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With NBC Presenting "Momma's Boy" at 10, A Leno Alternative IS Better
December 16, 2008  | By David Bianculli  | 1 comment
 
Here's what NBC executive Jeff Zucker told Broadcasting & Cable's Ben Grossman recently, defending the decision to program a Jay Leno talk show weeknights at 10 p.m. ET next year. The reduced number of available hours in prime time, he said, would make competition tougher, and, by inference, the programs better:

"Frankly," Zucker said, "now you may have to earn your way onto the schedule. Mediocrity won't be good enough, and the rest of the schedule should now be filled with the best programs. I actually think this can clear out the mediocrity."

MOMMAS-BOYS-D-16.jpg

Tonight, he may be proving his point. At 10 p.m. ET, NBC presents Momma's Boys, a Ryan Seacrest-produced reality show in which 32 women compete to win the hearts of three bachelors, each of whom is being guided, and hovered over, by his protective, usually disapproving mother.

You don't even have to watch this show to know how it's going to turn out, and that's my recommendation. Don't watch. If Zucker feels that bringing Leno to prime time will eliminate this type of video drivel, then it's tough to root against the move.

But who's kidding whom? Doesn't that just mean, once Leno comes aboard, shows like Momma's Boys will just show up at 9 p.m. ET instead, or lead off prime time at 8?

Look what else NBC has in store for January 2009: Superstars of Dance. Howie Do It, a Candid Camera-type show hosted by Howie Mandel. And The Biggest Loser: Couples

Oh, and season three of Friday Night Lights, the one beacon of fresh quality on the midseason schedule. Except it's not fresh at all to DirecTV subscribers such as myself, who have been watching the show since October on satellite TV.

The best and fastest way to "clear out the mediocrity" at NBC, Mr. Zucker, would be to quit making mediocrity in the first place.

 

3 Comment

 

Davey said:

Maybe an even better and faster way to clear out the mediocrity would be to dump Zucker and his fellow mediocrities.

Comment posted on December 16, 2008 1:19 PM


Tom said:

Kind of like blaming your grass for growing so much when everybody in the neighborhood thinks your yard is major ugly because you're lazy and have the cultural genes of a long-neglected petri dish.

The mediocre series don't sneak onto the air behind Zucker's back. He has set a bar so low even Ed Norton would find it tough to get under.

Anybody who would present such a rationale and expect it to be believed is a man who in his heart believes high-quality television is "Deal or No Deal."

Ten years from now, Wikipedia's entry under Jeff Zucker will read, "Once he had successfully trashed 'Today,' General Electric rewarded him by giving him license to do the same to the whole network."

Comment posted on December 16, 2008 2:39 PM


DAVID HAMBLY(sonic epiphany) said:

Jeff Zucker IS THE MOST REGRESSIVE FORCE IN TELEVISION SINCE SIMON COWELL AND RYAN SEACREST.
this is a guy who put a remake of knight rider on the fall schedule;a show that was drivel the first time.

he can't be fired sooner or the prime time schedule is going to be jay leno and stupid game shows like the biggest loser and mommas boy.

now, he has to figure out a way to kill FNL and
30 rock. come on. you know he is thinking that

Comment posted on December 23, 2008 6:58 AM
 
 
 
 
 
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This is such awesome content i got to read after lot of time. Its so interesting as well as informative. I am sure everyone who read it got a lot to learn from it.
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