Fox's 'John Doe' faces tough time slot

LOS ANGELES -- While the title character of "John Doe" searches for his identity, the new Fox drama is on an even more crucial quest for viewers.

Its mission is helped by an intriguing concept, that of a man who washes up on a Seattle area island lacking any memory of himself or his life but with boundless knowledge and the ability to quickly master a skill.

That sets up clever scenes in which Doe, who becomes an amateur crime-buster while trying to solve his own mystery, rattles off enough factoids to fill a CNN Headline News screen and is an instant pilot, race car driver or whatever's needed.

Another plus for "John Doe" is its handsome star, Dominic Purcell, who manages to make his know-it-all character both likable and swagger-free.

So what's conspiring against the drama? For starters, it airs on Friday night, when there are fewer TV viewers in general and fewer young adult viewers -- Fox's lifeblood -- in particular.

It also has the misfortune to follow the struggling sci-fi series "Firefly," which is showing barely a flicker of life in the ratings.

"Firefly," at 7 p.m., has averaged 4.9 million viewers per episode. "John Doe," at 8 p.m., has drawn an average 7 million viewers per episode.

"It would obviously have a much stronger chance if we were on a more-watched night of television," said Mimi Leder, one of the show's executive producers. "I wish we were on a different night, or I wish we had a stronger lead-in."

That said, Leder expresses satisfaction with what she deems to be outstanding scripts, acting and directing.

'X-Files' X-ample

"John Doe" is part of that breed of fresh and inventive series that attracts a small, devoted audience and which sometime blossom into mainstream hits -- if a network is willing to be patient.

Same thing happened to another offbeat drama that debuted in 1993 in the tough Friday time slot now held by "John Doe." From an unimpressive start, "The X-Files" grew into an acclaimed success for Fox.

Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson, the creators as well as executive producers of "John Doe," would be happy to follow the path of "The X-Files." As for the character's journey to self-discovery, they already have that fully mapped out.

Camp and Thompson, who have been working in films ("Dragonfly" with Kevin Costner, the upcoming "Steinbeck's Point of View" with Richard Gere) initially envisioned "John Doe" as a big-screen drama complete with "endgame."

When it was revamped for television, they knew they would have to keep their eye on the planned outcome to avoid confusion.

"Is he an alien, is he an android, an angel, a government construct? Is he just a guy who fell off a boat and has a tumor in his head?" said Camp. "We do intend to explore all of those possibilities. But it's important to know what the truth is so it all makes sense in the end."

Look for scattered clues and the growing presence of "nefarious forces" tracking Doe, the producers suggest.

Grounded in everyday life

The show has overtones of science-fiction and fantasy (Camp and Thompson are coy about whether any such elements figure into Doe's origins), but the intent is to ground it in everyday life.

"John Doe is a metaphor for each of us," Thompson said. "Exploring who we are, what's important in life, what are our priorities, am I wasting my time or using it well."