NBC originally aired 'The Apprentice'. The American reality competition premiered on NBC in January 2004, with Donald Trump overseeing business challenges and dismissing contestants with the phrase, 'You're fired!'
The program was created by Mark Burnett and developed as a competition in which aspiring entrepreneurs managed teams through weekly commercial tasks. The losing team faced Trump in the boardroom, where one or more contestants could be eliminated. NBC broadcast the first season from January 8 through April 15, 2004.
The show's launch became a major ratings success for the network. Its first season averaged about 20.7 million viewers per episode, and the finale attracted roughly 28.05 million viewers. That performance led NBC to commission additional seasons and international versions.
Viewers sometimes confuse the program with 'The Apprentice' franchise in other countries, which aired on different networks and used different hosts. The question refers to the original American series, whose first home was NBC.