JamesG
03-09-2012, 04:12 PM
The Strange Art of Picking a TV Title
3/6/12
Titles Considered:
"Teenage Wasteland"
"The Kids Are Alright"
"Feelin' All Right"
Tom Werner (Executive Producer):
"Teenage Wasteland" was our tentative title. It was on the first draft, but we couldn't get the rights to it from The Who. So we went back to the drawing board and came up with 30 titles.
Among them was "The Kids Are Alright", another Who song, which songwriter Pete Townshend shot down as well.
Eventually, we came up with "Feelin' All Right" [which then-Fox president Peter Roth presented to advertisers at the 1998 upfront in New York]. As we got closer, the network decided that wasn't memorable enough. And frankly, it wouldn't have been.
Finally, [co-creator] Bonnie Turner says, "You know, why don't we just call it 'That '70s Show'? Because that's what everyone is going to end up calling it anyway. No matter what we come up with, they'll say, 'Did you see that '70s show?'"
We all looked at her and said, "You're right". It was inspired.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/picking-tv-titles-friends-lost-examples-297288
3/6/12
Titles Considered:
"Teenage Wasteland"
"The Kids Are Alright"
"Feelin' All Right"
Tom Werner (Executive Producer):
"Teenage Wasteland" was our tentative title. It was on the first draft, but we couldn't get the rights to it from The Who. So we went back to the drawing board and came up with 30 titles.
Among them was "The Kids Are Alright", another Who song, which songwriter Pete Townshend shot down as well.
Eventually, we came up with "Feelin' All Right" [which then-Fox president Peter Roth presented to advertisers at the 1998 upfront in New York]. As we got closer, the network decided that wasn't memorable enough. And frankly, it wouldn't have been.
Finally, [co-creator] Bonnie Turner says, "You know, why don't we just call it 'That '70s Show'? Because that's what everyone is going to end up calling it anyway. No matter what we come up with, they'll say, 'Did you see that '70s show?'"
We all looked at her and said, "You're right". It was inspired.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/picking-tv-titles-friends-lost-examples-297288