NBC's Fall Lineup Starting to Take Shape

While not an official fall schedule announcement—that will come on May 19—NBC did issue renewal notices and started introducing its new crop of shows to advertisers in what the network dubs its “infront,” during which it makes individual presentations to advertisers prior to the upfront blitz that will occur in two weeks time.

Let’s start with the shows that will be returning to the NBC schedule, some of them previously announced: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (whose stars, Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni remain in contract negotiations), The Office, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights (in a two-year continuation of the DirecTV deal), The Biggest Loser, The Celebrity Apprentice, Heroes, Southland, and Parks and Recreation. In addition, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, which had some success during last year’s presidential campaign, will be back for another six episodes. Still awaiting a decision are Chuck, Medium, Law & Order (looking to tie Gunsmoke as TV's longest-running drama), and My Name Is Earl. With Jay Leno taking over the 10pm slot, the network only has 10 hours to play with this fall (Sunday is football night and, even with fewer hours available, I don’t think they’ll be aggressively programming Saturday anytime soon). This means that some of these shows will have to wait until midseason to premiere, and some will likely be held until after the Winter Olympics end in late February.

As for the new series, the Peacock has picked up a quartet of dramas, three of them from producers who hail from the vaunted halls of the Friday Night Lights offices. Peter Berg’s Trauma sounds like Third Watch set in San Francisco, while Liz Heldens’s Mercy looks at hospital life from the nurses' point of view. Clearly, the network is trying to fill the void left by ER’s retirement, but debuting two medical dramas in the fall could potentially cannibalize the audience for both, so look for one of these to be held for later.

Meanwhile, Jason Katims brings us Parenthood, based on Ron Howard’s 1989 film, and starring Peter Krause (Dirty Sexy Money) and Maura Tierney (ER). Much like ABC’s failed attempt to revive Cupid ten years later, NBC is going back to a well that dried up when Parenthood was turned into a short-lived sitcom back in 1990. But if the show is anywhere near as real as Lights, this should definitely be one worth watching. Finally, from Heroes executive producer Jesse Alexander comes Day One, a limited-run series that follows the residents of an apartment complex who try to rebuild society after a catastrophe hobbles the entire planet. Melrose Place: Apocalypse?

On the comedy front, 100 Questions is about a woman who takes a compatibility test, with each question reminding her of some past experience that reveals exactly what she’s looking for in love. And Community, starring The Soup’s Joel McHale, is about a group of community college students who form a study group. One of these will probably end up on Thursday when SNL Weekend Update finishes its run, while the other could be positioned after a 90-minute Biggest Loser on Tuesday.

With this announcement, NBC appears to be putting on a brave front; co-chairman Ben Silverman says, "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." But after the high-profile misfires the network had this year, including Kings and My Own Worst Enemy, and the uncertainty that comes with stripping Leno in prime time, they have to be worried that it’ll be a long road back to any real success. But with all the networks facing the same challenges (overcoming increased DVR usage and new media distractions), NBC’s road may not prove to be any bumpier than the competition's.