lthough The Outer Limits was actually canceled last year at the end of six seasons on Showtime, the series returned to the airwaves on March 16 for a seventh season, this time on the SCI FI Channel. A new deal was struck by MGM-TV with the SCI FI Channel for 22 brand-new adventures of what has turned out to be television's longest-running SF anthology. James Crocker, supervising producer of the inventive series, is a familiar name to fans of televised SF. Writing in an essay for Twilight Zone magazine, famed author Harlan Ellison spoke highly of Crocker, citing him as "one of the most decent, charming men I have ever met. Honest and talented and compassionate to a fault."
Crocker is a writer/producer who began in Hollywood aspiring to become the next Neil Simon. But quickly he discovered that "I wasn't quite as funny as I thought I was!" This led him down the path of dramatic television writing in the late 1970s, working on Baa Baa Black Sheep and Simon and Simon. In 1986, Crocker followed Simon and Simon's executive producer Philip DeGuere to the CBS remake of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. While there, as supervising producer, he wrote fine episodes such as "Chameleon," starring Terry O'Quinn, and "A Little Peace and Quiet," starring Melinda Dillon.
Over the years, Crocker served as a supervising producer on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and as co-executive producer on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Seven Days. He also executive-produced Doorways, SF novelist George R.R. Martin's unsold parallel-universe pilot.
When Outer Limits executive producer Mark Stern recruited Crocker as the new supervising producer, he was already a veteran screenwriter for the show, having written several notable episodes. In previous seasons of the show Crocker wrote "The Deprogrammers" starring Star Trek: The Next Generation's Brent Spiner, "Out of Body" starring Joely Fisher, "Bits of Love" with Natasha Henstridge, "The Awakening" with Gordon Pinsent, "Identity Crisis" starring Lou Diamond Phillips, "Decompression" starring Bruce Boxleitner and "The Haven."
In this following conversation, conducted in his office on location at the series' production offices at The Bridge Studios in Vancouver, Canada, we discovered just how he learned to reach into the inner mind to find The Outer Limits.
In examining the episode information on the first seven or eight episodes already filmed, I'm struck by how many people from previous seasons are returning to do more Outer Limits. I see familiar names in the guest stars department. Catherine Mary Stewart, Nick Mancuso, David Cubitt, Erich Anderson and Laura Harris are all actors who have appeared in previous roles. In the writing department, I see that, although he's no longer a producer, Sam Egan has continued with a new script titled "The Vessel" and Alan Katz has a story titled "The Surrogate." I also note a number of directors from previous seasons. Was that a conscious decision, to install this kind of continuity with previous seasons?
Crocker: I think it's a very conscious decision on [executive producers] Mark Stern and Pen Densham's part. Trilogy [the series' production company] has people that they've really enjoyed working with and have come through in the past who have written terrific episodes. When you're dealing with an anthology, you're creating the world every week. That's one of the reasons I love anthologies. The ability to create new worlds each week is just making new films unto themselves. It's something that's stimulating.
What the SCI FI Channel bought was the quality of the show that ran for six years on Showtime. SCI FI wants a continuation, and we're on that particular foundation.
There's a potential for the show continuing for another season, who knows for how long, which is wonderful. I don't think there's any other show on the air right now like this with this particular type of storytelling. Now that the show has been on for seven years, the show may go on forever.
Why has the Outer Limits run for so long? What's the magic formula here?
Crocker: I can't think of another show that's on right now that does exactly what Outer Limits does in terms of presenting a widely varied mix of science fiction concepts. I don't think there's any other show that does it as successfully as Outer Limits does. Outer Limits is not dependent on one particular style. It really is open to trying new, different styles for a given episode. That's the wonder of doing an anthology show. That, plus the rich history of the show. The great names, that and Twilight Zone, are two of the great names for SF television. I think the intelligence and sophistication of the audience today is getting to a point where they're willing to embrace more intelligent and sophisticated concepts. Science fiction is always smart. This show now has a basis to doing more intelligent and sophisticated science fiction and good storytelling. That's one of the [major] appeals of the show.
What can viewers come to expect this season?
Crocker: I think they can expect expert storytelling. Because of the stable of writers we have, who have written, on and off, over the six years we've been on, we have a terrific group of writers. I think they can expect the same high quality of production that the show has had. Science fiction attracts very interesting actors. When I wrote "Patient Zero" I thought the lead role would be great for Michael Rooker [seen at right] and we were able to get him. He only does features. He was just in The Sixth Day. We've been able to attract that kind of talent. He's just terrific. He's a big talent.
Can you tell us about some upcoming episodes? I understand Alan Brennert, an old friend from Twilight Zone days, who has also written quite a few of the new Outer Limits episodes in previous seasons, has come back, and he's written a new show called "In the Blood." What can you tell me about this story?
Crocker: It's basically the discovery of hyperspace, which Alan calls trans-space. What happens when you enter trans-space, as Alan postulates, is you're entering into an organic environment. It's not just a high-speed superhighway that allows us to travel all over the galaxy, it actually has an organic environment.
Sounds like a so-called "bottle show," where everything just takes place inside the spaceship?
Crocker: Well, it is a bottle show, but it also takes place in trans-space, outside the ship. We were planning on some EVA [spacewalk] activity in trans-space, but we had to cut some of that out. I still think that's very a rich environment, but most of the action takes place inside the spaceship.
We just did a wonderful show that Pen Densham wrote called "Alien Shop," and it has to do with an alien assigned to Earth as a means of penance, because of something that happened in his past which remains ambiguous. He must do these acts of penance among humanity and he does this by meeting people who are somehow attracted to his mysterious shop. He gives them an object that somehow helps them make a vital decision in their lives. He's spent hundreds of years collecting these artifacts. It's an interesting story.
In the series' premiere episode, on March 16, you had Tom Arnold [seen at right] and Catherine Mary Stewart in an episode titled "Family Values." In this one, an overworked husband purchases a robot to help out with the family. What can you tell us about that one?
Crocker: I think Tom Arnold turned out to be a really terrific choice, and yet you would not normally see him [in such a role]. Gerard Plunket, who was the concierge in the Outer Limits episode "The Haven," plays the robot in "Family Values." We went to special effects prosthetics to create this wonderful mask, which was great except for the eyes. Unfortunately, he still had very human eyes. We had to go back into post-production and lay in pulsing light to cover up his human eyes. We were trying to get the eyes as best as we could. In terms of the mask, the face, the way Gerard carries himself, he did a great job bringing this robot to life.
In examining the synopses list that I have, I felt critical that I was looking at stories with themes I'd already seen in many previous Outer Limits episodes. I felt I saw "another robot story," "another spaceship story" and "another biogenetic story." But the truth is, it all depends on the individual idea, doesn't it, a unique approach from the writer who invents a story?
Crocker: What's great about an anthology show, and what appeals to writers coming into an anthology show, is having a chance to get their vision on the screen. Those types of ideas are the ideas that you always get. There's lots of ideas in those areas, everyone wants to get into them at some point, because they are such classic SF themes to address.
What you said is very important. We have another spaceship show on the boards. But the idea is about the discovery of trans-space. The idea that trans-space is actually an organic place, I think that's very different, very new and fun. Alan's interpretation has gone a long way to providing a spin on something [old]. One of the things that Alan brings, and it's not just the science fiction thing, you've got a tough, emotional story too. That's imperative. That's what makes the whole thing come alive. Alan has a wonderful ability for characters. The characters are rich and vibrant [in a way] that we haven't seen before. It brings the episode up to a new level.
One of the challenges of this show is that we've been on the air for six seasons, so we've covered a lot of material. I think we have to be careful about repetition. We have to be very concerned that we're not just regurgitating what we did in the past. It's very difficult to find something that hasn't been done in some shape or form.
What I would like to see us do is take on some more contemporary or classic science fiction short stories. Things like "Think Like a Dinosaur" by James Patrick Kelly, which we're adapting. Mark Stern is writing the script right now. We've had some quite successful adaptations. A few years ago we did [Larry Niven's] "Inconstant Moon."
Are there any other special episodes being planned?
Crocker: We have a Harlan Ellison short story that we're now trying to sort out. It would be great to get Harlan to write one. The main thing with Harlan is to get him to turn in the script on time!
You're also doing something fascinating this year. As part of the new deal with the SCI FI Channel, you're preparing what is commonly referred in the industry as "backdoor pilots," stories that could be used as potential spinoffs for other series. Have you determined what stories will become these pilots?
Crocker: We are on the lookout for what we call "proto-pilots." I think "Alien Shop" is a potential for a pilot episode. Naomi Jackson is doing a story for us about a woman who can enter other people's dreams. That can be a proto-pilot. It's called "Mindreader" but the title could change. There are a half dozen concepts floating in the air. We are also developing a time travel proto-pilot.
What is your view of the state of the art of science fiction television today? What do you see and where do you think it's going?
Crocker: Society is becoming much more scientifically and technologically adept. And so the idea is that science fiction is even more relevant. It's becoming increasingly relevant because of the speed of science, and technology is transforming into something that is science fiction. We're so much more aware of what's happening when science is involved [because of] newspaper reports and television. If my kids were starting out now, I'd try to get them into science and technology because that's where there's excitement and true inspiration. That's where the survival of our race is going to be.
I can't let you go without asking about Twilight Zone. You worked with Harlan Ellison on that show. For those who don't know the details, Harlan was creative consultant, and was scheduled to direct for the first time. He had adapted Donald Westlake's story "Nackles" [available in Twilight Zone magazine's Vol. 6, #6, February 1987 issue], which was a dark Christmas horror story. But CBS Standards and Practices had a lot of problems with the content of the story and, in the end, the episode was canceled, and Harlan quite publicly departed from the show. What do you remember about those days?
Crocker: As all writers in television do, Harlan had a very interesting relationship with directors. At a certain point you have to give the script to the director in order to get that vision on film. For years, Harlan was disappointed at how directors handled his tremendous material. We were trying to get Harlan to work as a director. Harlan agreed to direct "Nackles." We were just waiting in amazing anticipation for this. Because, finally, Harlan was going to step up to the plate and show the world how his material should be interpreted. He would then be subject to the same kind of criticism he'd give to other directors of his material.
But what happened, instead, as you know, the backstory was we had problems with Standards and Practices. It was very interesting to watch the whole process. You could see that the whole thing snowballed into this political football. He still hasn't directed.
I love Harlan. I just really, really enjoyed working with him. He's a fascinating guy. I think he has to put pressure on himself to write. You know about the stories of him writing in the window of Dangerous Visions [a science fiction bookstore in Santa Monica, Calif.]. Well, he did that on Twilight Zone. He would come in and set up his typewriter. We were on the second story of the CBS Radford lot at Studio City. He would come up and take his typewriter and put it right outside the door of the balcony. And he would write out there! He was pounding out [the script edition of the 1986 Hugo award-winning novelette] "Paladin of the Lost Hour." You'd come to work and you'd find Harlan outside working! He feeds off the energy of other people. For Harlan, at this stage of his life, he needs the energy that he gets from writing in public. If Dangerous Visions puts up a poster saying "Harlan Ellison is going to write a short story on Saturday," that forces him to actually write the short story.
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