Sample Letters to HBO

"NBC did not know what to do with gold when they had it.

"'The Black Donnelly's' is exactly the kind of programming that needs to be on the air, entertaining, thought-provoking, genuine stories that pull you in and make you get attached to these characters as if you knew them."

Everyone agreed that HBO should be The Donnellys' new home.

"It would be a perfect fit for your network as HBO is well known for quality programming."

Dear HBO,

I am writing this letter on behalf of a television show called "The Black Donnellys". This show was written by Paul Haggis and first aired on NBC. NBC took the show off the air after 5 episodes and only offered it on the internet through NBC.com and Itunes. This was, of course, disconcerting since I had fallen in love with the show and the characters as had many other fans.

I am an HBO subscriber. Some demographics: I am 35, single and female. I am a commercial manager for a Real Estate firm in Tennessee. I am already a huge fan of the Entourage and Soprano's. Oh and I was a huge fan of Sex in the City!! I won't go into all of the details of the show, but urge you to check it out if you haven't already! TBD will speak for itself. We have a "Save the Black Donnelly's" campaign! You can visit the website at www.thefirecrackerlounge.com and our campaign website at www.savetheblackdonnellys.net.

NBC never gave this drama a chance. It was poorly marketed and then they took if off the air and replaced it with a reality show that really bombed. The popularity of the show has grown due to the fans!

TBD is a fabulous show. I don't get into too many TV shows but was hooked after the pilot. I couldn't wait for Monday to come so I could tune in and see what happened next! The writing is unbelievable and the acting is awesome! I really hope to see the second episode and subsequent episodes on HBO!

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

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Dear Ms. Carolyn Strauss,

I am writing you today to request HBO consider picking up the now canceled NBC Drama "The Black Donnelly's" The show was holding steady in the ratings its last few episodes at around 5.5 million viewers and has an extremely dedicated fan base known as "firecrackers".

NBC failed to advertise the show, put it in a terrible time slot up against CSI and other top established shows, and canceled it after only 5 episodes putting it online only. Since being pulled off TV in early April, The Black Donnelly's has been consistently within the top 10 TV episodes downloaded on iTunes!

The show is brilliantly written and executed by great acting talent; it is a Mafia Drama. And with the right advertisement it could pull in a HUGE fan base including all the Sopranos fans that will be looking for a new show soon.

Please consider taking the show to your excellent network. NBC did not know what to do with gold when they had it. We firecrackers know that HBO would not make the same mistakes that NBC did.

Thank you for reading.

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Dear Network Executives,

This letter is a plea from all fans of the television show "The Black Donnelly's." We are sending you this letter in the hopes that you will consider picking the show up for the fall season on your network. The show is written by Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, two men with wonderful ideas and plenty of television and movie writing experience, most recently with the critically acclaimed Crash.

The show follows the daily life of Jimmy, Tommy, Kevin, and Shawn Donnelly, four brothers in New York who find that the most important thing in their lives is family. The show originally aired on NBC at ten o'clock on Monday nights, following the smash hit "Heroes." After airing only six episodes, NBC pulled the show in favor of "The Real Wedding Crashers." What has happened to quality television? If the entire world population wanted to watch mindless drivel, we would tune into MTV everyday. It does not take a huge amount of brainpower to enjoy music videos. Enough with "reality" television! We want something that makes us probe into our minds and think about what we are viewing and experiencing along with these characters. "The Black Donnelly's" is exactly the kind of programming that needs to be on the air, entertaining, thought-provoking, genuine stories that pull you in and make you get attached to these characters as if you knew them. We have made an investment in these characters, and now we would like to see our investment pay off.

We firmly believe that given better advertising and a better chance at gaining a fan base, "The Black Donnelly's" would be a huge hit. Since its removal from the airwaves, there has been a revolution of sorts by the fans, trying to garner as much attention as possible for the show. Slowly, it has worked, but with the support of a network such as yours, "The Black Donnelly's" is in a great position to be a breakout hit for your fall schedule.

Respectfully,

All Black Donnelly's Fans World Wide

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Dear Carolyn:

The new sign outside The Firecracker Lounge has been installed. Jimmy's idea for the new sign of a flame and a cracker represents a new beginning for The Donnellys.

Those of us that were lucky enough to see this show before it was yanked from the air by NBC after only 6 episodes quickly became fans and named themselves Firecrackers. We were forced to watch the remaining episodes on-line and we patiently did each week, eagerly awaiting the next installment.

We've discussed at length at www.thefirecrackerlounge.com the possibilities this show could have, with the recent successes of The Sopranos and The Departed. Everyone agreed that HBO should be The Donnellys' new home. Viewers want quality, well-written (by Bobby Moresco and Paul Haggis), well-acted (by Jonathan Tucker, Billy Lush, Tom Guiry, Michael Shahl-David, and Olivia Wilde) dramas like The Black Donnellys. This is proved time and again by shows such as Law & Order, CSI, The Closer, and The Riches to name a few. Those of us who "get" The Black Donnellys know it far surpasses these successful shows in quality. We truly believe it will succeed if given the chance. HBO is known for its quality programming and The Black Donnellys would fit right in.

We sincerely hope that you will consider giving it the new beginning it deserves. Please give us season 2.

Thank you for your time,

ILoveTommy

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Dear Carolyn: Firecrackers want to save The Black Donnellys! www.thefirecrackerlounge.com and www.savetheblackdonnellys.net are dedicated to saving the show. Everyone agrees it deserves a second chance. The Black Donnellys takes place in New York City in present day. It is the story of four young working-class Irish American brothers who become involved in organized crime. Tommy, Jimmy, Kevin and Sean do whatever it takes to protect each other with the family motto, "Family Above All." It would be a perfect fit for your network as HBO is well known for quality programming. You can't get better quality than The Black Donnellys!

Our current campaign is to send crackers representing Jimmy Donnelly's new sign for The Firecracker Lounge. Look out!

I hope, as television viewers, we can shape television programming to be as interesting as engaging as it once was. The Black Donnellys has that potential.

Thank you for your time,

ILoveTommy

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