'Harper's Island' producer promises 'fantastic' show

TCA -- When "Harper's Island" executive producer Jon Turteltaub first pitched the idea to CBS, he says network executives "sort of looked at us sideways -- 'haven't you ever seen television before?' "

"People say you can't do 13 weeks then change your cast," he says of his murder mystery that kills off a character each week. "Really? Because that's what 'Dancing With the Stars' does."

Turteltaub (who is a refreshingly blunt and funny interview -- other producers should hire him to play them at their TCA panels) says his initial pilot presentation video that sold the network on his concept was "one of the most brilliant lies ever perpetrated on a network," yet the actual show is "absolutely fantastic."

One advantage of the format is that "Harper’s" is a serialized show that doesn’t need to hold its narrative secrets beyond the first season.

"You’re not going to be stuck waiting for answers for years and years like with ‘Lost,’" Turteltaub says, "and we’re not stuck making shit up for five years."

The season will cover about nine or 10 days during the show’s story, until the killer is revealed in the show’s finale. Not even the actors knew who was playing the killer -- or in what order they would exit the show.

"The cast was great about it," he says. "Agents were not."

Another CBS concern was the genre. Horror is considered almost unworkable as a broadcast genre.

"If you say ‘horror,’ women won’t watch," Turteltaub says. "If you say ‘mystery’ women come in droves. If you say ‘murder mystery’ [even more] ... in general the genre is ‘scare-you-lots.’"

If the show survives, future seasons will start fresh, with a new cast attending a different kind of gathering (such as a bachelor party, or high school reunion, says CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler).

In fact, the show will also change locations -- which could make for a challenge when trying to retain some consistency with the show's title. Turteltaub joked future rounds could take place on a rocket ship or on a safari.

NEW TRAILER: "Harper's Island"