News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

STAGE TUBE: Debra Messing, Warren Littlefield Discuss 'Must See TV' on TODAY

By: Apr. 27, 2012
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy



On this morning's TODAY show, former NBC President of Entertainment Warren Littlefield and SMASH star Debra Messings discussed Littlefield's new book entitled "Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV". 

"Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV" is an insiders' account of the greatest era in television history, told by the actors, writers, directors, producers, and the network executives who made it happen, and watched it all fall apart. The popular series during this era of TV included Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier, ER, Cheers, Law & Order and Will & Grace.

Warren Littlefield was the NBC President of Entertainment who oversaw the Peacock Network's rise from also-ran to a division that generated a billion dollars in profits. In this fast-paced and exceptionally entertaining oral history, Littlefield and NBC luminaries including Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Kelsey Grammer, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Julianna Marguiles, Anthony Edwards, Noah Wylie, Debra Messing, Jack Welch, Jimmy Burrows, Helen Hunt, and Dick Wolf vividly recapture the incredible era of Must See TV.

From 1993 through 1998, NBC exploded every conventional notion of what a broadcast network could accomplish with the greatest prime-time line-up in television history. On Thursday nights, a cavalcade of groundbreaking comedies and dramas streamed into homes, attracting a staggering 75 million viewers and generating more revenue than all other six nights of programming combined. The road to success, however, was a rocky one. 

View this morning's interview on TODAY below!







Videos