NBC confirmed the pickup of five dramas, a comedy and two alternative projects Monday in advance of their upfront presentation to advertisers in New York.
The fall lineup includes previously reported dramas “Bionic Woman,” “Chuck,” “Journeyman,” “Life” and “Lipstick Jungle.” The network also tapped one comedy for fall, “The IT Crowd.” In addition, NBC has picked up two talent competition series: “World Moves,” a dance competition from executive producer Randy Jackson (“American Idol”), and “The Singing Bee,” a karaoke contest.
The network has given the coveted post-“Heroes” Monday slot to “Journeyman,” starring Kevin McKidd (“Rome”) as a time traveler. There’s no schedule change for ratings-challenged “ER” despite speculation that the longtime drama might get bumped from its Thursday post. NBC confirmed the renewal of “Friday Night Lights,” which will finally be on Friday nights, making marketing a tad easier. “Law & Order,” whose renewal the network announced yesterday, is getting pulled off Friday nights when it returns midseason for a Sundays at 8 p.m. slot.
NBC also announced the return of Jerry Seinfeld to the network. Mr. Seinfeld will star in 20 live-action comedy “minisodes” inspired by his experiencing creating the upcoming animated feature film “Bee Movie.”
Seeking to capitalize on the popularity of returning series “Heroes,” “The Office” and “My Name Is Earl,” NBC is boosting the shows’ season orders. The network has ordered a combined 30 hours of “Heroes” and “Heroes: Origins”—a new spin-off series that each week will introduce a new character. Viewers can vote for their favorite new hero on NBC.com and the winner will become a regular cast member the following season.
The network has also ordered 30 half-hours of “The Office,” including five hour-long episodes, and increased the season order for “My Name Is Earl” to 25 episodes.
“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. “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.”
NBC will continue to take utilize its cable properties for the new lineup, airing repeats of “Bionic” on Sci Fi Channel and “Life” on USA Network.
The NBC prime-time schedule for fall 2007-08 is below.
For ongoing coverage of the 2007 upfront, see TVWeek.com’s Live From the Upfronts blog.
MONDAY
8-9 p.m. “Deal or No Deal”
9-10 p.m. “Heroes”
10-11 p.m. “Journeymen”
TUESDAY
8-9 p.m. “The Biggest Loser”
9-10 p.m. “Chuck”
10-11 p.m. “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”
WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. “Deal or No Deal”
9-10 p.m. “Bionic Woman”
10-11 p.m. “Life”
THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. “My Name Is Earl”
8:30-9 p.m. “30 Rock”
9-9:30 p.m. “The Office”
9:30-10 p.m. “Scrubs”
10-11 p.m. “ER”
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. “1 vs 100″/”The Singing Bee”
9-10 p.m. “Las Vegas”
10-11 p.m. “Friday Night Lights”
SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. “Dateline NBC”
9-11 p.m. Drama Series Encores
SUNDAY (Fall 2007)
7-8 p.m. “Football Night in America”
8-11 p.m. “NBC Sunday Night Football”
SUNDAY (January 2008)
7-8 p.m. “Dateline NBC”
8-9 p.m. “Law & Order”
9-10 p.m. “Medium”
10-11 p.m. “Lipstick Jungle”
(Editor: Baumann)