Return of Isaiah, Seinfeld, Trump and Lear Come 60 days after Silverman and Graboff take NBC
Rosie won’t accept their invite to join ‘Apprentice’ in “this life or next.”

By Alex Ben Block

HOLLYWOOD, CA. (HollywoodToday) 7/17/07- After being forced off ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” actor Isaiah Washington is returning to network TV this fall on the new “Bionic Woman.” Jerry Seinfeld is coming back for promo “mobisodes” and to play himself on an episode of “30 Rock.” Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” is returning with a cast of “celebrities” playing for charity and Rosie has been invited to join the cast. “All In The Family” creator Norman Lear is returning to produce a “dramady.” And ‘The Singing Bee” has won a regular time slot this fall after drawing 5.1 million viewers, making it the biggest hit of this summer.

Those were among the announcements by NBC at a press conference Monday in Beverly Hills as part of the semi annual TV critic’s tour. However, that isn’t why much of the standing room only crowd was on hand. They were there for the executive session with NBC Co-Chairman Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff, who met with the press for the first time since taking over the peacock network and its production studio.

Most of the curiosity centered on Silverman, the 36-year-old wunderkind and former talent agent who less than two months ago was vaulted from producer of “Ugly Betty” to running all of NBC and Universal’s production, marketing and distribution operations.

The first question thrown at Silverman was how he felt about the network paying out a reported $6 million settlement to NBC former President of Entertainment Kevin Reilly, who Silverman suddenly replaced.

Graboff, a veteran NBC executive, jumped in to insist Reilly “wasn’t fired…Kevin determined there was no role for him and he left.” That brought a guffaw from the packed rows of reporters from all over the U.S.

Earlier this month Reilly joined Fox Broadcasting as President of Entertainment, where he and Fox network Chairman Peter Ligouri now compete with Silverman and Graboff.

When asked how he felt about having to now promote a schedule of shows that Reilly set up for this fall, Silverman again took the high road: “I am so happy to build on the legacy…that has been NBC’s hallmark.”

Adding his own legacy, Silverman drew some gasps of surprise when he said NBC was picking up a game show featuring psychic Uri Geller and magician Chriss Angel.

The controversial show is based on a concept developed by Geller in Israel where the program is a hit (although denounced by local magicians as a scam). On the series, Geller seeks a successor with paranormal powers similar to those he claims. This successor must demonstrate the same kind of mental prowess that has made him famous, from bending spoons without touching them to stopping the hands on clocks with mind power. The show was called “The Successor” in Israel, but will be called “Phenomenon” on NBC.

There will be no shortage of science fiction laced shows on the network this fall. In fact, the entire NBC Monday night lineup will be shows with fantasy elements. The network moved “Chuck,” described as a “comedic spy thriller” to Monday at 8, to be followed by the hit of last season, “Heroes,” and then “Journeyman,” a romantic fantasy in which the lead travels through time to help people in trouble. “We believe these programming changes will allow for a powerhouse Monday night,” touted Silverman.

There has been a huge amount of publicity about actor Isaiah Washington being dropped by ABC in the wake of remarks about homosexuals. However, Silverman insisted he was surprised when he ran into the actor recently to learn he was available. In addition to appearing on about half a dozen episodes of the new “Bionic Woman,” Washington has also made a producing deal with NBC to develop another show in which he will star.

Silverman said he was talking to Jerry Seinfeld on the phone about a series of 20 short “mobisodes” that are scheduled to run between commercials this fall based on the upcoming DreamWorks animated movie about bees that Seinfeld has created. That led to Seinfeld being cast on an episode of “30 Rock,” which will air on Oct. 4, playing himself.

“I think it’s going to be so refreshing for me to be playing myself in a show that has nothing to do with neurotic, dysfunctional New York characters,” Seinfeld said in a NBC press release. NBC also announced it will have exclusive US broadcast and cable network rights to the film, which features Seinfeld as a disillusioned bee.

Silverman said he sought out veteran producer Norman Lear when he first came to Hollywood half a dozen years ago, and that they have been friends since. Silverman referred to Lear as his “idol.” He said Lear will develop a one hour show mixing comedy and drama, which will “push the envelope by tackling gender issues through comedy, character and emotion.” Lara Bergthold will serve as executive producer along with Todd Cohen of Reveille Productions, the company Silverman just left.

A question was raised about Silverman’s seemingly endless conflicts of interest. He has the power to buy shows from his own former production company, which could be tempting even though his own interest in the company is now in a blind trust.

“My focus is on NBC,” answered Silverman, “to find the best creativity in the world.”

Graboff jumped in to say Silverman’s deal had been vetted by NBC U parent General Electric, which has strict guidelines to avoid any conflicts. “We have dealt with the conflicts,” said Graboff.

Silverman said it was his idea to bring back “The Apprentice” with a crew of celebrities from entertainment, sports and pop culture. He said a similar show did very well in the U.K. so he decided to do it here. Silverman would not say which celebrities they plan to enlist, but he did say they would love to have Rosie O’Donnell on the show; and that Trump had approved offering her a slot. Silverman said she had been invited.

O’Donnell has not accepted yet, Silverman admitted. O’Donnell and Trump have a long running feud. O’Donnell’s representative, Cindi Berger, put the lid on it, stating “It will not happen in this lifetime or beyond.”

The celebrities who do participate on “The Apprentice” will do so on behalf of a charity. Silverman said they want celebs who have also built businesses, such as an actress who is a fashion designer. “You will see people who have some passion point in their own life,” said Silverman.

At the end of the press conference, Lauren Zalaznick, president of Bravo, came on to announce an expanded environmental commitment by all of NBC and Universal with “Green Is Universal.” That means during the week of Nov. 4 to 11, the company will use its resources to educate viewers on ecological issues and the environment. Every NBC U show on the broadcast and cable networks, in every day part, will have “green” themes that week, including the Today Show, the Nightly News, sports, CNBC, Telemundo, USA Network, Sci Fi Network and even the Universal theme parks.

Silverman added that every single primetime scripted and reality show will go gre en that week, as well as the late night shows and even the daytime soap operas. “We are getting everyone engaged and involved,” said Silverman, “and we hope to see direct results.”

However, the real life issues will not overwhelm the story telling, assured Silverman, who insisted all of the writers and producers have been happy to participate in the green week. Although he has his own strong political views, and wants to see social issues dealt with in primetime, Silverman made it clear it would still be entertainment: “We are looking to create unbelievably compelling television shows and if we do that, you can deal with some controversial subjects within that.”

It was a classy cap to a solid debut performance by Silverman, who remained after the session for an unusually long time talking to members of the media individually. Some of the NBC shows may have been created by a successor, but it was clear Silverman was a showman and Graboff a businessman and that they were quickly putting their stamp on NBC Universal.