Abrams MIA From Warner Bros. TV Lot

But one group not cheering him on are executives with Warner Bros. Television, because they want to know what their $10 million a year is buying them from Abrams production arm.

"Abrams made news in July 2006 with his great big mama of a deal -- movies at Paramount, television at Warner," said a story at Slate. "But 'insane' seems to be a very popular word when top entertainment executives are polled about it -- and it's not just sour grapes."

That has put WBTV president Peter Roth on the hot seat as he doles out a significant amount of money for television shows, but has yet to see any real, tangible returns. One anonymous executive told Slate that "somebody had to get hurt," and it won't be Paramount.

Not all is lost, however. The networks could be bidding on a show pilot from Abrams in the near future.

Deals like Abrams' $10 million aren't the only places where lots of money is being spent on television. ABC's "Pushing Daisies" has already flown over budget more than once, enough to where executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld is no longer allowed to direct any episodes of the show since forgetting he had a budget in his first outing since the series pilot. Also, "Moonlight" on CBS has had some budget cutbacks, which will be found in less location shootings and special effects.

"He was going for a lot of stuff in the first episode to continue the look of the pilot and it went over" budget, a source told Slate about Sonnenfeld.

"Star Trek XI" is expected to premiere Dec. 25, 2008, and "Pushing Daisies" and "Moonlight" will make their debuts in the next couple weeks.

Talk about this story