apropos of nothing

ABC President Stephen McPherson Is the Anti–Ben Silverman

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Ever since ABC president Stephen McPherson called NBC chairman Ben Silverman “either clueless or stupid” back in July, we’ve been wondering to ourselves how it was possible for someone — anyone! — not to like Ben Silverman. With his outlandish eyebrows and laid-back approach to mandatory drug testing, the guy is pretty much impossible not to love unconditionally. In fact, we question the good sense of any person that doesn’t think so.

And so, too, do the current and former Disney executives that spoke with the New York Times for yesterday’s profile of McPherson, apparently. In the piece, McPherson is painted as a “volatile bulldozer” who “exhibits a blunt, temperamental style that … creates a frosty relationship with his superiors and leaves subordinates ducking for cover.” Disney CEO Robert Iger chimes in with some praise (“Steve is a great television programming executive … He works extremely hard to make ABC’s shows better”), and the article notes how many actors and producers have come to appreciate his “knife-in-the-front manner,” but the evidence is clear: McPherson sounds like kind of a jerk. Not that we expected any different from a guy who fails to appreciate the undeniable greatness of Ben Silverman. Plus, he did green-light Cavemen.

A Made-for-TV Boss Helps Revive ABC [NYT]

Earlier: Ben Silverman Fights Dirty

ABC President Stephen McPherson Is the Anti–Ben Silverman