PALEY CENTER SALUTES NBC'S 90TH ANNIVERSARY, THE (TV)

Summary

This special, hosted by Kelsey Grammer, celebrates the many memorable moments in NBC's 90-year history with assorted clips and interviews. Highlights include the following: Jay Leno discusses Milton Berle, Sid Caesar and "The Colgate Comedy Hour"; Martin Short discusses "straight man" Dean Martin; Brooke Shields discusses her many appearances on Bob Hope's specials; comments on Flip Wilson's "groundbreaking" comedy; the unique comedic style of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In"; Melissa Gilbert's thoughts on the universality of "Little House on the Prairie" and current series "This Is Us"; Sela Ward discusses "Sisters"; Howie Mandel discusses the relatable, flawed doctors on "St. Elsewhere"; Noah Wyle discusses the wide-angle shots used to create realism on "ER"; William Shatner discusses the longevity of "Star Trek"; Scott Bakula comments on the themes of "Quantum Leap"; Allison Janney, Rob Lowe and Bradley Whitford discuss the trendsetting political drama "The West Wing"; Jimmy Fallon, Jay Leno and Seth Meyers' memories of "The Tonight Show" and its earliest hosts, Steve Allen and Jack Paar; memorable moments from "The King of Late-Night" Johnny Carson, including his interviews with oddball non-celebrities; the "Late Night" series, hosted by David Letterman and then Conan O'Brien; Diahann Carroll's groundbreaking role on "Julia," which was dropped by several local affiliates because of her race; Angie Dickinson's leading role on "Police Woman"; and early depictions of gay life, including Aidan Quinn's role in the TV movie "An Early Frost" and Eric McCormack's and Sean Hayes' roles on "Will & Grace."

Al Michaels, Bob Costas and Bryant Gumbel share their favorite sports memories, including scenes from many Olympic Games; sitcom stars discuss memorable guest appearances, including Mel Brooks' appearance on "Mad About You," Michelle Obama's scene on "Parks and Recreation"; Cher's appearance on "Will & Grace," Muhammad Ali's appearance on "Diff'rent Strokes" and Oprah Winfrey's cameo on "30 Rock"; Steven Weber discusses funny moments with "Wings" co-star Thomas Haden Church; Ted Danson and Rhea Perlman's memories of the early days of "Cheers" and the show's low ratings; Jane Lynch recalls "Night Court"; David Spade discusses being "the cartoon" character on "Just Shoot Me!"; Zach Braff and Donald Faison comment on their characters' "bromance" on "Scrubs"; Amy Poehler, Rob Lowe and Chris Pratt discuss "Parks"; Mindy Kaling and Rainn Wilson discuss "The Office"; Tina Fey and Tracy Jordan comment on "30 Rock"; Al Roker, Meredith Vieira and Tom Brokaw recall the early days of "Today," including frequent appearances from a chimp; Barbara Walters' role as the first female anchor of a morning talk show; Gumbel's role as the first black anchor; coverage of Presidential elections, including the creation of the terms "red state" and "blue state"; coverage of other significant historical events, including the attempted assassination of President Reagan, the Challenger disaster and the September 11th attacks; Brokaw's memories of reporting from the Berlin Wall during its destruction; the 70-year run of Sunday-morning political series "Meet the Press"; the investigative journalism of "Dateline"; and the creation of cable news network MSNBC.

Amy Poehler, Short, Morgan, Spade and other "Saturday Night Live" alumni discuss memorable sketches; the impact of producer and creator Lorne Michaels; the show's incredible speed and the challenge of not laughing; Fey and Poehler's iconic roles as politicians Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton; David Hasselhoff's memories of "Columbo"; James Garner's star-making role on "The Rockford Files"; Wyle discusses "Hill Street Blues"; Dick Wolf, Chris Meloni and Chris Noth discuss the "Law & Order" franchise, including "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star Mariska Hargitay's long-running role as Olivia Benson; the new "Chicago" franchise; Jennifer Lopez's role on the current series "Shades of Blue"; Hasselhoff's role on "Knight Rider," featuring the voice of William Daniels; Harry Hamlin and Alan Rachins' memories of the "talky" legal series "L.A. Law"; iconic catchphrases from various series, including Ed McMahon's "here's Johnny," "whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" from "Diff'rent Strokes," "no soup for you!" from "Seinfeld"; the network's many live productions, including the original "Peter Pan" starring Mary Martin and its successor, "Peter Pan Live!"; Short discusses the experience of "Hairspray Live!"; Danson discusses returning to NBC in the comedy series "The Good Place"; Barbara Eden recalls "I Dream of Jeannie"; Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter discuss "Family Ties"; Phylicia Rashad discusses examinations of race and class on "The Cosby Show"; Regina King recalls "227"; and Betty White discusses "The Golden Girls."

Further scenes feature big Hollywood stars in early roles, including Jodie Foster on "Bonanza," George Clooney on "The Facts of Life," Amy Adams on "The Office," Julia Roberts on "Miami Vice" and Bryan Cranston on "Seinfeld"; White discusses her many appearances on game shows; Pat Sajak comments on his longtime role as host of "Wheel of Fortune"; Mandel discusses the smash hit "Deal or No Deal"; Sean Hayes and Jane Lynch discuss "Hollywood Game Night"; Simon Cowell comments on "America's Got Talent" and other star-making talent searches; Blake Shelton discusses "The Voice"; memorable and heartfelt series finales, including those from "30 Rock," "Parks and Recreation," "Family Ties," "The Office," "Seinfeld," "Friends," "ER," "The West Wing" and others; the mysterious ending of "St. Elsewhere"; Danson's memories of acknowledging late co-star Nicholas Colasanto in the final moments of "Cheers"; Carson's memorable departure from "The Tonight Show" after 30 years; and a final look back at the network's many iconic moments. Includes commercials and promos.

Details

• NETWORK: NBC
• DATE: 8:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 2:06:54
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: 129281
• GENRE: Specials
• SUBJECT HEADING: Specials; Television; History - American
• SERIES RUN: N/A
• COMMERCIALS:
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  • TV - Promos - "American Ninja Warrior"
  • TV - Promos - "Chicago Fire"
  • TV - Promos - "Chicago Justice"
  • TV - Promos - "Chicago P.D."
  • TV - Promos - "Ellen"
  • TV - Promos - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
  • TV - Promos - "Little Big Shots"
  • TV - Promos - "Shades of Blue"
  • TV - Promos - "Superstore"
  • TV - Promos - "Taken"
  • TV - Promos - "The Blacklist"
  • TV - Promos - "The Blacklist: Redemption"
  • TV - Promos - "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"
  • TV - Promos - "The Voice"
  • TV - Promos - "The Wall"
  • TV - Promos - "This Is Us"
  • TV - Promos - "Timeless"
  • TV - Promos - "Today"
  • TV - Promos - "Trial & Error"
  • TV - Promos - "Will & Grace" revival
  • TV - Promos - NBC News

CREDITS

• Maureen Reidy … Executive Producer
• Diane Lewis … Executive Producer
• Brad Lachman … Executive Producer, Director
• Bill Bracken … Co-Executive Producer
• Matt Lachman … Producer, Writer
• Jon Macks … Producer, Writer
• Brian Rhodes … Line Producer
• JB Talent … Talent Producer
• Jen Furmaniak … Talent Producer
• Sarah Goldsmith … Talent Producer
• Toni Magon … Talent Producer
• Ray Chew … Music by
• Kelsey Grammer … Host
• Matt LeBlanc … Interviewee
• Lisa Kudrow … Interviewee
• Paul Reiser … Interviewee
• Helen Hunt … Interviewee
• Eric McCormack … Interviewee
• Sean Hayes … Interviewee
• Ted Danson … Interviewee
• Jay Leno … Interviewee
• Martin Short … Interviewee
• Brooke Shields … Interviewee
• Melissa Gilbert … Interviewee
• Sela Ward … Interviewee
• Noah Wyle … Interviewee
• Howie Mandel … Interviewee
• William Shatner … Interviewee
• Scott Bakula … Interviewee
• Allison Janney … Interviewee
• Rob Lowe … Interviewee
• Bradley Whitford … Interviewee
• Jimmy Fallon … Interviewee
• Seth Meyers … Interviewee
• Diahann Carroll … Interviewee
• Angie Dickinson … Interviewee
• Aidan Quinn … Interviewee
• Bryant Gumbel … Interviewee
• Al Michaels … Interviewee
• Bob Costas … Interviewee
• Tina Fey … Interviewee
• Steven Weber … Interviewee
• Rhea Perlman … Interviewee
• Jane Lynch … Interviewee
• Donald Faison … Interviewee
• Zach Braff … Interviewee
• Amy Poehler … Interviewee
• Chris Pratt … Interviewee
• Rainn Wilson … Interviewee
• Mindy Kaling … Interviewee
• Tracy Morgan … Interviewee
• Meredith Vieira … Interviewee
• Al Roker … Interviewee
• Tom Brokaw … Interviewee
• Katie Couric … Interviewee
• Lester Holt … Interviewee
• Dick Wolf … Interviewee
• David Hasselhoff … Interviewee
• Chris Noth … Interviewee
• Chris Meloni … Interviewee
• Jennifer Lopez … Interviewee
• Harry Hamlin … Interviewee
• Alan Rachins … Interviewee
• Barbara Eden … Interviewee
• Michael Gross … Interviewee
• Meredith Baxter … Interviewee
• Todd Bridges … Interviewee
• Phylicia Rashad … Interviewee
• Regina King … Interviewee
• Simon Cowell … Interviewee
• Pat Sajak … Interviewee
• Blake Shelton … Interviewee
• Amy Adams
• Steve Allen
• Milton Berle
• Sid Caesar
• Johnny Carson
• Cher
• Thomas Haden Church
• Hillary Rodham Clinton
• George Clooney
• Nicholas Colasanto
• Bryan Cranston
• William Daniels
• Jodie Foster
• James Garner
• Mariska Hargitay
• Bob Hope
• David Letterman
• Dean Martin
• Mary Martin
• Lorne Michaels
• Conan O'Brien
• Michelle Obama
• Sarah Palin
• Jack Paar
• Ronald Reagan
• Julia Roberts
• Barbara Walters
• Betty White
• Flip Wilson
• Oprah Winfrey