• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, July 17, 2007

In times of trouble, TV network executives should always remember these words: "Things are okay when the things you complain about are the things you used to dream about."

That comes from Aaron Sorkin, who was reminiscing in the Los Angeles Timesabout his lightning rod of a TV show, the much-discussed, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." Sorkin blames himself for the show's demise.

The quote speaks of TV greed, where there are great jobs, great money, lots of attention -- even in bad times.

NBC's new programming chief Ben Silverman should consider Sorkin's little motto when November rolls around and some of his new tricks don't work so well.  Silverman isn't the kind of guy who gets down that much, always seemingly upbeat.

His predecessor, Kevin Reilly, was just as upbeat. Where did that get him? One nice exit package -- and another top programming job at Fox. Nothing to complain about there.

Silverman should reflect now on what he has always dreamt about -- running a network. When and if he begins to grouse - say, about that new celebrity edition of "The Apprentice" with, say, Rosie O'Donnell as a project manager who is privately ribbed by other celebrities - he should then tell himself the job is still very OK.

Right now Silverman seems like a kid in the candy store.  But given what these network jobs really are, his sweet tooth will get ample cavities.

The same self-reflecting "dreams that become whines" phrase might also apply to Mandy Patinkin, who has suddenly left "Criminal Minds." In the '90s, Patinkin made another quick departure of his own choosing from another CBS show, "Chicago Hope." Maybe the former Broadway singing star is still dreaming -- and has no complaints.

CBS, on the other hand, has a lot to grumble about. "Minds" was a growing CBS show, one the network put a lot of effort into last season. "Minds" made up some big ground against ABC's "Lost."  Patinkin's quick and unexpected departure puts the network in a tough position of figuring out how to revamp the show and the character.

Still, CBS' dreams of stronger financial growth and profitability are way more than people expected. The betting was that its former sister company Viacom would do a lot better.

In TV, first you dream, then complain -- and, if you are lucky, maybe get to dream again.