When you get to the fourth, fifth and sixth years of a show, it's really good to have held back, so that you have somewhere to go. That also applies to levels of violence, levels of humor, levels of production value.
Bruno HellerOne of the tricks that you have to learn, with episodic TV, is you don't know how many years you're going to be blessed with.
Bruno HellerThere is a place for visionaries and the avant-garde in this world, but not at 9 o'clock on a network.
Bruno HellerWhen I've had hard times in my life, the one thing about being in TV is that it's positive. I withdrew to 'Cheers,' it was familiar in that it was family. It had a kind of realistic positiveness to it.
Bruno HellerIt's easy to leave people wanting more after the first episode, but it's hard to leave people wanting more after the 24th episode. And it's my job, more than anybody else's, to keep that in mind. One season, in TV terms, is nothing. You need to hit it for three or four seasons, and then you're doing well, in TV terms. Then, you've done your job.
Bruno Heller