Demi Moore thinks she’s too fancy for network TV, network TV scoffs at her

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It feels like Demi Moore barely works these days, but is that the reality? According to IMDB, Demi has three films in the can, waiting to be released this year or next. But yeah, she hasn’t worked much in the past five years or so. She only did one movie between 2013-2015. And like so many actresses of a certain age, Demi has shown some interest in doing TV work. I personally think Demi could potentially do well on some kind of prestige hour-long drama/ensemble. And that’s what she was thinking too – emphasis on “prestige.” As in, no network TV.

Demi Moore is too good for ABC. The actress was set to star in the upcoming drama “Ten Days in the Valley,” but pulled out once the network got on board, Variety reported. A source told Page Six that Moore “dropped out when ABC picked it up because . . . it was originally supposed to be a cable show. She only wanted to do cable or streaming. It’s more ‘prominent’ to go to cable or streaming.”

The show would have been Moore’s first full-time TV gig since the 1980s. Kyra Sedgwick will take over.

[From Page Six]

That story was from a week ago, and of course some people were side-eyeing it. While network TV isn’t the crème de la crème these days, a lot of talented people work on networks, from Kerry Washington to Marcia Gay Harden to Viola Davis. Still, it’s no HBO! So, obviously, Page Six followed up with some unnamed sources claiming that everyone was laughing at Demi for being so haughty about appearing on network TV.

TV industry insiders were snickering after reports that Demi Moore dropped out of ABC’s upcoming series “Ten Days in the Valley” because the star feels it’s “more prominent” to do cable or streaming rather than network TV. (The series was originally for cable before it landed at ABC, and Kyra Sedgwick was brought on to replace Moore). But a source told us that ABC wasn’t exactly knocking down Moore’s door to do the project either, and ABC insiders are over the moon to land Sedgwick as her replacement.

“The fact is that no one cares about Demi, and Kyra is a bigger star, so [ABC] jumped at the opportunity to work with her,” the source scoffed. “I mean, who’s really dying for ‘streaming’?”

[From Page Six]

Well, there are some good shows on Hulu and Netflix, so I don’t know why these sources are acting like NO ONE cares about streaming. Still, the fundamental point is fine: ABC was probably beyond thrilled that they got Kyra. And Demi needs to change her approach to working on TV, for real. Incidentally, how is that Kyra landed another TV show? I thought the whole reason she quit The Closer was because she was done with TV? I’m just mad because I really, really miss The Closer. You guys, that was one of my favorite shows of all time.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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49 Responses to “Demi Moore thinks she’s too fancy for network TV, network TV scoffs at her”

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  1. Rhiley says:

    Demi probably screamed, “I want to be the leading lady on Netflix’s original show, ‘The Ranch,’ or nothing at all.” Seriously, though, doesn’t seem she is hurting for money.

  2. Twink says:

    If JLO is happy being on network TV, you should too, Demi.

    • Nev says:

      WORD.

    • Naya says:

      Demi was a massive movie star in her day. She was the highest grossing and highest paid actress by a mile for years and even though she never scored an Oscar, a lot of her work in the early days was very well received by critics. Jlo may be more famous today (although thats more about her body as her music underperforms and the movies are done with her) but this is not a smart comparison. They are just not peers in any way. Demi gets a lot of flack over her private life here and it seems to have induced amnesia over what she accomplished.

      (I hope you dont mind but I’m just gonna lump up the rest of my thoughts on this story here in this comment instead of starting a new post).

      Network TV is the worst. Whoever sold that story to the tabloid is incredibly malicious for phrasing it as a Demi takedown. Nobody with a name does network unless they are desperate or are given assuarances over quality and network interference. Thats how they come to have producer credits. The fact is, a show tied to network tv is guaranteed to have network execs meddling with the production. Plus the stories have to be broad enough to appeal to even the daftest viewers. On the rare occassion that you are allowed to make something interesting, you will be fighting cancellation over ratings the whole time. Not even critical acclaim will save a good show on network (RIP Hannibal).

      Demi isnt hurting for money, she doesnt need to take the risk of being tied to what would likely be a dreary, frustrating experience that ends up cancelled, which further soils her resume. Kyra Sedgewick on the other hand does need the money. She and Kevin Bacon have been open about taking as many gigs to recoup what they lost from the ponzi scheme.

      • AngelaH says:

        Networks ruin what could be great shows. The limits on network tv shows.

        I think a lot of people have forgotten what a huge star she was and she came to stardom in a time where movie actors were considered to be better than TV actors. It is pretty recently that the opportunities for amazing roles on TV have come about and most of those are NOT on network TV.

        You know that the insider from the industry was probably from ABC based on their dirision of “streaming.” The times are changing and the networks are clinging to their old ways of making money instead of finding a way to embrace change.

      • Lexie says:

        Yes, this. 100% this.

        At Demi’s age, to come back and do something on TV, it has to be bold, genre-defining or otherwise impressive.

        Network TV hasn’t done that in decades. Look at all the biggest shows in the last 10 years. Just a few that come to mind: Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Orange is The New Black, etc.

        All of them push the limits that network TV just can’t due to how it’s structured.

      • Sarah says:

        Demo will always be the reporter with the annoying voice on General Hospital to me. A terrible actress.

        I love Kyra and I loved The Closer, although I like Major Crimes even more. I always think Kyra made a huge mistake leaving that show, as it is still going strong five years later. She’s done nothing since.

      • Twink says:

        JLO just broke the box office record for a single night of her Vegas show beating Britney. She was also the first Latina to be paid 1 million for a movie. I think they’re comparable and JLo is way higher on the totem pole careerwise nowadays; HBO staring project, producing credits, etc.

      • Bridget says:

        JLO is a star, but still not the same thing. Demi in her heyday was legitimately HUGE, like breaking gender barriers huge. JLO has always been good marketing, with decent return on investment but her superstar performance has always been showbiz math: decent rom coms + okay singing + hot personal life + crazy body + top tier representation = big star. She’s a personality, not as much performer. I mean, when we’re talking “movie superstar” in comparison to “Vegas show” it’s just not the same thing.

    • holly hobby says:

      Yup! There’s no shame in network TV. It gave us the brilliance of Constance Wu and Wendi McLendon-Covey!

      Why is Demi so picky? She started her career on General Hospital for pete’s sake!

      • qwerty says:

        No, she started by posing nude. Like Jolie, Madonna, and a lot of other women. Doesn’t mean she’s gonna come back to that lol.

  3. mellie says:

    Please tell me what Demi Moore has done lately…besides had some plastic surgery and watched her daughter perform on DWTS?

  4. OhDear says:

    That’s a lot of bridges (current and potential) now burned.

  5. Cinderella says:

    She’s forgetting where she came from. I remember her on General Hospital.

    • Flowerchild says:

      I hate when TV actresses/actors do movies and then feel that they are too good for TV . I’m looking at you Jennifer A.

      • Esmom says:

        Eh, I think Jennifer A was part of the generation of actors who used TV as a stepping stone to movies. That dynamic has shifted now but she only did what many others have done, which is strike while the iron was hot.

    • Esmom says:

      I do too! She was the bomb when she hit the scene at GH, with that smoky voice.

    • alice says:

      why can we accept and never bitch about British actor switching effortless between TV/movies but we are so unforgiven about our US actors tv roles? there are a few exceptions but the general assumption in US is that TV is lesser. That doesn’t apply to the Cumberbatchs, Huddlestones, Elbas, Hardys overseas, ..and don’t come telling me their TV is superior, because they’ve done crap TV too…but somehow they’re never being derided

    • Kori says:

      Janine Turner played her sister on the show. 🙂

  6. Esmom says:

    Oh geez, she reminds me of my MIL who always thinks she’s “too good” for certain things/people even though she’s a nearly destitute uber-hoarder at this point in her life. But those delusions of superiority are what keep her going, I’m guessing it’s the same for Demi.

    I could see her doing well on a cable or streaming show, maybe in the vein of Damages. Not necessarily as the star but maybe in “featuring” role. But she shouldn’t turn her nose down at the networks, either, sigh.

  7. mia girl says:

    If true, this is actually a poor move on her part. She was never a prestige actress. She was a popular actress at a certain, specific time

    IMO her caliber of acting and celebrity is actually better suited for a network program where the age demos often skew a bit older and she’s has a better chance at capturing viewership from a generation who actually know who she is and have some fond connection to her.

    • noelle w says:

      She was popular for a long time. From about 84 to 97. She could’ve maintained it way longer by not moving to Idaho when her career was in jeopardy. That’s when she really lost her status. It was probably the most monumental comedown of any actress, ever. She was the biggest female movie star in the world for years until Julia took her spot and Diaz and Jolie were hitting their stride just as Demi was disappearing. It was so weird when she got all the comeback hype in 03 for what was essentially an extended cameo in that silly Charlie’s Angels thing. The only good movie she’s made in the last decade and a half was the underseen Flawless in 08. The rest has been indie garbage where she is supporting actors who are nobodies compared to her. It’s almost embarrassing that someone of her status could be reduced to such.

  8. minx says:

    Like she’s the greatest actress? Please, she always played Demi.

  9. Miss S says:

    She doesn’t want to be an actress, she wants to be a STÁH!
    She must have back problems because of the weight of that ego…

  10. Nicole says:

    Did no one tell her that tv is where its at now? Look at all the big stars working on network tv, cable AND streaming. Heck tv is better than a lot of movies these days. Smh someone has an ego what’s the last hit thing she’s done really?

    • Lucky jane says:

      I couldn’t tell you the last movie we saw in the theater. We watch mostly tv shows on netflix and download shows like “the walking dead”. Are there any decent movies being made? All I ever hear about are these super hero movies and I don’t think I could sit through another one.
      Never liked Demi… But the woman looks great. I always feel kind of bad for her. She doesn’t seem to be very confident in who she is.

      • minx says:

        Same. I really can’t remember the last movie I saw in a theater. I love various TV series, that’s where my interests lie. If there is a movie that looks interesting I wait for it to come on ITunes or cable.
        I can’t stand superhero/cartoon movies either.

      • Nicole says:

        I see movies regularly because I typically go to premieres or screenings but I rarely go out and pay to see a movie. But in terms of what I enjoy tv is it. The stories are new and different and from all walks of life.

    • Jayna says:

      She was attached to the show but bailed when it sold to one of the big network channels instead of HBO or Netflix. So it sounds like she does know what you say since she was on board for it until it was sold to one of the big three networks instead.Many actors prefer cable or Netflix because the shows are allowed more freedom, which is where she wanted the show to be.

  11. Jenna says:

    I kind of understand her feelings. Like Kerry and Viola probably did network because they knew ABC would give their shows a huge push. Shonda basically runs the network. Likewise Jennifer Lopez probably had it stipulated that NBC would relentlessly push her show too.

    It also sounds like this is being pencilled in for next summer, and ABC haven’t launched a hit summer show in forever. Her movie career is sort of nothing, but Demi is still a big name for TV, in that she hasn’t dabbled in it since her soap days. I don’t blame her for wanting to push for something cooler that will probably get her name out there again. Summer on ABC isn’t that at all.

    Again this is a story where a woman is attacked and labeled a diva when she’s only trying to define her worth. Which is sort of the thing we should praise women for, right?

    • Esmom says:

      Fair point, well said.

      • Evil Queen says:

        Agreed. Women over 50 need all of our support regardless of the industry they work in. Movie stars to teachers and beyond. Someday it will be you and me. And we are our own worst enemies.

    • Caitiecait says:

      There is nothing wrong with knowing your worth, but you have to be reasonable. I am a 28 year old who has only been an attorney for two years. I can strive for more, but I cannot expect or demand to be named the head of my department because that is what I think I’m worth.

      • DTX says:

        She hasn’t been an actress for 2 years though. She’s been in the industry for a long time and has made some pretty great films that are cult classics or headed that way, such as Ghost, GI Jane, etc…

      • Lisa says:

        Why not? Aim for the stars!

    • Miss S says:

      Defining your worth should come from realistic evaluations of the market and what you can give. She was a great star but things changed and there aren’t loads of great roles for women after 40. Her worth should come from the quality of her work and unless the character was not great and media spinned this to make her look bad (a possibility) I don’t see how a part is great for Sedgwick and not for her.

      Basically it feels she isn’t really trying to be an actress, like I wrote above she wants to be a star.

    • justme says:

      I’m not praising a mediocre actress who has such a fear of aging that she’s had every plastic surgery in the book and still parties with her 20-something daughters. She’s a has been and is consumed by her appearance.

      • Lucky jane says:

        Gah…. Stop speaking sense. You make me rethink my opinion of her!! You are probably right about this. I just take it easy on this one because she obviously struggles so much. I mean, I am nobody and not wealthy and turning 40 in a few months and I think I probably have far more confidence than this poor woman does. You can’t buy that. I just can’t help but feel bad for some people.

  12. Jayna says:

    Maybe she knew on network TV the show couldn’t go as many places as it wants to. She wanted edgier. And cable and Netflix give shows time to grow. Network TV, if the ratings aren’t strong, they cancel you pretty soon. Less pressure on HBO or Netflix.

  13. Hejhej says:

    Kyra Sedgwick is a much better actress and Demi needs to sit down with that attitude. She was a big name once but the world changes and she needs to change with it.

    • Eleonor says:

      Kyra is a great actress seriously.
      I miss The closer, I re-watch all the time. And follow Major Crimes, only because I’m a Liutenant Provenza HUGEST fan.

  14. Mata says:

    I wonder if it’s really that she’s too good for network or she really doesn’t want to put in the demands of network TV. Cable and Streaming shows generally only have 12 episodes versus Network’s usual commitment of 22 or so. She hasn’t done anything in years, so the idea of working that many hours may also have had a part in her decision.

  15. Tredd says:

    Yikes! That first pic of her is terrifying!
    Doesn’t this broad EVER look in the mirror?

    And her hair looks ridiculous. I’m fifty with long hair. At least I was until I saw THIS idiot.
    Thanks, Demi.