‘Chaos’ creator finds the funny in new CBS Friday spy caper

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Friday marks the series premiere of ‘Chaos,’ CBS’ new spy caper created by Tom Spezialy, a longtime TV writer perhaps best known for his work on ‘Desperate Housewives.’ He chatted with Show Tracker about the CIA, Friday nights and his abiding love for the movie ‘The Four Musketeers.’

Show Tracker: It’s premiere night! Are you nervous?

Spezialy: Well, it’s April Fools’ Day. So who would be?

Show Tracker: Where’d you get the idea for the show?

Spezialy: As a writer, I was about to be hired on another traditional CIA show a few years ago, and I started reading up on the CIA. On the dust cover of one of these autobiographies of an ex-operative, he basically said of his time in the agency, ‘We spent a lot of money, we killed a lot of people, accomplished very little.’

Also, I had been a huge fan of the Richard Lester ‘Four Musketeers.’ He managed to deliver romp, but with sophistication and charm. When a character stays with you for 30 years, you go, ‘Well, they did something right.’

So, I married ‘Four Musketeers’ with going inside the intelligence community.

Show Tracker: Your star is Freddy Rodriguez, who was on ‘Six Feet Under.’ He plays Rick Martinez, the young aspiring spy who wants to join the CIA.

Spezialy: I wanted a Latino character in the center of the show. I tend to write with actors in mind. I loved watching ‘Six Feet Under.’

Show Tracker: There’s even some ‘Get Smart’ in there.

Spezialy: I hope so. I purposely called it ‘Chaos’ for a reason. I’d love to get Buck Henry in the show, if you have any contacts.

It’s a little bit like ‘The Office,’ only more lethal.

Show Tracker: Fridays are a tough time slot.

Spezialy: If you’re launching a show at 8 o’clock Friday, you’re basically asking people to change their viewing habits. But I have to commend CBS for having a really smart strategy. They’ve been committed to Friday nights for a number of years now.

We’ll see if people are willing to stay home, I guess.

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-- Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)