Kevin Reilly's High-Class Sketch Show Problem
Today's NY Times looks at Tina Fey's still-untitled, behind-the-scenes-at-a-variety-show NBC sitcom pilot, which may wind up making the schedule despite the presence of Aaron Sorkin's behind-the-scenes-at-a-variety-show dramedy pilot, a potential logjam that NBC president Kevin Reilly categorizes as a "high-class problem":
The answer, as it turns out, is probably yes, though "Studio 60," which is produced by Warner Brothers, is expected to be first out of the gate, with NBC having all but committed to put it on in the fall or risk paying a stiff financial penalty to its producers. At the least, Ms. Fey's show is expected to be added at midseason next year, though it, too, could go on as soon as the fall.
"This falls under the category of a high-class problem," Kevin Reilly, the president of NBC Entertainment, said in a telephone interview in which he was supportive of Ms. Fey's project while remaining noncommittal. "I just can't imagine the audience would look at both shows, choose one and cancel the other out. In some ways, why is it any different than when there have been three or four cop shows on any schedule, or 'Scrubs' and 'ER,' which are tonally very different?"
"Will people really be flummoxed by that?" he added.
We're not sure if the viewing public will find neurotic comedy writers as relatable as cops or doctors, but we kind of admire Reilly's "What, me worry?" attitude. When you're in charge of a last place network, there are a couple of ways to deal with these sticky problems: Squeeze your head into a blender and hunt out the nearest electrical outlet, knowing that your messy self-annihilation will speak volumes about the severity of your dilemma, or merely shrug them off, knowing that the worst outcome could be yet another wasted season and a lost job. If nothing else, Reilly's approach is more considerate to the janitorial staff.