NBC: RIP
Five hours into Winter TV Press Tour 2009 and the savaging of NBC has begun.
Richard Belzer, cast member of NBC's "Law & Order: SVU," is on stage for a Q&A session for PBS's Feb. 4 broadcast of "George Carlin: the Mark Twain Prize." He's asked about the future of his series, now that NBC has announced it's turning over its 10 p.m. hour, Monday through Friday, for a new, Jay Leno-hosted "Not the Tonight Show."
"It's a terrible terrible trend for network television," Belzer said of the 10 p.m. strategy. "It's a network that is desperate...the last gasp of a dying network that could turn out to be brilliant financially, but in terms of [Hollywood scripted drama writers, producers and actors] I think it's a tragedy, frankly."
Belzer got knicker-knotted when one TV critic asked him whether NBC wanted "SVU" writers to make the show less "skeevy" so as to make it better suited to air earlier than 10.
"What do you think the S stands for -- 'Skeevy Victims Unit.' You are a man of words -- good choice," Belzer sneered.
By
Lisa de Moraes
|
January 7, 2009; 5:18 PM ET
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Winter TV Press Tour 2009
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Posted by: pk_1 | January 9, 2009 4:24 PM | Report abuse
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My wife and I are probably among the last of the devoted watchers of "ER". In this, their last season, we have noticed that they have become particularly graphic in showing blood and the associated medical maladies. In past seasons, they would allude to injuries and surgeries, and you would see some blood and gore, but nothing like this year. It's gotten downright gross. I guess they are desperate for ratings this year??