no, but all great writers and tv producers and directors are.
that is the measure of greatenss… if nobody likes what the produce, or they aren’t politicaly savy enough to make sure that it get’s marketed…and viewed, then they truely aren’t great.
And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you…
TV and movies are very expensive, COMMERCIAL media with a lot of people involved in the creative process and a lot more people involved in the financial process. TV networks, particularly these days of increased competition and diminished revenues, are reluctant to pick innovation over familiar, previously succesful formulas (witness, for instance, the success of Two and a Half Men). Success in the field does not preclude lack of talent or vice versa. (Even the most talented artist–in whatever medium–in the world will only get so far without connections, savvy and just a little luck.) Otherwise it would be safe to assume that McDonald’s are the finest gourmet restaurants in the world.
That said, Joss Whedon is actually a fine writer and director solely, in my view, based on Firefly. That show (and its accompanying film) is sheer poetry. Dollhouse is fun, but its concept seems better suited for a movie rather than a long running, open-ended TV show. But that’s just my two cents. One thing great artists have in common is that not everything they do is artistically successful. The good ones know when to accept the duds and move on. (Which was part of Cracked’s criticism of Whedon, though I don’t know enough about him to have an opinion either way.)
