TARSES' BIG FRAILTY IS HUBRIS; FORMER ABC EXEC RESIGNS, UNBOWED.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic The worst mistake made by Jamie Tarses, who stepped down Thursday as President of ABC Entertainment, didn't involve programming strategy - although trying to revive ``Fantasy Island'' last year probably comes close. Her biggest misstep was one of simple hubris Hubris An arrogance due to excessive pride and an insolence toward others. A classic character flaw of a trader or investor. , when she agreed, two years ago, to open her doors to Lynn Hirschberg of the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Magazine, who took the occasion to write Tarses' professional obit. Sounding depleted de·plete tr.v. de·plet·ed, de·plet·ing, de·pletes To decrease the fullness of; use up or empty out. [Latin d , as her '97-'98 fall schedule was underwhelmingly received within both the industry in general and the network in particular, Tarses told Hirschberg, ``I can't exactly say it was fun while it lasted.'' Until Thursday, Tarses had been forced to feign feign v. feigned, feign·ing, feigns v.tr. 1. a. To give a false appearance of: feign sleep. b. enthusiasm. Last month, she told the Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (or TCA) is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming. They meet in the Los Angeles area twice a year, in January and July, in conferences known as Winter and Summer : ``We are going to end our erosion and, in a worst-case scenario, shrink (audience loss) the least (of the major networks).'' Not exactly a rousing battle-cry. A resignation statement found Tarses somewhat more sanguine: ``The sweeping changes in the entertainment industry dictated necessary, competitive changes at ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. , and I feel that the time is right to move on. ABC is well-positioned to turn the corner next season, and with the creative team in place, they have all the momentum to see the network to the next level.'' Tarses, whose introduction to the TV industry came during her childhood, when she critiqued her father, Jay's, teleplays over dinner at home in Woodland Hills, assumed the title of president of ABC Entertainment in 1996, the first woman to ascend to such a position and, at 32, one of the youngest. That's the trouble with youth - Tarses was considered a tyro at age 32; now 35, she exits a network that has begun to forsake her demographic for more youthful viewers. As her father had run-ins with network executives, Tarses irritated her talent as well, ill-advisedly upsetting Steven Bochco (``NYPD NYPD New York City Police Department (since 1845; New York City, NY, USA) NYPD New York Play Development Blue'') when she withdrew a miniseries of his acclaimed show ``Murder One.'' With David E. Kelley, she futzed around for a long time before finding a good time slot for ``The Practice,'' now an Emmy-nominated hit. Robert Iger has said: ``I counseled Jamie, never be arrogant. It's the worst trait you can have.'' After getting credit for helping shepherd such NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. hits as ``Friends,'' ``Frasier'' and ``Mad About You,'' Tarses told one interviewer, as she assumed the ABC position in 1996: ``My sensibility is the sensibility people seem to want to see. The shows I helped develop are the shows I want to watch, that I will show up at home for.'' Granted, she said this before uncorking such forgettable for·get·ta·ble adj. Fit or apt to be forgotten: a movie with very forgettable characters. Adj. 1. forgettable - easily forgotten unforgettable - impossible to forget flotsam A name for the goods that float upon the sea when cast overboard for the safety of the ship or when a ship is sunk. Distinguished from jetsam (goods deliberately thrown over to lighten ship) and ligan (goods cast into the sea attached to a buoy). as ``Hiller and Diller,'' ``Over the Top'' or this year's ``Oh Grow Up.'' Tarses demonstrated a lot of dubious behavior in her trek to the top - such as reportedly trying to get out of her NBC deal to get to ABC by threatening a sexual harassment sexual harassment, in law, verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature, aimed at a particular person or group of people, especially in the workplace or in academic or other institutional settings, that is actionable, as in tort or under equal-opportunity statutes. suit at the Peacock network. Also, giving a lame series (``Over the Top'') by her former boyfriend, Robert Morton, a prime slot on ABC's schedule (it promptly tanked). As Hirschberg wrote in 1997, observers' whispers lamented, ``This is not how a network executive acted - this was how a girl acted.'' After the profile ran, Tarses could've assuaged the whole situation by simply accepting a healthy portion of humble pie. It's quite possible everyone would have admired her candor and forgiven her hubris. Instead, she acted defensive and evasive at that first meeting, a posture that never abated in subsequent meetings with the press. ABC has enjoyed some success of late - ``Sports Night'' is a critical if not yet an audience favorite, and its midsummer nights' novelty ``Who Wants to be a Millionaire'' is a surprise hit, though one that would be difficult to maintain as an ongoing series. But the network's coming fall season, courtesy Tarses, offers a huge question mark. ABC's new sitcoms - ``Oh Grow Up,'' ``Then Came You'' and ``Odd Man Out'' - are as uninspired as their cliched cli·chéd also cliched adj. Having become stale or commonplace through overuse; hackneyed: "In the States, it might seem a little clichéd; in Paris, it seems fresh and original" titles. ``Wasteland'' won't likely appeal to viewers outside the twentysomething niche, and ``Snoops'' is being perceived as a rare David E. Kelley misfire. The one series that has impressed industry observers is ``Once and Again,'' a rare show highlighting middle-aged characters, but the network is damaging the series by withdrawing it from the schedule from October to January. Now, that is no longer Tarses' problem. One pities her successor. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (Color) TARSES |
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