Quotes About Television

TV was my life, growing up. I ran home from school to watch television, and even did my homework with the TV on - my mom had a rule that as long as my grades didn't fall, I was allowed to. So it was my dream to work in television.

On 'Grey's Anatomy,' I didn't have to move too much. I think I ran through the hospital three times.

I ran two campaigns for governor in a state that's 2-1 Democrat where I did not mention my opponent in print, radio, or television. I don't know if any other politician at a gubernatorial, congressional, or a senatorial level can make the claim.

Someone asked me, 'How long do you intend to do 'Deadwood'?' And part of my sociopathology, I say, 'Well, when does my contract run out?' And I realize my contract ran out at the end of four seasons.

I love it when you have a lull in the day and you turn on the TV and a random movie is on that you either have never seen or haven't seen in years. Like 'Coming to America' or 'Misery' or 'Moonstruck.'

I have no sense of being famous - you're just working. And then you'll have a random day in London when you'll do some press and it creeps into your awareness that this goes out - that what you do every day goes out to televisions right across the country.

Wherever I go, people complain about what they see on television. Yet, if you are lapping this up because it's random entertainment or from morbid fascination, you are enablers.

It would be wonderful to become what Oprah has become: she is in such a class of her own, as an entrepreneur, as a performer and an icon. The idea of building a series of programmes and choosing people that I think have talent to do them would be a very interesting idea. I would love to show that television can have soul, depth and range.

My goal is to broaden and deepen the range of African-American characters on television, so I always try to show human beings.

I'm a huge fan of Doordarshan, so my influences range from international to local.

MTV definitely has the effect of narrowing the range of music that hits the mainstream. On the other hand, isn't that the effect of television in general?

I actually feel like, for a lot of my career, I wasn't able to show my comedic range. I did a lot of dramas and dramedies. I was on 'E.R.' That's not generally thought of as a funny show.

Television offers a range and scope, and a degree of creativity and daring, that the bottom-line, global-audience-obsessed, brand-driven movie industry just can't compete with.

Sometimes you are lucky enough to get offered things, and there is no rhyme or reason. I am very lucky because I come from England, and you have a whole range of things offered to you, from television plays and shows and theatre, so much more to explore, so it's never really money.

You have to develop a broad range of projects. One thing we've seen with 'This Is Us' is that people want to escape a little bit into the lives of others with beautiful emotional storylines where a country that needs a good cry can have one without seeming crazy. So I would say my real takeaway is that we should all be pushing for extreme emotion.

Having watched 'The Lone Ranger,' I asked my dad, 'You think we can be on TV like that guy?' He said, 'Probably not. You have to be 6 feet and blond to work in TV and movies.' I said, 'But what about that guy? Jay Silverheels?'

I grew up watching 'The Lone Ranger.' I would get up every Saturday morning, earlier than all the other kids, to watch a black and white western with Clayton Moore that hadn't filmed a new episode since 1957.

Scott Foley was always fun because he's a very funny guy. So I liked working with him a bunch.

Pretty people don't keep comedies on the air. Funny people keep comedies on the air.

I always felt that it was easier to take a funny person and teach them to write television than to take somebody who was a television writer and make them funny. And I discovered a lot of great writers that went on to do a lot of great shows like 'Seinfeld,' 'Friends,' you know, 'Three and a Half Men.'

The difference between you and the funny person on TV is that they acted on their ideas.

I actually think in a funny way, I feel better at TV now. As I get older, I know what I think and I know what works and I enjoy it more.

I'd rather sit at home than be a part of a popular show and be a piece of furniture.

My whole adolescence has been on 'Game of Thrones;' I don't know what I'm going to do without it.