Berman Signs FOX Deal, Maeda Leaves 'Miami'

CSI executive producer Josh Berman recently signed a deal with FOX Television that will link him to the studio for four years.

The executive producer has found a temporary new home at FOX, where he will be able to develop programs for the studio. While Berman will get the chance to expand his creativity at another network, he will still keep his commitment to CSI, as the producer last year signed a deal that will tie him to the show through the 2006-2007th season. "I get the best of both worlds," Berman said. "I can continue writing and producing on a show that I love, while also expanding my creativity in development."

Berman has already developed a television pilot for FOX, Deviant Behavior, a procedural drama that revolves around a team that tracks serial criminals. The heads of FOX were enchanted with the project. "He demonstrated an ability to be inventive conceptually, was very quick in terms of making adjustments to the script, and he has a fantastic reputation," said Dana Walden, president of 20th Century Fox TV. "He really impressed many people in my organization."

Meanwhile, Miami writer and executive producer Steven Maeda has sealed a two-year deal at Touchstone TV to join the hit freshman show Lost. Maeda, who has been a part of the Miami staff since the beginning of the show, will server as co-executive producer for Lost during his first year of the deal and will produce and create drama projects for the studio during his second year.

With television series such as The X-Files and Harsh Realm on his writing resume, Maeda fits right into the Lost suspenseful formula. But the show's producers were nevertheless surprised he agreed to the deal. "Those CSI guys are untouchable," Lost executive producer Damon Lindelof said. "Those shows do such huge numbers, I don't look at them as getable. They're like married guys. But turns out he as a fan of (Lost). Every studio wanted him, and I'm sure it must have been a huge decision to leave the CSI family."

The original articles can be found at Variety.com (free subscription required). To read about the Berman deal, head over to this page. The news of Maeda's departure can be found here.

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