NBC's Bob Greenblatt Claims A FRIENDS Reboot Will Never Happen, While THE OFFICE Revival is Possible

NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt had at least one big reason to be optimistic about the future of broadcast television. But, as he explained to a crowd of the top entertainment biz attorneys at The Hollywood Reporter's 12th annual Power Lawyers breakfast on Wednesday, there's much more than one hit show behind his rose-colored view.

Greenblatt discussed the success of ABC's Roseanne revival also noted that he's excited about the appetite for the "reboot genre," but that doesn't mean you'll see every popular NBC series from the past revived. "We can't just reboot everything," he said.

The executive explained that a Friends reboot will never happen as well as Seinfeld. Greenblatt suggested it may be beyond the point that would make sense to revive the comedy when asked about a possible Cheers revival. "I'd love to have the Cheers reboot if it were 20 years ago," he added.

The Office is another possibility, though likely without the full original cast, and The West Wing also seems to have favorable odds of returning. Greenblatt noted that West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin would get behind it "if he weren't busy doing 10 other extraordinary things."

Greenblatt explained that another challenge reboots present is the complicated nature of talent deals. "The actors want a lot more money than we're willing to pay them," said the exec.

"This is a reckoning moment," Greenblatt added. "I think we're all very sensitive to it. ... I think it's going to only improve."

Greenblatt's biggest concern about the digital age of television is volume, which he sees as a double-edged sword. So much content means some quality programming is often times looked over, but the market is better than ever for anyone looking to sell a series.

He also explained that NBC has been brainstorming the idea of direct-to-consumer content, such as CBS All Access, for years, but doing anything that encourages customers to cut the cord is sensitive territory considering its Comcast ownership. Still, he said, "I think we will go that direction as well."

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Photo Credit: Walter McBride

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