Former NBC head honcho Robert Greenblatt is returning to Universal TV with a first-look deal, Variety has confirmed.
Under the deal, Greenblatt and his production company, The Green Room, will develop and produce TV projects for UTV across all platforms. Jon Wu continues to serve as head of filmed content for The Green Room.
Greenblatt has never been too far removed from UTV, as he currently executive produces the hit HBO show “The Gilded Age” at the studio. Greenblatt originally greenlit the show for NBC before it moved to the premium cabler when Greenblatt was working there in the early days of its streaming ambitions. The show has become a certified hit and is currently prepping its fourth season.
“I’m overjoyed to be coming back to NBCU to produce shows with my old friends at Universal Television,” said Greenblatt. “Pearlena Igbokwe – with whom I worked closely for 15 years at Showtime and NBC – has built Universal Studio Group into an extraordinary, world-class studio. Jon Wu and I look forward to working with her and her extraordinary teams, headed by Erin Underhill at UTV. This is an exciting time for producers in television, and we’re thrilled to have this incredible group supporting us. Who said you can’t go home again?”
The first project under the first-look deal will be a series adaptation of the Julie Clark novel “The Lies I Tell,” which is now in development. Ken Olin, Roxanne Olin, Wu, and Clark will executive produce.
Per the official logline, the show follows “Meg, a con artist who slides alongside you and tells you exactly what you need to hear, and by the time she’s done, you’ve likely lost everything. Kat Roberts has been waiting ten years for the woman who upended her life to return. And now that she has, Kat is determined to be the one to expose her. But as the two women grow closer, Kat’s long-held assumptions begin to crumble, leaving Kat to wonder who Meg’s true target is.”
Greenblatt was chairman of NBC Entertainment from 2011-2018, during which time he oversaw all primetime, late-night, and scripted daytime programming for NBC, Universal Television, Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal Stage Productions. He was at the helm during the launch of hit shows like “The Voice,” “This Is Us,” “The Good Place,” “The Blacklist,” and the “One Chicago” franchise. He also led NBC to produce several live stagings of popular musicals like “The Sound of Music” and “The Wiz” to great success.
Before his time at NBC, he was president of Showtime Networks, overseeing shows like “Dexter,” “Weeds,” “The Tudors,” and “Shameless.”
“Bob is a well-respected creative force in the industry. Welcoming him back to Universal Television feels both exciting and fitting,” said Erin Underhill, president of Universal Television. “His taste, vision and relationships have shaped some of television’s most enduring hits, and we can’t wait to collaborate with him on what comes next.”
Alongside Greenblatt, Wu will serve as an executive producer across projects. Before joining The Green Room, Wu was vice president of film and television at Hello Sunshine. Previously, he worked in the feature film division at 20th Century Fox, contributing to the development and production of films like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Greatest Showman,” “Deadpool 2,” and “Murder on the Orient Express.”
Deadline first reported Greenblatt’s new deal.
