![]() ![]() “And that doesn’t mean anybody did anything wrong or they weren’t great projects,” he adds, no doubt sensitive to the fact that he now oversees some of the folks responsible for whiffs like American Rust and The First Lady. The Department, an espionage series helmed by George Clooney, fits here, along with what will likely be two Billions spinoffs and, though he’s yet to hear any pitches, a Ray Donovan update.Īs McCarthy tells it, his plan, which came after a series of swift, ugly cancellations, is a way to provide clarity and a “way higher hit ratio,” which sounds like a bold declaration until you consider Showtime launched 23 new series over the past five years, and only two, Your Honor and Yellowjackets, have proved to be big, durable successes. And the third lane, which he credits predecessor David Nevins for carving out with Homeland and Ray Donovan and he’s eager to reignite, is all about “powerful, high-stakes worlds,” be they the CIA, Wall Street or Hollywood. That’s where current series like Yellowjackets, for which there are spinoff ideas already brewing, and a planned Dexter origin story fall. The second lane will feature the kind of antiheroes that the Bob Greenblatt era at Showtime introduced with shows like Nurse Jackie and Weeds. McCarthy says the show, from Emily in Paris creator Darren Star, will become “a little edgier, a little more mature” on his air. When it comes to LGBTQ fare, he’s already saved Uncoupled, which was canceled after one season at Netflix. “So instead of being just one show a year, I want to have six shows a year,” says McCarthy, noting that he doesn’t mean Chi prequels or sequels, though he also doesn’t rule those out. In fact, he’s certain The Chi could be four to five times bigger than it currently is if Showtime had more to offer its audience. ![]() “And even to this day, some of our biggest shows are in that lane,” he says, citing The L Word and The Chi, though he argues that there are not nearly enough of them to retain subscribers. The first, he explains, is about “diverse cultures,” which has been a part of Showtime’s DNA dating back to Soul Food and Queer as Folk. It’s like, ‘If I can see the title, the star and the key art, you’re going to break through the clutter.’ ” (If you’re looking for tea leaves, his personal viewing tastes tend toward The White Lotus, the Paramount-owned LGBTQ comedy Uncoupled and anything that MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow does.)Īs he laid out for the rep community during a recent round of agency visits, McCarthy’s Showtime, which will be rebranded Paramount+ With Showtime until someone comes up with a better name, will focus on three distinct lanes. Diaz and Keith Cox, whom he references often and is quick to praise. He says he leaves that to his team of creative executives, led by Nina L. ![]() “I think I often get confused for a creative, and I like to say, ‘I’m a creative businessperson, I’m a creative strategist,’ ” McCarthy tells me, noting that he isn’t the guy poring over scripts at night. What McCarthy is not is a creative, and to the apparent bafflement of Hollywood, he’s not pretending to be. Those who have worked with him as he climbed the cable ladder, from Logo to MTV, play up his deft handling of data and his ability to maximize resources and ratings, a skill set that appeals to MBA turned CEO Bob Bakish. Of course, his achievements were primarily in nonscripted until late 2019, when he was handed the keys to Paramount Network and its then-pricey new Western Yellowstone, which McCarthy spun into one of the most successful franchises in television. The truth is, McCarthy has been ascendant at what is now Paramount Global for close to 20 years, but the heavies in Hollywood have only recently started to pay attention. Home is and will continue to be New York, however, where McCarthy, now in his mid-40s, lives with his 150-pound rescue dog, Pumpkin. The executive, who floats through anonymously, has been here in Los Angeles every other week since he inherited Showtime, which shares space in his vast portfolio with Comedy Central, MTV, VH1 and Paramount Network. It’s a rainy March afternoon, and The Terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, which McCarthy has selected for lunch (and lodging), lacks its usual bustle yet still has a smattering of soggy stars like Halle Berry, Jerrod Carmichael and Justin Bieber. Showtime's 'Ghosts of Beirut' Trailer Recounts CIA Manhunt for Deadly Terrorist (Exclusive) ![]()
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