Dick Wolf Bares His Fangs

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 25

"Law & Order" franchise creator Dick Wolf is angry, angry, angry that critics devoted more attention to "Alias" than to "L&O: Criminal Intent" when the shows debuted back in 2001. It cost "CI" star Vincent D'Onofrio some acting trophies, he claimed.

"The first season all the heat was on 'Alias,' and we had to fight to get anything in the press, and [D'Onofrio] was doing a job that, if you'd been paying attention, I firmly [believe] would have gotten him an Emmy and a Golden Globe," Wolf told critics Monday during NBC's second day onstage at Summer TV Press Tour 2005.

Besides which, "Criminal Intent" has proved to be more lucrative in syndication, he said.

" 'Alias' sold [in syndication] for $175,000 an episode; 'Criminal Intent' sold for 1,100 percent more. Do the math," snapped a steamed Wolf, who apparently did not get the NBC memo to staff re: colonic (everyone gets one; everyone loses sense of entitlement) that NBC Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly had spoken of so glowingly the day before.

(FYI: According to trade reports, cable network TNT bought weekday syndication rights to "Alias" for about $200,000 per episode, and distributor Buena Vista sold weekend syndication rights to broadcast stations in a barter-only deal, which means BV gets to sell ads in the show on those stations. The trades reported that cable nets USA and Bravo anted up an estimated $2 million per episode to split syndication rights to "Criminal Intent." And here's probably a good place to say that NBC, TNT, USA and Bravo are all owned by NBC Universal, which also houses Wolf's production company, Wolf Films.)

"The three ['Law & Order'] shows have turned TNT into the number one network on cable and USA the number two network on cable," Wolf fumed.

What really had his knickers in a knot were articles written last fall about how "Law & Order" series were dinged in the ratings opposite launches of "Desperate Housewives" and "CSI: NY."

"There is no bad news here," he said. " 'Criminal Intent' is the only show that could possibly have held up against 'Desperate Housewives.' Sure it was down, but it was not out, and all you have to do is look at the repeat numbers this summer.

"You guys don't report the financial aspects of how successful the brand is," he lectured critics, one of whom noted afterward that "Alias" was probably more lucrative than, say, "Macbeth." ("News flash: Dick Wolf hates us," another critic cracked in the press room.)

"This brand exists, at the moment, alone in the cosmology of long-term profitability," Wolf proclaimed during his morning Q&A session.

But wait, there's more.