The Television Critics Association is back for its winter tour. It’s the time of year when the major networks and their shows talk about their fall performance and preview what’s to come midseason and beyond. Of the big four networks, NBC was up first today and man-o-man was the Peacock’s chairman of entertainment Bob Greenblatt happy to see a sea of press because this marks the first time in a long time that his network has something positive to really talk about. NBC’s had a great fall as they currently find themselves the #1 network in the adults 18-49 demographic and #2 in total viewers (still trailing CBS). “What a difference a year makes, right?” he exclaimed toward the crowd packed with press and critics. “I’m going to bore you with statistics because I’m not sure when I’m going to have the chance to do this again.” The major stats are as follows: for the first half of the season, NBC is up 24 percent and 19 percent in the 18-49 demo and total viewers, respectively. The net can thank the ultimate Monday pairing of The Voice and Revolution for their recent success, as well as high ratings for Sunday Night Football and their surging sitcom Go On. In 2012 FOX entertainment president Kevin Reilly accused the heads of the other major nets of having their heads up their asses. Greenblatt responded directly today with the most publicist quote to come out of his panel: “I can guarantee you, we don’t have our heads up our asses,” he said.
Greenblatt and NBC entertainment president Jennifer Salke used the rest of their time to discuss specific shows, new ones and old. Jump after the break for the bullet-point breakdown.
- On saving Revolution until March: “It’s a little bit more of a cable model but if you market properly and have the goods, then you can run them all in a row without repeats,” said Greenblatt. “I think in the long run that’s the better play.” So when the breakout drama returns on March 25, it will air its remaining ten episodes consecutively and uninterrupted. Nice.
- On the return of Community without creator Dan Harmon, Chevy Chase’s exit, and its prospects to continue on after season four: “I don’t know that I’m the Community expert, but I think you’re going to see relatively the same show that you have seen before,” Greenblatt said. “There is a little bit more heart built in to it, but we didn’t fundamentally change it.” Then: “Actors come and go on a lot of shows and this is a big ensemble; I don’t think that’s in any way going to be a big negative about the future of the show. He’s in everything but two episodes.” Later: “We’re absolutely hopeful it will lead to a fifth season. We’re always hopeful for a show to continue. We co-own it and I’d love nothing more than to see it continue.”
- On the possibility of whether or not Steve Carrell will return in The Office series finale: “I’m hopeful but I don’t think he will,” said Greenblatt. “He left in the way that he wanted that character to leave and I think he and [executive producer] Greg Daniels have talked about it. There’s a little Hail Mary pass on a cameo. But I think the decision is he’ll go out without compromising his exit.”
- On the future of Parks And Rec: “I hate to sort of predict because it’s a long way between here and May, but we love it. I’m hopeful.” Greenblatt also think things are looking up for another season of cult favorite Parenthood.
- On the Up All Night revamp, which includes switching from single to multi-cam: “That was a show that wasn’t performing the way we needed it to… we all felt a live audience would be the best solution,” said Salke. The net is being so quick to cancel it because “a talented cast like that doesn’t grow on trees,” she added. “The cast and crew were itching to be able to really perform. This is an experiment, and we think it’s one worth taking.” “I think it’s going to be starkly different,” Greenblatt added. “The same characters, but I think there may be a high concept twist to it.”
- On Jimmy Fallon taking over The Tonight Show: “We just extended Jay [Leno] and it would be disingenuous to extend him and talk about succession plan,” Greenblatt said. All of those conversations are a little bit premature.” Bummer.
- On the death of Bryan Fuller’s Mockingbird Lane and the possible resurrection of a Munsters reboot: “We just decided that it didn’t hold together well enough to yield a series,” Greenblatt said. “It looked beautiful and original and creative, but it just all ultimately didn’t come together… it just didn’t ultimately creatively all work. We felt great about that cast. But we tried to make it not just a sitcom. We tried to make it an hour, which ultimately has more dramatic weight than a half-hour. It’s hard to calibrate how much weirdness vs. supernatural vs. family story. I just think we didn’t get the mix right.” Later: “I’m not saying we won’t maybe try another version of The Munsters again, it’s a good idea, we just have to figure out how to get it right.”
- On when to expect Bryan Fuller’s next project Hannibal: “You look at all of the great cable shows that work [in the summer], and it could fit nicely [there].” If NBC’s schedule needs a hole to be filled before summer rolls around, Hannibal could be called up earlier. Same goes for the Anne Heche comedy that’s waiting in the wings, Save Me.
- Coming soon to NBC: A comedy starring Michael J. Fox, Dracula starring Jonathan Rhys Myers, pirate drama Crossbones, and dramedy Camp that examines life for teens away from home at summer camp. Expect the MJF project, Dracula, and Crossbones in fall 2013; Camp begins its 13 episode run this summer.