NBC To Re-brand "Must See TV"

The Peacock network will re-brand its Thursday night comedy line-up that was known in the 90s as "Must See TV" using a new slogan: "Comedy Night Done Right" in a multi-million dollar campaign.

The famous 1990s tagline "Must See TV" may have been the best-known and longest-running broadcast slogan in television history and it was used for promotion of NBC's signature comedy series: "Cheers," "Seinfeld," "Frasier," and "Friends".

"We still have campaigns for individual shows, like 'Save the Cheerleader, Save the World' for 'Heroes,' but this is the first one we've done for a whole night since 'Must See,'" said Vince Manze, president and creative director of The NBC Agency.

The new slogan comes at a time when the broadcast networks have largely abandoned national campaign mottos, which once were grandly unveiled every fall season.

NBC hopes the slogan will help drive viewers to its Thursday comedy block, which was reconstructed in November after several years of cycling reality shows into the 9 p.m. hour.

Though NBC is currently in fourth place for the season, the network has been on an upswing this year.

After freshman NBC series "30 Rock" emerged as a critical favorite earlier this season, the network decided to rebuild the block by making room for "Scrubs" and "Rock," along with Thursday mainstays "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office."

Since the new lineup debuted Nov. 30, all four shows have hit season highs. Season to date, NBC is tied for second place with ABC in the 8 p.m. hour.

Before deciding on "Comedy Night Done Right," the NBC Agency rejected slogans including "Thursday Night: The Joke's on Us," "Comedy Night With a Guy Named Dwight" and "Comedy Is a Funny Thing."

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