Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanaugh try to make sense of what's happening at NBC, their former (and former hit) network

I sat down on Monday with Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanaugh, two stars from NBC's heydays who will soon be starring on TNT's upcoming series "Trust Me," which is a show you'd think NBC executives would kill their young to have on its air today.

McCormack won an Emmy for his long-running hit show "Will & Grace;" Cavanaugh was the critically acclaimed titular star of "Ed." Those shows aired back when NBC had loads of good shows. I asked them what they made of the network's fortunes these days. They didn't directly address the fact that NBC will soon be airing a talk show starring Jay Leno in five hours of prime time soon, but, well, you got the sense of sorrow for a network's former greatness.

Cavanaugh: I have to be careful, because the reason I'm on this show is because I was on NBC. My profile, you know, the fact that I have any profile at all is because I did 'Ed' on NBC. And so, they've given me so much. While I was there, they were the undisputed rock and roll kings. It's difficult to watch what's going on there now. At the same time, everything's cyclical. The best thing to answer that is to say is, it's great to be on TNT. (goes on to say lovely things about TNT which aren't just B.S., including:) Their plan seems like a simple business model: We're going to pick some shows that we think are good, we're going to shoot those pilots, and if we're right, we're going to pick up a few of them and try to see them through.

McCormack: It was a wonderful place to be. With 'Will & Grace,' we were automatically Must-See TV, we were surrounded by greatness. And they were great to me. And it is sad to see that it's changed so much, but not just for NBC, but for all of (the broadcast networks). It's a very different game for them. They're having to play a different game now.

Cavanaugh: "Having." They're "having?"

McCormack: I don't know. I remember when we were a couple of years into "Grace," and (NBC-Universal top dog) Jeff Zucker was the last guy who wanted to do reality. And we were all, like, proud of him that he held back and then one day he had to give in because reality was what everyone seemed to want. We all thought reality would go away within two years - it hasn't, it's become bigger than ever. And now, NBC is doing more reality than anyone.