or


[08/01/11 - 10:49 AM]
Greenblatt: "We Want to Restore NBC to Its Leadership Position in Quality"
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- "I think like anyone in a job like this, I will take all the credit for the shows that work and blame people who are no longer at NBC if they don't," NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt joked at the start of the network's executive session at the TCA Summer Press Tour.

Greenblatt was on hand to tout the Peacock's freshman series, manage expectations considering its status as the fourth place network and make a few programming announcements:

-- Bela Bajaria has been tapped to oversee the revamping of Universal Media Studios. She comes from CBS where she served as SVP, Cable Programming for CBS TV Studios, and SVP of Movies and Miniseries for the network.

-- Greg Daniels has inked a new overall deal with Universal Media Studios. "It's a new deal to develop all kinds of programming but we also want to emphasize animation which is something Greg is very key on getting back into."

-- Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions likewise have set up shop at the studio.

-- NBC is developing a new comedy to star former network mainstay turned producer Sean Hayes. "It's [early] but we're honing in on an idea that I'll let you know more about in the coming weeks." He adds that they have "an incredible writer/creator" to spearhead the project. "I really think it's time for him to star in a comedy again."

-- "The Voice's" Adam Levine is developing a new comedy at the network. "He's expanding his growing empire," Greenblatt adds. Dick Wolf ("Law & Order") likewise is behind a new firefighter drama to be written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas ("3:10 to Yuma"). "We're very happy to get them in the tent."

-- Michael Buble will topline a new holiday special produced by Ben Silverman and Lorne Michaels.

-- On the producing side, Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner are developing "Celebrity Game Night," a reality game show pilot in which celebrities crash people's weekly game nights. "That will be going forward in the next few months."

-- Greenblatt reveals that "The Voice" will indeed premiere following the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 5. The series will then move into its regular home on Monday, February 6 at 8:00/7:00c leading into the launch of "Smash" that same night at 10:00/9:00c.

-- Greenblatt affirms that Mariska Hargitay, despite a purported reduced workload, will be in every episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" this season.

-- As far as his goals for the season: "We want to restore NBC to its leadership position in quality. We're going to do attention getting shows. Hopefully we will have patience to see those attention getting shows get [their] shot at success."

-- "Yes, I wasn't complete surprised," Greenblatt says with regards to KSL's decision not to air "The Playboy Club." "That brand name is very polarizing. The show isn't all that revealing shall I say. But that station in Utah, they don't program 'Saturday Night Live.' They don't take 'Saturday Night Live' so I think when you look at that market they have decisions to make for their own audiences."

-- On if shows from his previous home, Showtime, could work on NBC: "I think those shows work in those smaller universes where you're not really expecting, where the business model isn't based on the most people watching your show." He would later add, that being said, "I think we've got to find ways to conceptually excite the audience."

-- On the decision to pass on "I Hate That I Love You": "It's just a pilot that didn't ultimately come together. I loved the script and sometimes these pilots go through the process and get all of the elements working. And it's just a pilot that didn't quite come together."

-- "I would be thrilled if it continued to do what it was doing," Greenblatt said about his expectations for "The Office" going forward. "There's a new actress coming besides [James] Spader," he added coyly without giving a name. "I think as the season goes on you'll see a couple of, this is a playground for really extraordinary comic actors... I think there's going to be a few people that are going to come in and sort of guest star as the season goes on. But I didn't mean to tease you with there's some big name to be revealed that's coming."





  [august 2011]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· CHICAGO FIRE (NBC)
· HOLLYWOOD GAME NIGHT (NBC)
· I HATE THAT I LOVE YOU (NBC)
· LAW & ORDER (NBC)
· LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (NBC)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)
· PLAYBOY CLUB, THE (NBC)
· SMASH (NBC)
· UNTITLED ADAM LEVINE PROJECT (NBC)
· UNTITLED SEAN HAYES PROJECT (NBC)
· VOICE, THE (NBC)





[09/18/26 - 07:55 AM]
Peacock Reveals Celebrity Cast for a New Season of the Emmy Award-Winning Reality Competition Series "The Traitors," Coming in 2027
Steering the game with his unrivaled looks and signature wit is beloved host and Emmy Award-winner Alan Cumming, who also serves as executive producer.

[09/18/26 - 07:00 AM]
Video: All Reality and We TV Unveil a First Look at New Original Series "Love After Lockup: Relationship Rehab" Premiering Friday, October 2
The nine-episode series gathers five fan-favorite couples from the franchise as they embark on a transformative journey with psychiatrist and nationally recognized relationship expert, Dr. Ish Major, working to heal old wounds and rebuild their relationships.

[09/18/26 - 06:31 AM]
Netflix Adds Legend Andres Cantor to Broadcast Team for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027
The addition marks a milestone moment for Netflix's historic coverage of the tournament, which will feature English and Spanish-language broadcasts in the United States, and English and French-language broadcasts in Canada.

[09/18/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Therapy Done Right" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A psychoanalyst who's lost faith in traditional therapy crosses every boundary to help a blocked novelist in this cutting Argentine dark comedy.

[09/18/26 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "Seriously Single Too" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Dineo and Noni - besties meant to take on the party scene together - suddenly face their biggest fear when Noni's boyfriend spontaneously proposes.

[09/17/26 - 09:01 PM]
Video: "Balaraw: Blood Island" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Years after her mother vanished, Sabina follows a mysterious clue to an uncharted island, where she confronts hidden dark secrets within her own family.

[09/17/26 - 03:31 PM]
Netflix Announces New Dark Comedy Series "All the Rage"
A half-hour dark revenge comedy about Emma and Eli, old friends who reconnect after a long estrangement and find new purpose in taking down the man who tore them apart.

[09/17/26 - 02:00 PM]
NBC's "The Voice" Returns for a Landmark Season 30 with a Three-Night Premiere Event Starting Monday, Sept. 21 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
The new season marks the first-ever simulcast on Peacock for an NBC entertainment program.

[09/17/26 - 01:30 PM]
It's Official: Jalen Brunson to Guest Star on NBC's "Law & Order: SVU"
Brunson will appear in the season's fifth episode in a role being kept under wraps.

[09/17/26 - 12:00 PM]
Peacock's New True Crime Documentary "Kill. Bury. Print." Premieres on Sunday, Sept. 27
The new true-crime documentary, produced by Rachel Maddow, spotlights the complex story behind local corruption and press intimidation in Southeast Oklahoma.

[09/17/26 - 12:00 PM]
CBS and Paramount+ Present "The JLo Show"
The concert film capturing Jennifer Lopez's celebrated residency will premiere Thanksgiving evening, Thursday, November 26 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and stream on Paramount+, with an extended version available exclusively on Paramount+.

[09/17/26 - 11:20 AM]
Lifetime Announces Four New Original Movies This Fall Featuring All-Star Casts
Luke Macfarlane and Siobhan Williams; Matthew Morrison and Molly Saunders; Maddy Hillis, Karis Cameron and Jean Luc Bilodeau; and Judy Reyes and Tahmoh Penikett are among the featured talent.

[09/17/26 - 10:20 AM]
Edie Falco to Star in FOX's New Series "Katie Greaves" (wt)
Falco stars as a whip-smart, fiercely committed attorney who stepped away from the New Hampshire Public Defender's office following a devastating personal tragedy.

[09/17/26 - 10:09 AM]
Video: "CIA" Season 2 Premiere Trailer - CBS
The new season premieres Monday, October 5 on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

[09/17/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix's "Unaccustomed Earth" First Look & Date Announcement
Inspired by the internationally beloved Jhumpa Lahiri's short story collection of the same name, "Unaccustomed Earth" premieres December 17, only on Netflix.