Drama circles Leno’s 10 p.m. slot

More drama, that’s what a host of Hollywood veterans are hoping will be produced as a result of the blockbuster news this week that NBC’s Jay Leno experiment in prime time had failed.

While it was still unclear Friday whether the network would fill Leno’s current 10 p.m. time slot with scripted or reality programming, executive producers such as Kurt Sutter of FX’s biker drama “Sons of Anarchy” are glad NBC executives are knocking the talk show out of prime time.

“If they cop to the fact that they made a bad decision and show some kind of contrition, that will go a long way to repairing their relationship with the creative community,” Sutter said.

“People will be cautious, but ultimately, writers and producers want to work,” he said. “They want a place to express their vision. They would say, ‘Let us help you,’ rally around them like an underdog and really get behind them.”

The fourth-place network apparently had planned to reverse course for some weeks or even months, ordering a number of pilots that could be used in the 10 p.m. slot.

In the meantime, depending on when “The Jay Leno Show” vacates the time slot, NBC could probably fill the gap with its newsmagazine “Dateline.”

Alternatively, it could move freshman drama “Parenthood” or a piece of its “Law & Order” franchise -- including a possible edition in early development set in Los Angeles -- to that time.

“It’s not like they’re starting from square one,” said an executive who requested anonymity.

Still, other network heads and producers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said NBC would face considerable challenges revamping its schedule with dramas and even comedies.

Even if the network gears up to produce more scripted programs and to repair damaged relations with some members of the creative community, it’s still “difficult to manufacture an out-of-the-box hit such as ‘24’ or ‘Desperate Housewives,’ ” one executive said. “NBC will have to be skillful and lucky.”

After NBC announced its intention a year ago to move Leno to 10 p.m., Sutter became one of its most vocal critics, arguing that the network had turned its back on hallmark dramas like “L.A. Law” and “ER.”

A producer of a long-running drama said that he understood the economics that prompted NBC’s Leno gamble.

“It’s just a sign of how the whole network system is collapsing,” the producer said. “The days of ‘ER’ are gone. NBC will go back to dramas -- they are in a desperate spot. But it’s not like they can afford to do it.”

greg.braxton@latimes.com