---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Basically, after an ABC sitcom I did, I…"
description: "\"Basically, after an ABC sitcom I did, I ended up with a holding deal with 20th Century Fox. Absolutely cool. It pays you to be unemployed. And the bigg..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e0/nathan-fillion-3284_20th-century_basically-after-an-abc-sitcom-i-did-i-en_1946137.jpg"
---

#  Basically, after an ABC sitcom I did, I ended up with a…

![“Basically, after an ABC sitcom I did, I ended up with a holding deal with 20th Century Fox. Absolutely cool. It pays you to be unemployed. And the bigger the entity that gives you the deal, the better.” quote by Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e0/nathan-fillion-3284_20th-century_basically-after-an-abc-sitcom-i-did-i-en_1946137.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e0/nathan-fillion-3284_20th-century_basically-after-an-abc-sitcom-i-did-i-en_1946137.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e0/nathan-fillion-3284_20th-century_basically-after-an-abc-sitcom-i-did-i-en_1946137.jpg)

> “Basically, after an ABC sitcom I did, I ended up with a holding deal with 20th Century Fox. Absolutely cool. It pays you to be unemployed. And the bigger the entity that gives you the deal, the better.”

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He notes that a big studio deal provides financial security while unemployed, making the idle time valuable.

**In simple terms:** Big studio deals give financial safety.

Key Takeaway

Leverage deals for freedom.

Themes

career finance unemployment studio deals freedom

Mood

pragmatic optimistic

Type

career financial

When to use this quote

- unemployment
- studio contract
- financial planning
- career decisions

Key Concepts

contract negotiation financial planning career strategy

Questions to Reflect On

- How will you stay creative while idle?
- What risks come with big studio deals?

A Different Perspective

Reliance on big deals can limit creative control.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[20th century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20th-century/) [Basically Abc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basically-abc-3131313/) [Bigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Century Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century-fox-1342200/) [Deal Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deal-better-670994/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Entity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entity/) [Foxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foxes/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Holding Deal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holding-deal-3131312/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [Pays Unemployed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pays-unemployed-3131311/) [Sitcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitcom/) [Unemployed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unemployed/)

## Related quotes

> [I had a holding deal with ABC to find me a show, and I was very clear about the kind of show I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-chopra/i-had-a-holding-deal-with-abc-to-find-me-a-show-and-i-was-very-clear/)

[Priyanka Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-chopra/)

> [I am more mature today, so I deal better with the mistakes than the many times when I locked myself away and wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisson/i-am-more-mature-today-so-i-deal-better-with-the-mistakes-than-the/)

[Alisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alisson/)

> [“No deal is better than a bad deal”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-voss/no-deal-is-better-than-a-bad-deal/)

[Chris Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-voss/)

> [Your potentialities are a great deal better than anyone ever permitted you to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/your-potentialities-are-a-great-deal-better-than-anyone-ever/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [Only by learning from experiences are you able to deal with them better the next time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-villas-boas/only-by-learning-from-experiences-are-you-able-to-deal-with-them/)

[Andre Villas-Boas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-villas-boas/)

> [Believe me, it is a great deal better to find cast-iron proof that you're innocent than to languish in a cell hoping that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/believe-me-it-is-a-great-deal-better-to-find-cast-iron-proof-that-you/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [If I was in a situation where it wasn't working and I had a choice with another man, I'm gonna assess it like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-stanger/if-i-was-in-a-situation-where-it-wasn-t-working-and-i-had-a-choice/)

[Patti Stanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-stanger/)

> [Who owns the NY Post? 20th Century Fox. Talk about vertical integration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pantoliano/who-owns-the-ny-post-20th-century-fox-talk-about-vertical-integration/)

[Joe Pantoliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-pantoliano/)

> [“Senator Goldwater would have been a great success in the movies — working for 18th century Fox.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-humphrey/senator-goldwater-would-have-been-a-great-success-in-the-movies/)

[Hubert Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-humphrey/)

> [If something works for you, you continue to do it. I did a bunch of pictures for 20th Century Fox when Alan Ladd was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/if-something-works-for-you-you-continue-to-do-it-i-did-a-bunch-of/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [I was practically born and raised at 20th Century Fox studio, started to work there selling papers when I was around seven years old,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-d-zanuck/i-was-practically-born-and-raised-at-20th-century-fox-studio-started/)

[Richard D. Zanuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-d-zanuck/)

> [I'm happy and I'm focused on my work... it's incredible to be able to work with 20th Century Fox and to keep opening doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiza-gonzalez/i-m-happy-and-i-m-focused-on-my-work-it-s-incredible-to-be-able-to/)

[Eiza Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiza-gonzalez/)

> [One of the things I'm real proud of is I just made a deal with 20th Century Fox, and I've got my own production…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/one-of-the-things-i-m-real-proud-of-is-i-just-made-a-deal-with-20th/)

[Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/)

> [It wasn't easy once I started running 20th Century Fox. There were a lot of eyebrows raised, and it wasn't easy, that transition, because,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-d-zanuck/it-wasn-t-easy-once-i-started-running-20th-century-fox-there-were-a/)

[Richard D. Zanuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-d-zanuck/)

> [Gal You're the air I breathe. I'll give you all I got Absolutely my 21st Century Fox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zulu/gal-you-re-the-air-i-breathe-i-ll-give-you-all-i-got-absolutely-my/)

[Zulu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zulu/)

## More by Nathan Fillion

> [I've kind of learned this about Joss Whedon. Never say never. I've learned that. I also have another rule about Joss Whedon. Never say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/i-ve-kind-of-learned-this-about-joss-whedon-never-say-never-i-ve/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [My dinner spot is usually in front of the TV. I'll grill a steak and whip up a salad and watch 'Hoarders'. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/my-dinner-spot-is-usually-in-front-of-the-tv-i-ll-grill-a-steak-and/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [You want to put out a TV show? If you have the money to do it on your own, by yourself, and you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/you-want-to-put-out-a-tv-show-if-you-have-the-money-to-do-it-on-your/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [I'm the biggest geek of all. Adventure, fantasy, comic books - I can't get enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/i-m-the-biggest-geek-of-all-adventure-fantasy-comic-books-i-can-t-get/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [It's hard to shake a stick at success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/it-s-hard-to-shake-a-stick-at-success/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [I think people imagine that I have about five scripts sitting in front of me and I say, 'I think I'm going to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/i-think-people-imagine-that-i-have-about-five-scripts-sitting-in/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [I'll never look down on and I love running into actors who say 'Oh yeah, I did a soap.' I say 'Tell me which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/i-ll-never-look-down-on-and-i-love-running-into-actors-who-say-oh/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [I told myself a while back, 'Love what you do, but don't fall in love with what you do.' That way you won't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/i-told-myself-a-while-back-love-what-you-do-but-don-t-fall-in-love/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [I think I've been really good at surrounding myself with really talented people. I've picked the right coattails to ride on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/i-think-i-ve-been-really-good-at-surrounding-myself-with-really/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [When people embrace character, there's latzie. It's the stuffing of a scene that's not written. It's not in the stage direction and it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/when-people-embrace-character-there-s-latzie-it-s-the-stuffing-of-a/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [You can't embarrass Joss Whedon, he's got no pride! He fully admits it. 'Oh, it's me. I'm little and goofy.' You can't wound his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/you-can-t-embarrass-joss-whedon-he-s-got-no-pride-he-fully-admits-it/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [My brother used to say that when you deal with women, it's difficult to remove emotions from an argument. I never really knew what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/my-brother-used-to-say-that-when-you-deal-with-women-it-s-difficult/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [The trick is, when you grow up, find work that feels like play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/the-trick-is-when-you-grow-up-find-work-that-feels-like-play/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [When I was a waiter I was fired twice from the same restaurant. I guess I was that good of an actor but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/when-i-was-a-waiter-i-was-fired-twice-from-the-same-restaurant-i/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

> [My brain is like a hard drive. Once you start adding new information, you start cutting off old information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/my-brain-is-like-a-hard-drive-once-you-start-adding-new-information/)

[Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

[Explore all 134 Nathan Fillion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/)

## More 20th century quotes

> [I think the inhabitants of the past are fighting hard to keep the rents they acquired in the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/i-think-the-inhabitants-of-the-past-are-fighting-hard-to-keep-the/)

[Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/)

> [Corporate America is a 20th-century dinosaur, trembling on the edge of extinction, and the only way for you to have a genuinely secure future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/corporate-america-is-a-20th-century-dinosaur-trembling-on-the-edge-of/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [America thrived in the 20th century because we made high school free. We sent a generation to college. We cultivated the most educated workforce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/america-thrived-in-the-20th-century-because-we-made-high-school-free/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/)

[Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/)

> [I've studied the lives of the 20th century's great businessmen and concluded self-confidence was instrumental in all their success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-spanos/i-ve-studied-the-lives-of-the-20th-century-s-great-businessmen-and/)

[Alex Spanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-spanos/)

> [Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/universal-literacy-was-a-20th-century-goal-before-then-reading-and/)

[Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/)

> [The great wars of the 20th Century made it into the worst Century ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/the-great-wars-of-the-20th-century-made-it-into-the-worst-century-ever/)

[Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/)

> [That is very different from how it used to be in the 20th century. Media was very one way. There's a small little industry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-is-very-different-from-how-it-used-to-be-in-the-20th-century/)

[Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/)

> [If you look back on the history of the 20th century, the 19th century or even to the ancien régime of the 18th, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/if-you-look-back-on-the-history-of-the-20th-century-the-19th-century/)

[Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/)

> [Up to the 20th century, we can say that this whole period was an Earth epoch, 'Earth' meaning the riches of the earth, simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/up-to-the-20th-century-we-can-say-that-this-whole-period-was-an-earth/)

[Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/)

> [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [Cruel and paradoxical though it undoubtedly is, the record shows that yje most succesful 20th century monarchs have been those who were not actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cannadine/cruel-and-paradoxical-though-it-undoubtedly-is-the-record-shows-that/)

[David Cannadine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cannadine/)

> [An interesting thing about New Zealand, you know, literature is that it really didn't begin in any real sense until the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/an-interesting-thing-about-new-zealand-you-know-literature-is-that-it/)

[Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/)

> [The Warmth of Other Suns is a sweeping and yet deeply personal tale of America's hidden 20th century history - the long and difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-warmth-of-other-suns-is-a-sweeping-and-yet-deeply-personal-tale/)

[Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/)

[Browse all 672 20th century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20th-century/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Basically, after an ABC sitcom I did, I ended up with a holding deal with 20th Century Fox. Absolutely cool. It pays you to be unemployed. And the bigger the entity that gives you the deal, the better.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nathan Fillion"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/basically-after-an-abc-sitcom-i-did-i-ended-up-with-a-holding-deal/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "20th century"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/basically-after-an-abc-sitcom-i-did-i-ended-up-with-a-holding-deal/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e0/nathan-fillion-3284_20th-century_basically-after-an-abc-sitcom-i-did-i-en_1946137.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e0/nathan-fillion-3284_20th-century_basically-after-an-abc-sitcom-i-did-i-en_1946137.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e0/nathan-fillion-3284_20th-century_basically-after-an-abc-sitcom-i-did-i-en_1946137.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Basically, after an ABC sitcom I did, I ended up with a holding deal with 20th Century Fox. Absolutely cool…” — Nathan Fillion",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Nathan Fillion",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Basically, after an ABC sitcom I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/basically-after-an-abc-sitcom-i-did-i-ended-up-with-a-holding-deal/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/basically-after-an-abc-sitcom-i-did-i-ended-up-with-a-holding-deal/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
