NBC has lost its edge

NBC would like you to believe that its strange scheme to install Jay Leno in a weeknight show at 10 p.m. is a bold stroke of prime-time genius.

Don’t fall for it. With this move, a once-dominant network is waving the white flag of surrender.

By asking Leno to take the ball and run with the 10 p.m. slot Monday through Friday, the beleaguered Peacock is essentially admitting that it no longer has the resources or the brainpower to produce quality late-night dramas.

So sad. So pathetic. This is NBC, after all – the network that gave us cutting-edge 10 p.m. shows such as “Hill Street Blues,” “St. Elsewhere,” “ER,” “Law & Order” and “Homicide: Life on the Street.”

What’s next – infomercials at 9?

This, of course, will be something completely new for prime time – a network airing the same show every night at the same time.

There are advantages for NBC. First and foremost, it prevents Leno from bolting to another network. Think of how embarrassing it would have been for him to set up shop at, say, ABC and then beat up on incoming “Tonight Show” host Conan O’Brien every night.

Most of all, it’s cheap, cheap, cheap. Even with the gargantuan salary NBC undoubtedly had to fork over to keep Leno in the fold, it costs much less to put on a late-night gabfest than a quality scripted drama.

Earlier this week, NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker hinted in a news conference that this kind of move just might represent the future of network television.

“Can we continue to program 22 hours of prime time (each week)?” Zucker wondered. “Can we afford to program seven nights a week?”

Perhaps it’s asking too much of NBC – a company wrestling with budget deficits and layoffs – even to attempt to develop quality hit shows.

The fall season, for example, has been a stupendous embarrassment. An ill-conceived remake of talking-car drama “Knight Rider” sputtered and stalled. A pre-Thanksgiving variety special hosted by Rosie O’Donnell was a wretched stink bomb. The one-time marquee hit “Heroes” experienced a creative brain cramp and plunged in the ratings.

Looking ahead to midseason, it doesn’t appear to be getting any better.

NBC has announced that it will air its tired Donald Trump vehicle, “The Apprentice,” in excruciating two-hour blocks. It will also offer yet another dance-competition show, along with a dating series from Ryan Seacrest called “Momma’s Boys” and a hidden-camera prank show hosted by Howie Mandel.

Remember, this is the network that gave us “The West Wing” and “Seinfeld.” Sad, just sad.