I was looking at all the shows they plan to air between now and next summer, here's the list:

DRAMA
Blue Blood (New)
Chuck
Crusoe (New)
E.R.
Fear Itself (New)
Friday Night Lights
Heroes
Kings (New; 2hr backdoor movie)
Knight Rider (New)
Law & Order
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Life
Lipstick Jungle
Medium
Merlin (New)
My Own Worst Enemy (New)
The Listener (New)
The Philanthropist (New)

COMEDY
30 Rock
Kath & Kim (New)
Man of Your Dreams (New)
The Office
The Untitled Office Spinoff (New)
Zip (New)

ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMMING
American Gladiators
America's Got Talent
America's Toughest Jobs (New)
Celebrity Circus (New)
Celebrity Family Feud (New)
Deal Or No Deal
Last Comic Standing
Most Outrageos Moments
Nashville Star
Salvage (New)
Shark Taggers (New)
SNL Thursday Night Live Elections (New)
Swords: Lives On The Line? (New)
The Baby Borrowers (New)
The Biggest Loser
The Celebrity Apprentice 2
The Chopping Block (New)
Who Do You Think You Are? (New)

MINISERIES
XIII (New)
The Last Templar (New)


Wow, thats a lot. I think thats at least 40 shows all together.

With that many shows programmed, I expect that you are going to see a high show turn over rate. If a show underperforms, it is going to be taken off quickly. I'd expect many 2 and out and 3 and out shows.

This lineup should have been announced yesterday because it's a joke! Medium is midseason again and not after Heroes? I predict "The Philanthropist" will do worse than Journeyman. What has Patricia Arquette done to make NBC hate her so much? Virtually no change on Thursdays? Do you want viewer ship to reach CW levels? That's what over exposing The Office and keeping the viewer Kryptonite 30 Rock will do. And repeats of Friday Night Lights on Friday nights again, but having Life take Las Vegas's place? Do they want a repeat of what happened this year? *shakes head*

This is what I think a schedule made by a sane person would look like:

MONDAY
8 - 9 p.m.: "Chuck" / "American Gladiators 3"
9 - 10 p.m.: "Heroes"
10 - 11 p.m.: "Medium" / "THE LISTENER"

TUESDAY
8 - 9:30 p.m. "The Biggest Loser: Families"
9:30 - 10 p.m. "30 Rock" / "SNL THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE"
10 - 11 p.m.: "ER" / "The Listener"


WEDNESDAY
8 - 9 p.m.: "KNIGHT RIDER" / "MERLIN"
9 - 10 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal" / "The Celebrity Apprentice 2"
10 - 11 p.m.: "Law & Order"

THURSDAY
8 - 8:30 p.m. "My Name Is Earl"
8:30 - 9 p.m. "KATH & KIM" / "MAN OF YOUR DREAMS"
9 - 9:30 p.m. "The Office"
9:30 - 10 p.m. "ZIP" / "OFFICE SPIN-OFF"
10 - 11 p.m.: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

FRIDAY
8 - 9 p.m.: "CRUSOE" / "FEAR ITSELF"
9 - 10 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal" / "1 VS 100"
10 - 11 p.m.: "Lipstick Jungle"

SATURDAY
8 - 9 p.m.: "Dateline NBC"
9 - 10 p.m.: "KNIGHT RIDER" (Encores)
10 - 11 p.m.: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (Encores)


SUNDAY
7 - 8 p.m.: "Dateline NBC"
8 - 9 p.m.: "Friday Night Lights" (Direct TV encores) / "Monk" (USA Network encore)
9 - 10 p.m.: "Life"
10 - 11 p.m.: "KINGS"

I'm really not surprised by this schedule. This will be the 3rd season they have passed on the MEDIUM and HEROES pairing and for all we know the mere idea of it ended up in somebody's trash can a few years ago. And with all the programming lined up, it does not seem likely MEDIUM will be used in some slot other than the Sunday slot, unlike the last two years where you sensed it would come out of the bullpen.

Same with L&O. It and MEDIUM are seen as shows that can sit out and gear up quickly. You can disagree with the renewal of LIPSTICK JUNGLE but as long as it was renewed, it had to be fall as the show has aired all of 7 eps. I sensed they would renew JUNGLE. I'd be curious to see its ad rates when those schedules come out late summer.

Happy for FNL, which I believe is one of the real quality dramas on TV. I'm not concerned that others don't share that view.

As I felt a few months back when this type of sked was floated, reruns are largely going to be a thing of the past. L&O SVU, maybe L&O, and if L&O CI stays on cable, maybe some of those. Otherwise, negative.

I haven't liked the way this network has operated, and it has hurt some shows and frustrated viewers, but the truth is, even if they implemented all the good suggestions made here, their ability to climb would be limited because they simply do not have many hits and they do not have a core genre. Their game plan is obviously to throw as much junk up on the wall and see what sticks.

Dear god, I thought that was real for a moment. I had forgotten about April fools. My heart started racing.

Hahaha

So I'm confused, on Thursdays, is NBC running an original and repeat of The Office until SNL comes on? Or will each episode be an hour long?

And will there be a new comedy/sitcom there midseason (January)?

quote:

Originally posted by Justin:
So I'm confused, on Thursdays, is NBC running an original and repeat of The Office until SNL comes on? Or will each episode be an hour long?

And will there be a new comedy/sitcom there midseason (January)?

The Office will be an hour long in the fall except for the 4 weeks leading up to the election, when SNL Thursday Night Live will air. The Office spin-off will air after The Office in the winter/spring.

quote:

Originally posted by Bruce:
I'm really not surprised by this schedule. This will be the 3rd season they have passed on the MEDIUM and HEROES pairing and for all we know the mere idea of it ended up in somebody's trash can a few years ago. And with all the programming lined up, it does not seem likely MEDIUM will be used in some slot other than the Sunday slot, unlike the last two years where you sensed it would come out of the bullpen.

Same with L&O. It and MEDIUM are seen as shows that can sit out and gear up quickly. You can disagree with the renewal of LIPSTICK JUNGLE but as long as it was renewed, it had to be fall as the show has aired all of 7 eps. I sensed they would renew JUNGLE. I'd be curious to see its ad rates when those schedules come out late summer.

Happy for FNL, which I believe is one of the real quality dramas on TV. I'm not concerned that others don't share that view.

As I felt a few months back when this type of sked was floated, reruns are largely going to be a thing of the past. L&O SVU, maybe L&O, and if L&O CI stays on cable, maybe some of those. Otherwise, negative.

I haven't liked the way this network has operated, and it has hurt some shows and frustrated viewers, but the truth is, even if they implemented all the good suggestions made here, their ability to climb would be limited because they simply do not have many hits and they do not have a core genre. Their game plan is obviously to throw as much junk up on the wall and see what sticks.

All good points.

quote:

Originally posted by Holly:
The Office will be an hour long in the fall

While there will be an hour of The Office, I expect they will work harder to make sure the episodes have more of a split at the half way mark so they can be easily broken up for syndication.

Negatives:
1. Where is 1 vs 100? At least some episodes for winter after Crusoe end its run.
2. Why not launching Kath and Kim out of The Office in the fall for a month, then move it behind the biggest loser?
3. Why not let ER run its final season non-stop, then start the CA2 for March thru May?
4. Are they trying to counter program (CSI:NY) with Jungle? ABC is likely to throw DSM back @ 10 on Wed though, and both shows will tank badly (just look at this season's rating).
5. Night Rider on Wednesday @ 8pm? Another BW in the making?

Positive:
1. I like the Monday and Tuesday Nights Line-Up.
2. At least they give Life a decent viewer # lead-in during the fall.

From today's PI:

NBC in 2008-09:
An Aggressive Three Tier Programming Slate

Hoping to get a jump on the competition, NBC has unveiled its prime-time programming initiatives for the 2008-09 season. But before you hear the news, keep in mind that in a period of four days last May, NBC changed about half of its announced schedule after the other networks presented. Fox also tried a similar maneuver, but failed to keep its word on several shows after key elements of the fall schedule did not deliver. So, what you are about to hear is certainly not etched in stone. On that note, the key goals are more original programming than it offered 10 years ago, fewer repeats, and an 8 p.m. hour devoted to family friendly programming.

NBC will introduce five new series next fall -- sitcom Kath & Kim; dramas My Own Worst Enemy, Knight Rider and Crusoe; and a three-week half-hour version of Saturday Night Live titled SNL Thursday Night Live. Only one night of the week, football populated Sunday, will not be changed from one year earlier. Four more series are slated to debut in the winter – dramas The Philanthropist, Merlin and Kings; and a spin-off of The Office (which will debut following an original telecast of The Office after Super Bowl XLIII). And summer 2009 will feature the additions of Canadian drama The Listener; and non-scripted hours America’s Toughest Jobs, Shark Taggers and Chopping Block. In total, that makes 13 new series.

Recent entry Lipstick Jungle has made the fall cut, with a move to Wednesday at 10 p.m. out of Deal or No Deal. But Law & Order is slated to return for season No. 19 in the hour in midseason. Fall 2007 entries Chuck and Life are returning, with an aggressive re-launch. And veteran ER will conclude next season, with 19 original episodes that will run consecutively in the Thursday 10 p.m. hour. After ER ends, Celebrity Apprentice will step in. Also returning to NBC in midseason is Friday Night Lights, which will share its broadcast window with DirecTV. Smmer 2009 returnees will include America’s Got Talent, American Gladiators, Last Comic Standing, Monk and Nashville Star.

Veteran sitcom Scrubs is ending its run on NBC (and could be moving over to ABC with a new season of originals). And also missing from the schedule are Bionic Woman, Journeyman, The Singing Bee, Amnesia and 1 vs. 100. Law & Order: Criminal Intent is expected to remain in originals on USA. Key upcoming programming events on NBC include the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, NFL Wild-Card playoff games, the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards and the aforementioned Super Bowl XLIII.

Although I will save my personal thoughts on NBC’s plans for today’s PIPodcast (and, trust me, I have a lot to say), if anything fails to deliver this fall, this schedule will change. Since no line-up is ever perfect, consider the following schedules (broken out by Fall 2008, Winter 2009 and Summer 2009) tentative.

New series are capped.

FALL 2008

Monday
8:00 p.m. Chuck
9:00 p.m. Heroes
10:00 p.m. MY OWN WORST ENEMY

Tuesday
8:00 p.m. The Biggest Loser: Families (90 minutes)
9:30 p.m. KATH & KIM
10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU

Wednesday
8:00 p.m. KNIGHT RIDER
9:00 p.m. Deal or No Deal
10:00 p.m. Lipstick Jungle (new day)

Thursday
8:00 p.m. My Name is Earl
8:30 p.m. 30 Rock
9:00 p.m. The Office
9:30 p.m. The Office/SNL THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE*
10:00 p.m. ER (Final Season, 19 episodes to run consecutively)

*SNL Thursday Night Live will air for three weeks leading up to the presidential race.

Friday
8:00 p.m. CRUSOE
9:00 p.m. Deal or No Deal (new day and time)
10:00 p.m. Life (new day)

Saturday
8:00 p.m. Dateline
9:00 p.m. Knight Rider (Repeat)
10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)

Sunday
7:00 p.m. Football Night in America (to 8:20 p.m.)
8:20 p.m. Sunday Night Football

---------------

WINTER 2009

Monday
8:00 p.m. Chuck
9:00 p.m. Heroes
10:00 p.m. THE PHILANTROPIST

Tuesday
8:00 p.m. The Biggest Loser: Couples (90 minutes)
9:30 p.m. KATH & KIM
10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU

Wednesday
8:00 p.m. KNIGHT RIDER
9:00 p.m. Deal or No Deal
10:00 p.m. Law & Order

Thursday
8:00 p.m. My Name is Earl
8:30 p.m. 30 Rock
9:00 p.m. The Office
9:30 p.m. THE OFFICE SPIN-OFF
10:00 p.m. ER/Celebrity Apprentice

Friday
8:00 p.m. Deal or No Deal
9:00 p.m. Friday Night Lights
10:00 p.m. Life

Saturday
8:00 p.m. Dateline
9:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
10:00 p.m. Law & Order (Repeat)

Sunday
7:00 p.m. Specials/Dateline
8:00 p.m. Specials/MERLIN
9:00 p.m. Specials/Medium (new day and time)
10:00 p.m. Specials/KINGS

--------------------

SUMMER 2009

Monday
8:00 p.m. American Gladiators
9:00 p.m. AMERICA’S TOUGHEST JOBS
10:00 p.m. Dateline

Tuesday
8:00 p.m. Most Outrageous Moments
9:00 p.m. America’s Got Talent
10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)

Wednesday
8:00 p.m. SHARK TAGGERS
9:00 p.m. America’s Got Talent (Results Show)
10:00 p.m. Law & Order (R)

Thursday
8:00 p.m. The Office (Repeat)
8:30 p.m. The Office Spin-Off (Repeat)
9:00 p.m. Last Comic Standing
10:00 p.m. THE LISTENER

Friday
8:00 p.m. CHOPPING BLOCK
9:00 p.m. Dateline (two hours)

Saturday
8:00 p.m. Drama Encores
9:00 p.m. Drama Encores
10:00 p.m. Drama Encores

Sunday
7:00 p.m. Dateline
8:00 p.m. Monk
9:00 p.m. Nashville Star
10:00 p.m. Kings (Repeats)

New Program Descriptions


COMEDY

Kath & Kim
Based on the hit Australian sitcom, a divorced woman finds her life turned upside down when her daughter leaves her husband and moves in. Molly Shannon and Selma Blair star.

SNL Thursday Night Live
Saturday Night Live expands its Weekend Update coverage for three live half-hour shows focusing on the upcoming presidential elections.

Untitled The Office Spin-Off (Winter)
A single camera comedy series spun-off from The Office (detailed have yet-to-be confirmed).

-----

DRAMA

Crusoe
Based on the classic Daniel Dafoe novel, a castaway faces ongoing challenges as he and his native friend struggle to survive on a deserted island.

Kings (Winter)
Set in a modern metropolis, a brave young solider (Christopher Egan) rescues the king’s son (Ian McShane) from enemy territory in an attempt to bring peace to the land.

Knight Rider
The classic 1980s series about a man and his indestructible car is revived. Justin Bruening stars; former “A” list actor Val Kilmer is the voice of the new KITT car.

The Listener (Summer)
Produced in Canada, a young man who can read people’s thoughts finds himself acting upon them. Thirteen episodes have been ordered.

Merlin (Winter)
Set in the mythic city of Camelot, two ambitious young men (Colin Morgan, Bradley James) hope to live up to their family’s high expectations after becoming “legends.”

My Own Worst Enemy
A middle-class efficiency expert (Christian Slater) living a boring life in the suburbs and an operative who speaks 13 languages share one thing in common – the same body. But when the carefully constructed wall between the two breaks down, they are thrust into unfamiliar territory.

The Philanthropist (Winter)
An iconoclastic billionaire looks for ways to distribute his wealth and help people by using all of his resources, regardless of the risk.

-----

NON-SCRIPTED

America’s Toughest Jobs (Summer)
In this new reality/competition with a large cash-prize payoff, daredevils, cut-throat competitors and risk takers from around the country travel across America on an extended adventure that will test their physical moxie and mental stamina.

Chopping Block (Summer)
Celebrated chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White (UK’s Hell’s Kitchen) will offer hopeful chefs/restaurateurs working as couples a chance to compete in America's greatest restaurant challenge.

Shark Taggers (Summer)
The Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) volunteer shark tagging program is the focus of this new reality series.

If I remember correctly, didn't NBC's hypothetical winter 2008 schedule announced last spring also have Medium Sundays at 9 too?

Yes it did!

quote:

Originally posted by SW:
If I remember correctly, didn't NBC's hypothetical winter 2008 schedule announced last spring also have Medium Sundays at 9 too?

Another good article outlining NBC's future plans:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117983342.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

Key point that I found great and at the same time completely false:

Silverman took a random shot at rivals’ laffers. "Thursday night comedies on NBC make you laugh," he said. "I've watched the other comedies on the other networks, and I've never laughed."

And that my friends is why CBS's lowest rated comedies still pull in equal viewership as NBC's highest rated comedy.

I find none of the new shows interesting enough for me to tune in. The same can be said for the returning shows except for Medium and maybe Heroes (depending if the show gets better). I kind of expected "The Office" to be paired up with the Superbowl and I'm not sure a "The office" spin-off will be the right solution.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CaseyM,