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‘Lone Star’ creator Kyle Killen explains why he’s willing to ‘look like a moron’ to save his show

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The new Fox drama ‘Lone Star’ seems to have everything going for it: a hot leading man, newcomer James Wolk, who’s drawing Clooney comparisons, a sexy double-life plot, Texas beauties and critical raves.

So what happened?

Kyle Killen, the show’s creator, is asking himself that question as the series heads into its second airing Monday night when, if it doesn’t improve its weak premiere ratings substantially, it could be one of the new fall season’s first casualties. (The con-artist drama got pounded by the competition, despite glowing reviews and heavy network promotion, pulling in only 4.1 million viewers last week).

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The self-deprecating showrunner has made a plea for viewers on the Internet — offering to mow folks’ lawns and dance at freeway off-ramps in an open letter on his blog — if people will tune in to ‘Lone Star’ instead of ABC’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ or NBC’s ‘The Event.’ He also penned a question-and-answer piece, with himself, for the Daily Beast, under the headline ‘Please Don’t Kill My TV Show!’

Killen spoke to Show Tracker from Dallas, where the show is prepping to shoot its seventh episode, and shared his hope for ‘a stunning upset.’

Why do you think audiences didn’t watch ‘Lone Star’?

Premiere week looked like a lot of speeding trains on the same track, with lots of carnage and wreckage. And Monday turned out to be a surprisingly difficult night. There are really strong returning shows and a heavily hyped new show. I think we got lost — we got missed by a huge swath of America.

So you’re taking matters into your own hands and asking people to tune in via your blog and interviews with yourself?

There’s definitely a place where the promotional aspect becomes distasteful. There are probably a lot of people who think I’ve already crossed that mark, and a large number who believe I’m not there yet. I believe it’s worth doing everything I possibly can, and if I look like a moron, I’m good with that.

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Since networks are notoriously impatient with new shows that aren’t performing, how much time do you think you have? I don’t know, but I’d be really disappointed if we can’t continue because I feel like it’s not just a good show but it has a great season in it. From the pilot, we’ve been talking about where it goes, and it unfolds like chapters in a book. It would be painful to know what we have our sleeves and not be able to share it. Somebody has to be first (for cancellation), but we’re not going down without a fight.

Did the anti-hero at the center of the story keep people away?

Maybe, but Fox was willing to do something risky and try a show that felt more like a cable show for network TV. And he’s a fairly sympathetic anti-hero. His choices are problematic by conventional standards, but he’s a guy who’s trying to do right.... I think you can root for him to figure it out.

Are you asking fans to call the network or send 10-gallon hats to support the show?

While I’m unbelievably humbled and amazed that people want to sign petitions, there’s only one thing that will save a show: People have to tune in when it’s on. Tomorrow morning, executives will look at the numbers and judge based on that. There’s no amount of peanuts or petitions that will change that.

How many fans do you need?

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I don’t think we need to take anybody down, and I always felt like we’d end up behind some other shows, like a couple of returning powerhouses (‘DWTS’ and ‘Two and a Half Men’) and one heavily promoted big-idea show (‘The Event’). But we need to do significantly better. We have to drive growth.

Isn’t this your first TV show? Trial by fire, huh?

This is a rollercoaster way to be thrown into the business, for sure. But I really loved the idea of being able to tell an ongoing story, to follow a character’s growth and development.

Did you really go out to the highway and shout at cars, like you said in your blog, to drum up interest in the show?

This weekend, it was the Austin area, but I’ll go anywhere. I believe any turnaround we may see will be directly attributable to my roadside rants.

— T.L. Stanley

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