After Writing One Episode of Without a Trace, Anthony LaPaglia Wanted to Apologize to Some of Its Writers
The Guardian's interview places LaPaglia in the era of network television that made 24, 25 or 26 episodes a season. He wrote two episodes of Without a Trace. Writing one transformed his relationship with the writers, he said, because he suddenly understood how difficult it is to write a story chopped into four pieces, with five-minute commercial breaks and an audience to re-engage afterward.
After the first episode, he wanted to apologize to some of the writers. The workload, he said, was counterproductive to good work; he would find himself acting on autopilot.
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The commercial break is the real antagonist here. A story chopped into four pieces with five-minute interruptions is a different craft problem from a novel or a cable season, and writing one episode seems to have made LaPaglia feel that in his gut.
The interviewer notes the 24-26 episode season; LaPaglia says the workload was counterproductive and left him acting on autopilot. The problem wasn't just the ad breaks; it was the treadmill.