Aaron Spelling

Aaron: If your pilot does something that either sends somebody to jail or to hell, then you know what the pilot is. If your pilot is dealing with someone who just made a terrible mistake and is sorry for it, then you don't know if your pilot is going to work or not. It's really crazy.

Aaron: I'm basically a writer. I never wanted to be a producer. Dick Powell made me a producer, because I was writing his host spots on Zane Grey Theater.

Aaron: I think you reach so many people, and so many different people. We have to be very careful of that out here in Hollywood because if you saw the list of parties we are invited to here, and if you scan that list, it's always that higher, higher echelon, you never really get to know real people.

Aaron: I think there are two ways to depict a family. One is what it's really like, and one is what the audience would like it to be. Between you and me, I think the second one is what I would prefer.

Aaron: I think our shows are entertaining. I think that they're clean. I hate to talk about that, but, boy, where some of the shows are going today, it's amazing. I'm ashamed of my wife seeing some of these shows, much less making them. I don't even want the cast of my shows to see some of those other shows.

Aaron: I think our business is really different. I don't know, there's no way to express it.

Aaron: I don't travel by airplane. I mean that because when my wife, my kids and I travel on trains or boats, we meet a lot of people and we talk to them.

Aaron: I don't remember a drama on TV that had shown a couple could be married but still love each other very much, spend every day as if they were still on their honeymoon, be sensuous, and have fun together.

Aaron: I can kid around and say it's entertainment and everybody likes our shows, but we have something else at stake. This is a chance to teach-not preach, teach.

Aaron: Family, many, many years ago, was a simple, correct family, and now I think if you're going to do a family show, you'd better make sure your characters are liked by the families watching, that's it. And now it's more about issues that confront families and their kids, and those are very important issues.

Aaron: Even a cop show was an anthology. I miss that, I miss it a lot. I don't know why they're not successful anymore; people just won't try them.

Aaron: As a writer, I was writing for the Jane Wyman Theater, that was an anthology, and The Dick Powell Show was an anthology, and then the Danny Thomas Hour, and then Playhouse 90.

Aaron: A show that no one thought had a chance has just finished its fifth year: Charmed. I think it's tougher for the younger networks, so I think they have a little more patience for the sake of the show. But who knows?

Aaron: I must tell you, I haven't done the drug problem that is faced by cops and people on the border. It's a hard show to do, but I think it's going to say a lot about drugs and the problems related to them. I just hope people can watch it, it's a pretty strong show.

Aaron: I love my wife, she deserves anything and everything.

Aaron: I love giving time to gay actors, gay characters; I think it's wrong to say, You don't exist. I like diversity in shows, and I must say, the networks are really selling that, finally. African Americans, Latinos, diversity, diversity. Even love scenes, I'm pleasantly surprised that we've come that far.

Aaron: But, I don't know, the violence, I can't even talk about. We don't do a lot of violent shows. When I started in television, breaking a pencil was a violent act.

Aaron: Wow, you're saying better things than I am, and this is my interview!

Aaron: On a gay situation, I think we set a trend too. I remember how Blake Carrington in Dynasty hated his son being gay. And the son finally moved out and Blake was mean to his son's lover, but in the last show, I'll never forget that, Blake visited the apartment his son and his lover were living in. They were expecting trouble and hell, but nothing happened and he kissed his son.

Aaron: I think detail is just paying attention. Would she say that? Would he say that? Why is he saying that? That's the detail.