Kevin Reilly: From NBC to Fox in Six Weeks

Kevin Reilly by Maury Phillips/WireImage.com

Wow, that didn’t take long.

It hasn’t even been two months (May 14, to be exact) since Kevin Reilly stood astride the Radio City Music Hall stage as NBC’s Entertainment president to present the Peacock’s fall lineup to advertisers at the upfront. That was then, this is now.

In the interim, Reilly was bounced by NBC brass in favor of wunderkind agent-turned-producer Ben Silverman. And Reilly, as rumored, has rebounded with unusual agility and speed at Fox, where he is being reunited with his former FX captain Peter Liguori, who’s being promoted up the ladder to Fox Broadcasting Company chairman while Reilly assumes the Entertainment president reins.

It’s enough to make the head spin, and to make those of us who’ve felt we’ve seen it all anticipate Fox’s days at the ongoing critics' press tour. (Fox is scheduled for Sunday and Monday, July 22 and 23.) Will Reilly now be pitching the virtues of new Fox shows like New Amsterdam, Back to You and K-Ville to the press, after having tried to sell advertisers on the virtues of new NBC shows like Bionic Woman, Chuck and Journeyman just a few short weeks ago? What a business.

Beyond the awkwardness of the new-season launch, there is reason to embrace (however cautiously) this new partnership. They did achieve magical results at FX, putting the network on the map with bold strokes like The Shield and Nip/Tuck.

And what will Silverman be offering us when we gather to take a look at the new NBC? The hardly desired news that he’s keeping the ailing Apprentice franchise alive.

Maybe Reilly got out just in time.

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Posted by

Matt Roush

Jul 9, 2007 6:42 PM

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From my seat, it looks like The Apprentice wouldn't be back if Reilly was still at NBC. Is it possible Donald Trump had enough "pull" to get Reilly out so he, himself, could get back in? If so, this was an extremely poor decision on the part of NBC. I fear there will be others, like the canceling of Friday Night Lights.

On the other hand, Fox has also been known to make some extremely poor decisions. Certain major producers and showrunners have said they will never work with Fox again. Currently, House is the only thing worth watching on the whole network. We must hope Reilly turns that around. Because, seriously, we need some programming chiefs who actually have good taste.

Posted by Katcon

Jul 9, 2007 8:15 PM

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Matt are you taking over for Battaglio?
Posted by Fraps Jul 9, 2007 11:04 PM Report Abuse

I hope that Kevin will show the same patience and support for the new shows on FOX which may turn out to be good but underappreciated in the ratings. I have to agree with you, Matt. Despite Ben Silverman's comment when he was introduced as the new honcho about FNL, I am a bit weary now of him. If only he spent more time promoting shows like FNL and 30 Rock, instead of bringing back The Apprentice, then I might have some more faith.

Posted by abbeyroad21

Jul 10, 2007 10:11 AM

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I think NBC was unfair to Mr. Reilly so I was happy to see this news. The reality is that NBC probably dug itself a hole that would take anyone a few years to crawl out of (I won’t even mention the irony of Zucker being the one largely responsible for that hole). Kevin Reilly was doing exactly what he should be doing: trying new things. No one is going to tune into the #4 network to see the “same old thing” and if NBC has any chance of reclaiming a spot in the top 3 it will have to experiment.

As far as advertisers not being impressed by NBC’s new fall shows I’d suggest that advertisers aren’t ones to take a chance on anything that’s even remotely risky. It’s only when viewers jump on board the risky venture that advertisers start to take note. I mean, does anyone really think NBC can put on a CSI clone and succeed?

As for Silverman, his early moves seem to suggest he’s pursuing “the low class network” angle. Things like pursuing Rosie and bringing back the Donald all seem designed to create shock value and make NBC the car wreck of network television where Silverman hopes the spectacle will be enough to get people to stop and look.

Posted by ThomasC22

Jul 10, 2007 4:21 PM

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I'll look forward to seeing some actual action out of Mr. Reilly at Fox. That will tell us what to look for to expect moving forward. I don't watch much on Fox, but I plan to spend part of my Wednesday nights with the network!
Posted by tazzy Jul 10, 2007 8:36 PM Report Abuse

I'll look forward to seeing some actual action out of Mr. Reilly at Fox. That will tell us what to look for to expect moving forward. I don't watch much on Fox, but I plan to spend part of my Wednesday nights with the network!
Posted by tazzy Jul 10, 2007 8:36 PM Report Abuse

I won’t even mention the irony of Zucker being the one largely responsible for that hole I will: http://www.radaronline.com/features/2007/02/the_sweet_smell_of_zucksess.php">Zucker fails to the top!
Posted by fx772k1 Jul 13, 2007 4:19 AM Report Abuse

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