"That won't matter." The Producer sat down heavily, and put the cold end of his hookahmatic in his mouth. "The Thrill Show is doomed. Let's face it."
The group dropped their eyes to the table.
"Of course," the Producer said quietly. "There's one way out."
They looked up at him hopefully.
"Remember Juan Esprenzo?" he said.
They stared at him.
"That was a troublesome situation, too. But we came out of that one, didn't we?"
They gaped, silently.
"Juan Esprenzo was killed on the 'Angry City' Thrill Show of November 19th, 1985. It was purely an accident, of course. He wandered out of the guidepaths in the studio and was struck by a falling prop. Nobody could have foreseen it, and nobody could have prevented it. His family received $50,000 in insurance. The FCC investigation described the incident as unfortunate, and there was a special Juan Esprenzo Memorial Show held on January 3rd. But these things happen—just as they once did in boxing, football, racing. Nothing unusual. Nothing to ban a program about."
They turned their eyes to the outer room, where Jerry Spizer lay in a coma on the studio sofa.