It's finally happened. The purported whiz-kid of NBC, Ben Silverman, has left the network to return to his producer roots alongside Barry Diller's IAC to start up a new production company they promise will "unite producers, creators, advertisers and distributors under one roof". Silverman was also the executive producer of The Office, Ugly Betty, The Tudors, and The Biggest Loser through his previous production company, Reveille. Since his arrival at NBC, however, the success of the fourth-place network hasn't been too bright. These scripted and non-scripted series have failed under his command: American Gladiators, America's Toughest Jobs, The Baby Borrowers, Bionic Woman, Celebrity Circus, Chopping Block, Crusoe, Fear Itself, Journeyman, Kath & Kim, Kings, Knight Rider, Life, Lipstick Jungle, Momma's Boys, My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad, My Own Worst Enemy, Quarterlife, and The Singing Bee have come and gone too quickly.
Meanwhile the fan and critic favorite Chuck has been relegated to the Friday night graveyard for the upcoming season, faced with the difficult task of proving itself once again.
Only the arguably lame Celebrity Apprentice has been a proven performer.
What does this mean for the television fanatic? We should wish Silverman luck as he returns to what he does best: produce. With the backing of Diller, IAC, and - reportedly - NBC Universal, he should return to his successful ways without a corporate conglomerate to answer to. We should also remember the WGA strike of 2007-2008 was a major contributing factor to the deaths of many of the aforementioned series.
As far as NBC is concerned, sometimes a shakeup like this is good. And, with a gaggle
of new, promising series coming this fall and late winter (Parenthood, Day One, Community) as well as a few returning favorites (Law and Order, The Office, a reworked Heroes, and The Biggest Loser) and the experiment with The Jay Leno Show, I wouldn't quite yet sound the death knell for the "Must-See" network. And, hopefully Chuck will regain the respect of the network and find a home on the schedule away from the powerhouses on other networks - and Friday night.
