October, 2000 - Anyone who's a follower of the work of television legend Dick Wolf - from his early days with Hill Street Blues and Miami Vice to his current post as king of NBC's dramatic hill, with the shows "Law and Order," "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit," and now, "Deadline" - might have a sneaking feeling that he's a tough guy.

Dick Wolf (left) and Oliver Platt field questions on the way the news business is portrayed on the NBC drama "Deadline."

He must be. The boy from New York who has done so much to build this city's image as the place for dramatic television shot on location strolled into The New York Press Club on schedule October 23rd, sat down and faced a crowd full of critics: New York reporters ready to comment on Wolf's new series, "Deadline."

Flanked by series star Oliver Platt, Wolf cast a steely gaze on those present, easily fielding questions about the content of the NBC drama centered on the passions and probes of Wallace Benton, a columnist at a New York Post-style tabloid.

Wolf's decision to focus his cameras and storytelling experience on New York's reporters, editors and other journalists may have been a matter of following his own passions.

"I find newspapers very interesting, I read four a day," says Wolf, noting that doing a drama about reporters nonetheless contained a dilemma.

Wolf says the classic problem in doing a show about reporters is that "reporters report, and are therefore passive protagonists in a drama."

To avoid the curse of passivity - the kiss of death for a drama - Wolf decided to instead center the show on " a columnist, a columnist with ego."

"I don't think a straight reporter can accomplish what we set out to do, " says Wolf. "A columnist is a different animal."

Both Wolf and Platt are protective of the series' lead character, newspaper columnist Wallace Benton, and refuse to be pinned down in detail on exactly what sort of animal he is, at least not now, so early in the run of the series, which premiered in early October. Now, a few hints to keep the viewers interested, that's another matter. Benton, says Platt, cares very much about delivering "nothing but the truth." "The fun thing about playing a character like this, is that you can develop it over several seasons," says Platt, who adds that he's not eager to have Benton put in any sort of "ideological box."

Oliver Platt, crusading for 'Nothing but the Truth,' as Wallace Benton on "Deadline"

"The great thing about long-form storytelling is that you can preserve a sense of mystery," he explains, pointing out that in this format, the many aspects of the character can be gradually revealed.

"Hopefully, what people can appreciate about the character over time," says Wolf, is "that he does have an infallible moral compass."

Is Wolf seeking to craft a moral reporter?

"An almost impossible job," is Wolf's deadpan reply to that question, posed by WNBC-TV reporter and New York Press Club member Gabe Pressman.

Wolf is more clear about his vision for the show, which he stresses is "entertainment, not a documentary," with the mandate of keeping at least ten million people tuned in to each episode. 

The producer found himself repeating that comment more than once, as one local journalist criticized the series opener as not presenting newsroom issues realistically, and others asked whether various way-behind-the-scenes aspects of the newspaper business would be covered.

Wolf nonetheless appears determined to place his trademark shine-the-light-on-the-issues touch on "Deadline," with episodes touching on everything from racism and radicals to the strange bedfellows created by today's corporate media conglomerates.

He acknowledges the approach is very much the same as "Law and Order," now in its 11th year. " 'Law and Order' exists as entertainment, and also to be thought-provoking," says Wolf. "I only make shows I want to watch."

Platt found no shortage of fans interested in a personal comment or two after the event.

While sending a message may not be his primary goal, Wolf does seem to admit to some idealism, calling "Deadline" a "bully pulpit for the writers." He says while the people in the news business are known for their gallows humor and cynicism, much like police officials and doctors, the people doing "Deadline" are "really not that cynical." As for Platt, the actor is not nearly as hard-boiled as his character. Platt spent ten days at the Daily News, a day at the Post, and a day at the New York Times in preparing for the series, which is shot in the former New York Post building on South Street. Platt says all three papers let him sit in on editorial meetings, which he "took to be a privilege."

He says he "found the whole experience of being at a newspaper thrilling....and addictive."

"When I wasn't there (at the newspaper), I wanted to be," recalls Platt. He was especially fascinated by the day's developing stories, which he compares to horses at the track, with the "editors trying to decide which horse to put their resources on, in terms of what's going to be on the front page the next day."

As for Wallace Benton, Platt sees him as a guy on top of his game, who could work anywhere, and "works at the Post (the model for the fictional "Ledger" newspaper in the series) for a reason that you're going to find out in a future episode."

He flatly denies modeling Benton on real-life columnist Jimmy Breslin, but found himself becoming more and more interested in Breslin as he got further into the role.

"I tried not to be Breslin," says Platt, but "all roads lead back to him" when talking to New York reporters about what it is to be a columnist.

"I started to read him," says Platt, who calls Breslin a "phenomenal writer" in addition to being a great reporter.

But he believes Breslin in real life and Benton on the small screen do share one characteristic which keeps their respective audiences coming back for more.

Namely, "the classic tension between objectivity and ego," the point of view that a columnist presents.

He has yet to actually meet or speak with Breslin.

But one thing's for sure: Platt is having a very good time walking in Benton's shoes.

Editor's note: Less than two weeks after Wolf and Platt visited the Press Club, NBC lowered the boom on "Deadline," which still had numerous episodes already taped but not yet aired.

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