RT: Now let's talk "Wonderfalls." Wasn't it supposed to be this largely-hyped television series that would launch post "American Idol" and be the next big TV series and have all this backing before it just went plop?
BF: Yes, all those things are true. We were the golden boys and everything was fantastic and we were in episode 7 and a rough cut of episode 5, which had a very significant lesbian B-story was sent to a higher-ups office, and he said "no ****ing way." And the next day no one was talking to us and there was a time when we weren't even going to air. We really knew when we went into the marketing meeting and first they were telling us how they were going to market it, and then they were telling us how they were not.
That's when we decided that we needed to make it a miniseries because we wouldn't have more than 13 episodes and we made those 13 episodes sing. We had a beginning, middle and end.
RT: Well, what was the lesbian storyline that got everyone worked up? Was it some risqué shower-scene that showed boobies or something?
BF: No, it was just two women relating to one another as a loving couple and we were forbidden to show them kissing in any way, shape or form even though other shows on Fox were having kisses between women that were more exploitative. Ours were more honest and real about two women in adult relationship.
RT: cough "Fastlane" cough
BF: Exactly. It was kind of unfortunate, but I really feel great about the experience because it was the show that I wanted to make and it was a very positive experience.
RT: When you hopped onboard "Wonderfalls," you said you had to change it into a miniseries. Previous to that, how many seasons did you plan out and what was going to happen in those seasons?
BF: I wanted in season 2 there to be this big arc where Jayne realizes she might be like a Jesus character. It would end with her therapist publishing a book about her, giving her notoriety. And then season 3 would open with her being institutionalized.
RT: And what would have happened with her relationship with whatshisname?
BF: The bartender? Up and down and up and down and up and down.
RT: What did you think about the fan reaction once the DVD came out? I know every friend I've showed it to now absolutely loves it.
BF: It was wonderful.
RT: Okay, let's move onto "Heroes." How'd you get onboard with it?
BF: The show really isn't a superhero show. It's about regular people realizing they have superpowers and it's about how they deal with it. What I was attracted to was the themes of destiny and fate and our individual roles in the universe. If you look at "Dead Like Me" or "Wonderfalls" you'll see that the characters ask those same types of questions. I really related to that. Each and every character had a metaphor on their journey, like the indestructible teenager, the single mother who is spread too thin and needs two of her, the cop who can read people's minds. There's the big huge meta-questions and small questions like navigating the waters of being a cheerleader.
RT: How long are you planning on staying with the series, since right now you are only a consulting producer?
BF: Well, my title is consulting producer, but I'm actually working full-time on the show. There are a lot of times where it's seven days a week and I'm only supposed to be here three days a week but I love the show and I love the writing staff. It's been such a fantastic experience and the show seems like a juggernaut. It's great to be part of a show that is being supported by a network.
The show is really "Magnolia" meets "X-Men." I read the script and began to think where the stories could spin from there. The cheerleader character really hit home with me. Each of us takes a character and writes those stories, and then we combine that, so every writer works on every episode.
I just took to Claire and really liked her journey.
RT: What is a normal day like in the "Heroes" office?
BF: A normal day for me is sitting at my computer writing. We get into a rhythm of breaking the stories with different color marker on different cards for different characters, and then we all go off on our own to write our individual scenes and then we take those scenes, put them together, read the script, give the episode's writer our notes and that is the process.
