Last month, we worried that if NBC's fall lineup didn't perform better than its summer one, network wunderkind and Vulture hero Ben Silverman could be fired. But even if he's forced to resort to his fallback career (as a tiger whisperer), his influence will long be felt on the TV dial. The Times reports today on this fall's glut of shows imported from other countries (Kath & Kim, Worst Week, Life on Mars, The Ex-List, etc.) that were green-lit following the success of the Silverman-produced imports The Office and Ugly Betty. ("I keep saying, 'Next stop, Ethiopia,'" says 20th Century Fox's Dana Walden.) Sadly, the Times makes no mention of Silverman's upcoming remake of Colombia's Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso (or Without Breasts There Is No Paradise), but once that thing debuts, we can only imagine the shockwaves.

A World of Imports in TV's New Season [NYT]