"Masterpiece" in the News

Still looking for a sugar daddy to fund Masterpiece Theater, the series' executive producer, Rebecca Eaton, remains optimistic, according to this blurb in the L.A. Times from the TCA press tour. -- Amy

PBS' Rebecca Eaton, executive producer of "Masterpiece Theater," told reporters the venerable institution would not skimp on quality despite the fact that public broadcasters are still searching for a sponsor.

"We do not have a funder but we have a team in place looking for a funder in a new way," she said on Wednesday, the penultimate day of the press tour. "Masterpiece Theater" will be "rebranding" and presenting itself to potential corporate sponsors as a multi-platform vehicle for their messages, she said. (Does that mean product placement for Coke and Nike in the next Charles Dickens adaptation, I wonder? -- Amy)

Viewers may notice fewer new dramas, but Eaton promised that the artistic quality would remain high. This year, the program produced "Bleak House," which received 10 Emmy nominations, she noted. The final season of "Prime Suspect," starring Helen Mirren, airs in November.

"We are thrilled with the new leadership at PBS," Eaton said, referring to Paula Kergere, who recently replaced Pat Mitchell as PBS president. "She is someone who has gone on record as supporting the arts, and we take that definition to include drama." -- Lynn Smith, L.A. Times