View source for Sources:Interview with Allen Cole, Staff Writer, December 1997 (1980)

==Budgetary shortfalls and Larson's involvement==

:''Here Allen answers my question as to whether Universal would have hired someone other than [[Glen Larson]] if he refused (with GL taking on role of a non-contributing "supervising producer" such as on Buck Rogers.)'' 

That's pretty much the size of it. Although it sort of "evolved" -- if you know what I mean. Universal wanted to keep the rest of its ABC schedule safe -- and obviously hoped to sell more. But they knew they were going to take in the shorts with the programming fee. And so they were very reluctant. As it turned out, ABC resisted all efforts to boost the programming fee. If I recall correctly, it was about $600,000 or $700,000 an episode. (A prime time show would have been about $8 to $9, but this was the 7 p.m. kiddie hour, remember?) 

The show came in routinely (if any GL show could be called routine) at $1.2 million to $1.5 million. My memory is a little hazy on the exact numbers. But I know I'm not too far off. That $1.5 number would have been for the school ship fiasco I mentioned before. The most ever spent for a TV episode at that time. Anyway, that meant Universal had to eat the balance. Which is okay, if you are pretty sure you are going into syndication eventually. Then you get your money back in spades. But we're talking a bottom-line 100 episodes shot, before the Gods Of Syndication smile on you. And no one honestly thought that would happen with Galactica. As it turns out, their expectations weren't low enough! 

Still and all, GL was a very talented producer, creator and salesman. So everybody wanted to keep him happy. Just like they did on "Magnum, PI," which he co-created.