'Sue Thomas,' 'Doc' Premieres Kick Off New Season on PAX
by Randall Murphree
October 1, 2004
(AgapePress) - Gary R. and Dave Alan Johnson are committed Christians who weave the truths of Christian principles into every television show they write or produce. At the same time, they create intriguing drama and appealing characters. In an exclusive interview, the brothers answered the following questions about Sue Thomas: FBEye and Doc, their hit drama series on PAX TV, and other entertainment concerns.Interview with the Johnsons continues below...
'Sue' and 'Doc' Premiere October 3
Sue Thomas is a unique television heroine, a hearing impaired FBI agent whose hearing ear dog Levi shares every scene with her in Sue Thomas: FBEye. The groundbreaking PAX drama begins its third season October 3 with an episode in which Sue's snitch witnesses a murder. Sue and another agent then investigate a possible mob connection.
The hit drama is the work of executive producers Gary and Dave Alan Johnson, and is inspired by the story of a real-life Sue Thomas, who overcame deafness to work surveillance for the FBI.
The Johnson brothers also produce Doc, another PAX hit which stars country music artist Billy Ray Cyrus as Clint Cassidy, a Montana doctor who follows the love of his heart to New York City where he practices in a clinic. Doc has aired for four years, and will conclude at the end of this fall's nine new episodes. It, too, premieres October 3.
Q: Is there anything different that Sue Thomas fans should anticipate for the new season?
A: Mom and Dad taught us, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." We're hoping people will continue to like it and be surprised and be moved. We're really trying to stay true to the series, so there are no earth-shattering changes. We've got some good story lines. We've got one where an actor comes to hang out with the gang, sort of a liberal-point-of-view actor. It's easy for him to talk about stuff in his sort of left-coast way, until he gets in there with them and he realizes it isn't that easy.
We think we're doing better work now on that series than we ever have before. The actors are still really fresh and enthusiastic and love it. So we hope the audience will.
Q: Is this Doc's fifth season?
It's the fourth production year. We actually premiered in March. We ran half a year in that season. New episodes will end on November 28.
Q: What is the average life of a TV drama?
A: Everybody's goal is to get to four or five years. Around 88 episodes is four years' worth. That's what we have of Doc. That gets a series to syndication.
Q: Are there any twists or turns to look for in Doc?
A: All kinds of 'em, but we can't tell you any of them! Suffice it to say that Doc watchers will be very intrigued and want to watch. We have one in which the real Sue Thomas plays a guest spot on Doc. She plays a deaf woman with a hearing-ear dog.
Q: Do you have any new projects you can tell us about?
A: We don't at the moment because we have been so swamped. Between these two shows, we have done 90 episodes during the last 21 months, which is sort of insane. And we did it with a staff that would normally have one show. We're just getting our breath and sort of coming up for air.
We don't want to rush into anything. We're actually talking about doing some movies and some other things, but there's nothing definitive yet. We can guarantee you'll be the first we call when we do get something. The good news is there are options for us, but at this point we just need to recuperate for a minute.
Q: How can churches and ministries have an impact on our culture, especially the entertainment media?
A: We get your [action/information e-mails from the American Family Association]. You guys are doing what so needs to be done. You're staying on top of stuff. We e-mailed Governor Schwarzenneger's office [about California hate-crimes legislation].
With these shows, it's really remarkable what we end up doing ratings-wise, and we get no help whatsoever from the secular media. They will just not embrace us at all. We need people to tell their friends. We don't want anyone to watch us out of obligation. We understand that entertainment needs to make you laugh, it's not homework. We never ask anybody to support us just because we have the same values.
If they like it, tell their friends. The shows are very successful as they are, but if they're more successful, they'll shock even more of the secular world and bring in more non-believers. We're not here to make programming for the choir, we want to reach outside the choir. Our goal always is to have their neighbors and their friends down the street and at PTA and Little League to see our stuff and be drawn to it.
You don't really fix the problem unless you support shows which do have the values that you like.
Randall Murphree, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is editor of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association.
