NBC's Fall Strategy: It's Time to Share

After offering a glimpse into its fall plans two weeks ago, NBC officially unveiled its schedule today. Despite having fewer slots to go around thanks to The Jay Leno Show, airing Monday-Friday at 10pm, NBC’s Co-Chairman Ben Silverman said that the network has actually ordered more scripted series than they did a year ago. Using the Winter Olympics as a natural breaking point between their fall and midseason schedules, NBC plans to air fewer episodes of some shows, allowing for more original programming across shared time slots. As with Fox, midseason plans should be regarded tenuously, as there’s no telling how the fall will shake out. (For descriptions of new shows, see my earlier post.)

On Mondays in the fall, Heroes moves up an hour, followed by Trauma at 9pm. Then at midseason, Chuck, whose third-season renewal is due in large part to a sponsorship deal with Subway, will return to its regular home, leading into the apocalyptic Day One. It would be smarter for NBC to swap the two dramas in the fall, leaving Heroes alone and allowing heavy promotion of Trauma to give the show a much-needed shot of adrenaline. Up against House and Dancing with the Stars, Heroes could end up falling even further.

Tuesdays will continue to consist of two-hour editions of The Biggest Loser in the fall; at midseason, Loser will be cut back to make room for comedy 100 Questions at 9:30pm. Considering that Loser picks up steam in the second hour, wouldn’t it make more sense to simply hold the show to an hour and give another series a chance here?

Parenthood starts off Wednesdays, with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit set to follow. While I'm excited about Parenthood's prospects, I’m not sure that a family dramedy leading into a show fueled by deviant criminals is going to give NBC the kind of audience flow it should be looking for. Medical drama Mercy will sub in for Parenthood after the Olympics.

As tradition dictates, Thursdays remain comedy night for the net. SNL Weekend Update Thursday will kick things off, followed by Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Community. Once Weekend Update completes its limited run, Community will shift to 8pm to make way for 30 Rock at 9:30pm. NBC got decent returns from Weekend Update last year and it could provide some lead-in support for the vulnerable Parks, but calling on Community to anchor the night after just a few weeks behind The Office could be disastrous.

NBC finishes off the workweek with a Friday crime block featuring Law & Order and Southland, a smart move on a night with diminished expectations. Saturdays will consist of Dateline NBC alongside encores of Trauma and Law & Order: SVU, while the NFL owns Sundays in the fall, and Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice returns for more two-hour sessions at midseason (it’ll be preceded by new reality show The Marriage Ref).

Is this the lineup that will get NBC out of fourth place? It’s hard to say. The net provides us with the biggest question of the fall: How will Jay Leno fare? And the answer to that question could determine the overall health of the network. Even if it doesn’t work, they'll likely stick to their guns for at least a year lest they have to admit defeat. But a network cannot be built on one personality alone. To be truly successful, NBC is going to have to start treating its shows like valued properties rather than money-sucking nuisances.

NBC FALL 2009 SCHEDULE

MONDAY
8-9 p.m. "Heroes"
9-10 p.m. "Trauma"
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"

TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. "The Biggest Loser" (two-hour edition)
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. "Parenthood"
9-10 p.m. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"

THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m. "SNL Weekend Update Thursday" (multi-episode run)
8:30-9 p.m. "Parks and Recreation"
9- 9:30 p.m. "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. "Community" (moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. after SNL ends; "30 Rock" returns)
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. "Southland"
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"

SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. "Dateline NBC"
9-10 p.m. "Trauma" (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (encore broadcast)

SUNDAY
7- 8:20 p.m. "Football Night in America"
8:20-11 p.m. "NBC Sunday Night Football"