Drama series ‘Reckless’ has ‘a very sexy, steamy hook’

CAM GIGANDET and Anna Wood play lovers.

“All shows used to be procedurals, then serialized shows… Now we can do both,” says American executive producer Ian Sander, whose credits include “Profiler,” “Ghost Whisperer” and, more recently, “Reckless.”

“The thing that’s changed quite a bit is the advent of cable television in the United States. Three years ago, we only used to have three or four network buyers,” Sander says in a phone interview.

The “Reckless” executive producer adds that current conditions allow more flexibility, content-wise: “Because there are more places to sell shows, you can have a series like ‘Reckless,’ where in some ways it’s a procedural but at the same time there’s a serialized nature to it.”

Sander further describes “Reckless” as distinct, because of some specific story elements. “It’s about cops and lawyers. The linchpin between the two is sex. We’re in a steamy, sexy atmosphere in Charleston, South Carolina, which we think is unique. It does have complete stories in every episode, making it satisfying for viewers. [And there’s] the underlying mythology, a sex scandal that permeates the whole show. We think that’s unique and special to our show.”

The legal drama series benefits from the inclusion of actor Cam Gigandet in the cast, he says: “Cam starred [as the villain] in ‘Twilight’ and is a very sexy guy. There’s a love triangle that involves his character and Anna Wood’s character. Adam Rodriguez plays her boyfriend. There’s a … romantic, sexual triangle … where she’s at the center between these two men. That’s a very sexy hook to the show.”

Sanders’ coexecutive producer is wife Kim Moses, with whom he’s worked for 20 years. “We’ve done 10 one-hour dramas on both network and cable TV,” he recalls. “It’s great. It’s a lot of hard work but it works out well, quite beautifully. We have a great deal of trust in each other.”

Creating a “Reckless” episode, Sander reveals, takes considerable time: “Not counting the writing, [several] weeks—eight days to prepare, eight days to shoot and 20 to 30 days for postproduction under the best of circumstances. The writing itself takes four to six weeks, but when you do a TV series, you’re preparing several episodes simultaneously.”

(“Reckless” airs Tuesdays, 9:55 p.m. on RTL CBS Extreme HD.)

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