or


[07/24/12 - 10:45 AM]
NBC at TCA: Greenblatt Announces "SNL" Election Specials, Pilot Sampling
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- NBC will follow its election tradition this fall with two half-hour "Saturday Night Live" specials on Thursday, September 20 and September 27 at 8:00/7:00c. Said announcement was made by NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt at the start of the network's executive session at the TCA Summer Press Tour. Greenblatt also revealed all six of its new fall shows will be made available on NBC.com, Hulu; iTunes, Amazon and Xbox Live several weeks prior to their on-air premieres (read the story).

Other hot topics from the panel, which also included Jennifer Salke (President, NBC Entertainment) and Paul Telegdy (President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment):

-- Greenblatt on airing two cycles of "The Voice" per year: "One can argue that 'American Idol' and 'X Factor' are the same show in many respects, one in the fall and one at spring. So we're obviously cautious about expanding it. But we've also done some things to the format which I think are going to ensure that it is an even better show in the fall and can sustain through the spring." Telegdy added those changes include the show's trademark chairs: "We've found exciting ways to keep that kind of competition between the coaches going through the last stages of the competition."

-- Salke on what the title for "The New Normal" suggests: "The title isn't meant to push the idea that that's a more normal family than everyone else... as [co-creator Ryan Murphy] would say the 'Normal' family isn't a gay family, it's just a different family and I think we all see that, all around us, every day."

-- "I think we're in a transition with our comedy programming and trying to broaden the audience and broaden what the network does," Greenblatt said about its new comedy offerings. "Those Thursday comedies, which the critics love and we love, tend to be a bit more narrow than we also would like as we go forward."

-- "The reason we did 13 episodes of that - and a couple of our others shows - was because we really wanted to get more comedies on the schedule," Greenblatt indicated about "Community's" abbreviated order. Adding, "which isn't to say we couldn't decide at some point to extend those seasons longer."

-- Greenblatt on Dan Harmon's exit as showrunner of "Community": "I think the fans of 'Community' are going to get the same show they have loved from the beginning. Every so often it's time to make a change with a showrunner and you sort of evaluate the creative, how the show is run, how the writing staff works and sometimes you want to freshen the show. And we just decided that it was time to do that on 'Community,' no disrespect to anyone." As for the show's overall future, Greenblatt said, "I would categorically not rule out that it's not the last season, does that make sense? I would love nothing more than 'Community' to have a following on Friday and to be able to continue."

-- "These shows, especially the Thursday night shows, are just great shows... and we couldn't be prouder of them," Greenblatt said about the lineup. "And yet, I think given what's happened to the network over the past four or five years, in terms of just the general decline across the whole week and the loss of circulation, I think we just can't get the biggest audience for those shows." He would later add that, "I don't want to say anything negative about what Tina Fey does or 'Parks and Rec' or 'The Office,' those are great shows, but I think - and it's probably a challenge for every network these days, especially in comedy - to broaden and that's what we're trying to do."

-- On why the perennially low-rated "Rock Center with Brian Williams" is being kept on Thursdays: "You sort of look at what you have at the beginning of the week and you can't do everything in a season," said Greenblatt. "So Thursday is a challenge that we're going to continue to work on over the year."

-- "As a television producer and a Broadway producer, which I once was, I am in awe of what we can do on that show every week," Greenblatt said about "Smash." "That said, it's a big soap with a number of characters with arcing storylines." Adding, "I think where we didn't do as good a job as I hope we do this year - and I think with the new showrunner we'll do better - is the arcing of the storylines and the consistency of going in one direction with a character and continuing in a really interesting way with that arc. I think we were inconsistent going back and forth in some things."





  [july 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 30 ROCK (NBC)
· AMERICAN IDOL (ABC)
· COMMUNITY (YAHOO)
· NEW NORMAL, THE (NBC)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)
· PARKS & RECREATION (NBC)
· ROCK CENTER WITH BRIAN WILLIAMS (NBC)
· SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (NBC)
· SMASH (NBC)
· VOICE, THE (NBC)
· X FACTOR, THE (FOX)





[11/01/24 - 02:01 PM]
HBO Orders Original Limited Drama "DTF ST. Louis" to Series
The limited series stars and is executive produced by Jason Bateman and David Harbour.

[11/01/24 - 02:00 PM]
Disney Branded Television Greenlights "How We Became the Biggest Band in the World" and "Vampirina" (Working Titles) for Disney Channel and Disney+
The Latter series is based on the books written by Anne Marie Pace and illustrated by LeUyen Pham, and inspired by the Disney Jr. animated series "Vampirina" from Chris Nee.

[11/01/24 - 12:48 PM]
Peacock Renews Long-Running Soap "Days of Our Lives" for 61st Season
The renewal comes on the eve of "Day of Days," the annual fan event at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles being held on Saturday, November 2, where the show's 60th season will be celebrated.

[11/01/24 - 12:01 PM]
Video: "Rhythm + Flow" Season 2 - Cast Announcement - Netflix
The search for the next face of hip-hop moves to Atlanta as global hitmakers Ludacris, Latto and DJ Khaled join the judging panel to mentor fresh talent.

[11/01/24 - 12:00 PM]
60 Years After Debuting on the Network, Christmas Classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Returns to NBC for a Special 75-Minute Telecast on Friday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT
Said date was the same it premiered in 1964 as part of the "General Electric Fantasy Hour."

[11/01/24 - 11:54 AM]
"High Potential" Continues Linear Dominance as ABC Wins Tuesday 10 p.m. Hour in Total Viewers for First Time in 4 Years
Season to date through week five, "High Potential" stands as ABC's most-watched (10.42 million) new series in six years - since the 2018-2019 season with "The Conners."

[11/01/24 - 10:31 AM]
Video: AMC/AMC+ Debut Riveting First-Look at Season 3 of the Hit Noir Thriller "Dark Winds"
The series will return with all new episodes exclusively on AMC and AMC+ on Sunday, March 9 at 9pm ET/PT.

[11/01/24 - 10:05 AM]
TBS "All I Watch for Christmas" and TNT "Christmas Maximus" Kick Off Holiday Programming on Saturday, November 2
With countless blockbuster films airing over 8-weeks, TNT "Christmas Maximus" takes holiday movies to the next level, serving as a hub for endless seasonal offerings and high-energy classics.

[11/01/24 - 10:03 AM]
'Tis the Season for Holiday Cheer on ABC
Highlights include a new season of "The Great Christmas Light Fight," along with news of a season 13 pickup for 2025.

[11/01/24 - 10:00 AM]
FOX and Gordon Ramsay Count Down to the Super Bowl with "Kitchen Nightmares: Road to Super Bowl LIX"
Gordon Ramsay's iconic series returns with a supercharged two-hour episode, Wednesday, January 1 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), with regular episodes airing on Wednesdays from 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT, beginning January 8 on FOX.

[11/01/24 - 09:30 AM]
Prime Video Reveals "Pimpinero: Blood and Oil" will Premiere Exclusively on November 22
The film is set in the desert bordering Colombia and Venezuela, where gasoline smugglers known as "pimpineros" risk their lives transporting illegal fuel from one country to another.

[11/01/24 - 09:06 AM]
Freeform's "25 Days of Christmas" Returns with Yuletide Cheer This December
A delightful collection of Christmas favorites is being offered to make spirits bright, including "Home Alone," "The Santa Clause" trilogy and "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000).

[11/01/24 - 09:00 AM]
Watch CBS News and Stations' "America Decides: Election '24" Team Coverage Across Broadcast, Streaming and Digital
Primetime election night coverage on CBS and CBS News 24/7 will begin at 7:00 PM, ET, anchored by Norah O'Donnell from CBS News' election headquarters in New York City.

[11/01/24 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Miss Scarlet" Season 5 Preview
Criminals have never stumped Eliza Scarlet, but a new Detective Inspector...? She's on the case!

[11/01/24 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was..." - Date Announcement - Netflix
Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning actor. Grammy-winning singer. Beloved comedian. Jamie Foxx returns to the stage to set the record straight.