Cool News
The Biggest Loser: After 24 Years, Jeff Zucker, The CEO Who Picked Jay Over Conan, Confirms He’s Finally Done At NBC!!
I am – Hercules!!
NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker, the man whose regime kicked Conan O’Brien to the curb in favor of Jay Leno, now admits he himself is leaving the company, likely within the next three months.
Zucker’s regime also famously saw the ouster of “Social Network” screenwriter Aaron Sorkin as showrunner of “The West Wing.”
Zucker ascended from executive producer of “The Today Show” to president of NBC entertainment in 2000. During his tenure overseeing the network, NBC slid from first place to fourth among broadcast networks, where it remains today.
He was promoted to president of NBC Entertainment’s News & Cable Group in 2003, promoted again to president of the NBC television group in 2004, promoted again to CEO of NBC in 2005, and promoted again to president and CEO of NBC Universal in 2007.
From Wikipedia:
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote that in Hollywood “there has been a single topic of discussion: How does Jeff Zucker keep rising and rising while the fortunes of NBC keep falling and falling? ...many in the Hollywood community have always regarded him as ...a network Napoleon who never bothered to learn about developing shows and managing talent." She explained that Zucker "is a master at managing up with bosses and calculating cost-per-hour benefits, but even though he made money on cable shows, he could not program network to save his life."
Dowd also reported that an unnamed "honcho at another network" stated that "Zucker is a case study in the most destructive media executive ever to exist... You’d have to tell me who else has taken a once-great network and literally destroyed it."
From Maureen Ryan over at TV Squad:
Jeff Zucker, the NBC Universal chief who will leave as soon as Comcast officially takes over, is forever capable of infuriating anyone who knows anything about TV.
The twin hallmarks of Zucker's reign at NBC were breathtaking arrogance coupled with an inability to pick, support or otherwise promote quality television.
Arrogance and general cluelessnes are not exactly in short supply at television networks. But Zucker's particularly brazen combination of those qualities were designed to produce aneurysms in anyone who watched NBC's shocking decline during the past decade or so.
You see, according to Zucker, none of the disasters that ever befell NBC were his fault. Outside factors were always to blame: The changing nature of the broadcast television industry, the fickleness of the viewing public, the evolving business model. Also, the sun got in his eyes and the dog ate his homework.
Series introduced by NBC since the fall of 2000 include “The Michael Richards Show,” “DAG,” “Titans,” “Cursed,” “Tucker,” “Deadline,” “Emeril,” “Inside Schwartz,” “UC Undercover,” “In-Laws,” “Hidden Hills,” “Good Morning, Miami,” “American Dreams,” “Boomtown,” “Whoopi,” “Happy Family,” “Coupling,” “Miss Match,” “The Lyon’s Den,” “LAX,” “Hawaii,” “Joey,” “Medical Investigation,” “Surface,” “E-Ring,” “Three Wishes,” “Inconceivable,” “Four Kings,” “Father of the Pride,” “The Book of Daniel,” “Teachers,” “Heist,” “Windfall,” “Conviction,” “Treasure Hunters,” “Studio 60,” “Twenty Good Years,” “Kidnapped,” “1 Vs. 100,” “Journeyman,” “The Singing Bee,” “Phenomenon,” “Bionic Woman,” “Life,” “American Gladiators,” “My Dad is Better Than Your Dad,” “Lipstick Jungle,” “Amne$ia,” “Nashville Star,” “The Baby Borrowers,” “Celebrity Circus,” “Fear Itself,” “America’s Toughest Jobs,” “My Own Worst Enemy,” “Knight Rider,” “Kath & Kim,” “Crusoe,” “Kings,” “Community,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Trauma,” “Mercy,” “The Jay Leno Show,” “Parenthood,” “Who Do You Think You Are,” “Minute To Win It” and “The Marriage Ref.”
Longer-lived series introduced under Zucker’s regime include “Crossing Jordan,” “Scrubs,” “Ed,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Fear Factor,” “The Apprentice,” “Las Vegas,” “Last Comic Standing,” “The Biggest Loser,” “The Office,” “My Name Is Earl,” “Deal or No Deal,” “America’s Got Talent,” “Heroes,” “Friday Night Lights,” “30 Rock,” “Chuck,” and “Sunday Night Football.”
Find Bill Carter’s New York Times story on the matter here.
Follow Herc on Twitter!!
Follow Evil Herc on Twitter!!
Readers Talkback
comments powered by Disqus-
+ Expand All
-
Now get rid of lifetime 'sports czar' Dick Ebersol and you might get NBC up and running again.
-
Eat it bitch.
-
Journeyman which was cancelled and shit on undeservedly. Kings which was cancelled and shit on undeservedly. And FNL which was given a chance at least. Everything else was pure shit.
-
is he and cares?
-
NBC West Coast just officially took back control of the network with this news. Now, how long do shows on the cable channels have to live? I see "In Plain Sight", "Eureka", "Caprica", and "Stargate" gone, or finishing out their runs, by this time next year.-----later-----m
-
Chuck is the only good show on NBC and because of that I keep wondering how come NBC didn't canceled it yet?? :-)
-
Just out of curiosity I was wondering what if any are the good points about this guys time with NBC? I know he famously screwed up the Conan deal, but it couldn't have been all bad right? I mean, aside from being an ok bean counter and making a profit on some select shows. Was he really that big of a destructive force? If so why wasn't he canned ages ago? I guess I just want to know more information on why everyone is shitting on him is all. Not that screwing over Conan isn't reason enough, but what else has he screwed up, and why didn't he leave earlier?
-
but then they stopped doing the "different points of view" thing.
-
Sure, the premise was goofy, but it was a great show, and highly rated, and it was canceled to make room for The Biggest Fat Ass.
-
"In Hollywood you kind of fail upwards" Zucker is the epitome of that philosophy.
-
The only bad thing to come out of this is Chuck will likely not get renewed unless it has a miracle surge in viewers. But it's likely time for Chuck anyway, it had a good run and lasted 3 seasons longer than most expected.
-
pleasing the Maureen demographic.
-
...and good riddance.
-
That was a good ass show. But at least he kept Friday Night Lights around...
-
I'm pretty sure Comcast is going to clean house on everything NBC put their shitty hands on. If I was at MSNBC I'd be updating that resume yesterday. Zucker knows it will happen, he bailed out before getting canned. That's what survivors do.
-
This guy is so bad that he'd have even been fired from a GOVERNMENT job by now! They could install a one-eyed chimpanzee with a handful of darts and a board full of series pitches and he could program rings around Zucker.
-
According to reports several months ago, Zucker negotiated himself a $32 million golden parachute. I wish I could be that big of a loser. I mean I couldn't be worse at picking shows and making strategic decisions than Zucker has since he took over NBC. <br><br> The guy inherited the #1 network with Friends, ER, Will and Grace, and other rating leaders and has sunk the network to #4 where he had shows last year getting beaten by cable network shows.
-
That Zucker sucks needs not be said, but Maureen "I hate inside the beltway but I fuck everyone in it" Dowd was just grinding an ax for her overrated boyfriend.
-
losers who fall ass-backwards into inexplicable success and money are still losers. We mean `loser` as in his nature, not as an outcome of events. By that I mean, if your skeezy alcoholic uncle, who`s been arrested twice for sexual interference with a minor, and who still lives with his mother, wins $10,000 in Atlantic city, even though he technically `won`, does not make him any less of a personal loser. Zucker not only fucked up almost everything he had a hand in creating, but he was also able to take things that were already successful, and sink them with his shitty decisions. It takes a pretty big loser to be that fail. Just because he flew under Karma`s radar doesn`t mean he`s a `winner`, just a lucky douchebag.
-
fabulous.
-
NBC West Coast executives hate overseeing Reality TV aka Game Shows. This is why they wrestled away Law & Order and moved it to LA, and why they are doing "Undercovers", "The Event", "Outlaw" and "The Chase." There is no prestige in Hollywood to being the network rep on a game show.-----later-----m
-
When you make tens of millions of dollars for screwing up, you are not a loser. You may suck. You may be an idiot. You may be a moron. But you certainly are not a loser. I put Zucker in those categories, but the guy pretty much won because he was able to leverage the Comcast deal into a better golden parachute. But rich people getting richer is never a loss. It is his underlings who don't have golden parachutes and didn't have any say in Zucker's stupid decisions who will get fired in a regime change that are the losers in this situation. Not Zucker. He can retire and live like a king on his failings.
-
A better analogy would be that skeezy uncle winning $32 million on Powerball. Is he a loser then? He might be a scumbag, but not exactly a loser.
-
was on ABC?
-
Piece of fucking shit. A waste of fucking space. Hope you find something befitting your talents. Maybe mopping the floors in a gay porn shop? With your tongue.
-
'Cause if THAT'S the fucking case, there sure are a lot of big, fat fucking LOSERS on here bemoaning those rich, corporate WINNERS. (And I'd include myself in that group.) No, in point of fucking fact, compensation does NOT determine whether you're a winner or a loser. It's the quality of work you do and the person that you are, your fucking character, that determines whether or not you're a winner or a loser. Shit, man, have we fallen this fucking far?
-
Sept. 24, 2010, 4:12 p.m. CST
Yes, you can STILL be a loser making tens of millions of dollars
by The Bicycle Sharer
Jeff Fucking Loser Zucker stands in silent fucking contradiction to the notion that you can't. He's a fucking loser. I don't give a shit WHO gave him HOW much money. He's a fucking loser. He does shitty, shoddy work. He's a fucking disgrace. (And that's saying something in the world of network and studio execs.)<p>Loser doesn't just mean whether or not you make money.<p>Here, let me help those of you who seem to be fucking befuddled by the concept of a definition.<p>"loser, n., One that fails consistently, especially a person with bad luck or poor skills; one that is bad in quality."<p>See, was that fucking hard? Not a fucking word in there about fucking compensation. Jeez!<p>Did Zucker fail consistently, have poor fucking skills, and was he "bad" in quality? Well, just fucking look at what he fucking did to NBC. He's a fucking well-paid loser. And I'm stunned at the people who claim fucking compensation determines whether or not you're a loser. Un-fuckin'-believable.
-
Let me second the notion. Gonna drink one for you and for Comcast for finally doing what those assholes at NBC should've done years ago - shit can that worthless fucking slimebag.
-
It's appalling that this guy lasted so long. Zucker is obviously guilty of failure, but whoever installed and permitted Zucker to keep the reigns and destroy NBC is the real villain here.
-
NBC sucks.
-
May you ROT in HELL, Jeff FUCKER.
-
Sept. 24, 2010, 4:38 p.m. CST
...and why'd you have to put "Community" in with those loser sho
by MrMysteryGuest
-
Elvira's Movie Macabre is all-new and back on T.V.!!! Fuck. Yeah. This definately deserves a write-up, Herc.
-
It's not too late to restart it...
-
See George Bush, Orlando Bloom etc.
-
Fine, Zucker's a lose, but who would want to be a winner then. Zucker is a loser who falls in shit and comes out smelling like a rose. <br><br> Hey, Llyod Braun was a winner. He found Lost, Desperate Housewives, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and Grey's Anatomy which made ABC relevant. He was fired after two years on the job, but got to say "Previously on Lost" for six seasons of Lost and downgrade his career to work for Yahoo! heading their media division. Huge win.<br><br> I'll take losing in this case. Zucker is a complete moron, but for all his on screen failures he had plenty of personal victories. I doubt he cares today that he put Joey on the air or screwing up the Jay Leno thing when he looks at his bank account and takes a coushy job on the board of some company. <br><br> Llyod Braun is a winner, but he has a fraction of the money and other people take credit for the TV shows he greenlighted. Michael Eisner takes credit for Lost eventhough people in the know know that he hated the concept and didn't want to fund the project and Braun championed it. Yet, most people don't even know who Braun is or that he was responsible for getting Lost on the air.
-
This past season, was the dickhead NBC producer character -- the one who gave Larry shitty Lakers tickets -- based on Jeff Zucker? The character looks an awful lot like the real Zucker -- bald with glasses and whatnot.
-
- Natalie Portman
-
Yeah, you know the rest.
-
To drink and fight!
-
To fuck all night!
-
Jay over Conan???????????
-
Does anyone remember when NBC had some of the best shows on television? Shows like Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Night Court, Cheers, Seinfeld, Mad About You (the first two or three seasons), ER (the first three or four seasons), Friends, Stark Raving Mad... gotcha!...<p> NBC has not developed anything of significant quality, in Zucker's entire run, at the helm. In fact, he guided anything of real quality straight to cancellation. He has been a blight, on the television landscape. I only hope that Comcast takes over and puts in someone who knows how to develop a stable of television shows. There are other things to watch; but more quality choices couldn't hurt.
-
UNFORGIVEABLE!
-
Damn shame!
-
where one can keep a job for a quarter of a century, despite being an absolute failure<p>you look at what was green lighted for this season and wonder just how many whores and coke the showrunners mustve sent over to zucker to get him to ok this dreck<p> and what leads to his downfall? only a comcast takeover...and they will just install some other brainless suit<p>not that if fucking matters...look at the numbers<P>people are not watching tv in the ways they used to<P>and anything being made that is cutting edge is either on direct or pay cable...and tons better stuff is being made on the net...so who needs a zucker<p>thing is, he walks away with a nice golden parachute, and will have even more time to bang whores and snort snow
-
I was not happy, with how NBC treated Studio 60. The first half, of the season was very good and it was getting better. Then it got pulled, from the schedule, writers were shuffled, to other assignments and the last five or six episodes just limped, across the finish line. It was an ignominious end, to a criminally mistreated show.
-
and were not trending to improve....so enough of that twaddle<p>whats really funny about the zuker termination are the tweets<p>in an industry where everyone kisses ass 24/7, writers, producers, actors and even grunts are having no problem at all disparaging the newly unemployed zucker<p>looks like no one is worried about him getting another power position
-
I wanted to like it. Perry was the best thing about friends. Sorkin is one of my favorite screenwriters and, based on Perry's brief stint on the West Wing, the two should have kicked all sorts of TV ass. Unfortunately, Sorkin was waaay more interested in burning bridges and settling scores with both NBC and his ex than writing a good series. As a result, we got a heavy handed polemic that didn't have 1/10 of the wit of the West Wing, despite the fact that it was a lighter subject matter.
-
You may not have liked Studio 60; and you may not have ever watched it. However, true your assertion of poor ratings might be, the fact is NBC gave it a lousy time slot. The network allowed ER to keep limping along, for a good eight seasons, after they should have stuck a fork in it. Studio 60 was supposed to take over Thursday at 10:00 where it may have (I stress the "may have") done a lot better than Monday at 10:00. The only differences between the first half of season 1 of ER and season one of Studio 60 were the night it was on and a whole lot of hype. I won't speak, for Journeyman; I never watched it.
-
1) dude was on shrooms. 2) his scripts were late 3) scripts that did come in pretty said Republicans are white devils (way to limit the fanbase btw) 4) I can't think of a 4 but I wanted studio 60 to work and somehow it ended up being about republicans being white devils and drug addicts being misunderstood.
-
Studio 60 was the first Sorkin show that I followed. Perhaps I'd have a better handle, on Studio 60's detractors, if I had seen West Wing.
-
world's biggest douchebag, bigger than eminem or spencer pratt, fin ally does the world a favor and bids adieu to nbc, after single handedly destroying the network the west wing went downhill after sorkin left AND he overdosed us with law & order spinoffs little fuckwad
-
WW was the far superior show if you leave out seasons 3-5.
-
he extended friends long past its lifeline the show shouldve ended after season 8 or 9 but noooo jeff had to have his way hes all about money he gives other jews a bad name
-
About time this piece of shit got the boot. Long time coming.
-
I think Studio 60 would do fantastic on AMC!
-
is longer than his hit list
-
Wish Braga was on the same bus to nowhere.....
-
Is tied as the best sitcom on NBC. Yes, Better than "The Office." Equals "30 Rock". Wish they would put the horrible "Outsourced" on at 7,(or just bring back "Parks & Rec") then "Office," then "Community" and end where "30 Rock" should be, at 8:30. Then give us something to credible to watch at 9. The Apprentice? Really? Give me a Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, or E.R.
-
Please let there be a Terminator nod!
-
FTW!
-
..than seeing that liberal green happy prick ousted. Farewell Zucker, and thanks for all the shit!
-
Loser.
-
Maybe after The Event tanks, we can get this back? It's essentially the same thing.
-
Chuck, Heroes, Las vegas, My name is Earl, Ed, Kings, Scrubs, 30 rock, Community... NBC has always been my favorite network, producing most of the non cable shows I watch. I'm 25, and like a lot pf people probably watch or tivo shows, so maybe the stats don't match the popularity?
-
FlashForward was an ABC show. But I agree, The Event did make me think of FlashForward a few times in the first 3 episodes. Which isn't a bad thing, because I actually liked FlashForward and thought it got really good after the holiday hiatus.
-
You never watched the West Wing? You weren't missing much. The best thing Martin Sheen ever did was that Visa commercial where Charlie Sheen waited so long for his purchase he aged into his father. I tell ya, I laughed for 2 straight minutes at that one....
-
I've more or less loved every episode. Anyone who likes the show should check out Donald Glover's (Troy) standup on ComedyCentral.com. Dude is really funny, and does a ridiculous Chris Rock impression. He's my and already has 2 years as a writer on 30 Rock under his belt. I need to play catchup. And Alison Brie is also awesome.
-
Yeah, Flash Forward was good. I thought each character had a distinct personality, unlike The Event's first episode. In the Event I only thought the kid, and The President were interesting.
-
Put aside his record at NBC and he still had a rep for being an unpleasant person who couldn't accept responsibility and often deflected blame.
-
can be his last: A 1 hour primetime special on his last day at the network, when they put him in a clear plastic box and everyone he ever fucked at the network gets to shit in it until he suffocates. Hell, even I would watch that.
-
Sept. 25, 2010, 1:01 p.m. CST
NBC'S PLAYING 2 YEAR OLD RERUNS OF REAL HOUSEWIVES
by BringingSexyBack
LOL Good job Zucker.
-
Sept. 25, 2010, 1:03 p.m. CST
Actually, choosing Jay over Conan was the one good decision
by Coughlins Laws
he DID make. The numbers prove him right...
-
jays ratings are no better than conans, so once again youre wrong
-
And his TBS ratings will be crap. I wasn't even aware George Lopez had a show.
-
Crappy show but Ashley Williams and Constance Zimmer are HOT. I wasn't aware of either of them before that show, so Zucker gets my kudos on that one at least.
-
Sprinkled with pee pee. <p> And that's all that needs to be said about this. <p> ***** END OF THIS TALKBACK *****
-
Geeez! I knew Comcast wasn't gonna keep that douche bag. Eat shit and die Zucker
-
Sept. 25, 2010, 10:08 p.m. CST
Herc, what did Zucker have to do with Sorkin leaving WW?
by BadMrWonka
I thought Sorking an Schlamme had problems with Warner Bros., not NBC or Zucker. and they weren't "forced out" in the way Conan was, Sorkin was missing script deadlines and the show was running over budget quite a bit...a problem for WARNER BROS., not NBC Entertainment.<p>I think Zucker is a tool, and I love Sorkin, and the WEst Wing is the best show in the history of television. but I'm not convinced you can pin that one on Zucker.<p>unless you've got some private juicy details you'd like to share? hmmmm?
-
they plain suck. havent watched a NBC show in years. what a crappy network. people blame FOX for cancelling stuff but look at NBC, they are dry to the bone. maybe they should consider complete reform. could thing that shit CEO got fired.
-
man im sleepy
-
Sept. 26, 2010, 10:49 a.m. CST
JaredP, actually, you're wrong. Conan's ratings were
by Coughlins Laws
abysmal. He never beat Letterman except the week or two his show first stated and the week or two after it was announced he was leaving The Tonight Show. And Leno beats Letterman EVERY week. So explain to me how you think that Conan had better ratings than a guy that beats Letterman by at least half a million every night when he NEVER beat Letterman?
-
Are you aware that Leno is now THIRD in overall ratings behind Nightline and Letterman?
-
you will see that jay is WAY down compared to conans ratings from when he hosted tonight and jays primetime show was worse in the ratings than compared to conans tonight gig
-
someone saw fit to cancel him!!!
-
the douchbag that destroyed nbc sports is the only one left
-
was never about creating good television--it was about the Conservatives taking over the media and with Comcast taking over--that goal is complete. Don't expect NBC to get any better or any more open-minded anytime in the next ten years, under Comcast.
-
That's just hat it looks like to a loonie liberal like myself!
-
Sept. 27, 2010, 1:03 p.m. CST
cymbalta, no, you're wrong. That was an average ratings
by Coughlins Laws
from 2009-2010. It was ratings for The Tonight Show with Conan averaged with Leno's Tonight Show. If you look at just since Leno came back, he has consistently been in first place. I'm sorry you don't know how to read ratings numbers or how to interpret an article that was written in English...
Top Talkbacks
- Spoilery early review of MAN OF STEEL!! -- 418 total posts 386 posts
- Holy Crossover!! Magneto’s Boy Quicksilver To Speed About In Whedon’s AVENGERS 2 And Singer’s X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST?? -- 326 total posts 114 posts
- Tom Cruise Won’t Go Solo For MAN FROM UNCLE!! -- 113 total posts 113 posts
- A review of Refn and Gosling's ONLY GOD FORGIVES, direct from Cannes!! -- 111 total posts 92 posts
- The Friday Docback Revisits DOCTOR WHO Season 7!! A Fuller Review Of 'The Name of the Doctor,' And More!! -- 75 total posts 75 posts
- Capone believes that FAST & FURIOUS 6 is the best in a bizarre, crowded franchise!!! -- 65 total posts 65 posts
- Harry dives into STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS' spoilers to reveal the truth behind the blockbuster we're seeing! -- 1470 total posts 63 posts
- Capone makes the case that THE HANGOVER PART III is neither a comedy nor a movie!!! -- 59 total posts 59 posts
- Beware Epileptics - we have a new motion poster for the upcoming remake of CARRIE! -- 59 total posts 59 posts
- Green-Band and Red-Band trailers for the new Jason Sudeikis & Jennifer Aniston VACATION ripoff, WE'RE THE MILLERS are here!! -- 150 total posts 58 posts