THE SKED: “Grimm” On Mondays Isn’t the “New Normal” Anymore

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Remember this morning when we were remarking on the confusing NBC promos last night that made it sound like GRIMM wouldn’t be airing again on Mondays, when it was scheduled for another Monday broadcast next week?  Well, it turns out those promos weren’t so much wrong as premature:  today the network announced that Grimm won’t air next Monday after all, and instead NBC will use the Monday 10PM slot to premiere THE NEW NORMAL, taking advantage of the anticipated high ratings for the season premiere of THE VOICE that will precede it.  Then on Tuesday, when the New Normal pilot was originally supposed to air, Episode 2 will air instead.  (It isn’t clear what’s going to follow New Normal at 10:30PM on Monday, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the GO ON pilot get some more exposure.)  Just to make everyone more confused, the New Normal pilot will then air again on Wednesday. instead of the previously scheduled rerun of the ANIMAL PRACTICE pilot.  Got that?

What does all this mean?  New Normal will certainly get more eyeballs airing after the Voice premiere than it would have after Go On on Tuesday–but as many post-Olympic and post-Super Bowl premieres have demonstrated over the years, those kinds of artificially-boosted numbers don’t necessarily translate into higher ratings in the long term.  It’s also a big of a kick in the pants for Grimm, which didn’t get much from its Monday airings after the low-rated STARS EARN STRIPES, and is now missing out on its one chance at a guaranteed big lead-in.  But NBC clearly decided its priority was doing whatever it can to help its new Tuesday hour of comedy, which needs all the help it can get with New Normal airing directly against FOX’s potential powerhouse new sitcom THE MINDY PROJECT.  Adjust your DVRs accordingly.