Lie To Me Scoop

Who would have guessed the man who created Vic Mackey began his career on My Two Dads? Shawn Ryan went on to create CBS’ The Unit, and is now the executive producer of Fox’s Lie to Me.

TVGuide.com: Is there any commonality between The Shield, The Unit and Lie to Me?
Ryan: I never wanted to be someone that got defined too easily. The Shield was an example of the more extreme sides of my writing. I was very conscious that I didn’t want to get labeled and spend the next 20 years trying to make different versions of the same show. One commonality I always seek is trying to find the truthfulness in a situation, truthfulness as it relates to characters and believability within the bounds of the show you set up. I’m a believer in pace and energy and not taking audience for granted. I want to entertain — one hour of screen time is precious. On Lie to Me, there really is a search for the truth, and that’s something I’ve been trying to achieve on all my shows.

TVGuide.com: How has television changed over the past decade?
Ryan: I think viewers are more discerning and less likely to sit through something that only mildly entertains them. A show really has to be in your wheelhouse to get you to watch because there are too many other things you could be doing. So ratings are down on individual shows, but I think ratings are up for TV in general. People still love television; this whole news cycle about the death of TV is way premature and inaccurate. You’ve just got to find those shows that appeal to the core audience that goes out of their way to watch. It’s far more competitive, but supply and demand has really raised the quality level of TV. TV over the last five years has blown films out of the water.

Shield fans may enjoy reading the rest of the interview.

Source: TV Guide