NBC Defends Its Tardiness in Fielding a ‘Reality’ Show

Buffeted by ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” on one side and CBS’ “Survivor” on the other, NBC executives defended their slow entry into the pool of so-called reality programming and said that they must dive in to stay competitive.

“This is not just a fad, it’s a trend. . . . It’s going to be around for a while,” NBC West Coast President Scott Sassa told a gathering of more than 200 TV critics and reporters in Pasadena on Tuesday.

The lines of what is acceptable to put on television have blurred, Sassa added, forcing networks to try hitting a moving target. While some critics have decried the advent of reality-based fare--and the mean-spirited nature of shows such as “Survivor” and CBS’ like-themed project “Big Brother,” where contestants are “voted out” to create suspense--Sassa said, “We cannot ignore the public’s interest in these different kinds of reality shows.”

The network has already taken steps to beef up development of alternative programs and will probably introduce such a series next summer after the NBA basketball playoffs, which should provide a platform to promote the show.

In addition to the late arrival in reality, NBC officials are said to have taken heat internally for their decision to largely sit out the current summer in terms of original series, helping clear the way for CBS to garner inordinate media attention for its new shows. NBC’s crop of new series for the fall has also been coolly received in analysis by media buyers, causing concern the network may squander the promotional benefits associated with broadcasting the Summer Olympics in September.

Sassa downplayed negative assessments of the fall lineup but nevertheless joked about published reports suggesting he is in danger of losing his job. Allison Janney, who plays the White House press secretary C.J. on NBC’s critically acclaimed drama “The West Wing,” opened the event by saying Tuesday was “the 23rd day in a row that Scott Sassa has not been fired.”

NBC has done some minor tinkering designed to fortify its prime-time schedule, flipping the new comedy “Tucker” to Monday nights and the well-traveled “3rd Rock From the Sun” back to Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m., where it will precede “Frasier.” Network officials--who announced their revised roster before the other networks--attributed the maneuver to appraising the playing field once all the lineups had been announced.

The network also confirmed that William Devane and “Saturday Night Live’s” Tim Meadows will join a new sitcom starring “Seinfeld” alumnus Michael Richards as a bumbling detective--a project perceived as being troubled, with NBC having dumped the prototype used to sell the series.

Sassa maintained that quality dramas and comedies remain the “bread and butter” of the network and still represent the means by which broadcasters can best differentiate themselves from other viewing alternatives. Basic cable networks, for example, have generally been slow to make in-roads in the realm of episodic series.

Beyond the series arena, NBC announced plans for a made-for-TV movie chronicling John Lennon’s early years, “In the Life: The John Lennon Story,” which joins a movie about singer Natalie Cole and the miniseries “Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot” on the network’s slate of upcoming biographical productions.

With all the discussion of reality programs, it’s also worth noting that NBC will broadcast “The Truman Show,” a film frequently tied to discussions of the potential excesses of that genre.