Kevin Reilly Quotes

Powerful Kevin Reilly for Daily Growth

About Kevin Reilly

Kevin Reilly, born on October 14, 1956, in New York City, is an acclaimed American television producer, screenwriter, and actor, best known for his significant contributions to the television industry. Raised in a creative family where both parents were artists, Reilly developed a keen interest in storytelling at a young age. He attended Wesleyan University, graduating with a degree in English. Reilly's career began in the late 1970s when he worked as a writer for various sitcoms, including 'The Facts of Life,' 'Growing Pains,' and 'Head of the Class.' However, it was his work on 'The Cosby Show' that propelled him to prominence. His tenure there lasted from 1984 to 1990, during which he also co-created 'A Different World' spin-off. In the early 1990s, Reilly moved to Fox Broadcasting Company as an executive vice president. There, he developed and oversaw shows like 'The X-Files,' 'Party of Five,' 'Beverly Hills, 90210,' and 'Ally McBeal.' His most notable creation during this period was 'Fraction Fractured,' a contemporary take on Hanna-Barbera's classic cartoon 'The Fractured Fairytales.' Reilly returned to TV production in the mid-2000s, creating shows like 'Ugly Betty,' 'Glee,' and 'Red Band Society.' His works often explore complex themes such as family, identity, and social issues, blending humor with poignant narratives. Throughout his career, Reilly has been honored with numerous accolades, including the Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting and seven Emmy Awards. Despite these accomplishments, he remains grounded, crediting his success to his passion for storytelling and his commitment to creating meaningful content.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"In television, you're only as good as your next idea."

The quote "In television, you're only as good as your next idea" highlights the constant need for fresh, innovative content in the world of TV production. This means that regardless of one's past successes, a creator or producer must consistently generate new, captivating ideas to maintain relevance and appeal to viewers. In essence, it emphasizes the importance of continuous creativity and adaptation in the ever-evolving television industry.


"Storytelling is a constant search for truth, and it's the truth that connects us all."

This quote emphasizes the universal human desire to understand reality (truth) through storytelling. Stories serve as a bridge connecting individuals across cultures, time periods, and personal experiences by offering insights into shared human truths. By sharing stories, we build empathy, foster understanding, and strengthen our connections with others. The process of storytelling is thus a continuous journey of seeking and revealing the underlying truths that define us as a species.


"Good ideas come from the unexpected places, so always keep your mind open."

This quote emphasizes the importance of maintaining an open-minded attitude to foster creativity and innovation. By being receptive to new and seemingly unusual experiences or perspectives, one increases the likelihood of encountering unique ideas that might not have been discovered through traditional channels or established thought processes. In other words, keeping an open mind can lead to surprising breakthroughs in problem-solving and idea generation.


"Creativity is about problem-solving, about connecting the dots in new and interesting ways."

Kevin Reilly's quote emphasizes that creativity is not just about producing something novel or unique, but also about finding innovative solutions to problems. It implies that creativity involves making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, concepts, or facts in a way that solves problems or creates new possibilities. In essence, creativity is a problem-solving tool, enabling us to see things differently and come up with fresh, interesting perspectives.


"The best stories are the ones where you feel like you know these people and understand their motivations."

This quote suggests that engaging, impactful stories are those in which readers or viewers develop a strong connection with the characters, understanding their motivations and feelings. By creating empathy between the audience and the characters, such narratives become more immersive and meaningful, making it easier for people to relate to them on a deeper level. This emotional bond can lead to a greater appreciation of the story and its message.


Some of the greatest shows in history - 'Seinfeld,' 'Everybody Loves Raymond' and 'House' - had puny starts but the benefit of schedule protection, increasingly scarce in today's DVR world. Cable nets can tolerate small ratings, building hits in progress like 'Breaking Bad,' or marathon their way to a 'Duck Dynasty.'

- Kevin Reilly

Small, Some, Increasingly, Duck

The way television is done, you're kind of set on a certain path, and then episodic directors come in every week to try to recreate that.

- Kevin Reilly

Week, Television, Set, Episodic

As the media landscape continues to evolve, 'Conan' will continue to lead the evolution of what a talk show will be in the digital age.

- Kevin Reilly

Digital, Will, Conan, Talk Show

The one thing that I'm really obsessed with is multi-camera comedy. It is a form that is unique to network television.

- Kevin Reilly

Comedy, Television, Obsessed, Network Television

It's always a good problem to have to hear people saying they want to see more.

- Kevin Reilly

Problem, See, Always, Hear People

NBC, for me, is like the crazy ex-wife that I can't get away from.

- Kevin Reilly

Away, Like, Get, Ex-Wife

When you get these franchises with some built in profiles and anticipation... I think the anticipation and the buildup can can exceed the delivery.

- Kevin Reilly

Think, Some, Delivery, Exceed

The biggest move that put Fox on the map, from an entertainment perspective, was when 'The Simpsons' moved to Thursday night, and that was paired with 'Martin' and 'Living Single.'

- Kevin Reilly

Living, Entertainment, Move, Simpsons

We're in the culture business. You are constantly monitoring cultural shifts, current events, shifts in mores, things that reflect society, and, at times, we try to drive it.

- Kevin Reilly

Business, Current Events, Shifts

'Friday Night Lights' was never a break-out hit; I'll never regret doing that show.

- Kevin Reilly

Regret, Doing, Friday Night, Never Regret

Pilots are useful. You just learn things during a pilot - the piece of casting that just wasn't right or things about the storytelling nature.

- Kevin Reilly

Storytelling, Pilot, Pilots, Casting

Rather than make 20 things and throw them at the wall and hope you get 6 that maybe feel like keepers, why not focus?

- Kevin Reilly

Like, Maybe, Rather, Why Not

'Surviving Jack' was actually a really nice show that was very well-run creatively.

- Kevin Reilly

Surviving, Very, Actually, Jack

I remember coming up in the business and seeing how the grind turned some executives into grizzled cynics. And I vowed to never become that guy. I have always believed it's incumbent upon network brass to bring a wide-eyed optimism to the chairs they rent. Talent deserves that. And frankly, the jobs are just no fun otherwise.

- Kevin Reilly

I Remember, Some, Turned, Chairs

Producing a one-hour show that has to reinvent musical numbers, and interpret those musical numbers with a large cast, is difficult.

- Kevin Reilly

Reinvent, Cast, Producing, Interpret

I love my job, but I'd really love my job if I didn't have to live and die by ratings every day.

- Kevin Reilly

Love, Die, Every Day, Ratings

Unfortunately, there is no 'X Factor U.S.A.' without Simon Cowell.

- Kevin Reilly

Simon, X Factor, Factor

Is The 'X Factor' the mother of all shows? Absolutely!

- Kevin Reilly

Mother, Shows, X Factor, Factor

'Glee' is produced with three people and written by three people. In my mind, I don't believe there's any other show on television that was written by three people. The fact is there are shows that have 14, 15, or 16 people writing them.

- Kevin Reilly

Mind, Fact, Other, Glee

It's really the rare creator who can tell you where he's going to end the season of 22 episodes. That's not bad. That's part of the creative exploration.

- Kevin Reilly

Exploration, Bad, Creator, Episodes

Whether Amazon is good at making and sustaining an entertainment business remains to be seen. But they certainly are 100% focused every day on optimizing the consumer experience and reducing friction.

- Kevin Reilly

Sustaining, Certainly, Consumer

As an industry, when you're in the talent business, we are way too obsessed on the competition with each other and not enough with the consumer.

- Kevin Reilly

Business, Other, Obsessed, Consumer

There are not going to be hundreds of cable networks doing original programming; they won't be able to sustain the model.

- Kevin Reilly

Doing, Original, Going, Programming

I've respected the people that I've worked for, and they've been supportive and respectful of me.

- Kevin Reilly

Supportive, Been, Worked, Respectful

What the hell is pilot season? It's an artificial boundary that makes no sense, and it makes you do things under duress.

- Kevin Reilly

Pilot, No Sense, Boundary, Season

It used to be a given that the talent and the talent agencies would line up around the broadcast pitch season first and then take whatever was still available out to cable. I hate to say it, but it's just not going down that way anymore. There are things that are bypassing the broadcast networks altogether.

- Kevin Reilly

Line, Available, Broadcast, Season

If what you're doing today isn't vital, you're certainly not going to have a seat at the table in determining what's going to happen tomorrow.

- Kevin Reilly

Doing, Happen, Certainly, Table

The resilience of narrative storytelling and people's love affair with television is impressive.

- Kevin Reilly

Love, Storytelling, Affair

Creative content is challenging, no matter what, and animation is particularly challenging.

- Kevin Reilly

Matter, Particularly, Animation

I always believe that if you stick with quality and give people a chance at the time, that people eventually get on board with it. It's been my experience more than not. Once in a while, there's a show that you just can't seem to break through on.

- Kevin Reilly

Through, Show, Been, Board

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