It is rumored that head of NBC's Entertainment Division, Brandon Tartikoff, wrote a brainstorming memo that simply read " MTV cops ", and later presented the memo to series creator Anthony Yerkovich, formerly a writer and producer for Hill Street Blues.

Tartikoff wrote a brainstorming memo that simply read " MTV cops ," and later presented the memo to series creator Anthony Yerkovich, formerly a writer and producer for Hill Street Blues.

The series was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, at the request of Brandon Tartikoff, and produced by Paramount Television.

When I was doing my stuff at NBC with Brandon ( Tartikoff ) and Hill Street, we were contemporaries ," says Bochco.

Brandon Tartikoff ( January 13, 1949 – August 27, 1997 ) was a television executive who was credited with turning around NBC's low prime time reputation with such hit series as Hill Street Blues, L. A. Law, Law & Order, ALF, Family Ties, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Wings, Seinfeld, Miami Vice, The Golden Girls, Knight Rider, The A-Team, St.

Punky Brewster's pet dog Brandon was named after Tartikoff.

Born in Freeport, New York, Tartikoff was a graduate of the Lawrenceville School and Yale University, and started his career at WLS-TV in Chicago, Illinois.

Tartikoff was hired as a program executive at ABC in 1976.

When Tartikoff took over, a writers ' strike was looming, affiliates were defecting and the network had only three prime time shows in the Top 20: Little House on the Prairie, Diff ' rent Strokes and Real People.

Knight Rider was inspired by a perceived lack of leading men who could act, with Tartikoff suggesting that a talking car could fill in the gaps in any leading man's acting abilities.

During the casting process of Family Ties, Tartikoff was unexcited about Michael J.

Tartikoff was married with two daughters.

Calla was named after the daughter of the late NBC president Brandon Tartikoff, according to the Internet Movie Database.

After the 1985-1986 season proved to be a disappointment with critics, in the ratings, and with Brandon Tartikoff ( who was planning to have SNL canceled by the last episode of season 11 due to its sliding ratings ), Michaels fired most of the cast and writers, retained the cast and writers who were standouts during the otherwise dismal season ( Smigel being one of them ), and hired new ones for the 1986-1987 season.

The last episode, which featured an appearance by Brandon Tartikoff, was not shown in some markets due to coverage of the Persian Gulf War, which had begun days earlier.

The name ' Misfits of Science ' ( and other conceptual ideas ) was the brainchild of the then president of NBC Entertainment, Brandon Tartikoff.

( Among this group was a new Entertainment President, Brandon Tartikoff, who would help get NBC back on top by 1985.

Once again, NBC briefly considered cancelling the show, but programming head Brandon Tartikoff ( who was something of an SNL fan ) decided to continue the show and re-hire erstwhile producer Lorne Michaels.

The pilot was broadcast on NBC in July 1991 but was not picked up as a series despite being a " personal favorite " of NBC chairman Brandon Tartikoff as well as comedian Bill Maher.

Making good on their promise, Miller / Boyett and Tartikoff brought in Sandy Duncan as the series ' new lead, and the third season premiere was hastily re-written and shot to feature the shocking storyline change.

Engel's foray into teenage sitcoms began in 1986 when he was approached by then-NBC programming executive Brandon Tartikoff about producing shows for the 10-14 age demographic.

At first, Engel was not interested and felt that Tartikoff should " find someone else ".

NBC President Brandon Tartikoff saw this series as inspired by the Lethal Weapon films and Battles was patterned after Pete Rose.

Comedians Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong ( better known as the comedic duo Cheech and Chong ) have stated that NBC president Brandon Tartikoff sent series creator James Komack to follow the comedians on tour for three months ;

NBC programming chief Brandon Tartikoff named the series after a girl he had a crush on in his own childhood: an older tomboy named Peyton " Punky " Brewster.

Soon after NBC picked up Blossom as a regular series, Reo successfully convinced programming chief Brandon Tartikoff and his executives to allow the lead character to have the chic, divorced musician father he had originally envisioned for the project.

The role went to Buckley after being approved by network chief Brandon Tartikoff, who felt the character of the sympathetic teacher she had played in the 1976 film Carrie would also be great for the series.

One week after its ratings success, Brandon Tartikoff announced it would become a weekly series.

Tartikoff eventually allowed their series to move to Las Vegas for the last quarter of the 22 episodes.

The concept won the approval of NBC programming chief Brandon Tartikoff, who named the titular character, and series, Punky Brewster ( after a girl he had known in his youth ).

As head of NBC's Entertainment Division, Tartikoff's successes included The Cosby Show, for which Tartikoff had pursued actor-comedian Bill Cosby to create a pilot after having been impressed by Cosby's stories when Cosby guest-hosted The Tonight Show.

On Friday, August 29, 1997, Dateline NBC did an extended tribute to Tartikoff featuring many of his proteges including Warren Littlefield, Dick Ebersol, Bill Cosby, Michael J.

Tartikoff also helped develop Punky Brewster, for which he named the title character after a girl he had a crush on in school.

Just prior to his death, Tartikoff served as the chairman of the AOL project " Entertainment Asylum ," for which he teamed with Scott Zakarin to build the world's first interactive broadcast studio.

Tartikoff died on August 27, 1997 from Hodgkin's disease, with which he had three separate bouts over 25 years.

NBC head Brandon Tartikoff ( who had started his career in Chicago ) gave an order for a two-hour movie, which had a theatrical release in a handful of U. S. theaters to invited guests only.

Tartikoff also ordered 22 episodes which allowed Reininger and Adamson to tell a story with developing character arcs, and continuing stories ( instead of episodic, self standing shows .).

Some years later, after the movie Back to the Future cemented Fox's stardom, Fox good-naturedly sent Tartikoff a lunch box with Fox's picture on it and a note inside reading: " To Brandon: This is for you to put your crow in.

During his 1983 appearance on Saturday Night Live, one skit featured Tartikoff in a black leather ensemble, with the words " Be There " spelled out in rhinestones on the back of his jacket.

Tartikoff agreed and put the show on hiatus until a better time slot could be found.

Tartikoff and Carter began talking between innings, and when Tartikoff eventually read some of Carter's script work, he brought him over to write for the network.

Tartikoff spent vacations in Los Angeles looking for a job in network television.

" Tartikoff kept the lunch box in his office for the rest of his career.

In 1995, Hardwick appeared at the Montreal Comedy Festival, where Brandon Tartikoff saw him and offered him a sitcom for NBC.

Duncan had recently signed a contract with NBC for a starring vehicle, and Tartikoff felt that this would be the best opportunity for her to make use of it.

Mitchell has received numerous awards including the Women in Cable and Telecommunications Woman of the Year Award ; the CINE Golden Eagle for Lifetime Achievement ; the PROMAX Century Award for contributions to the television industry ; the Sandra Day O ' Connor Award for Leadership ; and the NATPE Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award.