There are certain economics involved in making a network TV show that you want to amortize the costs of that, so the more episodes you make, the cheaper they all are individually.

The payment for sins can be delayed. But they cant be avoided.

You can make a good show, but you still need some magical alchemy to get people to watch.

I'm perfectly happy to color within the network lines when I have to.

I still feel driven to try to make great shows and to make each episode great.

Obviously there are different standards and practices that are allowed on cable versus network. You just have to embrace what your network is going to allow.

The worst thing you can do is end up with a network show on cable or end up with a cable show on network.

I've always read a lot of historical books and I'm a big fan of documentaries, and I've always thought of ways to do it.

I think the bar is higher these days in terms of audience expectations of authenticity.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about what the audience would want. That's my job, is to anticipate ahead of the audience.

There will always be economic pressure to make hits, identify hits, and then exploit hits. And you're going to exploit them with as many episodes as you probably can.

Human rights are praised more than ever - and violated as much as ever.

I am tremendously moved anytime anyone gives birth to something from deep within themselves that is pure and authentic.

If we make people believe that before the age of 16 they got sick drinking vodka, they don't want to drink as much vodka.

Artists are the antennae of the race, but the bullet-headed many will never learn to trust the great artists.

I try to do yoga when I can to make sure that I'm flexible and that I'm not going to tear any muscle or pull anything.

Next thing you know, we're like the computer people for the movie industry in the Twin Cities

I realize that the majority of people in the entertainment business happen to be Democrats. I have no problem with that. And they should have no problem with the fact that I'm a Republican.

Productivity = creating value and delivering it to people. All other busywork is unproductive fluff and should be minimized.

Read (this book), smile, enjoy, and if you happen to learn something along the way, don't get upset.

I came into screenwriting from an odd direction, because the first screenplay that I read was and is better as writing than the top one percent of literary novels.