Grant Tinker: An Appreciation
I didn’t house the work I have done for TV Worth Watching under the “Raised on MTM” roof without reason. So much of what I consider valuable about television has its roots in Grant Tinker: Comedies that reinvented the entertainment form and dramas that took watching way above any level reached before his wisdom helped them form and grow.
My in-person contacts with Grant Tinker began after he left MTM and took over NBC. With then-NBC owner RCA’s Thornton Bradshaw fantastically “non-corporate" imprimatur and with people such as Brandon Tartikoff feeding off of Mr. Tinker’s appetite for excellence, NBC became great. When Grant Tinker would appear before a group of critics, you knew you’d hear honest answers to your questions. He could be as funny as one of his stellar comedies or as truly and sincerely serious as one of the dramas that found air under his leadership. But what he said wasn’t spin-oriented. We took him seriously and he did the same for us.
I still seek out the programs that he shepherded onto the air and still enjoy them as much as I did when they were new. He really loved television, and we’ve been lucky enough to benefit from that love. And those who appreciate great television will continue to benefit for a very long time.