TV Zone
News, scoops, reviews and more from TV land.
Why can't Jay Leno get any respect at NBC?
Photo credit: Getty Images
So here's how the Jay Leno game at NBC works: A new entertainment president arrives and longingly looks at CBS or Comedy Central or ABC or E! or (now) FX and wonders: Why can't we have a "Tonight Show" host as cool, hip, "relevant," and especially as young as name-a-host on the other network?
Instead, we have "Jay . . ."
This president's secret affirmation...
Read more »Leno pokes NBC again; the long tradition continues
Photo credit: Carson Entertainment Group
Jay Leno popped NBC in his monologue again last night — nothing serious, just a mild dig at the network's woeful fourth place, or rather fifth place, status. Jay, as you know, may or may not have a gig there in a year, while NBC Entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt excoriated him in private — according to a New York Times report by Bill Carter over the weekend — because of a string of NBC-is-a-flaming-disaster...
Read more »Jay Leno makes more jokes about reptilian NBC executives
Photo credit: MCT
Well, if there was a truce between Jay Leno and his luckless hitless overseers at NBC, it was shattered last night: He called them a bunch of snakes. (Ah well, truth in advertising? Nyuk, nyuk.)
But seriously, as you may have read over the weekend, The New York Times had a report saying Bob Greenblatt, NBC Entertainment chief, called up Leno to berate him over a series of NBC/5th place jokes; Leno — per the report — pushed back, and all of a sudden, we've got a Jay Versus the Suits Battle unfolding. This comes in the wake of All Kowing Reports that Leno will be eased aside for Jimmy Fallon next year. Take a look:
Why is 'Good Morning America' beating 'Today?'
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After the New York Post's latest salvo in its entertaining campaign to oust Matt Lauer as co-host of "Today" -- I think they've got him anchoring "Sesame Street" when his current contract ends -- I figured it's time to finally come to Matt's defense.
After all, he and NBC are sure doing a winning job of that. Someone had better step up before he does join Big Bird on the...
Read more »'Smash' moves to Saturdays, and oblivion
Photo credit: AP
Starting April 6, "Smash" will move from Tuesdays to Saturdays where it will end its natural life. And so the cruel wheel of TV fate turns. NBC has sort of announced this - mostly to affiliates, who need to make plans. A formal announcement is coming. NBC says the show will air the rest of the season on Saturdays, specifying a total of 17 episodes.
This is a shame in all sorts of...
Read more »Preview: NBC's 'Grimm' returns Friday
Photo credit: NBC
"Grimm," arguably the most successful drama on NBC (after "Revolution," and maybe "SVU"...and...), is back tonight, and this is good news indeed. Here's a fresh clip of the cast:
Why is television tanking?
Photo credit: Fox
Why aren't people watching television? To put this more concisely, why are fewer and fewer people watching established hits ("American Idol"), established networks (NBC), and brand new shows ("Golden Boy") which get a lot of network promotional love, but not all that much audience love?
Why, why, why?
These are worrisome times in the field of network television...
Read more »'Parks and Recreation' wedding: Mazel Tov, maybe
Photo credit: NBC
I'm a sucker for primetime weddings — hey, who the heck isn't — but this one promises an unusual degree of quantum mechanical uncertainty: Ben (Adam Scott) and Leslie (Amy Poehler) are tying the knot, or maybe not.
Now, NBC seems to be assuring fans of "Parks and Recreation" that they undoubtedly will get married, but — to that point of uncertainty — one wonders whether there will be an alternate outcome as well. Who knows. It'll take a full hour of back-to-back episodes tonight to figure this question out.
Here's the tease followed by Ben's proposal last fall . . .
