Posts with tag KevinReilly
Posted May 1st 2008 6:02PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Industry, Reality-Free
Can you write? Do you think you know what makes people laugh? Have you ever tried banging out a sitcom script? If the answer to these questions is yes, yes, and yes, you might want to read on. Fox TV is teaming with the New York Television Festival (NYTVF) in creating a Comedy Script Contest. Wannabe writers are invited -- hell, encouraged! -- to enter an original comedy pilot for a potential Fox sitcom series. The winner (or winning team if you collaborate with someone) will be awarded $25,000 and a development deal with Fox to turn the pilot into real, honest-to-God TV show.
Considering the pitiful pros passing as live action comedy on Fox these days --
Til Death, Back to You, Unhitched -- you might think this contest was an act of desperation. It's not.
Continue reading Want to write a comedy for Fox?
Posted Apr 17th 2008 9:02AM by Keith McDuffee
Filed under: Pickups and Renewals, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Reality-Free
Recently, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter,
Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly dropped a little nugget regarding Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles that should make fans of the show sigh a little more in relief.
In the interview, Reilly mentions that
Sarah Connor and
Back to You are the "lead candidates" for returning for a new season, adding that they've "already started staffing" the show.
We already mentioned the high likelihood that the
show would be returning before;
several times, even. Is it because of Fox's track record with canceling shows, seemingly so quickly, that's got everyone so nervous about
Sarah Connor's return? At this point, after hearing all of the rumors and mumblings that the show's safe, it would be extremely cruel for them to bring the axe down during the upfronts next month. Die hard fans are probably already planning a backup plan, thinking of what kind of crap they're going to send Fox studios to beg for the show to return. Any suggestions?
Posted Nov 1st 2007 1:20PM by Richard Keller
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Heroes, WGA Strike
Production of one of the more highly anticipated shows on the NBC schedule, Heroes: Origins, has been put on hold. Apparently, due to fears of a pending writers' strike. Or, maybe not.
According to The Hollywood Reporter the Heroes spin-off will not be receiving its six-episode run, which was to begin in April of 2008. While NBC hasn't officially said that the series is canceled producers have not been given a date when it would be put on the schedule. During the network upfronts held last May it was mentioned that Origins would be spelling its older sibling during a late-season hiatus.
Continue reading Heroes: Origins put on hold
Posted Jul 16th 2007 4:35PM by Michael Maloney
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Other Reality Shows, Industry, The Apprentice, Saturday Night Live, Pickups and Renewals, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, TCA Press Tour
Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff, Co-chairs of NBC Enterainment and Universal Media Studios, start off their first TCA executive sessoin by reading some programming changes.
Deal or No Deal is moving to Friday night at 8, providing a nice lead in for critically acclaimed Friday Night Lights and Las Vegas, which has Tom Selleck joining its cast.
Isaiah Washington is going to join The Bionic Woman. He'll be in five of the first eight shows.
Continue reading NBC executive session part one - TCA report
Posted Jul 9th 2007 7:09PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Industry
Not even two months after
NBC booted Kevin Reilly out of his job as entertainment president, Fox has
picked him up and placed him in the exact same position for that network. During Reilly's time at NBC, ratings didn't budge much, but he was also a champion for quality programs like
Friday Night Lights.
Reilly is reuniting with former co-worker, Peter Liguori, who has been promoted to entertainment chairman at Fox. The two teamed up when they worked at FX and brought edgy shows such as
The Shield and
Nip/Tuck to that network. Fox evidently wants some of that mojo.
Reilly's first challenge is to get people to watch some of Fox's new shows, none of which he chose. I'm hoping he'll give a little love to
Unhitched, the Farrelly brothers comedy that is by far the best thing Fox has going for it in the fall.
Posted Jul 6th 2007 6:21PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Industry
Following this spring's
upfronts presentation and lackluster response from advertisers, NBC Universal president Jeff Zucker
fired entertainment president Kevin Reilly. But, it appears Reilly will not be out of work for long.
Various reports today say that he is in final negotiations to join Fox, under his former FX boss Peter Liguori.
This is a smart pairing for Fox. Liguori and Reilly brought mega-hits to FX including
The Shield and
Nip/Tuck. And, judging from this spring's
upfronts presentation from Fox, the network could use some edgier programming. There's no doubt that Reilly has an eye for quality programming (
Friday Night Lights), but his downfall with NBC was his inability to bring the network out of fourth place.
Posted May 29th 2007 3:21PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Industry, Watercooler Talk, Upfronts
So, NBC's fall schedule sucks. At least, that's the message I'm getting today with the news that president of NBC entertainment, Kevin Reilly,
has lost his job.
I'm trying to understand why NBC Universal president Jeff Zucker would hold on to Reilly for the crucial planning of the fall schedule after his lackluster performance with last fall's expensive-but-low-rated
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,
Kidnapped, etc. And this spring, NBC once again came in last in the ratings among the big four networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX).
After NBC's upfronts presentation
earlier this month, advertisers didn't really leap at any of the offerings on the new fall lineup (because
they're boring). That's an obvious reason to get rid of Reilly, but it also doesn't put a lot of confidence in the fall schedule.
Posted Mar 2nd 2007 12:04PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: NBC, Industry
You know, our readers are very good at pointing out our mistakes. Many of them are small: copy edits, grammar issues, etc. Some are bigger: we miss some important part of an episode we're reviewing. Hey, we're human.
But we (and by "we" I mean "me") were deservedly taken to the woodshed last fall when we made one of our biggest whoppers, reporting that NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly
was about to be fired. Of course, not only did he
not get fired, but rumors started swirling about that he was going to sign a new contract. Well,
those are the rumors that actually came true, as he
signed a multiyear deal to stay at the network.
Continue reading Kevin Reilly gets a new deal from NBC
Posted Jan 18th 2007 10:47AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: NBC, Industry, TCA Press Tour
Besides announcing the
renewal of four shows, NBC Entertainment Kevin Reilly spent his executive session talking about "tent posts" and spewing sports analogies. But all of it said that he was pretty optimistic about the future of his network.
He definitely thinks being patient with shows is imperative, especially when you're working from behind as his network is. "Vision is a word that gets thrown around a lot but is in short supply," he spoke of shows like
The Office, that started out slow and built audience. "When you got it, grab it." Among his new "vision" shows are
30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, and
Studio 60.
Continue reading NBC president Kevin Reilly optimistic about the future - TCA Report
Posted Jan 17th 2007 1:20PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, NBC, Industry, Law and Order, My Name Is Earl, The Office, Heroes, Pickups and Renewals, TCA Press Tour
NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly started his network's portion of the TCA press tour by announcing full-season renewals for four shows:
My Name Is Earl, Heroes, Law & Order: SVU, and The Office. This means all four shows will be back for new seasons in the fall. Reilly called those shows, and a number of others, "tent posts" that he thinks will bring the network back to a much stronger position than it has been in recent years.
In other news, Reilly announced the pickup of a new improv pilot called
Thank God You're Here, where improv comics will don a costume unknown to them, enter a scene, and attempt to improvise through it. It will be hosted by David Alan Grier, and the improv comic's skills will be "judged" by Dave Foley. Where does the name of the show come from? Well, when the comic enters with his costume on, the other comics in the scene will say, "Thank God You're Here!" Clever, ain't it?
More on the executive session later today.
Posted Dec 17th 2006 2:05PM by Brett Love
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, NBC, Web, The Office
I'm just catching up after the closest thing that I have ever seen to a hurricane blew through volcano country and knocked out the power for 30 hours, and my internet has just gone all Dunder Miflin on me. Anyway, there is
a good article over at the L.A. Times about writers as actors and what that means for comedy on television.
The focus is on
The Office as many of the members of the cast are also the writers of the show. Executive producer Greg Daniels (
The Simpsons) goes through his reasons for choosing to move people from the writers room in front of the camera. And it's not just because he's lazy. There is a method to his madness. Given the mockumentary style of the show, he feels that unpolished actors that may seem awkward at times add to the realism of the show.
They also touch on the character of Toby. Played by Paul Lieberstein, Toby was originally intended as a bit part. But when NBC President Kevin Reilly saw the character he responded, "He's funny. More of him." And Paul's acting career was born. The story for Mindy Kaling's character, Kelly, is much the same. Both of them say that they prefer writing to acting. Joel
talked with Kelly about this back in March as well. It's a good behind the scenes piece, and worth a look.
Posted Nov 12th 2006 11:16AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: NBC, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Ratings
According to The New York Times, NBC will announce some shifts in its schedule this week-- which will likely include a new night and/or time for
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
In an article about the network's announcement that it is picking up
Studio 60 for the entire season, there's also a little quote from NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly, saying
Studio 60 will "not necessarily stay on Monday."
Where can it go? There's an open time slot on Wednesdays at 10pm since NBC pulled
Kidnapped off the air. That would put
Studio 60 up against
The Nine on ABC and
CSI: NY on CBS. Or, NBC could separate the two
Law & Order franchises on Tuesday night and slide
Studio 60 into one of those time slots.
Any other ideas? Maybe NBC stole
my ideal schedule.
Posted Nov 1st 2006 3:59PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: NBC, Industry, Programming, Ratings
To add on to all of the "these shows are going to be canceled" talk going around the web for the past week,
a quote from NBC chief Kevin Reilly about
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,
Friday Night Lights, and
30 Rock:
"I'm sitting here right now with some very good television shows that I think have a lot of promise that need to be nurtured a little bit...I'm pulling for these shows and I'm trying to figure out what's the midseason schedule that can give them a chance, because I really believe some of these can really grow into bigger commercial assets."Continue reading Kevin Reilly fighting for Friday Night Lights, Studio 60, 30 Rock
Posted Oct 25th 2006 3:46PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, NBC, Industry, Programming
NBC has just announced that they are bringing back Scrubs to Thursday night and moving the new comedy 30 Rock to Thursday too, in an effort to bring back a little old glory to the night. The two comedies will join My Name Is Earl and The Office for a new two-hour comedy block: Earl at 8, followed by The Office, Scrubs, then 30 Rock. ER, the only non-comedy on the night, will stay at 10pm. The new lineup starts on November 16.
One question remains: will the Deal Or No Deal that is currently on at 9 get moved or removed from the schedule?
[via TV Tattle]
Posted Oct 18th 2006 6:35PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: NBC, Industry
Just got a tip into TV Squad HQ; there is scuttlebutt that NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly is going to be fired sometime later this afternoon. Apparently, Reilly's failure to create a hit for NBC during his tenure is going to cost him his job.
If you recall, Reilly programmed a number of expensive, lavishly-done pilots for this fall season, like
Kidnapped, Friday Night Lights, and
Studio 60, all of which are tanking in the ratings. That along with a history of tentative decision-making was his undoing. The announcement will be made this afternoon; expect to see it in the trades tomorrow.
(Update 11:49 ET: No announcement tonight, as our tipster told us would happen. We contacted NBC for a response to this rumor and they didn't confirm or deny it. Guess we'll just keep waiting.)
(Update 10/19 8:23 PM: Well, folks, looks like the rumor -- as with all the past rumors of Reilly's firing -- didn't pan out, since he spoke at a panel of network heads earlier today. Our tipster has been thrown into TVS HQ's moat. Let's hope said tipster can avoid the crocs and piranha...)Next Page >
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