may offer a scary view of life in a supernatural creature-infested Portland, but the show's future sounds cheerful, judging from comments made this morning by Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment.

"It's a show that we believe in," Greenblatt said, singling out

among the few -- very few -- bright spots the network could look back on from its previous season.

"Grimm" -- which is set and filmed in Portland -- is the number-one scripted show on Friday nights, Greenblatt said, and it has given NBC an 108 percent viewership growth in its time slot.

Greenblatt led off NBC's day at the 2012 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour here at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. He had his work cut out for him when it came to putting a good face on NBC's standing, since the network often trails its broadcast rivals in the ratings, and many of the new shows it promoted last summer fizzled fast ("The Playboy Club," "Prime Suspect," etc.)

The soon-to-start London Summer Olympics will be broadcast on NBC, and Greenblatt emphasized that the network will be doing aggressive promotion of its fall schedule during Olympic coverage. Shows will also be premiering earlier than usual, so as to keep what he hopes is the Olympics momentum going.

In addition, NBC will be offering early looks at the new Matthew Perry comedy,

"Go On,"

and the monkey-tastic comedy,

"Animal Practice,"

which is set in an veterinary hospital. Both shows will air their premiere episodes while the Olympics are still going on. "Grimm" is also getting an early Season 2 premiere in a special Monday night showing, Aug. 13, the night after the Olympics conclude.

Among the shows Greenblatt cited as good performers, in addition to "Grimm," were

"The Voice,"

and "

Smash."

Though when it comes to the latter, Greenblatt admitted it "had some ups and downs creatively," but he was still "in awe of what they do each week." With a new showrunner in place, taking over from creator Theresa Rebeck, Greenblatt says Season 2 will have a better grip on keeping characters consistent (it would be nice if Debra Messing's character didn't veer from snappy creative woman to needy, self-pitying whiner all the time) and storylines.

Greenblatt was asked about more contentious issues, including the messy way

exit from the

"Today"

show was handled. He quickly said that was in the NBC News division, not Entertainment, but said that shows go through transitions, and they're always difficult and leaks to the media happen (which is how Curry's situation became public while she was still doing her job as co-anchor). Greenblatt thought those involved "took as much care as they could," and that "my heart goes out to all those people, including Ann, who went through that transition."

Another theme that emerged was the network's priority of broadening the focus of its comedies. While critics and niche audiences may love such shows as "30 Rock," "Parks and Recreation" and "Community," Greenblatt said, they might be too sophisticated for the broader audience. "Community" is also moving to Friday nights in the coming season, and it won't have its creator, Dan Harmon, on hand, since the network parted ways with Harmon's services as the "Community" showrunner.

But Greenblatt didn't rule out the possibility that "Community" could continue beyond its upcoming, shortened season. "I would love nothing more than for 'Community' to have a following on Friday and to continue", Greenblatt said.

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