Network Upfronts start today with the Peacock getting the first go-around at the fall schedule announcements. There's still a few hours to go until NBC makes its announcement, but that wily Kevin Reilly has already officially publicized what the fall schedule will look like."Last year we promised a return to the NBC legacy of quality, and in terms of awards, buzz and critical acclaim, that's just what we delivered," said NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly in a statement. "We've got the class and next season we're ready to add some mass, with new shows that build on the creative accomplishments of last season and are as broad as they are good. Combine the energy of these new programs with the bulked-up strength of our existing NBC hits and you've got a lineup that's poised to take us to the next level."
Without further ado, a sneak peek at NBC's fall schedule:
NBC Primetime Schedule for the 2007-08 Season:
MONDAY
8-9 pm: Deal or No Deal
9-10 pm: Heroes
10-11 pm: Journeyman
TUESDAY
8-9 pm: The Biggest Loser
9-10 pm: Chuck
10-11 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm: Deal or No Deal
9-10 pm: Bionic Woman
10-11 pm: Life
THURSDAY
8-8:30 pm: My Name Is Earl (25 episodes)
8:30-9 pm: 30 Rock
9-9:30 pm: The Office (30 episodes, including 5 hour-long installments)
9:30-10 pm: Scrubs
10-11 pm: ER
FRIDAY
8-9 pm: 1 vs 100/The Singing Bee
9-10 pm: Las Vegas
10-11 pm: Friday Night Lights
SATURDAY
8-9 pm: Dateline NBC
9-11 pm: Drama Series Encores
SUNDAY (Fall 2007)
7-8 pm: Football Night in America
8-11 pm: NBC Sunday Night Football
SUNDAY (January 2008)
7-8 pm: Dateline NBC
8-9 pm: Law & Order
9-10 pm: Medium
10-11 pm: Lipstick Jungle
For those of you keeping track of such things, here's how the NBC schedule stacks up.
Returning Series:
Deal or No Deal, Heroes, Biggest Loser, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, My Name is Earl, The Office, 30 Rock, Scrubs, ER, 1 vs. 100, Las Vegas, Friday Night Lights, Dateline,
New Series:
Journeyman, Chuck, Bionic Woman, Life, The Singing Bee,
New Timeslots for Returning Series:
The Office (moving to Thursdays at 9 pm), 30 Rock (moving to Thursdays at 8:30 pm), Friday Night Lights (moving to, er, Friday nights at 10 pm).
Midseason Launches/Returns:
Law & Order, Medium, Lipstick Jungle, The IT Crowd, World Moves, Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Reactions:
Again, NBC hasn't so much overhauled its schedule as it has shifted things around a bit, sticking to its game plan of less expensive reality fare most evenings (save its Comedy Done Right lineup on Thursdays). Hopefully, there will be less expectations in terms of ratings for Friday Night Lights on Fridays, thus keeping the series around for a bit longer. I'm surprised by the decision to launch Journeyman on the back of Heroes rather than Bionic Woman, but I'm hoping that means that the network has enough faith in the Kevin McKidd-led drama to test it in some prime real estate (and let's be honest, trashy fare like The Real Wedding Crashers wasn't working there). I'm not sure that Chuck and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an inspired combination, while Bionic Woman and Life on Wednesdays might just be the thing to make me forget that Lost doesn't return until February 2008.
And 30 episodes of The Office? Sounds like a good thing IF the network programmers allow the show's producers to properly schedule and prepare for those five one-hour installments way in advance, before the scripts are written and production begins.
Comments
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Critics and fans alike were worried that NBC would mistreat "Friday Night Lights" if they get it a birth on its fall schedule for the second season. When fans rejoiced last week due to its renewal, the news downplayed that fear... Well critics/fans had the right to be worried, because FNL seems to have caught "Boomtown" syndrome. When that critically acclaimed season came back for a 2nd season, NBC mishandled it and put it on Friday nights at 10 pm, a night and time when most of its audience wasn't even home. Well fan fear was justified because guess where FNL ended up? Friday nights at 10 pm. Hmmm... Do you think FNL will last a full season in that timeslot?
Then again, its ratings were always much worse than Boomtown, so if it can maintain 5 or 6 million viewers in that slot, I suppose its hear to stay.
Glad to see that Thursday night will still be an excellent night of comedy. And I think it's smart to anchor 30 Rock between Earl and The Office. Hopefully, it will be able to attract some more viewers.
Looks like they've got several interesting new dramas on the schedule too. Though I agree that pairing Chuck with Law & Order is an odd combo.
Also, 9pm on Thursday is such a killer time slot now. Grey's, CSI, Office, and my Supernatural boys (assuming The CW keeps their Thursday schedule intact). Yikes.
Either NBC has unbelievable faith in the potential success of its news shows or we are looking at a schedule that is going to have lots of Deal or No Deal and Dateline by this time next year.
I mean, ABC was bloated last year with the Ted Danson show and all of those other comedies -- Then, "Knights" and "I.C.E." were sent to death-slots, not to be heard from again.
Plus, NBC is cutting costs across the board. So maybe this is their way of doing that too?
B) FNL - sigh. I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth, but 10pm on Friday? I am find with it being on Friday, but it's an 8:00 show. It just is.
Danielle - Biggest Loser is actually a lot more classy than most reality shows on television, so I don't mind that NBC labeled their schedule as that.
Matt Bird - I believe MONY is dead. I think I read that last week.
Other Thoughts:
Chuck should have gotten the post-Heroes slot. Its humor would combine well with that of Heroes.
Deal or No Deal has been fading as of late. While still a hypnoting show (at least for middle-America), I wonder if that was a good idea to put two helpings of it on. But I suppose its cheaper than doing that than running something previously untested... and if Singing Bee does really well, they could always replace one of the Deals with that show.
I also mourn the loss of Studio 60 and Raines, since those were the only two shows I made a point to catch when the piesodes first aired.