Remember that slogan NBC had in the 80s, "NBC let's all be there!" They'd run commercials with it and you'd have stars like Philip Michael Thomas pop up in a box and point his two index fingers at you. I think that "be there" philosophy is gone for good at NBC, at least when it comes to stars being on certain shows.Last week, the now-on-ABC show Scrubs filmed the probable series finale, which will air next spring. The epic episode will feature many of the guest stars that have appeared on the show over the years, but two of them are now on NBC shows and the network won't let them appear on it, even though both wanted to appear. The two stars in question are Masi Oka from Heroes and Sarah Lancaster from Chuck.
I'd love to hear NBC's side of this story, but if true, it seems like another of the dumb moves that NBC seems to be making nowadays. You would think that the network would just say "fine, you can be on the show," since it seems like a really trivial thing. Maybe even to just look good. I guess there's real animosity between NBC and creator Bill Lawrence.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-09-2008 @ 1:36PM
Jason said...
Yeah, you're pretty petty and stupid here NBC. What else can be said? Guess the whole corporation has a knack for screwing up the easy things. Between the whole BSG debacle on SciFi (and the DVDs), the pumping of lame reality crap (I know, I just said the same thing three times), the Silverlight mandate on the Olympics site, and the awful mishandling of 30 Rock, I guess this shouldn't come as a surprise. It's OK, NBC, you'll have cancelled or ruined every show I watch on your networks before I finish grad school, and you won't have to deal with my viewership anymore. Hope it was worth it.
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9-09-2008 @ 1:46PM
Tik said...
NBC keep pulling moves to lose respect from me. I havn't watched Scrubs for three years now, but I had a fondness for the show and now I like NBC a little less.
Don't they consider how this looks to the public? Idiots!
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9-09-2008 @ 1:52PM
Cody said...
I don't understand, can someone help me out? How does having Heroes and Chuck stars appear in other shows hurt NBC? Is NBC afraid that a Heroes fan might follow Masi Oka over to his guest spot on ABC and then fall in love with all of the ABC programming and never come back? It seems more likely that it would create more awareness of Heroes and Chuck.
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9-09-2008 @ 1:56PM
Galley said...
At least they had the sense to get their shows back in the iTunes Store.
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9-09-2008 @ 2:09PM
Sam said...
Ben Silverman needs to be shitcanned immediately.
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9-09-2008 @ 2:13PM
Oreo said...
NBC = Nothing But Crap
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9-09-2008 @ 2:21PM
lucyfan62 said...
This is odd considering the NBC/CW crossover with the two Gossip Girl stars appearing on 30 Rock. Considering all the different entities involved in that, it's amazing something like this is happening. I could see why NBC would bar stars from appearing on Scrubs on ABC if ABC/Disney had actually stolen the show from NBC, but NBC gave it up so what's the harm? It could only be seen as a gesture of goodwill, but perhaps the beef isn't with ABC but for Bill Lawrence, as you said, who hasn't been silent on his displeasure with NBC's handling of Scrubs. Lawrence perhaps burned a bridge that can't be repaired. And how could they be filming the series finale already?? Doesn't ABC have the option to bring it back if ratings take a tick up?
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9-09-2008 @ 2:36PM
Mary said...
Their decision is short-sighted. NBC let Kyle Chandler appear on ABC's Grey's Anatomy despite being on an NBC show at the time. His role was a small but much talked about one too. If anything, it might have attracted new viewers to his NBC show, since it has low ratings.
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9-09-2008 @ 2:36PM
Matthew said...
The beef could also be between NBC and ABC heads Ben Silverman and Steve McPherson, who have been trading barbs ever since Silverman took the job at the expense of McPherson's friend Kevin Reilly. Still, this is pathetic and completely unprofessional on NBC's part, and particularly rich given the fact that NBC's prez owns a stake in one of ABC's shows, "Ugly Betty". Luckily if industry insiders are right, we might not have to worry about Silvermania much longer.
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9-09-2008 @ 8:19PM
tv junkie said...
Gift shop Girl! Franklyn!
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9-09-2008 @ 9:34PM
StillBash said...
Dickish move.
Great. Now I hate NBC too.
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9-10-2008 @ 9:11AM
Jimmy said...
What's the big deal? They are under contract to NBC.
If I were those "stars" and had moved on to bigger and better things, I wouldn't want to appear on a dying show anyway.
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