NBC is blowing up its development process, doing away with pilots in most cases in an effort to save money.
That was the word from NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker on Tuesday, telling company employees that the network could save up to $50 million each year by not producing pilots.
"Sometimes you see the world from a different perspective when you're flat on your back," the New York Times quotes Zucker as saying. "At NBC Entertainment, we've been flat on our backs for the last few years."
The writers strike will put a serious dent in this year's pilot season. CBS, Fox and the CW have already cut a number of projects that were in development before the strike began, and ABC and NBC are likely to do the same.
NBC, though, is considering making the cuts permanent. Zucker says the cost of pilots has increased dramatically in recent years, making the process a high-risk, low-reward endeavor for the network. NBC typically orders only five or six new shows each year from a crop of 15 to 20 pilots.
"You're spending money on programs you're not going to get," Zucker said in a video "town hall" with NBC Universal employees. The network may still order a couple of pilots each year, but not many more than that.
Just how NBC will pick new shows is unclear. The network has experimented with a couple of different ideas in the last year, including splitting the cost for a 13-episode adaptation of
Robinson Crusoe
with a European producer.
Chefs to Chicago for cooking competition.
Top Chef
is heading to the Windy City.
Top Chef: Chicago
, the fourth season of Bravo's popular culinary competition show, will debut March 12 with a fresh crop of 16 rising chefs. Returning are host/judge Padma Lakshmi, head judge Tom Colicchio and judges Gail Simmons and Ted Allen.
"This season, the chefs bring a diverse wealth of talent and skill to the table that we've not seen before," said Colicchio.
The last chef standing will receive the coveted title, $100,000 in seed money to help open a restaurant, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, a showcase at the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colo., and a gourmet dream vacation in the French Alps.
'Jericho' finds shelter at Sci Fi.
With a midseason premiere on the horizon and now a home on cable, the walls of
Jericho
won't be tumbling down anytime soon.
The Sci Fi Channel has acquired the rights to the first two seasons of the CBS show, which will debut on the cabler with a four-episode marathon Feb. 11 beginning at 7 p.m., before running in its regular time slot on Mondays at 10 p.m. a week later.
The show follows the residents of a small Kansas town after the fallout from a nuclear attack, seen as a mushroom cloud on the horizon. Suddenly cut off from the outside world and with fear rampant, previously untapped strengths and hidden secrets begin to emerge.
Lackluster ratings for its freshman year initially accounted for
Jericho
's not appearing on CBS's schedule for the 2007-08 season. The show's rabid fan base, however, launched a "Save Jericho" crusade. CBS responded with a seven-episode midseason order of new material, which will debut Feb. 12. Ratings will determine if more episodes will be forthcoming. It's too soon to know if the writers strike will affect the show.