Former NBC President Says Classic Sitcoms Like ‘Friends’ Shouldn’t Be Rebooted (Exclusive)
Today, he’s an executive producer of TV and streaming programming, but Warren Littlefield is perhaps best known to television viewers as the NBC president who brought hit series ER and Friends to the channel in the 1990s.
We caught up with the exec at PaleyFest 2025 when he was there as an executive producer of The Handmaid’s Tale, now in its sixth and final season on Hulu. “It was amazing,” Littlefield tells Remind of his time at NBC, which began in 1979 after he was hired by the peacock network as manager in comedy development. “I’m very proud of the product that we put on the air and also the people who were a part of that organization.”
Littlefield was on the development team that brought hits Cheers and Hill Street Blues to the airwaves; other NBC hits of that era include Family Ties, The Cosby Show, Law & Order, The Golden Girls, and Mad About You. “Those became the programs that showed me what television could be,” the exec shares.
©Castle Rock Entertainment / Courtesy Everett Collection
Littlefield continued to deliver hit programming for NBC with Will & Grace and The West Wing until he exited the network in the late 1990s. His post-NBC career has been as an executive producer on series including Fargo, The Old Man, The Handmaid’s Tale, and the upcoming The Testaments.
And his career didn’t only occur behind the camera. Littlefield has appeared as himself on The Larry Sanders Show, Blossom, and Caroline in the City. The Seinfeld character, “NBC president” Russell Dalrymple, played by Bob Balaban, is based on Littlefield, as well.
“I don’t think there will be as many platforms that will survive”
Littlefield began his TV career back when some televisions still had knobs on them and, except for cable and UHF, viewers had three choices – ABC, CBS or NBC. Today, choices appear endless, as consumers have access to multiple streaming apps and DVRs that allow them countless options for not just what to watch, but when to watch.
“I don’t think there will be as many platforms that will survive as the economics get tougher and tougher in the world we’re currently living in,” he says, hastening to add, “but there will continue to be infinite choices.”
His advice for content creators today is to “have a great idea that cuts through the fog, is well-executed, and is deserving of people’s time. [Viewers] have choices, so what you present better be worth people’s time.”
Why we don’t need to reboot Friends
Classic TV shows have been made into movies on the big screen, rebooted, and revived on television. Are there any programs from Littlefield’s time at NBC that could be in line to get a new life?
“I tend to not go to the past,” Littlefield responds. “For me, it’s great to live in the present. ER was a phenomenal format. John Wells [executive producer, ER; Shameless] is doing The Pitt [on MAX], which is great. But Friends and Seinfeld and The Golden Girls … would you redo them? No, you wouldn’t, but they’re wonderful shows to celebrate.”
Remind
Hollywood Dynasties
May 2023
Moviemaking is definitely in the family business for some of Hollywood’s most notable icons
Buy This Issue