As if 20 million weekly viewers isn’t proof enough, or the fact that Donald Trump’s gruff send-off, “You’re fired!” (which the 57-year-old mogul is trying to trademark) has become a catchphrase, NBC is scheduling 32 hours of “The Apprentice” for next season (64, if it has weekly repeats)–two series of 15 shows each, with the last one of each being a two-hour special. Compare that to the 22 or 23 hours that a dramatic series usually receives in a year, and you realize how much the network has invested in Trump’s show.
In addition to “The Apprentice” and his book, Trump will host this week’s “Saturday Night Live,” all while perfecting his art of the deal and monitoring plans for “The Apprentice’s” two-hour finale, which will reunite participants and air live on April 15.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Kris Karnopp (kkarnopp@tribune.com)
