Date: 24th January 2001

NBC Unveils "Super Size" Strategy


NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker has laid out the rest of his strategy for countering CBS's Survivor II rollout in February, including a "Super Size Thursday" in which Friends, Will and Grace and Just Shoot Me will air as 40-minute episodes instead of 30-.

A 40-minute version of Friends, in fact, will air throughout the month. As previously announced, it will be followed during the first two weeks with a 20-minute edition of Saturday Night Live. Zucker said that on the third week it will be followed by a collection of Friends outtakes hosted by Conan O'Brien. Today's (Wednesday) New York Times, family newspaper that it is, described the fourth week, featuring the expanded versions of its Must-See TV sitcoms, this way: "NBC is promoting the stunt as 'Super Size Thursday' -- not as 'Cover Your Flank Thursday.'" The newspaper pointed out that the shows will not tape new scenes but will simply not edit so tightly.

Source: Studio Briefing