Reality TV Drama Featuring 'Philadelphia Inquirer' in the Works

By: Jennifer Saba The big-city newsroom has once again caught the attention of Hollywood. But unlike the failed NBC drama "Deadline" (starring Oliver Platt and based at a fake New York daily) and HBO's recent series "The Mind of the Married Man" (set at a mythical Chicago paper), this time around producers want the real McCoy, and in Philadelphia.

Blue Chip Films and CABLEready are shopping for buyers that might be interested in a series called "Deadline @ The Philadelphia Inquirer." The premise, according to the breathless press release: "A reality series that goes behind the scenes of this major U.S. daily newspaper to follow 400 editors, reporters, and photographers as they cover breaking news and race against the clock to get their stories to press before midnight."

"I think newspapers are a source of excitement and drama," Gary Lico, president and CEO of CABLEready, a distribution company that brought viewers "Inside the Actors Studio," told E&P. "We have yet to see a reality series based on that."

Never mind that most reporters these days do their work via the phone or surfing the Web, not applying shoe leather to street. When asked if that's going to cut down on the 'wow' factor, Lico said that's part of the reason they choose the Inquirer. Because of the nature of Philly -- a colorful city with an "unfortunate amount of crime," he noted -- the reporters that do hit the pavement see a lot of action.

The Inquirer, which so far has no financial stake in this, sees it as a showcase. "We think what we do is interesting and fun," said Mary Flannery, senior editor for newsroom initiatives at the Inquirer. "We know there is a lot of interest in what we do. This is a great opportunity for the public to have a sense of how [the paper] comes together."

Flannery said that cameras have already taped some of the newsroom and she also confirms that the paper approached only those journalists willing to be filmed.

Maybe the Inquirer can show crews some excitement but there's also the matter of people working on confidential stories. "There are boundaries, of course," Flannery said, though the will take it up on a case-by-case basis.

All of this might be for naught as "Deadline @ The Philadelphia Inquirer" is still in the early stages. Plans for 13 one-hour episodes are in the works only after a cable network agrees to buy the show. The show is working against some pretty stiff odds: Only 15% of proposed series ever get off the drawing board.