NBC Plans Martha Stewart Biopic

Although NBC has dramatically cut back on its production of TV movies, the network announced Tuesday that it is rushing a biography of embattled lifestyle guru Martha Stewart into production, with plans to have the project ready for the May rating sweeps.

Addressing TV critics and reporters in Pasadena, NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker also said it was premature to be overly concerned about how NBC will get by without help from “Friends” after the coming TV season, while refusing to close the door entirely on the prospects of the top-rated comedy returning for a 10th year.

Zucker said that the Stewart movie would be made as up-to-date as possible to incorporate the recent controversy surrounding allegations of insider trading on a stock sale, adding that it was “an opportune time to put it into quick production.”

No casting has as yet been done on the project.

A spokeswoman for Stewart--who is most associated with CBS, including, until recently, regular appearances on “The Early Show”--declined to comment.

NBC approaches the upcoming season having finished first during the 2001-02 campaign, and the network has added only five new programs for the fall--with Zucker citing that stability as one of NBC’s key assets. Advertisers clearly embraced the schedule, as NBC sold a record $2.7 billion in advance prime-time advertising, $800 million more than second-place CBS.

Still, the clock could be ticking on NBC’s ratings dominance, with “Friends,” the key leadoff show to Thursday’s “Must-See TV” lineup, heading into what the handsomely paid cast has stated will be its final year. Asked if there was any chance of extending the show, Zucker said it’s unlikely, but he “wouldn’t 100% put nails in the coffin.”

Assuming “Friends” does conclude next spring, however, NBC will have sizable shoes to fill with no clear successor. Despite sources who say there is considerable discussion within the network about NBC’s future, Zucker downplayed the idea that losing “Friends” was cause for panic. The show will leave “a gaping hole,” he said--as “The Cosby Show” and “Cheers” did when they concluded their runs--but he added, “We’ll be fine.”

One possible replacement is “Scrubs,” which followed “Frasier” last season and is moving to occupy the half-hour after “Friends.” Zucker stressed that NBC’s expectation’s are “realistic” given its past struggles in filling that time period, hoping the new series can retain 70% of the “Friends” audience among the young-adult demographic sought by advertisers.

Most networks are planning special events to mark the one-year anniversary of Sept. 11, and NBC will air a two-hour “Concert for America,” hosted by NBC News’ Tom Brokaw. NBC will also televise the nighttime Emmy Awards on Sept. 22, then launch all five new series the following week, highlighted by a two-hour season premiere of two-time Emmy best drama winner “The West Wing.”

Having enjoyed some success with nostalgia last season, the network announced plans for a “Hunter” movie with Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer--who starred in the NBC cop show from 1984-91--as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the ABC series “Three’s Company.”