Michael Stecher, who has worked in Hollywood for 18 years, sees himself as high royalty in an unenviable kingdom. The El Segundo father of two has been fired so many times that he refers to himself as "The King of Canceled TV Shows." Twice he received pink slips at lunch.
"People don't realize how fast it can change," said Stecher, who has been let go five times. Now he's a camera operator for CBS' military action drama "The Unit." "There is zero security in this gig."
Stecher is one of about 225 people directly employed by the program, which chronicles the exploits of an elite U.S. Army counter-terrorism force. Over the last four seasons, Stecher has seen the show's main characters thwart dirty- bomb attacks, recover Stinger missiles and halt assassinations. But what nobody knows is whether they will survive "the bubble," the tenuous region where television shows on the boundary of renewal and cancellation exist. Tonight's season finale could be the series' final episode.
If drama is life heightened, then Hollywood's bubble shows mirror much of America right now, where the specter of pay reductions, freezes and immediate unemployment is writ large. In the television industry, the phenomenon is an annual rite as network executives decide which series will be ditched to make room for new projects.
"What the country in general is going through, if you choose to work in Hollywood, you've accepted a life that is constantly like that," said executive producer Shawn Ryan, who runs "The Unit" and created the FX cable channel's cop drama "The Shield." "There's no coasting along. They don't care if you're some huge star or an established writer. They'll take the best idea wherever they can come up with it, and in May they'll reevaluate where they are. Everyone has been fired in this business in one way or another."
In all, 18 shows across the five broadcast networks reside in the bubble, and have since March, when the decisions about renewal typically begin. The cast and crew of "The Unit," a steady but unspectacular ratings performer, have been here before, but that doesn't make the wait any easier. They expect a verdict from CBS on May 20.
Executive producer Vahan Moosekian is as familiar with these employment ups and downs as anyone. His four years on "The Unit" is his longest stint on any show during his 33 years in the industry, stability he knows could easily be followed by years of unemployment. With the rise of reality TV and NBC's new 10 p.m. Jay Leno comedy show, there are fewer jobs in scripted television.
