No mention as yet for Chuck, Medium and others until May 19. Scroll to the bottom for preview clips of many of the new series.
From NBC.com:
NBC ANNOUNCES AMBITIOUS LINEUP OF PROGRAMMING DOMINATED BY NEW SCRIPTED SERIES FOR 2009-2010 PRIMETIME SEASON THAT EXTENDS THE NETWORK’S QUALITY BRAND
New Series Include Four Dramas: “Trauma,” “Parenthood,” “Mercy” and the Event Series “Day One” as Well as Two Comedies: “Community” and “100 Questions”
Returning Series Pickups Include “Heroes,” “Southland,” “Parks and Recreation” and Six New Episodes of “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday”
NEW YORK CITY – May 4, 2009 – NBC unveiled today a strong lineup of broad and diverse quality programming for the 2009-2010 television season announcing the pickups of six new series featuring four new dramas including “Trauma,” “Parenthood,” “Mercy” and the event series “Day One,” as well as two new comedies including “Community” and “100 Questions.” Four returning series pickups were also announced today including “Heroes,” “Southland,” “Parks and Recreation” and the addition of six new episodes of “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday” skewering today’s top stories in live half-hour primetime shows.
The new and returning series will launch next season and the epic event series “Day One” is slated to premiere out of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
“The Jay Leno Show” will be broadcast Monday-Fridays, 10-11 p.m. ET beginning in the fall. Previously announced series pickups include “The Office,” “30 Rock,” “The Biggest Loser,” “The Celebrity Apprentice,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Friday Night Lights,” and new alternative series “The Marriage Ref,” “Breakthrough With Tony Robbins” and “Who Do You Think You Are?”
Additional series pickups will be announced May 19, when NBC announces its 2009-2010 schedule.
NBC unveiled pickups for the upcoming broadcast season in the first of a series of presentations today and tomorrow to key advertisers from Studio 8H–the home of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”–at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. Presentations will continue in Chicago on May 7 and Los Angeles on May 12.
“We are thrilled to be announcing such an awesome slate of new series that build on our existing quality brand and deliver emotional, human stories,” said Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. “NBC will strive to make viewers feel and our shows represent the full range of human emotion from laughter to tears. We can’t wait to share these concepts with our audience and our advertising partners.”
“These new series will showcase fresh talent and bold, original concepts that are extremely well executed,” said Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios. “We are grateful to the producers, casts and crews — and our team — who have delivered incredibly compelling and entertaining new series.”
In response to an evolving media marketplace and the changing needs of advertisers, NBC has created a more innovative, client-centric approach to its traditional Upfront with a series of one-on-one client presentations, which began today in New York City. These presentations are interactive and, unlike other networks’ Upfront presentations, will include a Q & A with advertisers and NBC sales and entertainment executives.
NBC will also host advertisers and affiliates at a “Night of Comedy” featuring appearances by some of its biggest comedy stars including Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Rainn Wilson and Tracy Morgan on Tuesday, May 19 in New York City.
Detailed new series descriptions are listed below. For photography, log on to www.nbcumv.com. For additional press materials including EPK and new series promotional trailers, please see companion media advisory.
2009-2010 NEW SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
New Dramas
PARENTHOOD
From the executive producers of the box-office hit “Parenthood” — Ron Howard and Brian Grazer (Oscar winners for “A Beautiful Mind”), and writer/executive producer Jason Katims (“Friday Night Lights”) — this contemporary re-imagining of the blockbuster film depicts the colorful and imperfect Braverman family — four grown siblings sharing the headaches, heartaches and joy of being parents. The star-studded cast includes Peter Krause, Maura Tierney, Craig T. Nelson, Dax Shepard, Bonnie Bedelia, Monica Potter, Erika Christensen and Sarah Ramos. When Sarah Braverman (Tierney, “ER”), a financially strapped single mother, returns home to her parents and siblings in Berkeley, Calif. after packing up her Fresno apartment and uprooting her two inconvenienced kids, Amber (Mae Whitman, “In Treatment”) and Drew (Miles Heizer, “ER”), she is greeted by her opinionated father, Zeek (Nelson, “Family Stone,” “Coach”), and strong mother, Camille (Bedelia, “Heart Like a Wheel”), who are privately dealing with their own marital issues. As Sarah is reunited with her siblings — sister, Julia (Christensen, “Traffic”), and brothers Crosby (Shepard, “Baby Mama”) and Adam (Krause, “Six Feet Under”) — all struggling with issues of their own, it’s clear that the Braverman reunion is just what they need to face the everyday challenges of modern family life. “Parenthood” is a production from Imagine Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. Emmy winner Thomas Schlamme (“The West Wing”) directs the pilot.
TRAUMA
Executive producer Peter Berg (NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”) delivers “Trauma,” the first high-octane medical drama series to live exclusively in the field where the real action is. Like an adrenaline shot to the heart, “Trauma” is an intense, action-packed look at one of the most dangerous medical professions in the world: first responder paramedics. When emergencies occur, the trauma team from San Francisco General is first on the scene, traveling by land, by sea or by air to reach their victims in time. From the heights of the city’s Transamerica Pyramid to the depths of the San Francisco Bay, these heroes must face the most extreme conditions to save lives — and give meaning to their own existence in the process. Starring in “Trauma” are Derek Luke (“Notorious”), Cliff Curtis (“10,000 B.C”), Anastasia Griffith (“Damages”), Aimee Garcia (“George Lopez”), Kevin Rankin (“Friday Night Lights”) and Jamey Sheridan (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent”). “Trauma” is a production of Universal Media Studios and Film 44. Berg, Sarah Aubrey (“Bad Santa,” “Friday Night Lights”), Dario Scardapane and Jeffrey Reiner (“Friday Night Lights”) serve as executive producers. The pilot was written by Scardapane and directed by Reiner.
MERCY
“Mercy,” a new medical drama with a unique point of view, portrays the lives of the staff at Mercy Hospital as seen through the eyes of those who know it best — its nurses. Nurse Veronica Callahan (Taylor Schilling, “Dark Matter”) returns to Mercy from a military tour in Iraq — and she knows more about medicine than all of the residents combined. Together with fellow nurses Sonia Jimenez (Jamie Lee Kirchner, “Rescue Me”) and Chloe Payne (Michelle Trachtenberg, “Gossip Girl”), Callahan navigates through the daily traumas and social landmines of life and love both inside the hospital and out in the real world. The cast also includes: James Tupper (“Men in Trees”) as Dr. Chris Sands, a new doctor at the hospital who complicates Veronica’s life; Diego Klattenhoff (“Supernatural”) as Mike Callahan, Veronica’s husband; and Guillermo Diaz (“Weeds”) as Nurse Angel Lopez. “Mercy” is a production from Universal Media Studios and Berman Braun. Joining writer/executive producers Liz Heldens (NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”) and Gretchen Berg & Aaron Harberts (“Pushing Daisies,” “Pepper Dennis”) are executive producers Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun. Emmy Award winner Adam Bernstein (NBC’s “30 Rock,” “Rescue Me”) is the director.
DAY ONE
From executive producer/writer Jesse Alexander (“Heroes,” “Lost,” “Alias”) and director Alex Graves (“Fringe,” “Journeyman”), “Day One” tells the story of life on earth following a global catastrophe that has devastated the world’s infrastructures. Beginning with the immediate aftermath of the cataclysmic event, an eclectic band of survivors — played by Adam Campbell (“Date Movie”), Catherine Dent (“The Shield”), Julie Gonzalo (“Eli Stone”), David Lyons (“ER”), Derek Mio (“Greek”), Carly Pope (“24″), Thekla Reuten (“Sleeper Cell”) and Addison Timlin (“Cashmere Mafia”) — strives to rebuild society as they unravel the mysteries of what happened and face their uncertain future. The group, all residents of one apartment building in suburban Van Nuys, Calif., embarks on a quest for survival and discovers that hope is found in small victories — and heroes are born every day. “Day One” is a Universal Media Studios production.
New Comedies
100 QUESTIONS (fka “100 Questions for Charlotte Payne”)
Emmy winner James Burrows (“Will & Grace,” “Friends”) directs “100 Questions,” a new comedy series written and executive-produced by Christopher Moynihan (“For Your Consideration”) that provides hilarious answers to 100 questions about love. Charlotte Payne (Sophie Winkleman, “Peep Show”) is looking for love and has rejected multiple marriage proposals — but she has yet to meet Mr. Right. When she joins a popular online dating site, she gets a little help from her dating counselor Ravi (Amir Talai, “The Ex List”) – who requires her to take a 100-question compatibility test. The questions aren’t easy for Charlotte to answer, and each one requires her to recount a poignant and humorous time in her life with friends Leslie (Elizabeth Ho, “Women’s Murder Club”), Jill (Joy Suprano, NBC’s “Law & Order”), Mike (Christopher Moynihan “For Your Consideration”) and Wayne (David Walton “Quarterlife”). The test becomes a journey of self-discovery for Charlotte who begins to realize what she truly wants in a relationship. Ron West (“Psych”), Kelly Kulchak (“Psych”) and Michelle Nader (“King of Queens”) join Moynihan as executive producers. The series is produced by Universal Media Studios and Tagline.
COMMUNITY
From Emmy Award-winning directors Joe and Anthony Russo (“Arrested Development”) comes “Community,” a smart comedy series about higher education — and lower expectations. The student body at Greendale Community College is made up of high-school losers, newly divorced housewives, and old people who want to keep their minds active. Within these not-so-hallowed halls, “Community” focuses on a band of misfits, at the center of which is a fast-talkin’ lawyer whose degree has been revoked (Joel McHale, “The Soup”), who form a study group and end up learning a lot more about themselves than they do about their course work. In addition to McHale, the series also stars: Gillian Jacobs (“The Book of Daniel”); Yvette Nicole Brown (“Rules of Engagement”); Danny Pudi (“Greek”); Alison Brie (“Mad Men”); and comedy legend Chevy Chase (“Saturday Night Live”). “Community” is a Krasnoff Foster Entertainment, Harmonious Claptrap and Russo Brothers production in association with Sony Pictures Television and Universal Media Studios. Russ Krasnoff (“The Soloist”), Dan Harmon (“The Sarah Silverman Program”), Joe Russo (“Arrested Development”), Anthony Russo (“Arrested Development”) and Gary Foster (“The Soloist”) serve as executive producers. Joe and Anthony Russo directed the pilot that was written by Dan Harmon.
Here are some previews of the new shows:
Jay Leno Show
Trauma
Parenthood
Mercy
Day One
Community
100 Questions
Not looking good. I guess the best we can hope for is 13 episodes and then get renewed again when all of these inevitabley fail. Again.
to quote the late Heath Ledger
“and here..we..go!”
Looks like another pack of losers to me. Except I might give ‘Trauma’ a shot, because it at least sounds interesting. It depends on what night it airs.
I saw this on NBC’s site as I am frequently refreshing and looking for an update on Chuck. I know that some of you are sick of the Chuck fans, but you have lost a show before, you know how bad it sucks, and the teeter tottering is REALLY crappy to do to fans.
Let’s just hope that a definite answer comes SOON.
I am cautiously excited about “Day One,” although we will not be seeing it until 2010 and there is no word if it is a limited run series (which would be preferable) or whether it will turn into another “Jericho.”
Is it just me or does it seem like they are in shambles since deciding to bring Leno back?
Theoretically if they cut Chuck, Medium, Earl, etc. and Leno fails miserably then what the hell will they do?
This is going to be interesting.
Well, that was not quite what I wanted to hear, thank you for the report though. No mention of MNIE or L&O either though, eh?
NBC is in biiig trouble. I can’t see any of their new shows becoming a hit, and only Biggest Loser, The Office, maybe 30 Rock perform well in the demos.
This network is doomed. Doomed, I tell ya!
Doghouse,
It’s being called an “event series” much in the same way that Harper’s Island has been. So it’ll probably just be a 13 episode run.
I too am looking forward to it, even though Jesse Alexander was a big contributor to the downturn of Heroes.
It’s completely fine though by me, I could do without either of those series.
JT, they were in shambles *before* they choose to put Leno at 10 every weeknight.
I guess I’m looking forward to see Parenthood. Maura Tierney is a very good actress.
No mention as yet for Chuck, Medium and others until May 19.
WTF? are they really gonna drag this out for three more weeks?
My Name Is Earl – still in negotiations as of a few hours ago (no way NBC picks up more than 13 episodes, so 20th Television should stop dreaming)
State of Romance – NBC passed
Off Duty – don’t know, but it sounds like the lame “Friends”/”Coupling” wannabe “100 Questions” got the nod over it
Justin Adler Project – was anybody even talking about this in the first place?
NBC really bums me out. Why couldn’t they just make the announcement today??
Community sounds like it has a lot of potential. Trauma and Mercy seem like retreads, but TV has to have some medical/emergency dramas on at all times (Emergency!, St. Elsewhere, Chicago Hope, E.R., etc.). What surprises me about these shows is that they look to be really expensive to make. Unless they get good ratings quickly, they will be off to Saturday (then Summer) like Kings. 100 Questions does not look interesting, but who knows. I wonder if Parenthood is going to land on Mondays at 8??? It would be a lousy lead-in to Heroes, but might be a good family alternative to House, the CBS shows, and perhaps could draw some folks from DWTS.
In their Fall Preview showing on their Web site, NBC shows a very brief clip of “Chuck”, even though no mention is made of the show…
So I guess the main point of their “infront” is to promote their new series earlier.
Well, hell! That sucks! I was really excited after hearing the news about Medium yesterday, but now Variety says that NBC is saying that it’s “still in play, but not a lock to return”. Lots of people (except NBC) are still saying that it’s been renewed for 13-16 episodes, so why won’t NBC just say it? What’s the point in holding off an announcement? If it’s renewed, but they’re just working out the numbers, why not just say it’s been renewed without announcing the numbers? These morons are making me CRAA-ZY!!
Can they at least give us a percentage chance whether “CHUCK” will return. I would think they have an idea of what they plan to do if they haven’t already cancelled it!
I think all of the dramas sound interesting. I like the sound of Day One the most (except if it really ends up with a limited run). Parenthood seems to have the most chance of being actually good. As for Trauma and Mercy, they could be anything. I’ll hope for ER-quality but probably have to settle for Third Watch-quality (watchable but forgettable).
Bill, agreed. But it seems like once all the speculation on the move became feverish it got so much worse.
I liken this move to announcing a new car and not being able to show anyone the interior or the engine.
Yes it’s a car but how does it drive and how do we fit in it? If I’m an advertiser, how do I decide on where to put my money when the network has given me so little view of what’s inside?
They probably should have waited to announce everything in one neat package. At least my opinion.
Wow. Community is an exciting prospect. Joel McHale teamed with part of the Arrested Development team? My DVR will be set accordingly.
The rest sound like average drivel. I’m crossing my fingers for Chuck.
It really does look like this is boiling down to a Thunderdome situation (three shows enter, one show leaves). Looks bleak for Earl.
Putting the above to paper leaves only one slot open, probably a Sunday hour after the football season. How did Medium fare when it was on Sunday nights?
You can’t tell me that they don’t know at this point if CHUCK, or MEDIUM, or EARL are coming back. They know. If they DON’T KNOW by now, it shows you how really screwed up they are at running a network. So, as I’ve stated before on this and other similar sites, “NBC, it’s time to s**t or get off the pot!” Apparently they’ve decided to remain sitting on the pot while the rest of us are in line about to have bowel explosions over the future of our favorite shows – THEIR SHOWS by the way that we have supported – that we’ve been dedicated and loyal to. If this is how they treat their friends, now wonder they have so few. (and fewer each year so it seems). Oh, well. Looks like I’ll turn to the CW for entertainment now. Thanks, NBC, for treating your friends like crap. When you renew two shows that have worse ratings than CHUCK (Southland and Parks and “Car Wreck,” – and which are up against much less difficult competition), and then drag out the announcement on CHUCK or either plan to go ahead and cancel it but delay the announcement, you obviously are placing little value on LOYAL fans. So…… time to hit the “program” function on the remote and remove channel 5 from the list. Goodbye and GOOD RIDDANCE!!
Nooo, I’ve been looking forward to this day for MONTHS. Enough, already!
I wonder why there is no mention of the new Debra Messing laffer they committed to a few weeks back.
Nothing like overreacting, Rick.
The only surprise was DAY ONE being moved back to after the Olympics. This means that CHUCK is likely a fall show and returning to its normal Monday time slot.
DAY ONE was originally planned to air immediately in the Fall in the HEROES slot. I’m guessing we’re going to see CHUCK and SOUTHLAND and Mondays from that announcement. With the idea that one of them is not going to survive.
CHUCK, MEDIUM, and L&O are all renewed and we likely won’t be waiting weeks except for official NBC mention of when, etc.
The fact that they can renew Southland after seeing it drop like a stone in 3 episodes against very little competition and hold off on Chuck who’s holding steady, if not rising slightly, in the toughest timeslot on television is beyond me.
If they don’t renew Chuck, I’ve no more reason to watch NBC.
I think they hold onto Earl as a mid-season for when one of the new comedies tanks (you know at least one will). Medium will most likely come back. I’m still of the opinion that if Chuck doesn’t come back in the fall, it’s not coming back at all.
As for the new shows, I might have to check out 100 Questions just because it’s produced by people from Psych, which is my favorite comedy right now.
I’m really excited about “Trauma”, “Day One”, “Parenthood” and “Community”. I like the idea of “100 Questions”, although it sounds like it is catered to the female auience. “Mercy” sounds retarded.
I’m hoping some of these new shows will be good. We’ll see. Even if they are they might not be hits.
It’s way to early to tell, but I’m giving “Community”, “Parenthood” and “Trauma” the best chances.
5 New Hours, doesn’t leave a lot for returning series.
Am I crazy, or were the three series Nikki Finke specifically mentioned the ones specifically omitted in this release? To over-analyze a bit, the next headline could be “Decisions on Chuck, Medium and Law & Order” to be announced May 19…
Nick C:
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2009/05/nbc_picks_up_6_new_series_rene.php
“We may decide we need another new show after we move the puzzle pieces around,” Mr. Graboff explained. However, if a show wasn’t announced today, it will not be on in the fall, he said.
“…And don’t expect to see “Chuck,” “My Name is Earl” or “Medium” there either.
The network just sent out its new season release – head to the jump for EVERYTHING – and you won’t see those names anywhere on it.
But when NBC does unveil the whole shebang before advertisers in a few hours, I fully expect that they’ll all (with the exception of officially-in-limbo “Earl”) get mid-season orders. “L&O” has been a mid-season entry before – though the 19th launched in November – and the same with “Medium” and “Chuck.” The trades have already announced that “M” and “Chuck” will be back. They’ve been notably silent on “L&O.”"
http://weblogs.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/blog/
What about “Legally Mad”? OK, I definitely have enough DEK lawyer shows on DVD to live without it just fine, but wasn’t NBC supposed to have as good as picked that up already?
A few months into next year’s schedule, NBC is going to find themselves scrambling for programming, much like ABC did several years back when they built their schedule around Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and people got sick of it all at once. This Leno clusterfoxtrot is going to bite them big time.
Wait, so NBC didn’t announce their nightly schedule for the fall today?
Mike, I read that quote the same way you did the first time I read it. I just reread it, and while I still tend to agree with you, I think it could also mean that unless a new show was announced today, it will not be on the Fall schedule, this leaving open the possibility of returning shows being on the Fall schedule. Also, this part was the author’s summary, and not a quote, so there seems to me to be some room for movement.
i will wait and see
but to be totally honest
i am NOT impressed by this lineup or many of the peeps behind the shows
WOW
somehow will all the suspense the surprise was a letdown
and no chuck and some of the other “bubble”shows
i have a feelingg with this lineup they will need second string shows
so i am hopeful chuck and some of the others will be picked up
probably with smaller episode orders…
very funny that
out of the nbc universal camp NBC their flagship is doing the worst
these shows better be the bees knees
and i dont think they will be..
clutz, you’re no less crazy than Rat Finke is.
Although it sounds like a lot of people got jump-the-gun (and incorrect) info about “Medium.” I wonder who was the source for that “scoop”…
Mike, he was specifically referring to LEGALLY MAD…
Looking at these pickup I definitely see where the Chuck vs Medium rumor came from. A few good things: Community could be just what NBC needs to drive Thursdays past critical darlings w/ ok numbers. It has a great team behind it and very funny cast. The concept alone is easy enough for people to buy into. First priority should be to bring back Must See TV on Thursdays. All this talk about brand- there it is. Community could help reclaim that (Now if only P&R could just go away already).
Another positive- Making Day One a limited engagement in the “second season” after the Olympics. Hardcore “genre” fans seem poised to rally behind this but of course “genre” shows tend to go the way of the axe. This is a smart move to drive some interest with the Olympic springboard and test drive “limited engagements” as a way to introduce potential series. (By the way- I see this as Monday night fodder in the Heroes/ Chuck mixed bag- it just fits)
I’m not sure I understand both Trauma & Mercy getting picked up. I’m assuming one will take a back seat until “second season” (likely Mercy). Trauma seems to have more consistent interest and I actually like a L&O SVU/ Trauma pairing.
Parenthood seems to have cancellation written all over it though. Great minds behind it but it just seems bland. If you don’t sell me on a pilot script I’m rarely sold. 100 Questions seems an ok choice for more female viewership except what are they going to successfully pair it with? This will be an ok series that gets the axe after December because of scheduling issues.
There are some interesting holes and timelines left for NBC to manage. The Sept-Dec 13 wk, Jan-Olymp 6 wk and Post Olymp 13ish wks pose interesting and tight scheduling quandries. I expect very few series to go through fall and spring. The 6 wk no mans land should burn off a lot of the “alternative” programs. I also see the Olympics launching not only a few new series, but perhaps to try to increase viewership for some ratings lacking critical darlings.
We can all play back-seat execs but we’ll just have to wait a few more weeks to see which of these actually make the fall cut. The sad thing is we also find out everyone else’s schedules and thus just how much of that can of whoop Fox is going to unleash on network television.
I might give a few of these new series a shot, but there aren’t any that really catch my eye. There certainly isn’t anything that will help NBC get out of the massive hole it’s in.
At this point, I feel like NBC is a vicious cycle: they have no viewers, and are even losing some of the ones they have. Thus, there are fewer people seeing ads and promos for new shows, which means the new shows, even if they’re good, aren’t able to attract any viewers. So those get canceled, and new ones take their place. Rinse and repeat. It’s going to take a massive and intriguing new show (a la Lost or Heroes when it first came out) to even make a dent in NBC’s huge deficit.
As for Chuck, I still have my fingers crossed. And the fact that everything we’ve heard recently has been positive helps. So people need to calm down. There is too much overreaction about this announcement (or lack thereof in this instance). Just focus on positive thoughts, and then when Chuck comes back make sure to watch it and introduce your friends to it. We all know NBC won’t be able to boost its viewership, so it’s up to us to spread it to as many people as we can.
From Twitter regarding GRaboff’s comment:
As @tvweek_joe has just informed me for clarity, Graboff’s comments were meant re: NEW projects, not renewals. #savechuck
Mike:
That quote is kind of taken out of context. I think he’s referring to new shows like “Legally Mad” won’t air in the fall if they weren’t announced today. I don’t think he meant to include bubble shows in that. Chuck is still alive in my opinion.
So much for Nikki Finke and her so called sources. This is why I take the writings of anyone at LA Weekly who claim to be “in-the-know.” Who was she talking to, one of the NBC pages?
I understand their need to wait to renew Chuck, Medium, and L&O especially if they are still negotiating with the production studios. What I don’t understand is why Southland was renewed already. I would think if they are waiting for the news of the other shows until May 19, why wouldn’t they wait to see how well the next episodes of Southland do in ratings. From what I could see, the show is going down in rating every week. Since it hasn’t been on that many weeks yet, I would have thought that they would see if the ratings dip stabilizes before renewing the show. (BTW Southland was super boring to me. I could only make it through 30 minutes of the premiere)
What is going on with Chuck. Not a fall show. Is it renewed or cancelled? Someone has to know.
Three new reality shows were announced today as well: “Jerry Seinfeld’s The Marriage Ref”, “Who Do You Think You Are?”, and “Breakthrough with Tony Robbins”.
I’m most excited about Day One and Community. With Community being picked up, there seems to be no way in hell that Earl returns since there are now four smart/quirky shows for NBC Thursday nights + the six installments of SNL that will also run on Thursdays.
So much for Nikki Finke and her so called sources. This is why I take the writings of anyone at LA Weekly who claim to be “in-the-know” with a grain of salt. Who was she talking to, one of the NBC pages?
Just realized something. With today’s announcements, NBC has cancelled their entire Fall 2008 freshman class (“Kath & Kim,” “Knight Rider,” “Crusoe,” “My Own Worst Enemy,” “America’s Toughest Jobs”) before any of them could graduate to sophomore year. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this is the first time they’ve done that since 1989 (“Mancuso, FBI,” “Baywatch,” “Sister Kate,” “Hardball,” “The Nutt House”).
Really tells you what they thought of Teri Weinberg’s, Katherine Pope’s and Craig Plestis’ development.
Riff, NBC knows what shows they plan on airing but not when on some of them. So we’re going to have to wait a bit. MEDIUM was definitely picked up.
Community? Does NBC think that the world is waiting for a Chevy Chase comeback?
Sorry Nick C, but I don’t buy it.
Assume Chuck, Medium, and L&O all come back, along with all their announced new/renewed shows. You would slot them how?
Monday Fall: Chuck/Southland
Monday Winter: Day One/Heroes
Wed Fall: Parenthood/SVU
Wed Winter: Mercy/SVU (+L&O?)
Sunday Winter: Apprentice/Trauma/Medium
The only way you can get them all to fit is if SVU is the only drama given a standard order, and no shows get a backorder, and if NBC does not pick up any additional shows (like Legally Mad), and L&O gets such a tiny order you can slot it in somewhere.
Who knows with NBC, but I just don’t see it.
YAY for heroes, I am excited for PARENTHOOD, LOL I loved the movie so I will watch the show!!! And I will watch Day One, the others Im not sure, Ill wait until the promos come out and then decide!!!
I’m really getting fed up with NBC. This is the sorriest excuse for an upfront (or infront, whatever) that I’ve seen. We really didn’t learn anything new; I don’t know why they even bothered wasting our time.
If you guys wanna break some news, small, but still news, all the late night shows are listed as returning at http://www.nbc.com/upcoming-shows/ except “Last Call with Carson Daly”….perhaps it’s gone??
(Also Poker After Dark, but I think that was just left off the site whereas Carson may be finished.)
Sounds like I didn’t guess wrong after all in the previous thread. Midseason pickups for all their marginal shows, Chuck, Medium, Law and Order. Guess it’s just a question of Fall vs. Spring, judging by what’s been announced, I’d say Spring.
This really is awful for fans of these shows. I don’t mean in the sense of a show continuing, I mean awful in the emotional wringer it puts these people through. Yeah, they’ve got good rumors, but now there’s no official announcement and the network is only giving them partial seasons regardless. Frankly, I think it’s bad for business. Why put fans of some of your shows through an emotional wringer? It may sour them on the rest of the lineup.
The only way any of this makes a little sense to me is that they really haven’t finalized where to put each show. Yes, they’ve decided to bring them back, but they don’t know where yet, so they’re just releasing what’s finalized.
It’s a sign of a poorly run network.
“Monday Fall: Chuck/Southland
Monday Winter: Day One/Heroes
Wed Fall: Parenthood/SVU
Wed Winter: Mercy/SVU (+L&O?)
Sunday Winter: Apprentice/Trauma/Medium”
I think Heroes will be on both fall and winter.
Tom, I think they’re planning on Tuesday offering more than just BIGGEST LOSER.
Their VP of programming just died. Maybe the rabid fans are forgetting that this could have played a factor in Monday’s announcements. Also, there were numerous news items saying that not everything will be announced on Monday.
Sheesh.
I’m not sure Ms. Finke has been proven wrong. She predicted a renewal, which is what others have done as well. She also predicted with a qualifier an announcement on Monday. First, the qualifier seems to give her an out. Second, the day ain’t over yet!
Hudson, HEROES will not be on in the Fall, that is one decision that is going to stick. The writers have a lot of work to do to fix the problems and they need the extra time.
tvmegafan says:
May 4th, 2009 at 9:31 am
YAY for heroes, I am excited for PARENTHOOD, LOL I loved the movie so I will watch the show!!! And I will watch Day One, the others Im not sure, Ill wait until the promos come out and then decide!!!
Did you watch Parenthood the TV show in 1990 with Ed Begley Jr.? It didn’t do too hot…I don’t know why NBC is deciding a 2nd time to bring back a show based on a movie that came out 20 years ago.
I will Hate NBC is they dont renew medium
Nick C., I read that about Tuesday as well. 1.5 hours of Biggest Loser with the last half hour being an incubator for new comedies. Sounds like a reaonable idea. You can incubate them on Tuesday and move to Thursday if something fails. If everything works on Thursday and the show also works on Tuesday, leave it alone. If Thursday’s fine and Tuesday fails, expand Biggest Loser back to two hours.
As an aside, did anyone find the 100 Questions clip remotely funny? It wasn’t to me, but maybe I don’t get it.
No great new shows that push the bar. At least ABC had Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money (even if they weren’t great rating success’s). The only shows on NBC (which new line-up looks like too many shows – most proberly mid-season- that just look a bit boring, I’m tired of medical dramas.) that I will now watch are:
- Heroes
- Chuck
- Southland
- The Office
- 30 Rock
I will try out:
-Day One for a while see how plays out
- Community see how well the comedic side is – could be okay
- I will not watch Parenthood because it just sounds like a massive rip off of Brothers & Sisters (which I only watch on and off)
- Trauma I won’t watch
- Mercy I will give on chance
NBC seems to be being less adventrous this year, yes theres an econimic crisis but that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with new (different – maybe in style not just concept) shows. Hopefully I can look to ABC which does currently produce the best new shows (like the two above which are amazing- PD and DSM) like Castle: but theres also FOX but the only interesting new one would be The Reincarnationist.
Wasn’t there already a short-lived TV version of the movie Parenthood. Back in the early 1990’s.
Does anyone recall this?
I think Kristen hit the nail on the head.
Why Do We Have To Wait?
One theory on the delayed announcements is that NBC wants to see what the other networks do with their pilots and programming before making any final picks. And one theory derivative of that theory is that there’s some defensive strategy involved. Cancel Fox-studios-produced My Name Is Earl now and you might see it picked up by Fox-network president Kevin Reilly on May 18. Drop Chuck today and maybe you get a courtesy call from CW boss Dawn Ostroff next week informing you that she’s taking it to the See-Dub to hang out with Gossip Girl.
NBC is depsicable. They are not going to pick it up and they are going to block the CW. Yeah they care about the fans. Dirtbags.
I’d say this is bad news for “My Name is Earl.” I’d guess that they would have announced the renewal today.
It’s still a pretty good show, but never lived up to the first season, as happens sometimes. It’s in need of some fresh ideas. Is it going to Fox?
Sharon, I completely agree with you. When already presented with a tight schedule between viewing pilots and making key decisions- to have one of you decision makers die is a complete wrench tosser. I also don’t think the full announcement was made. Save something for the actual presentation, right? We’ll know more within the next 30 minutes.
Also, Hudson – The only chance Heroes has of getting a back order is if they completely retool the show and it starts to perform like it did its frosh year. This is the last straw for the show (and a lucky straw at that – I’m a fan, but I find myself able to cope without, unlike other shows). If this magically happens NBC will be all over it and it will be the darling again- it will bump its spring replacement plans. But I wouldn’t even pencil it in beyond the fall season at this point.
Well if the CW wanted Chuck I am sure they will get it somehow. It is their show. NBC is dead to me, and it should be to all Chuck fans. Way to torture us before they pull the plug.
Biggest Loser would have to drop down to an hour to net any extra drama slots – though I suppose Loser could start at one hour and then expand to two if an hour-long collapses.
On the other hand, a 60 min (vs. 90) Loser means all five (and a half, with SNL) comedies would air on Thursday (and add another if Earl is renewed).
There just doesn’t seem to be enough days in the year for all these possible renewals.
http://scifi.about.com/b/2009/05/04/medium-renewed-chuck-news-postponed.htm
so we may still find out in a week or so.
Scratch that, Carson is in the promo video.
Poker After Dark still not sure.
I would be stunned if NBC shortened Biggest Loser at all. It’s one of their best rated shows *and* it’s almost certainly one of their cheapest. No chance they reduce that.
Here are the websites for the three pilots not yet picked up:
http://www.nbc.com/lost-and-found/
http://www.nbc.com/legally-mad/
http://www.nbc.com/off-duty/
before they get taken down
Alan, yes there was a short lived 30 min comedy version of Parenthood. Name Leonardo DiCaprio mean anything to you? It tanked. But the two are not comparable. This time around its more of a straight up drama. It’s definitely for the female set and quite honestly unless it gets some massive PR lovin’ it won’t do what NBC wants it to do.
There was already a parenthood and it bombed. This is why people get sick of network TV and move to cable, the same rehashed crap over and over. Not one but two medical dramas, Peter Berg is an interesting talent but Friday Night Lights is a groaner. Their logic escapes me, lets take our worst performing show, renew it and give them another series to waste another slot in. It seems the qualifications for an NBC exec are throwing crap against a wall and seeing which pile sticks then sign me up, I got a wicked right arm, hehe
Day One will be a repeat Jericho, the comedies will tank and the dramas will die within 6 weeks.
Parenthood has most certainly been done already with the legendary Ken Ober as the star. I mean, if he can’t carry this show, who can?
In the immortal words of James May; Oh, cock…
HEROES is damaged beyond repair. The fans that left wont be coming back for the most part, except some when they air the final episode so they can find out how it all ends. This season should be it. 13 episodes and out.
Chuck? 2 more weeks of torture for Chuckites. They may be trying to cut costs in order to get it back for a limited run – dont watch it, but I know Robert will be CRUSHED if it gets the axe.
Community and Day One look promising, I could care less about the rest. Looks like they’re scrambling for an ER replacement though.
And what the hell are they going to have Thursday night SNL Weekend Updates about? I thought they only did those on election years. Because of that I doubt the ratings will be nearly as good this time.
This is my predicted schedule, quickly pieced together. I could be way off here though:
Monday
8:00 Chuck/Day One
9:00 Mercy/Heroes
Tuesday
8:00 The Biggest Loser
9:00 The Biggest Loser
Wednesday
8:00 Law & Order: SVU
9:00 Southland/Trauma
Thursday
8:00 100 Questions/My Name is Earl
8:30 Parks and Recreation/Community
9:00 The Office
9:30 SNL Weekend Update/30 Rock (the same way they did it 2008-09)
Friday
8:00 Deal or No Deal – replaced with underperforming show they want to hold onto
9:00 Law & Order/Friday Night Lights
Saturday
Reruns, nearly cancelled shows, Dateline
Sunday
8:00 Football/Parenthood
9:00 Football/The Celebrity Apprentice
10:00 Football/Medium
@RAC – Chuck doesn’t really fit Ostroff’s female-only agenda(the only series they had that didn’t was Reaper, and it’s tanking) and it’s probably out of their price range to boot. Just because it’s also from Schwartz doesn’t mean they’d pick it up.
Gossip Girl is getting paired with its own spinoff, right?
It is impossible to predict, they could easily renew all the shows even with the winter olympics. There will still be loads of repeats and cancelled shows in 09/10
So, a re-tread-ed movie, 2 ER clones, and a Jericho clone?
Well GEE that sounds like a bang-up line-up you’ve got there, NBC…
Well i’m watching the previews online and I really liked Community. Strong cast. Looks like it fits in perfectly on Thursday night . 100 questions? Not funny, will not last.
I know they needed a medical drama but two medical dramas? Day One advertised as a special limited event is a great idea. I think that could work. If ratings are strong, who knows? Maybe more episodes? Parenthood is also a strong cast. NBC could have done a lot worse here.
Just saw I’m missing a few new shows in there, and i know Celebrity Apprentice being only one hour is iffy.
Running out of room for Chuck and Medium…I think Law & Order’s a lock for a final 20th season on Fridays because of its longevity as well as tying Gunsmoke (although the Simpsons has already done that).
Jackson Mahoney wrote, “I don’t know why NBC is deciding a 2nd time to bring back a show based on a movie that came out 20 years ago.”
What’s that saying? Insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting a different result?
Hey, Angela. Shouldn’t you be getting on that “Ferris Bueller” remake?
Mumbo – Not that I think there is a shot in hell Chuck goes to another network, but I think where NBC has gone wrong with it is that it IS a very female friendly show. The marketing is done all wrong with the action clips. Its character driven which = female approved. If NBC treated it as its demographic truly is (families) then the show would never be in this predicament. Bad marketing is hard to rebound from after 2 seasons.
Day One, Parenthood, Trauma and Community sound like they will be worth giving a shot. 100 Questions sounds like a HIMYM/BBT wannabe and Mercy sounds like it may be worth giving a look, but I can’t figure out why so many people think Michelle Trachtenberg is such big deal.
If Chuck does not get renewed when Southland does, I am going to wipe NBC off of the map and will not watch the network again!!
Lame, NBC.
Oh, so you’re not having reality TV, you’re having “alternative” TV. That’s so different, NBC.
So, the new shows. Parenthood is a spinoff. Trauma = ER. Mercy = Grey’s Anatomy. Day One = attempt to have another Heroes. Community= Um community college? Felicity: but not. 100 Questions = HIMYM in terms of how it’s about finding the right person and there’s a framing device. Well, at least we get Dawn Summers/Georgina Sparks weekly. I might watch it.
Nikky & Bad Robot: The trouble with fixing “Heroes” is that so many of its original viewers have given up on it that it will be hard to win them back. The show’s plot line has advanced beyond comprehension at this point, and even for those of us who have been around since Day 1 it’s hard to follow.
If they can figure out some way to (1) get viewers up to speed and (2) make them WANT TO, there’s a possibility. But I’m also thinking that this coming season will bring the series to a conclusion.
Yay for Day One! I was really afraid they might end up not picking it up since it had not generated so much buzz as the other shows (especially when it comes to talks about the pilot). I just hope that the series won’t be limited to 13 episodes but instead…if the ratings are good, is going to be expanded to a full season.
Mumbo I would say that is a good shout, could The Marriage Ref, Breakthrough With Tony Robbins and “Who Do You Think You Are be fit in the summer schedule with the other shows.
I thought it was said Day one would air after Heroes?
Nikke Fink from her website.
Ben Silverman is sporting a scraggly mustache and beard as NBC presents its “Infront” inside Studio 8H. That’s as inexplicable as the network privately telling insiders that Chuck, Medium and Law & Order are picked up — yet not announcing it today. Oh well. Here’s the first look at NBC’s schedule. Actually, the network’s development was considered better than expected this year, especially in comedy. More announcements by the network will be coming…
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/
LOL
None of the new shows sound interesting at all
I am confused on why Medium has not been announced on the upfront even though it has already been confirmed for a 6th season
Have people seen the clip yet for Parenthood? It’s very much different than the movie. It reminds me of Brothers and Sisters. A great cast, produced by Ron Howard, written by Jason Katims of FNL? I don’t know, it looks and sounds like a really solid show.
I don’t see any game changing shows here but as I said, outside of 100 Questions a very solid batch of new shows that are an improvement over a lot of what is on the network. Nobody thought 5 years ago that a show about suburban housewives, a plane crash survivor show and a medical drama was game changing for ABC but it worked out well for them and has carried the network.
I think people should give some of these a shot when they are on.
and
http://www.nbc.com/state-of-romance/
Bad Robot ! says:
May 4th, 2009 at 10:04 am
HEROES is damaged beyond repair. The fans that left wont be coming back for the most part, except some when they air the final episode so they can find out how it all ends. This season should be it. 13 episodes and out.
Totally went off the reservation in this finale. I will be one of those people you mentioned above.
And what’s up with two medical dramas? Do they really think they are going to hatch another ER, or two?
Sure, NBC’s lineup isn’t creative at all, but I’m willing to bet it’s more diverse than CBS’ procedural-procedural-procedural-procedural-procedural-procedural-procedural, sitcom-similar sitcom-similar sitcom-similar sitcom-similar sitcom-similar sitcom + one non-procedural drama that gets buried on Saturday nights after three weeks.
Honestly I watch NBC more than CBS anyway, but CBS is getting results so it’s hard to blame them.
@Nikky – Well yeah, Chuck is female-approved and was definitely marketed the wrong way, but Dawn Ostroff isn’t looking for that even. She’s looking for a very specific female audience – the spoiled-bratty-rich-white-girly-girls one, not a “family” audience.
Though yeah I see what you’re saying.
Well – i too am curious about Day One – but if it’s acting is like CBS’s lame Harper Island event – then I’m out – and yes like some of you – it depends on what night it’s on – it looks like an end of February start – so it’s still another 9 months away – Hmmm….24 & AI will start with their first episodes of their new seasons even before Day One’s first airing?!
RG, don’t forget all the new viewers NBC will have to advertise to during the Olympics. If they do it just right (haha, that will be interesting) it is conceivable that they can bring in an audience even after Idol starts. How big of an audience remains to be seen. In any case I think the Olympics will be used and abused worse than ever before to help get new and old shows off the jump in Mid-Season.
Oh…wait I remember reading somewhere that NBC wants to pair DAY ONE up with Heroes…so that means if it’s against 24 – then i won’t try it out and if it’s before 24 then I will…
So does NBC have an email address so fans can write them to bring back their favorite shows? I am a HUGE My Name is Earl fan and I want them to bring it back atleast one more season it sucks that NBC is making us wait and I understand what the Chuck fans are going through I feel the same way about Earl and I hope they bring it back I would be happy if they moved it off of Thursday nights and back to Tuesday nights where My Name is Earl first started
hopefully Legally Mad will be picked up (it tested badly but NBC needs to pay a huge penalty if they dont pick it up) Kristin Chenowth + Loretta Devine = my favourite thing about Pushing Daisies , Eli Stone
I have almost zero interest in Day One. I’m sorry, but after the likes of Chuck, Castle, even to an extent of Dollhouse, I’m done with plot-laden serials. Gimme a show that keeps a through line but tells me a good solid CHARACTER driven story EACH week, please.
“Chuck” is not female friendly. It’s boringly Chuck-centric. Every week it’s about something about Chuck: Chuck and agents, Chuck and nerds, Chuck and family, Chuck and long lost father, Chuck and returning girlfriend, Chuck and iPhone (or other product placements). The main writers have said they think of themselves as Chuck, they’re writing their fantasies through the Chuck character. USA Today had a online poll on which bubble shows to save, and “Chuck” won in every demographics except three: women, blacks, and 50-plus. Here is results of over 43,000 votes (10-day online poll):
Women: Cold Case, Without a Trace, Castle, Chuck
Men: Chuck, Cold Case, The Unit, Scrubs
Teens and twentysomethings: Chuck, Scrubs
Thirtysomethings: Chuck, Castle
Fortysomethings: Chuck, Cold Case
The 50-plus set: Cold Case, Without a Trace
Whites: Chuck, Cold Case, Without a Trace
Blacks: Cold Case, Without a Trace, The Unit
Asians: Chuck, Scrubs, Cold Case
Hispanics: Chuck, Cold Case, Without a Trace
Westerners: Chuck, Castle, Cold Case
Southerners: Chuck, Cold Case, Without a Trace
Northeasterners: Chuck, Cold Case, Without a Trace
Midwesterners: Chuck, Cold Case, Castle
Heroes could be fixed by quite simply doing what the creators of the show planned from the start. Start fresh in the new season with a new set of characters discovering their powers. Heroes season one was so brilliant because it was written with a fixed beginning, middle and an end goal. It never strayed from that original story it was telling, it had a purpose, and you could see things introduced in the start of the season that took the entire season to play out. The story was simply brilliant, because it was planned as such.
With this past season, you had very little of that. You had characters seeing weird things happening (like linderman appearing in Nathan’s head) which suddenly stopped, and the character never said to themselves ‘hey, what?’ Key parts of the story never felt fully resolved, they never played themselves out to any meaningful conclusion (Micah is rebel. He got caught and Sylar let him go free, never to be seen on screen again.); And without that sense of purpose, without that sense of a future goal that the entire story is building to – it just falls flat. From the first episode of the past chapter, you did not see the end of the story and where it would go until the second to last episode. And you see plot holes so large that you could drive a truck through them.
Heroes needs a reboot in order to become good again. For the last two seasons the show couldn’t stop tripping over it’s lofty aspirations from season one. It kept TRYING to re-create that first season story, and never managed to, because it simply can’t. And it’s clear that the writers can’t repurpose the existing show to make it good enough to retain viewers, outside of the hardcode comic/scifi fans.
I think its funny Nikki covered her hide by saying that network told insiders privately about Chuck, Medium, and L&O.
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/nbc-announces-20092010-primetime-sked/
Kaykordeath – I’m not trying to be an annoying Chuck-er (I think I’ve proven a fair anylst on the entire situation) but how can you say that show is plot driven over character driven? Thus the problem with NBC marketing. Each episode is stand alone character driven with the occasional single progressive overarching plot.
I do see your point with Day One – “genre” shows are tough sells and need to be handled almost perfectly at the beginning to be successful. Thats why I give props to NBC for limiting its (initial?) run and propping it up with the Olympics. They understand that this could be a fanboy type show and are giving it the best possible treatment. I’d say they are learning.
Not good. The only thing there that sounds worth anything is DAY ONE. The title “TRAUMA” makes me not want to watch it, sounds cheesy and OTT. Sure they just lost ER after 15 years but 2 medical shows? Lame. Out of all that bull only one unique idea. No wonder NBC is in the crapper.
I read on another website that Medium had got a 6th season…
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/a154790/medium-renewed-for-sixth-season.html
The website is usually a few days behind this one, but has always been 100% correct everytime!
All of the dramas sound boring, and done before. Tired of the medical and cop dramas. Give us something fresh.
I was hoping for a Medium confirmation today. I’m hoping the pickups of Trauma and Parenthood won’t affect Friday Night Lights too much, that both Jason Katims and Jeffrey Reiner can somehow work both shows.
I presume “Who Do You Think You Are?” is based on the BBC’s genealogy series in which celebrities research their family tree. Quite successful over here, so much so it got switched to the main BBC channel. It’s only shown for a limited time though.
What about the ratings of sunday???
Sunday ratings delayed due to Nielsen processing issues.
So I remember a poster on the Headdesk column on this site, Kim, when they linked Nikki’s update that chuck, M, and L&O had been renewed and will be announced today, if she is reading this….So, about that eating of a crow If I didn’t trust her… that crow called, and he called her on her BS…
“Kaykordeath – I’m not trying to be an annoying Chuck-er (I think I’ve proven a fair anylst on the entire situation) but how can you say that show is plot driven over character driven? Thus the problem with NBC marketing. Each episode is stand alone character driven with the occasional single progressive overarching plot.”
No, I was saying just the opposite. Chuck, Castle, and even Dollhouse show that good shows CAN be character driven. You can miss one (or more) episodes of any of these and not fall off the the track of the main plot. These shows have proven that this is BETTER TV
All of the trade papers already announced ‘Medium’ is renewed. It will likely be mid season for 13 to 18 eps.
Why would NBC not announce that, unless they are still working on a deal with CBS???
Also says on TV Guide that Medium has got a 6th season
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-TV-Medium-1005702.aspx
Kaykordeath- gotchya! I misunderstood, and completely understand (although Dollhouse could do much better with the method- recent weeks show it can)
Did more people forget to push the right buttons on their Neilsen boxes?
the futoncritic has 4 minute previews for all the news shows (except day 1 1.5 minute long featurette) and i could barelyy watch the whole previews
Parenthood looks more like In the Motherhood than Brothers & Sisters
Day One i will probably give a chance though
None of these new shows look like they have much promise. With Kings promoted so heavily and falling flat on its face, perhaps as result of just being on NBC, in the long run, it’ll still likely be shows like The Office/30 Rock and The Biggest Loser is all they got. They’re also probably not too thrilled that John Madden retired… while it’s still football and football will always pull in the best numbers, I’m intrigued on how the absence of Madden will affect ratings if anything. I’ll still watch it, but I’ll definitely miss him, as one of the main intrigues that I loved the most about NBC getting SNF was because of Madden and Al Michaels. I don’t really watch MNF because I don’t really like ESPN’s coverage too much and Tony Kornheiser does nothing for me. NBC is probably desperately waiting for football to start again… too bad they don’t have the Super Bowl this year, and we’ll see what the Super Bowl does for CBS!
Yahoo has an interesting article up. It thinks TSCC has a “fair” chance of survival and Castle is supposedly getting renewed.
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/fall-tv-scorecard-which-shows-are-returning-which-arent–291
After reading the NBC lineup, do they really need two medical dramas?
That Yahoo list is ridiculously bad.
I actually think this lineup looks pretty good. The new shows all look like winners that are appealing to casual viewers. Community doesn’t sound good though. Its good to see NBC finally getting back in the multi-cam game with 100 Questions, this is where NBC should stay at with their comedies. Parenthood is the family show that we need back on network television and their going to replace ER big time with those two medical dramas.
Unlike the past seasons they had nothing but appealing serials that didn’t reach casual viewers and now their finally picking back up that pre-2005 NBC audience.
As long as they group SouthLAnd with SVU on Mondays then they’ll be in good shape next season to make year to year improvements.
I’m surprised by two things here.
1) No Legally Mad. It would seem that reports of the pilot being a mess were true. Even if NBC were or are planning to hold off on it until midseason I see no reason for them not to announce it today given that everyone had already assumed they were going to pick it up anyway.
2) Two new medical dramas. Clearly NBC is looking for a new ER and to their credit they seem to have picked up two shows that should be different from one another but launching two new medical dramas in the same season seems a bit like overkill to me. Although maybe not given how many procedurals CBS launches every year.
As it is I’m a little disappointed that they haven’t picked up Lost & Found (I think) which sounded like a show with some potential and a potentially fun interesting character. Although I guess after the way Life panned out they felt passing on a ‘quirky’ procedural might be for the best and I can’t really fault them on that.
I can’t however say I’m that surprised about them moving Day One after the Olympics although I think it’s a bad move when looking at the bigger picture. Partly because Day One sounds like a Survivors rip-off (and the remake of Survivors was awful) and partly because I’d assume that the reason you shift it after the Olympics is to make use of the Olympics as a promotional tool and if it’s a limited run show I’m not convinced that’ll make much sense in the long run. Unless they’re hoping that Day One will ‘decontaminate’ Mondays @ 9 ahead of Heroes next season and give it a built in audience to work with. But then again I’m not sure that’s an especially good idea either.
Meanwhile Community sounds good and sounds like an Earl replacement to me.
On the subject of Biggest Loser, if I’m NBC and I’m cutting 30 minutes out of Loser I’m cutting the first half hour, which is always the lowest rated does Loser as a lead out really provide much help for a new show?
And on the subject of ‘holding back’ some renewal announcements, I can see why they’re doing it. They’re schedule next year is a difficult one to piece together and a lot of what actually fits where will likely depend on how well any given show performs. If for example Southland catches fire with its 13 episode run next year there’s no way NBC doesn’t order a back nine, which would then throw their entire schedule into chaos if they’ve already announced that shows x or y will be taking Southlands spot in the winter. They’ve got a big juggling act ahead of them with their schedule and I think they need to make sure they’ve got all their bases covered.
I wouldn’t for example be surprised to see shows like Chuck, Medium and Law & Order get very short episode orders that could potentially be upped if something bombs and if it doesn’t can then be tacked onto the final end of the season if the shows don’t bomb.
Oh crap! I was hoping for good news about Chuck! Well – I might watch Community. Maybe Day One if it really is a ‘limited series’ thing. Otherwise — sounds blah to me . . . .
So they are giving us not ONE, but TWO more medical dramas???? WTF??? Hey, NBC, there’s a reason that ER finally ended. And now you’re going to give us Trauma?
i like Medical Drams well tune in for them
Glad to see Cliff Curtis get his own show (Trauma). I liked him in Live Free and Die Hard and his role in “Push” recently.
Also I remember that scene with the fuel truck blowing up on the freeway in San Francisco – they shut down the freeway to do that scene, and it didn’t make a lot of San Franciscans happy who had to reroute.
What about Law & Order please???????
Here’s what Nikki Finke is saying about Chuck’s renewal possibility
“3RD UPDATE: I’ve learned why announcements regarding the renewal fates of Chuck and My Name Is Earl have been delayed. And it involves more horsetrading than the Triple Crown. My sources tell me that NBC lowballed the Earl license fee, and the show’s owner, Twentieth Century Fox, came back with a proposal which NBC has been sitting on for a few days. As for Chuck, this gets complicated. Turns out NBC didn’t like David E Kelley’s Warner Bros pilot Legally Mad. Problem is, there’s a $2 million penalty that gets paid to WB if the network doesn’t pick up the show. So NBC is hoping to work a deal tying the renewal of Chuck, which is also a WB show, to a pass on paying that Legally Mad penalty.”
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/nbc-announces-20092010-primetime-sked/
As for Heroes, and I say this as an owner of the 1st 2 seasons DVDs, but this show needs to be canceled. It’s become a parody of itself just like the Superman movies which from great to LOL parodies of themselves. Heroes is cliched, badly written and stories and powers are recycled again and again.
Are you people actually watching the trailers, or just bad-mouthing the shows from the name?
Me5rcy looks nothing like ER, it looks different…. I’m exicited!
Has anyone heard anything about what their plans are for Lost and Found? Are they really turning down a Dick Wolf show? Although I wasn’t sure about some of the casting choices and the premise seemed a bit old…
If the don’t pick up Legally Mad I hope Kirstin Chenowith gets something else soon, she’s so talented!
The 100 Questions clips are awful, I didn’t laugh once and the laugther track makes things even more akward!
What if we gave NBC 110% of the benefit of the doubt:
What if NBC is going out on a HUGE limb, and actually planning on 2 complete “seasons” without going into summer re-runs. This fall, Run 1/2 of the shows they have in production, and in the Summer/Spring, bring out an entire NEW line up of shows?
I’ve seen it speculated before about networks doing away with the “seasonal” mentality. With Cable networks leading the charge with premiering shows in various months, could NBC consider something drastic?
I don’t know how any of the new shows are gonna do, but I really want Chuck to get renewed. Many people, like my friend Samir, want other shows to fail so that Chuck can suceed. I am not one of those people. However, I really hope Chuck gets renewed on May 19th.
While I’m not a reality fan, I find it odd that NBC has no new reality shows, has suggested that it may trim Biggest Loser (which would be odd given how good its ratings are compared to everything else), and yet Marc Graboff told people yesterday that NBC needs a large reality hit to attract female viewers. You would think that the NBC execs would have a team meeting before they talk to the media to make sure everyone is on the same page!
Also, the less murder Leno campaign that started yesterday is interesting, but dangerous. Seems like you run the risk of telling people that may stick around for Leno that something scripted is on another station. It’s even more odd when you have L&O SVU and Southland which are both pretty gritty, and Trauma and Mercy, both of which will likely have lots of blood and death. Are the Fall 9 p.m. ads during these shows going to say something like, “now that you’ve had enough death, on to the laughs???”
David – you, sir, should be in marketing. That last line made me laugh out loud
MON: (fall)HEORES/TRAUMA/LENO
(spring 1) DayOne/Medium
(Spring 2) Heroes/ Medium
TUE: (fall)Biggest Loser/100 Questions/Earle/LENO
WED: (fall)SOUTHLAND/L&O:SVU/LENO
THU: (Fall)OFFICE/P&R/30Rock/(Weekend Update for 4 weeks)Community/LENO
FRI: (fall)Parenthood/Mercy/LENO
SAT: Deal or No Deal/L&O (reruns)/L&O:CI(USA RPEATS)
SUN: (fall) Football
(Spring) Friday Night Lights/Chuck/L&O/Celebrity Apprentice
That is my Guess for their schedule, unless Earle doesn’t get renewed, then Parenthood will be on Tue and L&O on Fri, P&R on the bench till midseason
David, NBC does have new “reality” shows. Aside from 5 hours/week of Leno, they also have:
THE MARRIAGE REF
Comedy Legend Jerry Seinfeld is the creator and producer of this non-scripted look at marriage as celebrities, comedians and sports stars decide who is right…and who is wrong…in real-life disputes between real-life spouses.
BREAKTHROUGH WITH TONY ROBBINS
Best-selling author and philanthropist Tony Robbins attempts to inspire people to search out the tools to forever change their lives.
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
A different celebrity each week embarks on a journey of self discovery, revealing stories that are often linked to events in American history.
Parenthood is NBC’s baby that it expects to succeed. It won’t put it on Friday night to die. Mercy is too expensive for Friday night. I suggested Chuck on Friday night yesterday and someone correctly pointed out that it is too expensive for that night. However, I wonder if that might change if Warner agrees to the $2 million waiver of the Legally Mad option. That means that Chuck comes at a $2 million discount, which on a 13 episode order, is around an 18% discount. Couple that with what I am sure is a reduced license fee, and perhaps Chuck’s cost goes down enough to make it a Friday night show.
As for Tuesday, while I could see NBC reducing Biggest Loser by .5 hours, a full hour reduction seems unlikely.
Finally, I see Medium coming in to replace whatever show failed in the Fall. At least one of Southland, Mercy, Trauma or Parenthood will not make it to the Spring (or so I’d guess), and that’s where Medium will land.
Holly,
I’ve seen those mentioned, but didn’t think that they were confirmed yesterday by NBC. In other words, yesterday’s announcement was for its “big splash” shows in the Fall. Those seem to me to be after-thoughts for Spring. If I missed something, I apologize. Even if they did mention them yesterday, it’s still odd that Graboff describes this as the difference between NBC and its successful rivals, and yet, as best, these are something to come later.
After seeing the trailers I take it back, NBC’s line up does look good: Trauma reminds me of Southland. All the new shows look awesome except 100 Questions (which looks like another Kath & Kim). Though I want to know if Heroes will return in the fall or spring.
f Chuck had the words IN ASSOCIATION WITH NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION or UNIVERSAL MEDIA in the end of show credits, it would have a 13+9 pickup.
Vertical monopoly, means, We (NBC) own or partially own TV content and distribution, start to finish, kiss our ass.
“Managing by the margins”, means, if you have 12 hours of prime time content pulling 4-8 million viewers, you better own it. That way you can tap in to all and every alternative revenue stream now and in future.
“Trading dollars for pennies”, means, we want all the pennies we can get, because they add up to dollars, but only if you (NBC) own the content
“Branding”, means, NBC owns the supermarket and they want only their labels on the shelf.
Note to Warner bros- Start investing in CW and buy or start new cable channels (distribution) or you will be out of the TV Production business in ten years
Seriosuly I’m in love with Mercy already…
There’s no help for NBC or HEROES.
Both are FINISHED.
Jeff Sucker is a MORON.
Defendants do not dispute that Idai is a fully developed character in
plaintiffs’ novel, and that the expression of his character is complex and, to some
extent, original.
Taken from the NBC/Heroes Legal Briefs to the NYC Appellate Court May 2009
Note: Idai Markus is the original NYC artist that paints the future on large canvas before it happens.
On September 26, 2006 Idai Markus became Isaac Mendez on the tv show Heroes.
100 Questions=Coupling
Community=Community Service with no time off for gaggingly bad behaviour
Trauma=Mother, Jugs & Speed II
Parenthood=Parenthood 1990 aka 13 Weeks And Out
Trauma=Grey’s Lite to the point of albino
Day One=Heroes Season 3
Jay Leno=NBC Follies 1973
You Nikki rocks. I was told that CHUCK was being delayed due to a contractual issue that wasn’t about fees, etc. for CHUCK. I assumed it was with cast or someone like with MEDIUM and L&O. MEDIUM for instance isn’t official yet because it requires the star to agree to less episodes.
Nick C, So, what does this mean you are now predicting????
It seems to me that the discussion is probably NBC wants Chuck cheap and 9-13 episodes, plus a $2 million waiver on LM, and Warner is countering at 16-22 (to recoup the $2 million), with $1 million waiver, etc. The negotiations are to figure out what works for both. This, of course, is speculation. (But to brag, I guessed last week that it may be that NBC may be using Chuck to leverage out of the $2 million LM payement, which proves that even a blind squirll (me) finds an acorn now and again!).
For what its worth the WB television site says “New episodes this fall” under the listing for Chuck (http://www2.warnerbros.com/web/television/index.jsp?fromtout=home_menu_tv_item0#) (you have to click the “M” on the calendar on the right side of the page). Hopefully that’s good news. Until then, I’ll have to rely on Nick C’s comments to keep me calm
One of the 100 Davids on the site wrote, “Mercy is too expensive for Friday night.”
Untrue.
And that is where I see it landing. (Although the only hope it has is to air out of “The Biggest Loser.”)
Mercy kind of sounds like Grey’s Anatomy: The Nurses Addition. Definatly watching Trauma, love how intense the promo was! Community sounds funny, i love Joel McHale on The Soup. Parenthood kind of looks like Brothers and Sisters, but it looks good! so, i think nbc has some ok looking shows. Really though, i want to see what the other networks are doing so i can see how much competition might happene this season.
Knight Rider is NOT canceled…yet!
Support the quest for season two!
BTW, NBC should consider reviving “Uncle Buck.”
Trauma will lead-out of Heroes on Mondays, The Biggest Loser will air on Tuesdays, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on Wednesday, sitcoms (one of which will be 100 Questions) will take Thursdays, Dateline and crime procedural repeats on Saturdays and football on Sunday. http://www.tvweek.com/news/2009/05/nbc_picks_up_6_new_series_rene.php
And another post to outsmart the spam filter. http://tvdonewright.com/2009-2010-season-preview/nbc-upfront-coverage/
Hmm, there is already a post on that.
i see a few commments on HEROES
for my part and observations
kill the cheerleader save the show…
they need a complete restart
im not sure how they can come back from the last season
without starting over kill everyone-start anew etc
but doing so will also kill the show asd people like their heroes
twisted and unrecognizable as they are now…
the writers definately have their work cut out for themselves
The NY Times has quoted Tim Kring, creator of Heroes, in saying Heroes will air in September until the start of the Olympics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/business/media/05adco.html?_r=2&ref=television
heroes and svu are here to stay get used to it.