What's going on with Patrick Swazye and his new show?

Cafe Society
1

Patrick Swazye has been in the news of late because he has pancreatic cancer.

I was surprised to see this January that he has a new show starting on A&E in which he is the central character.

I suppose I understand why he would go ahead with it, if only to keep a positive outlook, but I was surprised that any show producer would sign on with a project where the star probably has only months to live. Am I missing something? Would the contract have been signed before Mr. Swazye’s diagnosis? Are they planning on replacing the main character?

I’ve never actually seen the show, so perhaps they’ve written it into the script/story somehow?

2

The piece I saw about the series (some months back, and I don’t have the link) indicated that it was only going to run for 12 episodes or so. I believe that all 12 eps have already been shot and are in “the can,” so if the worst happens with his current case of pneumonia (and lets all hope he hangs on, if for no other reason than to piss off everyone in the dead pool who thought he’d be some easy points), it’ll go for its full run.

I won’t claim that this information is 100% accurate, but that’s what I recall. (Not really a Swayze fan.)

3

I saw a promo for the show before a movie last month, and I was shocked by how much weight Swayze had lost between filming the show itself and filming the interview bits used in the promo.

4

A new show is unlikely to last half a year anyway, most get cancelled. Swayze is a publicity goldmine, “Here I am sick but am not letting the sickness get to me, I’m working.”

See it’s the typical American “I’m a fighter” story, that Americans love.

It’s a smart move, 'cause even if it’s bad people are curious about Mr Swayze.

5

Here’s what Alan Sepinwall said about it. He thinks Swayze’s great in this, but he’s not so sure about everything else. He calls it a “dumb Shield”.

6

The producers were unable to insure Swayze during production.

7

Given my weird fascination with The Swayze-Dog, I watched his special with Barbara Walters last week. It was kind of weird, and I wasn’t paying too much attention, but what I gleaned was that Swayze pitched this show and A&E made an offer. Shortly thereafter, he was diagnosed with cancer. He was upfront with the producers and the network about his condition, and they chose to go ahead and continue with filming. He showed up for work every single day, even while he was undergoing chemotherapy.

It’s not a network show with a full 22 episodes. Like other cable programs, it’s only got 12 episodes, and as mentioned, they’re all in the can.