NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin says the network's messy decision to dump the critically admired drama "Southland" should not be taken as a sign the Peacock is getting out of the quality drama business.
In an interview with TheWrap, a candid Gaspin took full responsibility for the controversial cancellation and tried to set the record straight about why -- and how -- NBC decided to reverse course on the series.
And in a significant directional shift, Gaspin also signaled the network was moving away from NBC U's previously expressed philosophy of "managing for margin."
He cited recent blockbuster deals with J.J. Abrams and Jerry Bruckheimer as proof that NBC was interested in more than just the bottom line for programming costs.
"I have been going around town and talking to agencies and talking to producers and trying to make myself visible to say that, while we think we need to produce economically, the goal is not to manage for margins," Gaspin told TheWrap. "It is to put the best possible programs we can on the air."
And while NBC's overall programming budget may have shrunk, "Our development dollars have not changed one bit from five years ago, even though we have many less hours to develop for," Gaspin said. "Our goal is to produce good shows that get whatever's considered good ratings today."
Gaspin's statement is a direct repudiation of former NBC Entertainment co-chair Ben Silverman, who frequently cited the "managing for margin" mantra and used it to justify many of the Peacock's programming decisions, including NBC's replacing 10 p.m. dramas with "The Jay Leno Show."
In a 2008 interview with reporter Michelle Greppi, then of TelevisionWeek, NBC U Chief Executive Officer Jeff Zucker also made it clear NBC was more concerned with its overall profitability than with getting big Nielsen numbers. "We’re managing for margin, not for ratings," he said at the time.
Gaspin, an executive well-known for his fierce competitive streak, clearly feels NBC needs to get back in the ratings game. And he seems willing to spend the dollars to do so: NBC Entertainment chief Angela Bromstad has not been stingy in recent weeks when it comes to stepping up for projects she wants.
"We made a premium deal for J.J. Abrams," Gaspin noted. "We brought Bruckheimer. We're doing 'Prime Suspect.' We're redoing 'The Rockford Files.' We've got a lot of good quality dramas in development."
And yet, NBC has been taking a bashing in the mainstream media and among the Twitteratti for its surprise move earlier this month to kill John Wells' "Southland" before its second season could even premiere.
The conventional wisdom was that NBC was looking to cut costs and wanted to back out of the big-bucks business of big-time network scripted programming.
Gaspin denies this and says the decision was about two things: maintaining some semblance of stability with the NBC lineup, and a recognition of the network's current status in the ratings.
"I've been talking to the team about trying ... to not make any rash decisions and doing our best to satisfy the viewer (by) not constantly moving product around," Gaspin said.
