A terrible fall season at NBC is forcing the network to consider scaling back the number of hours it airs programming, Chief Executive Jeff Zucker told an investor conference Monday.
While NBC will continue to fund the creation of pilots, Zucker told analysts at a media investor conference sponsored by UBS that NBC is considering cutting the number of hours or perhaps even the number of nights it provides programming.
Premiering soon, on NBC:
A new reality series, executive produced by Ryan Seacrest (”American Idol”) and Andrew Glassman (”Average Joe”), centers on a group of mothers who must help choose the perfect woman for their complacent sons. Ultimately, the series poses the question: “Who is really the most important woman in every man’s life?”
In “Momma’s Boys,” love is in the air but the story is told from a new television perspective – because first, the women will have to get by mom.
Drama ensues when numerous mothers and their eligible bachelor sons are housed together with several single women. As the tension mounts, viewers will watch as possessive mothers influence their son’s search for the perfect mate.
Can’t imagine why the ratings suck.
NBC still airs SNL and thinks that it’s funny.
There is only one connection here.
Two roads diverged in a yellow road, and somewhat sorry they could not travel both, NBC took the path to the Left.
And that has made all the difference.
Dennis, your Mommy is calling. She’s ready for her spongebath.
Hey Ollie, looks like Tribune Co. is going the Chapter 11 route. You people, and by that I mean liberals gonna give them a bailout?
NBC = Nothing But Crap.
ABC = Always Broadcasting Crap.
CBS = Crappy, Boring Stuff.
CW = Crap World.
FOX = ‘Nuff Said!
And Dennis, please help yourself to a big, steaming bowl of SYFPH.
Sometimes, less isn’t more, Mr. Zucker.
Then again, it’s cowardly, wrong-headed decisions like Zucker’s that perpetuate the vicious cycle of diminishing ratings in the first place. The definition of mediocrity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. But the idea of doing something different terrifies Zucker and his herd of sheep taking up space at NBC’s executive offices.
However, the growing exodus of TV audiences from The Big Three networks is their own fault. I’d guarantee you that if innovative programs like Dexter, Breaking Bad, The Wire, In Treatment, Weeds, and others were brought to ABC, NBC, or CBS, they would have passed on every one of them. That certainly was the case with Sopranos when David Chase was shopping his mob drama around years ago before it found a home at HBO. We saw how that turned out, didn’t we?
When a generic, proud-to-be-stupid sitcom like The World According To Jim gets renewed for an eight season while Friday Night Lights teeters on the edge of cancellation, it’s no surprise that people will go someplace else to watch programs that won’t insult their intelligence.
You’d think Mr. Zucker would learn that if you built a better TV show, the viewers will come. He’ll probably ask the government for a bailout instead.
Dennis, you’re a fucking idiot.
“And that has made all the difference.”
Wow. That stupid even for your breed. I’m so glad you guys won’t be in charge next year. Or the year after that. And if you keep celebrating stupidity, the year after that, and so on, and so on.
D.R.Scott: When a generic, proud-to-be-stupid sitcom like The World According To Jim gets renewed for an eight season while Friday Night Lights teeters on the edge of cancellation, it’s no surprise that people will go someplace else to watch programs that won’t insult their intelligence.
Are you saying people don’t want Friday Night Lights because its on NBC?
I’ll confess, I’ve given up on television and now just rent the DVDs of things I want to keep up on. Beats wading through the garbage, and I have no need to see things right away on opening night.
Ah, Dennis, that made my day. You are too much, my friend.
Excuse me Sean, if I wasn’t being clear.
What I meant was that NBC isn’t any different difference from the other two major networks in their disdain for anything that’s unique and groundbreaking. Any TV series that show even a molecule or daring and originality are always at risk of either being cancelled, switched around to different time slots, or disfigured by clueless executives. What happened to the gay woman on Gray’s Anatomy? Too Butch.
Sure, House, CST, and Without A Trace aren’t bad, but The Big Three being what they are, network guys will keep these shows on longer than they should so they can squeeze the last drop of creativity that made us appreciate these shows in the first place. How watchable is Law and Order lately?
All in all, I think there’s a very good reason why the most interesting TV shows are appearing on Showtime, FX, and HBO. It’s safer.
bad reference Dennis
The paths in that poem are exactly the sam.
The only difference between them is that one was chosen over the other.
“I’ll confess, I’ve given up on television and now just rent the DVDs of things I want to keep up on. Beats wading through the garbage, and I have no need to see things right away on opening night.”
Same here. Although I get so many DVDs and Blu-rays to review that I don’t have time to watch all of the ones I buy.
The definition of mediocrity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
I thought that was the definition of insanity.
But yeah, I’ll be glad when the era of “reality” TV is over.
bad reference Dennis
The paths in that poem are exactly the sam.
The only difference between them is that one was chosen over the other.
—Syco
Sorry, Syco, but the two paths had been worn really about the same, not exactly the same. How could he know they were exactly the same if he had not travelled both paths?
To be fair, 30 Rock and The Office are funny shows. The 4 major broadcast networks can still do comedy (just). Cable networks seem to do better at drama, and not just because they have more freedom with language and sex. A show like Desperate Housewives reduces adults to teenage personalities, while Mad Men showcases adults as adults. Battlestar Galactica can address issues about the War on Terror in a mature and intelligent manner, while Boston Legal is the equivalent of a grade school production, feeling the need to spell everything out for its audience.
That’s all we need is another freakin’ reality show.
They’re bringing Leno’s unique brand of political humor (soft, gushy) into prime time.
Laurie:
They’re bringing Leno’s unique brand of political humor (soft, gushy) into prime time.
‘Cause five nights of Leno in prime are far cheaper than one episode of a dramatic series. An NBC suit admitted as such in an interview, seen on the 12/9 edition of Keith Olbermann on MSNBC’s website.
“‘Cause five nights of Leno in prime are far cheaper than one episode of a dramatic series.”
And the people in charge don’t know how to put together a dramatic series that doesn’t suck, so this is a smart move.