TVSquad

When I first saw the commercials for ABC's Eli Stone, I didn't recognize Jonny Lee Miller. Then, after watching the first episode and liking him, I decided to find out who he was. Imagine my surprise when I learned that I had seen him, multiple times, in a variety of roles. And he was British! I was duly impressed and intrigued. Jonny Lee Miller was a helluva an actor, a chameleon who could be as convincing as a junkie named Sick Boy in Trainspotting as he was a San Francisco lawyer named Eli.

Starz, the cable network, is getting into original production and their first project will be based on the 2005 Best Picture Oscar-winning film Crash. Glen Mazzara, whose credits include Life, The Shield, Stand-Off and Nash Bridges, has been named executive producer/showrunner for the drama series. Lionsgate TV will co-produce with Starz, and they've greenlighted 13 episodes.

The controversial film, which dealt with the intersecting lives of a myriad of people living in Los Angeles in just 48 hours, centers on the character of Detective Graham Waters. Waters, a police detective, is struggling with his career, his drug addict mother and a criminal brother. The role was played by Don Cheadle (Picket Fences), who was also one of the film's producers. He is expected to reprise the part in the Starz production and may even direct a few episodes. In addition, director/co-writer/producer Paul Haggis and others from the film are also on board for Starz.

I often wonder why the networks still spend big money to get the rights to run big screen movies. At one time it was a big deal, when there weren't many options for seeing the movies after they had run in the theaters. But in this day of being able to buy DVDs and rent DVDs and the premium cable networks, are movies still a big draw for the networks?

USA and FX must think so. USA just bought the rights to run Casino Royale for 5 years, starting in June 2009. The cost: $20 million. Meanwhile, FX has picked up the rights for four movies for around the same price. The movies are The Departed, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, V For Vendetta, and The Wicker Man.

I say USA got the better deal.