CBS Execs on Doing Funny

By Josef Adalian

Starting with “Everybody Loves Raymond,” Nina Tassler and Wendi Trilling have been instrumental in CBS’s comedy comeback.

The duo first began working together in 1997, when Ms. Tassler came to CBS with Leslie Moonves. Ms. Trilling was already at the network, having joined in 1990 as a staffer in the current programs department.

Ms. Tassler and Ms. Trilling are now so close that, during an hourlong interview with TVWeek deputy editor and columnist Josef Adalian, the two frequently ended up completing the other’s sentences. During the conversation, they talked about the fate of CBS’s Wednesday comedy block, the impact of YouTube on network TV and why Adam Carolla could be the network’s next big comedy star.

TelevisionWeek: When did CBS’s comedy fortunes first turn around?

Wendi Trilling: “[Everybody Loves] Raymond” changed everything. Simple as that. “Raymond” syndicated, and made a lot of money for a lot of people. And that’s what really changed our reputation. Because before, yeah, we did have shows that syndicated, the “Designing Womens” and the “Murphy Browns,” but not in the way that, you know, “Friends” and other big comedies did.

TVWeek: Will you be continuing with the Wednesday comedy block next fall? Will it expand to four shows?

Nina Tassler: It’s such an irony that the one year that everybody was so challenged [because of the writers strike] was the year out of which Wendi developed the comedies that allowed us to open a second night of comedy. I mean, to me that’s an extraordinary accomplishment. But look—it’s been in the planning stages for so many years to get to that place to open that second night of comedy. I think everybody’s invested in keeping it there and wanting to continue to build it.

Ms. Trilling: I think the goal was to do better in that hour than we had been doing, to get better demos in that hour than we had been getting, and give our sales department more comedy to sell. And we achieved that. So I hope the plan will be to continue it and to expand it. ... I think we’re pretty satisfied with what we’ve accomplished there.

Ms. Tassler: We’re going to continue to add as many comedies to the network as we can.

TVWeek: Do you have to work harder to get people to watch comedies on network TV in the era of YouTube and other Internet-based comedy sources?

Ms. Trilling: I think the answer is yes. I mean, I think it’s harder, because there’s just more out there to compete with. I don’t know if it means that you have to be more joke-driven instead of character-driven; I don’t think so. I think our most successful shows do both. I think “How I Met Your Mother” is really funny, and it’s also character-driven, and I think Chuck Lorre will tell you that “Two and a Half Men” is extremely character-driven, and so is “Big Bang.” I mean they are character-driven comedies that are also really funny. And I think if you don’t have both, it won’t work. You can’t just be sort of, a nice character-driven, sort of, dramedy, you know, like a softer comedy, I don’t think that works right now. I think you have to be really, surprisingly funny, and also have characters that people want to invite into their homes every week.

TVWeek: Adam Carolla is somebody you’ve wanted to work with for a while. You recently signed him for a project. What do you like about him?

Ms. Trilling: He makes me laugh. He has a strong point of view. His point of view to me could be the point of view of any working person in America—very no-nonsense, very smart, but not in like a super-intellectual way. And that’s how I feel about Ray [Romano], that’s how I feel about Kevin [James]. Some people are just, no matter what they’re saying, there’s something about them that’s just funny when they’re saying it. And he is one of those people.

TVWeek: Some networks are developing comedies built around the tough economy. What do you think about that idea?

Ms. Trilling: I really don’t think people respond to a concept. I think they respond to a finished show, with people they want to see and jokes they want to hear, (and) writing they respond to or not. And if it happens to be about people who are struggling, and that strikes a nerve with people, that’s great. It could be about rich people or it could be about poor people—it has to be great.