The Television Legacy of Brad Grey

On May 14, Hollywood lost one of its legends, Brad Grey.

You might not know the name, which may lead you to question the label of "legend." Understandable. Grey’s name was indeed most likely unknown to the majority of Americans.

That doesn’t mean that his contributions to the film and television business weren’t paramount.

Grey was a studio executive and producer, and his influence on the business was profound. He helped to foster the careers of many talented artists in the business, and he produced shows/movies that are now regarded as industry hallmarks.

In 2005, he took over the reigns of Paramount Pictures, a job he held until his death. During his tenure, he produced eight of studio’s ten most financially successful movies of all time.

Indeed, as industry reporters have commemorated the man, most of the focus has been devoted to his contributions to cinema. It’s easy to know why, given that his name is attached to films like "No Country for Old Men," the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, and the "Transformers" franchise.

But it’s easy to make a case for the idea that Dish Network packages would not be the same without Grey. Here are some shows he was attached to, and why his participation mattered.

The Sopranos

I’m going to go ahead and start with his most important contribution. It’s entirely possible that without Grey, "The Sopranos" would never have become a show. And without "The Sopranos," it’s hard to imagine the modern television landscape. Along with talent manager Bernie Brillstein, Grey was the head of Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, a production company. David Chase, the creator of "The Sopranos," was having trouble finding any network executives who wanted to bite on his pilot about the home life of a mafia boss. That’s when Brillstein-Grey stepped in. Grey shepherded the process of finding the series a home, which obviously was never going to be easy given the content of the show.

This is why Grey went to HBO. Grey already had a decent relationship with the network--more on that in a minute--and figured they would be the most appropriate home for the legendary mob drama. Of course, history has proved him right. Chase also credits Grey as a creative partner on the show. If that is indeed true, Chase played multiple roles for what many consider to be the greatest show in television history.

Real Time with Bill Maher

On the last episode of comedian Bill Maher’s talk show, Maher took a minute before the panel launched to talk about Grey. Grey was an executive producer on the show, and Maher made the point that while most of the time such a credit is meaningless and is ordinarily assigned out of favor, Grey’s contributions to the show were far from meaningless.

Grey was instrumental in getting the show started, according to Maher. Indeed, Grey was instrumental in Maher’s entire career, as he was also a producer on Maher’s old ABC show "Politically Incorrect." Like or dislike Maher--and there are understandably a lot of people on both sides of that divide--his shows have wielded enormous influence on late night and current events television. Dish Network packages are now loaded with satirical shows.

The Larry Sanders Show

Unfortunately overlooked now, HBO’s "The Larry Sanders Show" was one of the primary catalysts for the television revolution that audiences are currently enjoying in the form of Dish Network packages. The show--posed as a behind the scenes look at a fictional late night show--was the brainchild of comedian extraordinaire Garry Shandling.

At the time, Shandling was represented by Brillstein-Grey. Shandling’s career was helped in large part by his 80s show, "It’s Garry Shandling’s Show," which was produced and shepherded by Gray. Without Gray, Shandling’s career might not have taken off, and television history would miss one of its most groundbreaking shows.

Conclusion

In Maher’s aforementioned tribute, he made passing reference to the fact that Gray had his enemies in Hollywood. In fact, one of these enemies was originally a former colleague mentioned within this post. Given the competitive nature of the business, that’s most likely true for just about everyone in town. But if you consider all the commemorative press releases and tweets regarding his passing, it’s clear that he also inspired a lot of careers and projects.

Sam Joseph is a film/television connoisseur. Did he say connoisseur? He meant addict.