After seven years of watching the Peacock Network mishandle, not to mention unceremoniously cancel our beloved SCRUBS, creator Bill Lawrence knows a thing or two about bumbling NBC executives.
Which is probably why he summed up his reaction to Conan O’Brien’s current situation in a media scrum following the “Comedy Showrunners Panel” at the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena with one simple word: “Schadenfreude!”
“Whether you’re a Jay [Leno] fan or not, it just really makes you cross your fingers and hope that Conan finds some success and make them [NBC] pay for it,” said the always opinionated and equally entertaining Lawrence.
“I thought it was a short-sighted move from an entity [NBC] that doesn’t love television, when they should love television if that’s what they’re in the business of.” He continued. “From a straight business standpoint, Jay Leno doing THE TONIGHT SHOW, doing the numbers he used to pull in and hopefully continuing to beat Letterman is what’s best for now. Do I think it’s best for the long term? Not personally, but I understand the move. [That said] as a writer, you look for the light at end of the rainbow, or whatever the cliché is. [At least now] there are going to be opportunities on NBC for scripted TV and the bar has been set fairly low so you’ll be reading press blurbs like, ‘This new drama outperformed the same night last year by 1000 percent!”
There is nothing funny about NBC’s current Late Night predicament.
At least according to Stephen McPherson, President, ABC Entertainment Group, who refused to take the bait thrown at him by sound-bite-hungry reporters anxious to get his thoughts on NBC’s current late-night woes during this mornings ABC Executive Session at the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena.“We are all competitive and we want a vibrant landscape,” said McPherson. “We want a good competitor. It’s like playing for the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox stop playing baseball. You can’t get excited about that.”
THE MIDDLE, MODERN FAMILY and COUGAR TOWN have all been picked up for a second season.
Unfortunately the joke is on BETTER OFF TED and SCRUBS, whose ratings Steve McPherson called “very disappointing.” Adding, “Whenever we put comedy other than Wednesday is a bit of an island. As we’ve seen with THE MIDDLE and MODERN FAMILY repeats, that night is pretty strong. Our intent was not to burn them off but that was the best slot we have at this time.”
“HAPPY TOWN is OCTOBER ROAD… except sh*t happens!” joked executive producer Scott Rosenberg when asked to trace the DNA for his new ABC series HAPPY TOWN.
8:59AM: T-Minus one minute and counting to the last ever LOST panel at a Television Critics Association Press Tour. Well, that is until the inevitable spin-off, re-boot, re-imagination dreamed up by some desperate ABC executive five seasons from now.
9:04AM: Since I’ve just been informed that “we’re going to get started in just a couple of minutes,” I’ll kill a few of my own by letting you know that expected to be in attendance are Emilie de Ravin (Claire), Daniel Dae Kim (Jin), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Damon Lindelof (Co-Creator/Executive Producer), Carlton Cuse (Executive Producer), Terry O’Quinn (Locke), Michael Ermerson (Ben), and Jorge Gargeia (Hurley). Most of whom will just sit on stage and look pretty as 99.9% of the questions get directed to LOSTerminds (Yup, still determined to make that name happen!) Lindelof and Cuse.
9:07AM: Evangeline Lilly promises that she’s going to cry like a baby when the show ends. Jorge Garcia says that shooting has been very nostalgic, like, “Woah! I haven’t been here since season three.” While Linedlof jokes, “I can’t believe they’re actually going to let us get away with this.”
9:14AM: Carlton Cuse promises that they’ve known the final image of the show since when they first plotted out the first season. Being sure to add that they’ve been adding elements, the end is not yet written and much of the character stuff has yet to be fully worked out.
Before you suit up for tonight’s soon-to-be legendary 100th episode of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (trust us, we’ve seen it), why not take a trip to the mall down memory lane and reminisce with stars Josh Radnor, Alyson Hannigan and Cobie Smulders, who were kind enough to take some time just prior to last week’s Paley Center panel to reminisce about their most memorable HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER moments from the show’s first (yes, you heard us CBS, ‘first’) 100 episodes.
“I have been on a couple of critical darlings that have lasted all of 10 minutes. So I’d like to say to all of you critics today, do us all a favor, like us, don’t love us.” said HUMAN TARGET star Chi McBride when asked about his recent track record of brilliant-but-cancelled shows [PUSHING DAISIES] at this morning’s Television Critics Association Press Tour.
Ron Howard was apprehensive about another PARENTHOOD television show.
“Parenthood (The movie) was a project I cherish and is probably the most personal film I’ve ever been involved with,” explained executive producer Ron Howard when asked why he was initially hesitant to take a PARENTHOOD pitch from FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS showrunner Jason Katims. “[But] as a creative person, it’s unbelievable gratifying to see an idea that we were all so proud of twenty years ago quite frankly evolve into something so entertaining, so impactful and so beautifully executed.”
Lauren Graham is as surprised as anyone to be starring in another network TV show.
“I wasn’t expecting to be doing a show right now,” exclaimed the former GILMORE GIRL. “I’ve read so many scripts over the past two and half, three years and it [PARENTHOOD] was so moving, so beautiful and I was so impressed by the pedigree of the people involved, after talking to Jason [Katims] I thought it could be a really collaborative, really positive experience and it has exceeded all of my expectations. It’s just the most fun day at work.”
It’s official: Jay Leno’s 10PM reign of terror is over.
“I can confirm that starting February 12 THE JAY LENO SHOW will no longer air at 10PM,” said Jeff Gaspin, NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman at this morning’s NBCU Executive Session from the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena. “While it was performing at exceptional levels for the network, it didn’t meet our affiliates needs.”
As for the future of Jay, Conan, and Jimmy respectively, Gaspin was far less specific. Only going as far as to state that his goal is for NBC to keep all three talented funny-men at the network, with Leno opening the night at 11:35PM, Conan taking THE TONIGHT SHOW to 12:05AM and Jimmy Fallon starting LATE NIGHT even later, at 1:05AM.
Unfortunately, “As much as I’d like to tell you we have a done deal, that’s not true,” said Gaspin. “The talks are ongoing. But I hope and expect, before the Olymics begin, we will have everything set.”
Gaspin further went on to call all parties involved “incredibly gracious and professional.” Noting that more information will more than likely begin to trickle out next week with Jay, Conan and Jimmy being given the weekend to mull their options.
So just where does that leave NBC you ask? Our take after the jump.
Hold onto your hats SUPERNATURAL and SMALLVILLE fans, because from now until May, it’s going to be one helluva bumpy ride. And by that we mean, while Sam, Dean, Clark and Lois busy themselves with that whole pesky business of saving the world from evildoers on a weekly basis, far more sinister villains in the form of network executives (Yup, still bitter about EVERWOOD’s cancellation!) are busy plotting the real future of some of your favorite small screen heroes. Is this season truly the end of the road for SUPERNATURAL and SMALLVILLE? We cornered CW head honcho Dawn Ostroff at yesterday’s Television Critics Press Tour in Pasadena to find out.
4:43PM: Executive Producer Julie Plec starts off the panel by clarifying that the episode description posted on the internet movie database for the upcoming eleventh episode is completely and utterly fake. Unlike the books, Elena won’t be turning into a vampire, well at least until season 43!
4:44PM: Kevin Williamson promises that a big part of the back nine will be Damon’s quest to resurrect Katherine, or as Williamson puts it, “The tomb is still very much in play.”
4:46PM: Ian Somerhalder defends Damon’s actions claiming that, “he’s doing it all for love and is completely justified.”
4:46PM: Full time teacher, part-time Vampire hunter Alaric Saltzman will be playing a far more significant role when VAMPIRE DIARIES returns. Not only will we see what brought him back to Mystic Falls, we’ll meet his wife (played by Mia Kirshner) who may not exactly be as deceased as fans have been lead to believe.
4:48PM: Kevin Williamson promises that Vicki is dead, gone, and not coming back. However her death will continue to reverberate throughout the season, particularly when Jeremy begins to piece together the truth about her untimely demise.
4:48PM: “It’s not a love triangle with two people,” teases Kevin Williamson when asks when Elena and Damon will get to spend a little time together. Adds Nina, “Now that Elena’s taken off her necklace she is very vulnerable.” And in the upcoming episodes, (specifically the show’s January 21 return), there will be a lot more of Damon and Elena.
There is nothing funny about NBC’s current Late Night predicament.
THE MIDDLE, MODERN FAMILY and COUGAR TOWN have all been picked up for a second season.
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