INTV: Bob Greenblatt Talks New Model of Network Drama

JERUSALEM: At the Innovative TV Conference (INTV), Bob Greenblatt, the chairman of NBC Entertainment, discussed shows he has greenlit in his career, and his desire to make NBC the most critically acclaimed broadcast network once again.

Greenblatt was interviewed by Avi Nir, the CEO of Keshet, organizer of the INTV conference, in a session called One-On-One: When Avi Met Bob. Greenblatt told the audience, “NBC used to be one of the best, most critically acclaimed networks. We are trying to bring that back. It is not easy.” Greenblatt explained that today there are dozens of cable channels all producing quality original series, while when NBC was the home of must-see TV there were fewer high-concept original series being commissioned.

Greenblatt, who was at Showtime prior to joining NBC, said that working in broadcast network television means there are more limitations than in pay cable, there are words that cannot be used and subject matters that cannot be portrayed. Nonetheless, “every limitation can be seen as an opportunity,” he said.

“We compete against extraordinary shows on cable,” he continued.

“Broadcast networks tend to offer safe, predictable and a little old-fashioned programming. They need to appeal the widest possible audience.” NBC’s new show The Blacklist, which Greenblatt says is drawing 18 million viewers each week, is a familiar idea to broadcast network audiences: it’s about law enforcement, and in each self-contained episode a criminal is caught. Franchise shows such as CSI and NCIS are very successful on broadcast TV.

“Today, a show needs a character that has never been seen before and it needs a hook,” said Greenblatt, elements which The Blacklist has. “We’ve created a backstory for the main character Red Reddington [played by James Spader] and a mystery around why he only wants to deal with FBI agent Elizabeth Keene. The Blacklist is a new model for a network show; it has the serialized part of a cable series combined with the close-ended episodes of a broadcast network franchise. It has a great script and a great actor.”

Greenblatt went on to say that “provocation is the name of the game now in television, but you do it within the parameters of the network you work in. At NBC we have to make noise, we are the fourth-placed network. The Blacklist is provocative, because the main character is a bad guy; audiences want good guys as main characters. But if you are not provocative you will be passed over.”

Keshet’s Nir took the audience through Greenblatt’s career, first at FOX, where he shepherded series such as Beverly Hills, 90210, The X-Files, Ally McBeal and developed The Sopranos, although ultimately, HBO took the latter. At Showtime he greenlit Weeds, Dexter and Californication, among others—each groundbreaking and innovative in its own way.

Greenblatt concluded by saying he is open to ideas from the international market. “There are so many shows and such a need for product, we need to look around the world. The key is finding the right idea and adapting it to the right network.”

Keshet International and NBC worked for a year on an adaptation of Keshet’s format The Gordin Cell. “We went down one direction and it wasn’t right," said Greenblatt. Nir concurred, “the first try wasn’t so good,” he said. “When adapting formats,” added Greenblatt, “you have to be very thoughtful.”