NBC was all about the two-for-one deal this weekend.
Out at the Peacock Network is Kevin Reilly, who as president of NBC Entertainment just couldn't shake the ratings blues that have plagued the network for the past several years.
In is former William Morris agent Ben Silverman, whose production company is behind Ugly Betty and the American version of The Office, and who NBC is betting on to return the once-dominant network back to that number one spot.
Silverman will serve as co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio with Marc Graboff, who's currently the highest-ranking NBCU exec on the West Coast.
Calling it his dream job, Silverman said, "I grew up watching NBC and have always loved this network."
"I always thought this was the right job for Ben," NBC Universal president and CEO Jeff Zucker said in a statement. "This new role will give him the opportunity to redefine our programming, our relationship with advertisers and our ongoing commitment to the new digital frontier."
In other words, all the things that make a network go round these days.
Although it was barely three months ago that Reilly inked a three-year contract extension, the lackluster response to the fall schedule NBC presented at the recent Upfronts left the network in need of more heroes than Heroes: Origins could provide.
The turnover process sped up once Zucker got wind of the rumor that Silverman was planning to sell his company, Reveille Productions.
"This was really much more about a moment in time with regard to Ben Silverman than it was about anybody else," Zucker said.
Reilly "has given us some incredibly important, high-quality new series in recent years, and his legacy will be evident for many years to come in NBC's primetime schedule. I want to thank him for all of his efforts on behalf of the company," Zucker added.
While Reilly did help usher in hits such as My Name Is Earl, The Office and this year's breakout show, Heroes, he was also a champion of the costly Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Kidnapped, both of which fizzled almost immediately.
The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that Reilly was negotiating with Zucker and other NBCU executives for an early termination, with NBCU saying today that the two sides have "mutually agreed to end their relationship."
Silverman and Graboff will oversee the network's primetime, late-night and daytime programming, as well as NBC's expanding digital presence. Zucker cited the pair's "long and successful history of working together" as giving NBC "tremendous confidence in the strength of their new partnership."
Graboff called his new colleague "a brilliant producer and a true out-of-the-box thinker who wants to change the business model of this industry."
Reveille is also behind NBC's The Biggest Loser, USA's Nashville Star and Bravo's Blow Out.