Where is Haggis taking the show? Simply compare the original, Haggis-free pilot (ho-hum scripting, cliched plots) with the all-Paul prequel that will now precede it on Sept. 15 (moody flashbacks, quirk-infused characters, a plaintive soundtrack) and you'll get the picture. For one thing, Caruso's too-good-to-be-interesting hero is becoming a little more human ("I'm just trying to poke an ice pick in his flaws and stir it around a little bit," explains Haggis), while the show's gallery of rogues is now a little less so ("I want to have a bad guy I can hate").
"Paul's fascinated with ambiguity, and I'm more synonymous with a formulaic style — meaning NYPD Blue. I think the blend could produce a complete show," says Caruso, who has learned to appreciate Haggis' presence in more ways than one. "He's used to being in control of all the details. So he's taken a lot of pressure off me, which, frankly, I'm looking for."
Of course, in his capacity as Hayes' script doctor, Haggis is only making a temporary house call. "My role is to help get the show set up. This is not a show I'm sticking with," says Haggis, who lives in Santa Monica, Calif., with his wife. "The most I'll be on is the first 12 episodes." ("You never know what's going to happen down the road," counters CBS' Addison.) But in that crucial span of time Caruso will find out if he's got another NYPD Blue-size hit on his hands.
"A lot of people are going to tune in, no matter what I do," says Haggis. "Half because they remember [Caruso] and love him, the other half to see if he fails. I don't care why they tune in, because if they like it, hopefully they'll stick."
At this point, not even Haggis can tell for sure whether he's helped forge a hit. "When I was directing the pilot of EZ Streets I saw the first cut of the first 30 minutes and walked out saying 'This is the worst pile of crap I've ever seen.' I was going to quit the business. It's only months later that you can look back and go, 'Oh, you know, I like that, it was good.' So six months from now, ask me how Michael Hayes is."
Six months? In the cutthroat world of TV, that's being mighty optimistic.
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