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I broke the news today that David Nevins suddenly is leaving Imagine TV after serving as president for 8 years because he couldn’t reach a contract with 20th TV and that he lined up a new job. He’s heading to Showtime as the new entertainment president, replacing Robert Greenblatt, who will be leaving. “He wants other mountains to climb. A great exec we tried to keep,’ a CBS Inc exec explained tonight.
The fact that Greenblatt’s contract is up this summer has triggered a flurry of speculation for months how after 7 years he might pursue a new job, possibly at a broadcast network, maybe even with post-merger NBC. Under him, Showtime has grown into a formidable scripted series player through a slew of successful shows such as The Tudors, Dexter, Weeds, Nurse Jackie and the United States Of Tara. The parting of the ways between Greenblatt and Showtime is said to be amicable, and Greenblatt is expected to stay on through the end of his contract next month. He is known for switching careers and not staying in one job for too long. He left his post at Fox as EVP to launch Greenblatt Janollari Studio, then left the successful production company to run Showtime. The length of his stay at Showtime is similar to his stints at Fox (8 years) and Greenblatt Janollari Studios (6 years).
As for Nevins, I hear the negotiations with Showtime happened quickly within the last week. Nevins served as a network executive at NBC and Fox for 10 years before joining Imagine in 2002. Coincidentally, this is the second time Nevins succeeds Greenblatt in an executive job. Nevins held the same EVP post at Fox after Greenblatt had left to become a producer.
SHOCKER! David Nevins Out At Imagine TV
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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wahahahahahaahhahahahahahaah!!!
While Greenblatt is a hard act to follow, Nevins is an inspired choice if you have to replace him.
I find this choice by Showtime to be a bit odd — these two guys could not be more different.
Surely an oversight, but lets not forget Nurse Jackie. Best 30 minutes of my viewing week. High hopes for The Big C.
Will lead to a noticeable shift in what SHOWTIME will develop going forward? Hopefully. While I love NURSE JACKIE and have high expectations for THE BIG C (Laura Linney in a series!); the wildly flawed central character wrestling with the dual sides of their dark, twisted nature/life choices is starting to feel a little suffocating. It seems like once they do cancer in THE BIG C, there won’t be much more to work with in that arena (Sex Addicted, Enfant Terrible Romantic Father, Good Serial Killer Father, Drug-Addicted Mom, Multiple-Personality Disorder Mom, Drug Dealing Mom are all tapped) Would love to see SHOWTIME shatter that mold with something completely different and not fall prey to the HBO trap.
I agree wholeheartedly. This whole fucked-up anti-hero with a dark side bit is getting tired. It’s becoming self-parody.
How fitting that there is an ad for HUNG, another one of these tired premises below.
“Friday Night Lights” is produced by Imagine. A show that feels more Cable-like than it’s NBC home suggests. What makes shows like that aren’t it’s “dark edge” as much as it’s authenticity to real life. If showtime did a show like that, it’d break the mold.
David Nevins can’t hold a candle to Bob. Bob has amazing taste and is known for his honesty and decisiveness! Not so with David.
David Nevins needs to warm up to creatives. His first impression is humorless and cold and all business as usual. One of the guys and kind of old school. Corporate. But there’s a terrific person to work with underneath his cover. He’s supported some great ideas. This is an incredible opportunity for him. I hope he will break out and build on the fantastic work Bob has left behind.
Women viewers have left HBO in droves for Showtime. Their ideas aren’t about being so clever you can’t watch the show. Nurse Jackie is pretty basic. That is why audiences love it.
Nevins isn’t working with Fox anymore. He can think about great storytelling. He is not bound by those numbnuts at Fox.
You can’t be serious. Showtime does the same show over and over again and treats it’s audience as if they are too stupid to follow anything else. It’s a mediocre formula and it’s just a showcase for middle aged actresses who can’t get movies anymore. It’s like pay cable Lifetime.
Californication people! the literate person’s show!
This guy never developed anything memorable at imagine. Even Marty adelstein had a hit there for Christ sake. Falling upward. What a joke.
Greenblatt’s been talking to Gaspin about NBC for months…stay tuned folks!
It seems to me that HBO is making a comeback with shows like Treme, True Blood, Boardwalk Empire and A Game of Thrones. My point is I hope Showtime doesn’t go through a period of lack of creativity that HBO went through after the Sopranos left and Chris Albrecht was arrested. Luckily HBO is back on it’s game. But, I fear that Showtime might go through the same fate when they lose Greenblatt and when they lose Dexter.
I think Nevins has a tough job. I don’t know how Showtime can continue making money producing a handful of decent tv shows yet showing zero major studio films. Why would any sucker pay for showtime as compared to hbo or starz which at least can run a ton of studio films? I can watch great dramas on fx or amc at no added cost.
Whomever hired Greenblatt is a genius— and a fool for letting him slip away. I went from being an avid HBOaphile to a rabid Showtime fan. I’m sure I’m not alone. Hope the new guy can deliver the goods. He’s bucking a giant shadow.
Teamscribe, you hit it right on the head. While no one can argue that they’ve had success with the formula, it’s starting to feel overcooked. HBO started crawling up its own asshole several years back, and it still hasn’t really recovered. Showtime has some great stuff, including my all time favorite half-hour, but they’ve got to mix it up a little bit.
Jesus, I wish you were running Hollywood.
Brilliant.
HBO has recovered when it has True Blood, Treme and Boardwalk Empire on it’s schedule.
I really love Showtime these days and hope the new executive doesn’t fuck it up and builds on what Greenblatt brought to the channel.
Robert Greenblatt + Jeff Gaspin at NBC? Great things are going to happen with those two running the network.
Showtime’s Shameless was far and away the best pilot from this past season. That includes cable and all the network dreck. Anyone know when it begins airing?
I’m a TV writer who has developed with Nevin and I think he’s the best in the biz. Passionate and inspired yet totally and accessible and loyal to the creatives. Imagine’s loss is Showtime’s big, big gain.
No, Brent, YOU’RE the best in the biz!
You’re both great.
Dear Sir, if in any possible universe this is you or a facsimile of you, could you please make the first order of business getting some diversity on your network? Funny black people? Hispanics? Something?
As someone who worked closely on this pilot, I would like to personally wish David luck at Showtime getting “getting a little honey out of those beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!”
Let me say what EVERYONE I know thinks about the Showtime situation–While Nevins is fine and at least has some experience under his belt, he simply is not in the same league as Greenblatt. Most people know that Twentieth struggled with Nevins and that much of what he did sprung from Howard and Grazer’s prowess as creative producers (ie, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, etc, etc). Outside of that, he accomplished little more than most small pods. That said, I guess he never truly screwed up any of Grazer’s deals.
As far as Greenblatt goes, it’s pretty evident that he is considered the strongest exec in town and is, for certain, the “It” boy right now. Bob changed an entire business by what he did at Showtime–He is known for his taste, creative and business relationships (ie, Chernin and Moonves, among many others), and is more well-liked personally than anyone at his very high level. He is that rarest of execs. A game-changer. Hire him and your business is going to improve. To be clear, Greenblatt chose to leave Showtime for what will surely amount to a number of options. It is a gigantic loss for the network, and they know it and, quietly, have expressed this. They have begged him to stay. Whatever success Nevins has at Showtime, at least for the next two years, will be based on whatever Greenblatt has ordered and developed, so the gig may be a safe one. But no one is “replacing” Bob Greenblatt. And wherever Bob does end up, you can bet that every writer, producer, and director in town will be heading over there. Especially the ones who worked at Showtime. So good luck, David, don’t let the giant shadow get too dark….
Bob Greenblatt put Showtime on the map – no one can deny that – but their schedule is in need of some variety. Everyone knows they have the quirky dark comedy with a strong female lead thing on lockdown; let’s see a few dramas with some depth.
Bob would be terrific at NBC, but he could really add some class and talent relations to the growing disaster of ABC. Bob Iger – meet Bob Greenblatt. He could save your sinking ship.
Why does Gary Levine never get mentioned in any of these discussions? He’s the real creative engine behind all the greatest Showtime projects.
Levine is really good. I developed with Showtime, and thought he, Danielle, and Pearlina were all thoughtful, bright, open. But some huge credit has to be given to Greenblatt, who came into that job and, rather than fire everyone like so many people do, saw that he could use the existing execs, and together they changed the network.