I think the bar is higher these days in terms of audience expectations of authenticity.

Cheers was one of the first shows where I paid attention to the writers because their [work] was better than everything else I was watching. The writers weren't afraid to let a joke fall slightly flat if it advanced the characters.

I'm perfectly happy to color within the network lines when I have to.

I always think it's better to take your time and go through a lot of ideas - and dismiss a lot of ideas - before figuring out where to land. It's a good way to care for your audience, too. If you spend hours and hours and days and weeks coming up with the ending, then there's a chance the fans won't figure it out on their own.

You can make a good show, but you still need some magical alchemy to get people to watch.

I think the bar is higher these days in terms of audience expectations of authenticity.

I've always read a lot of historical books and I'm a big fan of documentaries, and I've always thought of ways to do it.