NBC’s formal Upfront presentation isn’t until tomorrow, but the network has already released both its Fall and Midseason 2013-14 schedules. Let’s dig right in.
FALL
MONDAY:
8PM: THE VOICE
10PM: THE BLACKLIST
Unsurprisingly, the showcase post-VOICE drama spot has gone to the network’s most-hyped new 1-hour, THE BLACKLIST with James Spader. If this is the drama NBC really believes in, this is the place to put it.
TUESDAY:
8PM: THE BIGGEST LOSER
9PM: THE VOICE
10PM: CHICAGO FIRE
Much more interesting is the decision to give CHICAGO FIRE the Tuesday 10PM post-Voice slot (the Tuesday edition of The Voice moves to 9PM, after a 1-hour THE BIGGEST LOSER). That’s a huge boost to Chicago Fire, which NBC clearly thinks can become a long-running franchise. The network seems (rightly) concerned about marketing too many new sitcoms at once, and it’s holding the Voice as a launching pad for comedies until midseason.
WEDNESDAY:
8PM: REVOLUTION
9PM: LAW & ORDER: SVU
10PM: IRONSIDE
Moving REVOLUTION, which until now has been a 10PM series, to an 8PM Wednesday slot leading in to two older-skewing procedurals is unexpected. It’s likely to face strong competition on the other networks, and this may not end well for Revolution. Pairing SVU with the new IRONSIDE makes plenty of sense (we had them together on our mock-schedule, albeit with Ironside at 8PM), although it signals a tacit acceptance that younger viewers will be in short supply.
THURSDAY:
8PM: PARKS & RECREATION
8:30PM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
9PM: SEAN SAVES THE WORLD
9:30PM: THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW
10PM: PARENTHOOD
PARKS & RECREATION starts the night with a bit of stability before what becomes a completely ripped-up Thursday. Parks seems like it can be a good lead-in for the Mike O’Malley/Mary McCormick comedy WELCOME TO THE FAMILY. The shocker is that rather than give THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW the night’s 9PM anchor slot, Fox has been put at 9:30PM, after the Sean Hayes sitcom SEAN SAVES THE WORLD. Putting two “Must-See TV” icons together sells itself, but why give Hayes the more prominent slot? It’s hard not to think that the network has doubts about the Fox vehicle, which would be very bad news, considering the huge investment it’s put into that show. PARENTHOOD moves to Thursday 10PM, which will probably be a tough slot (very tough, if ABC keeps Scandal there), but the show’s long-suffering audience will likely find it.
FRIDAY:
8PM: DATELINE
9PM: GRIMM
10PM: DRACULA
DRACULA has been largely below the radar this pre-Upfront season, but it fits as a companion for GRIMM, which probably belongs in its Friday home rather than moving elsewhere.
SUNDAY: NFL FOOTBALL, of course.
MIDSEASON
MONDAY: No changes.
TUESDAY:
8PM: THE VOICE
9PM: ABOUT A BOY
9:30PM: THE FAMILY GUIDE
10PM: CHICAGO FIRE
With (it hopes) the new Thursday comedy night safely launched, the network will try two more newcomers for midseason, with THE VOICE as lead-in for its TV version of ABOUT A BOY and then another offbeat family comedy, THE FAMILY GUIDE. (The latter one may need some time for retooling, since Parker Posey was just dropped as one of the leads.)
WEDNESDAY: No changes.
THURSDAY: No changes.
FRIDAY:
8PM: DATELINE
9PM: GRIMM
10PM: CROSSBONES
CROSSBONES, another international action adventure co-production–with pirates instead of vampires–is substituted in for Dracula.
SUNDAY:
7PM: DATELINE
8PM: AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS
9PM: BELIEVE
10PM: CRISIS
Post-football, the reality show AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS will lead in to a pair of new dramas, the J.J. Abrams-produced BELIEVE and the international conspiracy thriller CRISIS. Whenever a network launches a night consisting entirely of new shows, it’s a crapshoot, although NBC will have the WINTER OLYMPICS as a springboard for marketing the series. (Not that that helped Animal Practice last fall.)
Note: the return of (naturally) COMMUNITY, the new comedy UNDATEABLE and dramas CHICAGO PD (the Chicago Fire spin-off) and THE NIGHT SHIFT, as well as reality shows THE MILLION DOLLAR QUIZ and FOOD FIGHTERS, are currently unscheduled, and will presumably be used to fill in gaps as needed. For Community, this likely means another 13-episode season, just as it had this past year.
For those who like to keep track of these things, here’s the studio scorecard for the new NBC shows:
Universal Television (NBC’s in-house studio): 3 comedies, 4 dramas (including the 2 international co-productions)
Sony Pictures Television: 2 comedies, 2 dramas
Warner Bros Television: 1 comedy, 1 drama
20th Century Fox Television: 1 drama
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