This story contains plot points about the season one finale ofExtended Familyon NBC.
OMalley serves as showrunner and executive producer.
Watch on Deadline
DEADLINE Where were you at with the show before the strike?
“Extended Family,” Jon Cryer as Jim, Abigail Spencer as Julia, Donald Faison as Trey; Mike O’MalleyRon Batzdorff/NBC via Getty Images
Were you able to restart production quickly after it ended?
MIKE OMALLEYWe completed six episodes before the strike.
When the strike ended, we did seven more.
DEADLINE How big is your writers room?
When youre acting on a sitcom, it is so much fun.
You get to rehearse it every day without a lot of interference from the writers.
The clock is always ticking.
That audience is coming Friday night and you better have something ready.
Its a particular skill that many people have and are very successful at.
And yet you know, I have friends who have no idea that this show exists.
Theyve never even heard of it.
Its on Tuesday night at 8:30.
I remember when we all knew what was on and youd have to have an opinion about a show.
Was that always the plan or did the strike change anything?
OMALLEYBefore the strike, we were looking to end on a rehearsal dinner the night before they got married.
But we wanted to slow that down a little bit.
DEADLINE Your finale was not a cliffhanger.
What does this mean going forward, should the show get a pick up?
My last show,Heels, ended on a cliffhanger.
[The show was canceled by Starz in September].
Obviously, Im still talking to you.
Were promoting the show.
I think our ratings have been good.
But put it this way …
If we were going to be renewed, wed know.
Everyone in our business knows how hard it is to find stories, write stories, write episodes.
Were waiting just like everybody else.
The cast is unbelievable.
We also have great kids.
DEADLINE If you go to a second season, what changes can we expect?
OMALLEYI think Lenny Clarke [as Bobby Kearney] would definitely become a series regular.
DEADLINE Weve been doing a series about Hollywood contraction.
From your perspective, what are youre seeing with your fellow writers, your buddies out there?
Are they worried about the lack of work?
OMALLEYIm hearing is exactly what youre hearing.
There are less shows being made.
They loved the work.
So I would rather do the work and have more work and hope that somehow people see it.
People would know about it because there were only so many things breaking through.
There was only so many things to watch.
This city has changed as more and more work has gone away.
You used to move to New York or Hollywood to work in show business.
I raised a family here and I love Los Angeles.
But its harder and harder for people to live here and work here.
I spent a lot of time working in Vancouver and Atlanta.
I love those people there.
But what I really love about a sitcom is that Im at home.
I think its better for everybody if were able to be at home even if theyre working hard.
Thats one of the reasons I want to be doing a sitcom.
