http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2010/05/23/the-empire-strikes-back-nbc-at-the-2010-upfronts/ Responses to Media and Culture Fri, 12 Feb 2016 19:35:04 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.5 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2010/05/23/the-empire-strikes-back-nbc-at-the-2010-upfronts/comment-page-1/#comment-6366 Wed, 26 May 2010 14:22:25 +0000 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/?p=4180#comment-6366 Thanks for this, Derek. I only just finished watching the trailers, and was struck by, as you note, how NBC is really trying to get back in the picture by marshaling a whole series of showrunner and star brands: Bruckheimer, Wolf, Abrams on one hand, Kathy Bates (who they neatly brought onto The Office recently, perhaps to remind us she’s alive), Jimmy Smits, and the star wagon that Love Bites claims it will be on the other. Then throw in Extreme Makeover: School Edition in the form of School Pride and try to recreate Curb Your Enthusiasm with Paul Reiser (?!!!) for good measure. Add shows set in India, one called Friends with Benefits, and another comicbook show to make it seem hip and responsive to the world around it. Then Perfect Couples for a sign that it at least wants to be the like the network that had Friends. And it’s a fairly strong branding cocktail. I can’t say I’m all that enthused by many of their offerings, but they’re at least sending the message that they’re trying. I didn’t know Jeff Zucker had it in him.

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