In a matter of weeks, TV viewers will tune in to prime-time hits such as “Desperate Housewives” and “Scrubs” only to find a dreary rerun. With production halting all around town because of the Writers Guild of America strike, the nation will soon need a new reason to turn on the tube. Enter “October Road.”
In preparation of the strike, writers worked tirelessly to finish the scripts for all 13 scheduled episodes.
“These guys love the show so much they weren’t going to let some strike hold back what they had to say,” said Bryan Greenberg, who plays lead character Nick. “They went into hyperdrive and got all 13 ready, which is pretty amazing.”
After filming a six-episode season in Atlanta last year, “October Road” returns with a longer 13-episode run and a new shooting location ““ Los Angeles. The switch left the show in need of new locales to maintain the East Coast college-town vibe established last year. UCLA was a perfect fit.
“There’s a warmth to the architecture at UCLA that we loved,” executive producer Josh Appelbaum said. “I hadn’t been there in years and we were all like, “˜Really? UCLA?’ But when we showed up there, it looked fantastic.”
Greenberg is no stranger to college campuses ““ he graduated with a fine arts degree from New York University ““ but shooting at UCLA was no trip down memory lane.
“I never really had that college experience because NYU is so not a college; it’s like being a kid in New York City,” he said. “But UCLA has a beautiful campus.”
The ABC drama begins its second season Thursday at 10 p.m. following “Grey’s Anatomy.” It moves to its new home, Mondays at 10 p.m., the following week.
In the face of often-withering reviews from critics, the show still found an average audience of 10 million viewers in its debut season. Although this number looks modest compared to top-ranked shows, which attract upward of 20 million viewers, it was enough to help the makers of “October Road” ignore the critics.
“There was a level of vitriol in those reviews that was flat-out comical to us,” Appelbaum said. “The show is, if nothing else, harmless and entertaining, and they were treating it like we were killing bunny rabbits.”
Criticism aside, a loyal fan base soon fell in love with the denizens of Knights Ridge, Mass. ““ the charming small-town setting of “October Road.”
The show follows Nick (Greenberg), a New York City writer who makes it big by penning a best-selling novel based on his old Knights Ridge comrades, characterizing them in an unflattering fashion.
Drama unfolds when he returns to Knights Ridge after a 10-year absence and receives a chilly response from the town he used to call home. His ex-best friend Eddie (Geoff Stults) and ex-girlfriend Hannah (“That ’70s Show’s” Laura Prepon) are still nursing the wounds inflicted by his sudden departure. The rest of the small town is a motley cast of characters who, in time, come to accept Nick back to the Ridge.
This season finds Nick still adjusting to life in his hometown. He starts the season as a creative writing professor at the local college.
Aside from shooting on college campuses (they also shot at USC), “October Road” appeals to the college crowd.
“My friends and I were instantly hooked,” Michelle Barton, a second-year biology student, said. “It’s such a cute, simple little story. Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love, but something happens to get in the way.”
Appelbaum has also noticed the collegiate attraction.
“College kids tell me how they love the show because they feel like it’s giving them a glimpse of what it will be like years down the road, getting out of college and the struggles and relationships they’ll go through,” he said.
In upcoming weeks, “October Road” will have its own share of struggles to overcome, since the life of a midseason show is a tricky one.
Appelbaum sees the late start as a positive thing: “There are so many shows networks dump on the public in September and October,” he said. “(Premiering) now allows us to stand out more.”
Lynette Rice, a senior television writer at Entertainment Weekly, though, explained how the midseason start could have an adverse effect on the show, especially in this strike-plagued season.
“(Even) people who started this strike favoring the writers, pretty soon they’re going to start to get pissed,” Rice said. “By the time midseason shows launch, they may have already checked out to, say, pick up a book or watch a DVD or two. They may not want to invest in something new.”
Whether or not the strike affects ratings will be seen as the midseason unfolds. Whether or not Nick finally wins back the heart of Hannah ““ you’ll just have to watch and see.
And as for those nasty critics ““ nothing is further from Greenberg’s mind.
“I’d rather be involved in something people are going to watch rather than something critically reviewed that nobody watches,” he said.
“It’s all about connecting with people, and that’s what we do.”