If it turns out to be true, that will possibly be the best piece of random news I've run across all month.
Well, the story as I heard it ran that back in the early 80s, Lavar Burton got involved in some minor legal hassle (I don't remember if it was a DUI, felony/misdemeanor possession, or something) & was sentenced to X amount of community service. So, he negotiated getting a pro bono gig on public television for this fledgling show as his service.
However, Snopes.com does not have any information on Mr. Burton & Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Rainbow) credits him as the executive producer. It would seem unlikely that you would executive produce a show where you were working for free (and had been "sentenced" to perform on). Of course, in 1983 Mr. Burton could probably still be considered a struggling television actor (Roots not withstanding). IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000996/) is a little unreliable for his credits (Reading Rainbow doesn't show up until 2002), but they don't appear to have much in the way of continuing roles until ST: TNG. It kinda seems equally unlikely that he would have executive produced a show when his star was seeming to fade (TNG would not appear until 1987).
Conclusion? Nothing definitive. In the face of only anecdotal evidence, I will have to believe that this is rank hearsay.
no subject
Well, the story as I heard it ran that back in the early 80s, Lavar Burton got involved in some minor legal hassle (I don't remember if it was a DUI, felony/misdemeanor possession, or something) & was sentenced to X amount of community service. So, he negotiated getting a pro bono gig on public television for this fledgling show as his service.
However, Snopes.com does not have any information on Mr. Burton & Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Rainbow) credits him as the executive producer. It would seem unlikely that you would executive produce a show where you were working for free (and had been "sentenced" to perform on). Of course, in 1983 Mr. Burton could probably still be considered a struggling television actor (Roots not withstanding). IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000996/) is a little unreliable for his credits (Reading Rainbow doesn't show up until 2002), but they don't appear to have much in the way of continuing roles until ST: TNG. It kinda seems equally unlikely that he would have executive produced a show when his star was seeming to fade (TNG would not appear until 1987).
Conclusion? Nothing definitive. In the face of only anecdotal evidence, I will have to believe that this is rank hearsay.