Word: zucker
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...viewer household income of over $75,000 - $10,000 higher than the second-richest show, "Ed," also on NBC. (A fact that probably kept the incessantly quirky bowling-alley drama on the air despite its middling ratings - while other shows with more viewers but fewer SUV buyers got canceled.) Zucker hammered home the point, combining it with a warning against being seduced by unpredictable reality shows' ratings: "When you buy NBC, you're buying quality and stability." It was like attending a life insurance convention...
...casino security, which apparently involves more than keeping drunk computer salesmen from groping the cocktail waitresses. Starring James Caan, Nikki Cox and Cheryl Ladd, it comes from the writer of "The Fast and the Furious" (It had a writer! Who knew?) and is assured to be a hit, says Zucker, because "Our highest-reated 'Fear Factor' ever took place in Las Vegas...
...Speaking of "The West Wing," Zucker assured advertisers that the show would be better than ever despite its recent ratings slide and the loss of creator-writer Aaron Sorkin. Zucker also praised the show's season-ending, over-the-top plot twists - the vice president resigns! the president's daughter gets kidnapped! - which have lately made the show play like "24" with too much dialogue and not enough torture...
...back to the comedies. Those of you who have longed for Whoopi Goldberg to be liberated from the center square and star in a sitcom as a wisecracking hotel manager, suffice it to say your prayers have been answered. "Whoopi" is, to hear Zucker tell it, one of the "edgiest" new shows of the season, but there was little sign of that in the clips, save for the character of an Iranian handyman, which will apparently allow for a lot of wacky terrorist jokes. Meanwhile, "Happy Family" is not just a Chinese menu item anymore: it stars John Larroquette...
...message was loud and clear. Those other networks' smash reality shows are passing fancies. What matters in the long run is our quality scripted dramas and comedies (even the ones that people aren't watching)... which made it all the more amusing when Zucker capped off his presentation with a pitch for "the most upscale reality show you can imagine." On "The Apprentice" - debuting in early 2004 from "Survivor" Producer Mark Burnett - 16 people compete to get a chance to get a job working for Donald Trump. Sixteen people, backstabbing, and climbing the corporate ladder: it's "Survivor" without...