A feisty Nina Tassler – CBS’ entertainment president – talked a little trash Monday about the ongoing late-night wars and NBC’s decision last week to replace the beleaguered NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman last week. Speaking at the network’s annual press gathering in Pasadena, Calif., Tassler quipped that she couldn’t comment on Silverman’s departure because “I’m really just a D-girl” – a sarcastic reference to a controversial swipe he made at rival execs early on in his tenure. Tassler also said that while CBS was feeling bullish about their 10 p.m. dramas opposite the new Jay Leno show this fall, NBC will “declare victory [for] whatever ratings he gets, so it really doesn’t matter.”
Buoyed by the success of new shows like The Mentalist and returning series like Big Bang Theory and NCIS, CBS was the only network to post gains in every ratings category last season, Tassler said. And on a more serious note, she isn’t too worried about NBC’s decision to strip Leno five days a week this fall. “Ten o’ clock is a phenomenal time period for us. There’s a lot of strength leading into Dave Letterman. He’s very excited…raring to go.”
In other news, CBS announced today that an updated version of Let’s Make A Deal hosted by comedian Wayne Brady will replace the outgoing sudser Guiding Light in October. And CBS still has nine unaired episodes of the cop drama Flashpoint that it’ll likely air sometime next season
