V I D E O a A G E JA N U A R Y 2 0 1 3 6 Actor John Lithgow, who starred in NBC’s 3rd Rock from the Sun, once said, “When it’s right, there’s nothing like a sitcom.” Well, during the 1980s-1990s, NBC had it right. It all started with NBC’s “Night of Bests,” the name the network gave its Thursday night lineup consisting of classic shows Cheers, The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Night Court and Hill Street Blues, before progressing to “Must See TV,” the slogan they gave the Thursday night lineup that graced the air in the ’90s. Warren Littlefield, former president of Entertainment at NBC from 19911998, along with author T.R. Pearson, explore the inside world of hit television that had millions of Americans tuning in every Thursday night in Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV (Doubleday, 326 pages, $27.95). Must See TV, of course, refers to the following shows: Seinfeld, Friends, Mad About You, Frasier, Will & Grace and ER. With these shows, “From 1993 through 1998, NBC exploded every conventional notion of what a broadcast network could accomplish with a primetime lineup. On Thursday nights in particular, everybody watched the peacock [an allusion to NBC’s logo, which takes the shape of a peacock]. We beat the other three networks combined by wide margins,” said Littlefield. “At its height, NBC’s Thursday prime-time schedule of Must See shows attracted a staggering seventy-five million viewers and generated more revenue for NBC than the other six nights of the week combined.” Putting that figure in perspective, Littlefield explains, “In today’s fractured entertainment market, NBC averages an anemic audience of less than six million for its Thursday night lineup.” According to Littlefield, the key to success lies in getting into business with talented, creative people and giving them the freedom to do their job — be it writing, producing or acting. That was his leadership style at NBC, and it works equally well in his writing. Littlefield masterfully weaves together an oral history with contributions from the people who had a hand in creating and sustaining Must See TV at the peacock during his tenure there. Sitting down to share their stories are top players such as Jerry Seinfeld and Jason Alexander (Seinfeld); Kelsey Grammer (Cheers, Frasier); David Hyde Pierce (Frasier); Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt (Mad About You); Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer (Friends); Debra Messing, Eric McCormack and Sean Hayes (Will & Grace); John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun); and Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle and Anthony Edwards (ER), as well as director Jimmy Burrows, writers, producers and suits. He even includes a “Players Guide,” which is a great tool for the reader to flip back to for a quick refresher when a lesser-known name pops up. And with short quotes from each person, it feels as if they are seated around a table conversing about some of the most popular shows ever to hit the airwaves. The talent and producers share engaging and fun anecdotes that make the reader privy to inside information. Actor Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza on Seinfeld, recalls that one day when he, comedian/actor/Seinfeld co-creator Jerry Seinfeld, co-creator Larry David and actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus (who played Elaine Benes) were out to lunch discussing how difficult it was to act with Heidi Swedberg, who played George’s fiancée, Susan, Louis-Dreyfus announced, “I just want to kill [the Susan character].” As Seinfeld fans know, that’s exactly what they did. Friends fans may be surprised to learn that creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane originally offered the part of Rachel Green (played by Jennifer Aniston) to Courteney Cox, who passed on the role to play Monica Geller instead. But it wasn’t that simple, because that role almost went to Nancy McKeon fromThe Facts of Life. However, true to form, Littlefield allowed the creators to decide on the cast, and Cox ultimately won out. And could you imagine Lisa Kudrow (who played Phoebe Buffay) as Rachel? Kudrow explains that when she went in for the audition, she was after a different part, but was told, “No. You’re this quirky girl.” Friends fans everywhere can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Seinfeld marked the beginning of Littlefield’s reign at NBC, when he took charge of making programming decisions, which he describes as “part crapshoot, but…part savvy and judgment as well, tempered with an awful lot of hard work.” When he first took on the job in the early ’90s, Cheers was the network’s top-rated comedy, but a call from the lead, Ted Danson, saying he wasn’t returning to the show sent Littlefield into a panic. Eventually, though, Littlefield bet on Seinfeld to replace the ever-popular Cheers, and that bet paid off in full. By the time the Cheers finale aired in May 1993, Seinfeld had surpassed the show in ratings. Plus, at the height of Must See TV’s popularity, a 30-second advertising spot on Seinfeld garnered $800,000 (about $1.28m today). Guarding every penny, the network gradually shaved 30 seconds off each episode until they ran at least a minute shorter in the last few years, leading Seinfeld and David to exclaim, “Stop making the show shorter!” Ad spots for the final episode brought in $1.8 million (about $2.554m). Just as he and his team took risks with Seinfeld (developing it out of the Variety and Specials department because the Comedy department lacked the funds), Littlefield also took risks with the other shows that became Must See TV. He went against president of West Coast Operations Don Ohlmeyer’s instincts by pushing forward with Friends, despite Ohlmeyer’s insistence that Monica Geller’s sleeping with someone on a first date made her a slut (fans disagreed, and so did Littlefield), and by agreeing to air a sitcom centered on gay characters (enter Will & Grace). A lesson Littlefield hopes NBC will relearn (and perhaps one everyone should learn): “my guiding principle…was to get into business with talented people and let them be talented.” For instance, the suits ultimately allowed Cheers creators Jimmy Burrows and Les and Glen Charles to cast Danson and Shelley Long as Sam and Diane in the series, despite the fact that the network was leaning toward another pair. Audiences everywhere would agree that was smart business. “That was a valuable lesson learned for me. When you get into business with talented, creative people [like the Charles brothers and Burrows], listen to them,” Littlefield said. It happened again in selecting Kelsey Grammer to play the part of Frasier Crane. The success of his spin-off, Frasier, is a testament to Littlefield’s practice. Littlefield’s tone is fun and informal (he writes of taking over as president of Entertainment at a time when the network’s ratings were sinking: “My timing sucked.”). He also winks at the reader/Must See fan through witty and fun chapter titles that are a salute to the top shows: “Yada, Yada, Yada” (Seinfeld), “Master of My Domain” (Seinfeld), “I’ll Be There for You” (Friends) and “Batting for the Other Team” (Will & Grace). Learning about the ins and outs of some of the greatest shows on television is, in a word, thrilling — and reading this book is as much fun as watching the shows. Littlefield’s book on Must See TV is a must-read. So don’t touch that dial, open that book! SA Don’t Touch That Dial: Inside NBC’s “Must See TV” Hits B o o k R e v i e w
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