For years, CBS had made Carnegie Hall its home to present its slate of upcoming programming during television upfront week in New York City.
So how could parent company Paramount global give up the stage in one of the world’s most vaunted venues? It couldn’t.
And even though the old saying postulates how you have to practice, practice, practice to get to Carnegie Hall, Paramount tried something new. It use the “60 Minutes” team and the “60 Minutes” theme for its presentation, chopping off a good forty minutes from previous shows.
What didn’t change is the audience of media buyers and advertisers’ affection for Jo Ann Ross, the company’s ad sales chief, who played a key role throughout the show, even dressing up in costume for a song and dance number with the cast of breakout hit “Ghosts.”
But the real excitement came when huge stars of the screen took the stage.
Kevin Costner was there for “Yellowstone,” of course, the Western saga that has already spawned its own mini-industry of prequels like “1883,” “1932” and the spinoff “6666.”
Sylvester Stallone becomes part of the Taylor Sheridan tribe with “Tulsa King,” a mob piece from the “Yellowstone” creator set in the Oklahoma city where the Stallone character, Dwight Manfredi, builds a new criminal empire after being released from 25 years in prison. Set to premiere in November on Paramount+ and simulcast on Paramount Network, it is Stallone’s first-ever starring role on the small screen.
“I know good writing when I see it,” said the actor who will forever be known as Rocky.“ It was gold. It had characterization, it had empathy, it had romance. And it had true heart.”
She just won the Oscar for playing Tammy Faye Baker and now Jessica Chastain will play another Tammy, Tammy Wynette in the limited series “George & Tammy.” The actress came on stage with costar Michael Shannon, a favorite of mine since his indelible role in “Boardwalk Empire.”
But it fell to CBS News and 60 Minutes talent like Gayle King, Leslie Stahl, Norah O’Donnell and Scott Pelley to do most of the heavy lifting before the audience, selling them on Paramount’s brand portfolio.
Of course no upfront would be complete without its own late-night hosts skewering the parent company and the industry in general – and Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah and James Corden, soon to be on his farewell tour, did not disappoint.
”I’ve loved being part of the CBS family. I love being part of the Viacom family. I love being part of the Viacom CBS family. I love being part of the Paramount Global family, and I love being part of whatever name they give us next week,” Corden said, while noting it was his final appearance at upfronts. “It’s the last time I do this here at Paramount and I just want you to know how incredible the people that I work for here are.”
Not as incredible as in years past when it was held at the now closed Plaza Hotel Food Hall, the Paramount after party was still a scene as it took over five floors of the Barneys department store space on Madison Avenue for attendees to celebrate.
