I grew up with free television. Now, it wasn't free, there was these commercials, and so the economic model was driven through commercials and through advertising.
If you had to pay separately for just PBS, probably, sadly, not a majority of Americans would do that. So there's many channels, whether it's Discovery Channel or C-SPAN or many, many others, that just aren't viable.
I've never seen American Idol but I am grateful to them. That show is one of Fox's biggest moneymakers, and some of that money goes to pay for shows like Prison Break. Simon Cowell's been signing my paychecks and for that I say thanks.
There is never enough money for TV.
We get a successful television series or something, and next season they give you less time and less money, which is something I've never really understood. That doesn't happen with Game of Thrones.
The big difference in those days was that in England the Government subsidized TV, in America we work on TV so we can subsidize the Government.
British shows, especially on a first commission, don't get the cash that the U.S. shows get.
I'm really into gay stuff getting funded: having it be on TV and having a show.
