Coto Compares 'Enterprise' and '24'

Former Enterprise executive producer Manny Coto has answered more questions from posters on the forums at his web site, speaking mostly about his current series, 24, and drawing comparisons to Star Trek.

Asked whether the actors had input into the series, Coto posted on his web site, "Of all the shows I've worked on, 24 is by far the most collaborative...on the production end, directors and actors (especially Kiefer [Sutherland]!) have a good deal of influence over the dialogue and staging. Everyone contributes, which is why I think this show is as good as it is." He added that on his current series, "you have to check your ego at the door. You can't get possessive or attached to anything...because it could all change tomorrow."

Coto suggested that the third season of Enterprise had elements in common with 24, when Archer and his crew were "responding to an act of terrorism, and working to prevent a great one. Strip away the sci-fi elements, and you could have a season of 24!" But he saw few similarities between the characters on Enterprise and those on 24. "One thing that they both seem to do is speak a lot of technobabble! My experience writing tech-speak for tech has served me in good stead."

Told by a fan that 24 deserves Emmy Awards this season, Coto replied, "I gotta say, I really don't have an opinion on this. My feeling about awards shows is that they're all pretty silly. How can anyone compare 24 to, say West Wing? Or Brokeback Mountain to Munich?"

As for advice to aspiring series writers, Coto noted, "The stark truth is, unless you're an established writer working in Hollywood, it's practically impossible to sell an idea for a series, no matter how well worked out it is. The best way to work one's way up, he added, was to move to Hollywood, write "like crazy", get an agent, write like crazy some more and eventually get on a series. "After all that, then, maybe, you can pitch a series and have a chance that someone will bite."

More questions and answers are at MannyCoto.com. Thanks to TrekWeb for the alert.

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