It wasn’t long ago that NBC authored the primer on television programming. Brandon Tartikoff almost single-handedly rescued the network from a lousy helping of shows which tanked in the ratings. In 1980, NBC brought unwilling audiences such stinkers as Eischied, The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo and the infamous two-fer of Hello, Larry and Pink Lady and Jeff.
That’s when the young Tartikoff took over and turned NBC’s fortunes around. Hill Street Blues was the match that lit the fuse. Then the sitcoms detonated the competition. Cheers gradually asserted itself in the annals of classic comedy, and in 1984, The Cosby Show and Night Court each began their respective eight-year runs. Back when Saturday nights had actual legitimate programming, NBC rounded out the 1980s with a formidable comedy block: 227, Amen, The Golden Girls and Empty Nest.
After Tartikoff’s departure, Seinfeld, Friends and ER helped immortalize the phrase “Must See TV” in the 1990s. Now, as another decade reaches its end, NBC finds itself mired in fourth place, and it’s becoming such a consistent fourth place that the Peacock is TV’s version of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff were named co-chairs of NBC Entertainment in May 2007. But it was Silverman who quickly became the face of the network. All the hopes of getting the swagger back from the glory years rested on this go-getter wonder boy’s shoulders. Although not as young as when Tartikoff assumed his executive post, he personified the wink-and-a-gun, “bro”-speak vibe that is the affliction of a plurality of big shots in their 30s.
From Reveille to NBC: Not Much Must-See TV
At least Silverman had something resembling a track record. At least his production company, Reveille, is responsible for The Office which, although it was first in Britain, turned sitcom conventions on their Dwight Schrute bobbleheads. Ugly Betty is another Silverman score.
But after that, finding a large crop of pre-NBC breakout hits at Reveille is like trying to find a part of Joan Rivers’ face that hasn’t been worked on. After all, Reveille is the same company that gave MTV the execrable Date My Mom and Parental Control, which make seasons of The Real World look like adaptations of Jane Austen novels.
Fits of odd conduct also exacerbated the Silverman era, from breaking into song wearing only a towel in a locker room (which went viral), to cavorting with every female from New York to Los Angeles, to laughing creepily at every joke Jay Leno made when NBC made his move to 10 p.m. official.
Here’s the root problem, though: Silverman wasn’t entirely blessed with a discerning eye for creative entertainment while at NBC. Ideas were hardly dazzlingly original. The decision to resurrect Knight Rider bombed. Nobody bothered to watch Kath & Kim, based on an Australian concept. Bionic Woman lasted eight episodes before the mercy rule took effect.
Even shows that hadn’t been tried in other countries or that otherwise previously existed didn’t fare better. My Own Worst Enemy, Journeyman, Lipstick Jungle and Crusoe were all pulled. So was the incomprehensible Howie Do It. And who didn’t tune in for My Dad is Better than Your Dad early in 2008?
Remember, this all happened in only two years under Silverman’s watch. Yet NBC Universal president Jeff Zucker remained loyal to his guy, no matter how dire the situation. It prompted Craig Ferguson to say last November on The Late Late Show, “Ben Silverman is to NBC what Robert Mugabe is to Zimbabwe.”
Jeff Gaspin Named as Replacement
Two positive developments did take place in these two trying years: the maturation of The Office and Silverman’s deal with DirecTVto save Friday Night Lights, which now has two seasons to go. But NBC needed a change. And Silverman needed a change too.
Jeff Gaspin, formerly in charge of NBC Universal’s cable outlets, will succeed Silverman. He’ll inherit quite the reclamation project. First on the agenda should be assembling primetime lineups that audiences will watch, or else perennially run the risk of mirroring the title of a genuine NBC success, a Reveille production, no less: The Biggest Loser.
