a newspaper reporter on ''[[The Hartford Times]]'' and the ''[[Los Angeles Herald Examiner]]'' before moving into screenwriting with jobs on ''[[Miami Vice]]''.<ref name="liebeskind" /> He and Wolf had worked together previously on the tenth season of ''Law & Order''. They didn't want to do another "cop show" and agreed on one with journalism as its focus.<ref name="liebeskind" /> In 1999, Wolf pitched the show to [[NBC]] with Oliver Platt as its star and sold it with a three-minute trailer, instead of producing a pilot, as is the norm.<ref name="gg">{{cite news
 | author = G.G.
 | title = In Wolf's New ''Deadline'', the Detective is a Reporter
@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 | url = https://www.csmonitor.com/2000/1006/p18s2.html
 | access-date = February 18, 2020
-}}</ref> Wolf and Palm worked with NBC Entertainment President Garth Ancier on developing the show with Platt in mind.<ref name="liebeskind" /> Plots for the show were based on true stories from newspaper articles that Palm and Wolf found.<ref name="liebeskind" /> [[John L. Roman]] produced the show, having worked with Wolf on [[Exiled: A Law & Order Movie|''Exiled'']] and ''DC''. They later went on to do ''[[Law & Order: Criminal Intent
+}}</ref> Wolf and Palm worked with NBC Entertainment President Garth Ancier on developing the show with Platt in mind.<ref name="liebeskind" /> Wolf invited director [[Michael Ritchie (film director)|Michael Ritchie]] to direct episodes of ''Deadline'' but Ritchie had to drop out for personal reasons.<ref name="grego">{{cite news| last = Grego| first = Melissa| title = Auteurs Join Wolf Gang| work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]| date = July 17–23, 2000}}</ref> Producer [[John L. Roman]] had previously worked with Wolf on [[Exiled: A Law & Order Movie|''Exiled'']] and ''DC''. (They would later work together on ''[[Law & Order: Criminal Intent]]'' and [[Chicago Fire (TV series)|''Chicago Fire'']].)
-]]'' and [[Chicago Fire (TV series)|''Chicago Fire'']] together. Richard Esposito, a New York newspaper veteran of 20 years, was hired as a consultant on the show. He worked with the actors and writers on outlines of stories and on "everything that helps them get a feel for the tone and pace of a newspaper."<ref name="liebeskind" /> He also introduced Platt and other cast members to journalists around the city. Wolf invited director [[Michael Ritchie (film director)|Michael Ritchie]] to direct episodes of ''Deadline'' but he had to drop out for personal reasons.<ref name="grego">{{cite news
+Plots for the show were based on true stories from newspaper articles that Palm and Wolf found.<ref name="liebeskind" /> Richard Esposito, a New York newspaper veteran of 20 years, was hired as a consultant on the show. He worked with the actors and writers on outlines of stories and on "everything that helps them get a feel for the tone and pace of a newspaper."<ref name="liebeskind" /> He also introduced Platt and other cast members to journalists around the city.
-| last = Grego
-| first = Melissa
-| title = Auteurs Join Wolf Gang
-| work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]
-| date = July 17–23, 2000
-| url =
-| access-date =
-}}</ref>
-Platt had been approached numerous times to do a television show but it was Wolf's reputation and the chance to do it in his hometown so that he could be close to his family that persuaded him.<ref name="gg" /> Wallace Benton was modeled on veteran New York journalist [[Jimmy Breslin]], [[Mike McAlary]] and other New York tabloid columnists.<ref name="liebeskind" /> To research for the role, Platt spent time with crime reporters Phil Messing of the ''[[New York Post]]'', Lenny Levitt of ''[[Newsday]]'', and Juan Gonzalez and Jim Dwyer of the ''[[New York Daily News]]''.<ref name="liebeskind" /> The actor went out on stories with them, watched them interview and listened to them work the phones. During lunches, he remembers that he "got them to tell me their trade secrets."<ref name="liebeskind" />
+Platt had been approached numerous times to do a television show but it was Wolf's reputation and the chance to work in his hometown and be close to his family that persuaded him.<ref name="gg" /> Wallace Benton was modeled on veteran New York journalist [[Jimmy Breslin]], [[Mike McAlary]], and other New York tabloid columnists.<ref name="liebeskind" /> To research the role, Platt spent time with crime reporters Phil Messing of the ''[[New York Post]]'', Lenny Levitt of ''[[Newsday]]'', and Juan Gonzalez and Jim Dwyer of the [[Daily News (New York)|New York ''Daily News'']].<ref name="liebeskind" /> The actor went out on stories with them, watched them interview and listened to them work the phones. During lunches, he said, he "got them to tell me their trade secrets."<ref name="liebeskind" />
-''The New York Ledger'''s offices were constructed at the old ''New York Post'' building on South Street in [[New York City]]. The show based the look of their offices on old black and white photographs of the newspaper.<ref name="liebeskind" /> The ''Post'' allowed the show to shoot the pilot episode in its old offices and then agreed to a short-term lease through November 2000.<ref name="liebeskind" /> Shooting started in mid-July 2000 and the first episode debuted on October 2, 2000. ''Deadline'' was scheduled to run Mondays at 9 pm opposite [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' and [[20th Century Fox|Fox]]'s ''[[Ally McBeal]]''.
+''The New York Ledger''{{'}}s offices were constructed at the old ''New York Post'' building on South Street in [[New York City]]. The set design for the offices was based on old black-and-white photographs of the ''Post'' offices.<ref name="liebeskind" /> The newspaper allowed the producers to shoot the pilot episode in its old offices and then agreed to a short-term lease through November 2000.<ref name="liebeskind" /> Shooting started in mid-July of 2000 and the first episode debuted on October 2. ''Deadline'' was scheduled to air Mondays at 9 pm opposite [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' and [[20th Century Fox|Fox]]'s ''[[Ally McBeal]]''.
 ==Episodes==
@@ Line 84: / Line 77: @@
 ! style="background:#B30713"| Written by
 ! style="background:#B30713"| Original air date
+! style="background:#B30713"| Viewers<br>(millions)
 {{Episode list
 | EpisodeNumber = 1
@@ Line 90: / Line 84: @@
 | WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=[[Dick Wolf]]|t= Dick Wolf & [[Robert Palm]]}}
 | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2000|10|2}}
+| Aux4=14.30<ref name="Dealine viewers">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tvtango.com/series/deadline_2000/episodes|title = Deadline - Series - Episode List - TV Tango}}</ref>
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 98: / Line 93: @@
 | WrittenBy = Yahlin Chang
 | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2000|10|9}}
+| Aux4=10.90<ref name="Dealine viewers"/>
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 106: / Line 102: @@
 | WrittenBy = Chris Mundy
 | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2000|10|16}}
+| Aux4=10.00<ref name="Dealine viewers"/>
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 114: / Line 111: @@
 | WrittenBy = Willie Reale
 | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2000|10|23}}
+| Aux4=7.00<ref name="Dealine viewers"/>
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 122: / Line 120: @@
 | WrittenBy = Martin Weiss
 | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2000|10|30}}
+| Aux4=6.80<ref name="Dealine viewers"/>
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 129: / Line 128: @@
 | DirectedBy = David Platt
 | WrittenBy =  Robert F. Campbell & Jonathan Greene
-| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|Unaired}}
+| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|3|17}}
+| Aux4=
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 137: / Line 137: @@
 | DirectedBy = Richard Dobbs
 | WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Dick Wolf & Robert Palm|t=Willie Reale}}
-| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|Unaired}}
+| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|3|17}}
+| Aux4=
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 145: / Line 146: @@
 | DirectedBy = Matthew Penn
 | WrittenBy = Yahlin Chang
-| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|Unaired}}
+| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|3|24}}
+| Aux4=
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 153: / Line 155: @@
 | DirectedBy = Michael Fields
 | WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Dick Wolf & Robert Palm & Willie Reale|t=Willie Reale}}
-| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|Unaired}}
+| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|3|24}}
+| Aux4=
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 161: / Line 164: @@
 | DirectedBy = James Quinn
 | WrittenBy = Matt Prudence & Michael Berns
-| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|Unaired}}
+| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|3|31}}
+| Aux4=
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 169: / Line 173: @@
 | DirectedBy = Constantine Makris
 | WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Liz Friedman & Vanessa Place|t=Robert Palm & Liz Friedman & Vanessa Place}}
-| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|Unaired}}
+| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|3|31}}
+| Aux4=
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 177: / Line 182: @@
 | DirectedBy = Robert Berlinger
 | WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Dick Wolf|t= Eva Nagorski}}
-| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|Unaired}}
+| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|4|7}}
+| Aux4=
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 185: / Line 191: @@
 | DirectedBy = Alexander Cassini
 | WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Robert Palm|t=Martin Weiss & Robert Palm}}
-| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|Unaired}}
+| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|4|7}}
+| Aux4=
 | LineColor = B30713
 }}
@@ Line 217: / Line 224: @@
 }}</ref>
-The Pilot episode was seen by 14.3 million viewers but its rating declined steadily afterwards with 6.8 million viewers watching the last episode. NBC cancelled the show after five episodes.<ref name= "andreeeva">{{cite news
+The pilot episode was seen by 14.3 million viewers but the show's ratings declined steadily afterwards with 6.8 million viewers watching the last episode. NBC cancelled the show after five episodes.<ref name= "andreeeva">{{cite news
 | last = Andreeva
 | first = Nellie
@@ Line 231: / Line 238: @@
 ==External links==
-* {{Official Website|https://wolfentertainment.com/television/past/deadline/}} on [[Wolf Entertainment]]
+* {{Official website|https://wolfentertainment.com/television/past/deadline/}} on [[Wolf Entertainment]]
 * {{IMDb title|0247086|Deadline}}
 * {{Epguides|Deadline|Deadline}}
@@ Line 240: / Line 247: @@
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Deadline}}
-[[Category:NBC original programming]]
 [[Category:Television series by Universal Television]]
 [[Category:Law & Order (franchise)]]
@@ Line 250: / Line 256: @@
 [[Category:Television series by Wolf Films]]
 [[Category:Television series created by Dick Wolf]]
+[[Category:NBC television dramas]]

v t e Law & Order franchise
Series	Law & Order (1990–2010; 2022–present) Special Victims Unit (1999–present) Criminal Intent (2001–2011) Trial by Jury (2005–2006) LA (2010–2011) True Crime (2017) Organized Crime (2021–present)
Adaptations	Paris enquêtes criminelles (2007–2008) UK (2009–2014) Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent (2024)
Video games	Dead on the Money Double or Nothing Justice Is Served Criminal Intent Legacies
Related series	Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999) New York Undercover (1994–1998) Arrest & Trial (2000–2001) Deadline (2000–2001) Crime & Punishment (2002–2004) Conviction (2006) In Plain Sight (2008–2012) Chicago Fire (2012–present) Chicago P.D. (2014–present) Chicago Med (2015–present) Chicago Justice (2017)
Films	Exiled: A Law & Order Movie (1998) Homicide: The Movie (2000)