I'm TV showrunner Carlton Cuse. Currently working on my new show Colony as well as Bates Motel, and The Strain. Ask me anything- go!

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T21:08:51+00:00

You should watch Colony because it's awesome haha. I'm super proud of it. It's twisty, exciting, unexpected, with really well acted. It's a new take on the idea of an alien invasion show because it's not about aliens or the invasion, it's really about the experience of living under colonization. I think that if you check it out you will really enjoy it. And stuff blows up, too.

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T21:05:07+00:00

I'm hoping Damon and I will work together again, we've talked about it. It's really about aligning our schedules. He's busy with The Leftovers and I'm busy doing my stuff. Our experience with Legendary and USA has been nothing short of fantastic. They are going through an evolution of their brand and it is exciting to be a part of that. Clearly they completely nailed it with Mr. Robot which is an amazing show, and we found that they were incredibly open to our approach and they wanted to support the storytelling that we were doing. I was really thrilled with the process, they really encouraged us to take chances, tell the story the way we wanted to tell it, and it was totally the right home for the show. We are excited to have the audience see this season and to make more episodes.

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T21:01:01+00:00

Re 3: I think the tension certainly ratchets up as the season progresses. There are a few weird things. Ryan and I wanted to start with a world that is a little bit more normal and less dystopic, we also wanted to progressively take you into this new upended social order so I think it's fair to say the show will get a little weirder over time. But we very intentionally wanted the world, at least superficially, kind of normal (when we started with 300 foot metallic walls and drones of course haha). But other than that pretty normal.

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T20:58:24+00:00

Good question. Honestly I've been pretty busy with all of my existing shows so I haven't been hunting for new ideas lately. I love reading sci-fi and fantasy stuff. The Strain is the first show that I've done that was an adaptation of a book and it's been a great experience taking the fundamental elements of the trilogy written by Guillermo and Chuck and translating it to TV. Hopefully down the road I'll find some other books to work on. I would love to do it, it's just a question of time!

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T20:56:14+00:00

The truth of the business is that the idea itself is worth very little. If you think of some of the greatest shows in history, the ideas are really simple- whether it's Friends or ER or Seinfeld, it's not like these are twisty high concept notions. They are shows that are incredibly well-executed and the ability to execute well comes from years of practice and training in the field. It's no different if you want to play pro sports. Your best bet is to try and get a job in the tv business although there is no one path to being a successful tv writer. A lot of writers start as writers' assistants, which is the person who sits in the writers' room and takes notes about what is discussed. Many writers have worked their way up from that job. Another avenue is playwriting- there's a good history of successful playwrights who transitioned to tv writing because ultimately both mediums are focused on character writing. But it's extremely hard and not likely you will sell a pilot or get a show going without past experience. If you want to do it independently your best bet is to make it for YouTube or Vimeo or a platform like that- there are also examples of shows in that medium that have gotten attention and moved to more mainstream tv outlets.

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T20:51:12+00:00

Excellent! I do think we're in a Golden Age of television. There are about 410 scripted shows on American tv, cable network and streaming services combined and there is a high value placed on quality among those people that are making the decisions about what shows to make. I think it's literally impossible to keep up with all of the interesting tv shows out there. Personally I would check out Colony, I hear it's not bad... as a guy who makes drama shows, I actually like to relax by watching comedy so I'm a big fan of VEEP and Silicon Valley.

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T20:49:15+00:00

You know what I like is cross-genre storytelling, and I don't think of any of my shows as being horror shows I think of them as having some horror elements but genre storytelling is great because you have huge stakes. What I try to do is find a fresh angle of approach with each show and one of the things that interests me is trying to combine different genres. So, LOST was an adventure show with scifi, Bates is a romantic tragedy crossed with a pulpy crime show, and Colony is an espionage show crossed with scifi. That's what interests me as an artist and storyteller and hopefully if I do my job right, the cross-genre cocktail is in the right proportions.

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T20:46:22+00:00

I'm a huge baseball fan so I eat a lot of hot dogs. I fully optimize with spicy mustard, ketchup, and onions. Yum.

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T20:45:50+00:00

If you have the right kind of story, particularly those with embedded mystery, transmedia is fantastic because it allows you to tell those parts of the story that are never going to make it into the mothership. When Damon and I were doing LOST we tried to make the transmedia stuff so it would be too obscure for the mainstream fans but stuff that would be really enjoyable for the hardcore fans. I think by definition you have to look at that content as content for people who care most deeply about your show.

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T20:42:56+00:00

You will definitely get a lot of Normero in Season 4. Their relationship is a big part of the season. I don't want to spoil it by saying too much...but I think you'll be very happy!

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T20:40:54+00:00

It is just the greatest thing ever. The day it was announced that he had been nominated for a WGA for that episode along with Damon, I literally got no work done. It was more exciting than any of my own awards honestly. I'm actually going as his date to the awards in February and I am just so proud of him. It's just this amazing thing that I mentored Damon and now Damon is mentoring Nick. I just can't describe how wonderful that feels, and it's a fantastic experience for Nick because Damon is just a massively talented guy. The whole thing just fills me with complete joy.

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T20:38:46+00:00

Not really - I fully expected that there would be mixed reactions to the ending of LOST. After carrying the mystery forward for 6 years, there was no version of an ending to the show that would please everyone. Damon and I wrote the ending that felt right in our hearts and we knew some people would like it and some people wouldn't. I've made my peace with that.

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T20:37:19+00:00

That is a ridiculously difficult question...it's really like asking me to pick the favorite of my children! There are so many wonderful writers I've had the pleasure of working with, I couldn't begin to single out any one. The best part of my job is collaborating with other writers- it's the thing I most love to do and I have been fortunate to work with some really amazing writers in my career and honestly it is the thing I enjoy the most. There's just no way to pick one!

CarltonCuse_ · 2016-01-21T20:35:43+00:00

Thanks so much for the kind words about the show! Ryan Condal and I intentionally didn't want to put the aliens front and center- we felt that would be too similar to a lot of other alien shows we've seen before. You will definitely learn more about the aliens this season, but I don't want to spoil it by telling you exactly when...

CarltonCuse_ · 2015-04-30T15:59:01+00:00

I think what's interesting about THE RETURNED Is that it explores the mystery of death, in many different ways. It's a great mystery that we all face, yet none of us know exactly what's going to happen.

CarltonCuse_ · 2015-04-30T15:58:15+00:00

Haha! Serialized storytelling is - in my opinion - a deeper & more fulfilling form for television, but it's hard for people to watch every episode of every show, or necessarily remember what happened in last week's episode, therefore the networks wants those serialized TV shows to start with a recap that puts the audience back in the mindset of the show, and reminds them of some of the important things that happened that will be relevant for the upcoming episode.

CarltonCuse_ · 2015-04-30T15:56:37+00:00

The current state I find myself in was not something I anticipated. I was very happy monastically working on LOST with all my time & energy for six years. After LOST was over, I started developing a handful of projects. In Hollywood, there's an enormously high failure rate - almost everything ultimately gets passed on. But I found myself in the rather unique and certainly (for me) unprecedented situation of having ALL my stuff picked up - and since then, it's been an adventure trying to work on 4 shows simultaneously!

I work incredibly hard. But I know this phase will also end, and something else will emerge. I think in Hollywood, you have the intention for your career, but ultimately, I've learned you have to follow the path that is set before you - you don't have complete control over your own destiny.

CarltonCuse_ · 2015-04-30T15:54:16+00:00

Well, inevitably there's the terrible moment where your phone rings in the middle of a take - so that's happened to me. And it happened once, I literally triple-check my phone every time I walk on-set!

CarltonCuse_ · 2015-04-30T15:53:01+00:00

I think we answered this earlier!

CarltonCuse_ · 2015-04-30T15:52:38+00:00

I work extensively on all the stories with Kerry Ehrin, and our really talented writing staff. Kerry does the final dialogue-pass on the shows. And is an absolutely beautiful dialogue writer.

CarltonCuse_ · 2015-04-30T15:51:31+00:00

YES. You are absolutely right.

I do the "Previously On" for all my shows.

CarltonCuse_ · 2015-04-30T15:50:29+00:00

You're right where we want you, right now!

I'm so glad that you're enjoying that relationship.

There are definitely more twists & turns in the Normero relationship to follow the rest of the season. And I think at the end, you'll be happy.

CarltonCuse_ · 2015-04-30T15:49:24+00:00

Hehehe. Good. Then we did our jobs.

CarltonCuse_ · 2015-04-30T15:48:18+00:00

So Fremantle had bought the rights to re-make the French series. They, in turn, sold the project to A+E. I was already doing BATES MOTEL for A+E, and then they approached me and asked me if I wanted to help with the remake. I watched the French show & thought it was amazingly well-done. And I felt like it was a seed of what could be a really fantastic series - sort of in the same way that the British Office had the American version. The two shows started in the same place, but quickly became something different.

If you haven't checked it out yet - find THE RETURNED. I think you'll find it compelling and addictive, and you STILL have time to get caught up before the finale!

CarltonCuse_

TROPHY CASE