NBC finally managed to make some positive gains in the past season. ‘My Name is Earl’ became an instant comedy hit and coupled with ‘The Office’ NBC rediscovered its former past as the comedy beacon. They fluked upon another hit, ‘Deal or No Deal,’ as the nation has rediscovered its love for Howie Mandel and game shows where everyone at home can play along. When I first hear about a show called ‘Deal or No Deal’ I was really hoping for Monty Hall-esque show. Even if many people find the show stupid the public has eaten up the show.
NBC also had several disappointments. None of its new dramas from last year stuck around. ‘The Apprentice: Martha Stewart’ bombed badly and ‘The Apprentice’ original has been losing viewers quicker than Trump can say “You’re Fired!”
NBC announced six new dramas and four new comedies for the upcoming season. Four of these dramas will premiere in the Fall with two others premiering in January.
Heroes
A new drama that follows several “normal” people who discover they have abnormal or supernatural powers. It sure sounds like they are jumping on the superhero bandwagon that has been so successful in the movie market. Following a summer blockbuster season of ‘X-Men 3′ and ‘Superman Returns’ the viewing public might just be ready to eat up a weekly dose of superheroes. The movie I will be comparing this show to is not those two but rather ‘Unbreakable,’ which seems to have a similar concept. The ensemble cast may not have any superstar name actors. Some of the actors people may recognize include Ali Larter from the ‘Final Destination’ movies, Greg Grunberg of ‘Alias’ fame and Milo Ventimiglia from ‘The Bedford Diaries’ and ‘Gilmore Girls.’
Friday Night Lights
Sound familiar to you? Well it should. There has already been a popular book and movie with the same title and no it’s not a coincidence. For those that haven’t read the book or seen the movie based on it Friday Night Lights refers to high school football. The book, by Buzz Bissinger, followed the Periman High Panthers from Odessa, Texas in their quest to win the state title. This movie is really trying to break, or I should say re-breaking, two television barriers. A weekly sports-based show”¦other than ESPN’s ‘Playmakers’ and the failed ‘Sports Night’ there haven’t been too many attempts at a sports-based show, let alone a long-running one. Secondly other than ‘MASH’ and ‘In The Heat of the Night’ I can’t recall any hit TV shows based on feature films. Those two shows debuted a generation ago. Whether ‘Friday Night Lights’ the TV show can keep viewers enthralled every Tuesday night will be interesting to find out. Even though it’s essentially a remake of a TV show NBC is taking a bold step in green-lighting this show. It sure ties well into the network’s return to NFL football coverage.
Kidnapped
First thought, a powerful title. The new thriller deals with the kidnapping, shocker I know, of a teenage boy. It stars the superbly underrated Delroy Lindo, who is best known for his movie work in such films as ‘Get Shorty,’ ‘The Cider House Rules,’ and ‘Gone in Sixty Seconds.’ Interestingly enough yesterday I caught a few minutes of ‘Ransom’ where Lindo plays an FBI agent who is working to recover Mel Gibson’s kidnapped son. Jeremy Sisto of ‘Six Feet Unde’ fame also stars. The big question is can this show really be interesting for 24 episodes? ‘Without a Trace’ has at least one kidnapping every show and ‘Kidnapped’ expects to be able to drag this out for a whole season? Sounds like it will be a great show for 15 episodes and then get boring. Much like ‘Prison Break’ I can’t see how this show will last past one or two seasons at best. Will season two feature another kidnapping? Will this one kid go missing for several years?
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
A very alliterative title that is not easy to say quickly in repetition. Honestly wouldn’t “Studio 60″ have just made a better title? Either way this seems to be the show NBC has put its full weight behind. The decision is very understandable when you look at the pedigree involved in the show. Aaron Sorkin made ‘The West Wing’ a hit for NBC is behind the show. In front of the cameras NBC has brought back Matthew Perry (‘Friends’) and Bradley Whitford (‘The West Wing’), along with adding the lovely Amanda Peet, best known for being in every romantic comedy in the past five years. The show follows the drama that takes place backstage at a late-night comedy sketch show. I have concerns NBC might want to curtail some of the uglier details since many viewers will compare what they see on ‘Studio 60′ to ‘SNL.’
20 Good Years
The first of two new comedies that will appear back-to-back on Wednesday night, both start with numerals. ’20 Good Years’ features a cast of familiar comedic actors. John Lithgow, who appeared in NBC’s ‘Third Rock From The Sun,’ takes another kick at the can in the TV comedy genre. He teams up with the incredibly talented Jeffrey Tambor, who most recently appeared in ‘Arrested Development’ as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth. If he can recapture some of that glory this show might be a “Must See TV.” The buddy comedy has Lithgow and Tambor as mismatched friends who realize that their time on Earth won’t last forever.
30 Rock
NBC dives into its ‘SNL’ cast and pulls out my secret crush Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan. If that isn’t enough Alec Baldwin, who has hosted ‘SNL’ nearly a dozen times, also stars in the series. Fey, who is also the executive producer and writer for the show, plays the head writer of a late-night variety show with Morgan playing the self-centred star. Basically sounds like the comedic version of ‘Studio 60.’ Former ‘SNL’ stars have had mixed success in moving onto the big screen, now the test to see if the ‘SNL’ talent can work in a sitcom.
Perhaps the biggest change in the NBC line-up is the return of NFL Football. Monday Night Football has switched from ABC to ESPN, with NBC picking up football on Sunday night. The NFL hopes to make Sunday night the new Monday night. I personally can’t see it working. I mean after watching 8 hours of football during the day how many wives are going to let their husbands watch another four hours of football when ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ are on?
Starting in January NBC plans to unveil ‘The Black Donnellys,’ a crime drama from Oscar-winner Paul Haggis that follows four Irish brothers who are involved in organized crime. It will take ‘ER’s’ slot starting in January. Once the football season is over NBC’s Sunday will be a mixed bag. Simon Cowell and Regis Philbin team up for a new ‘Star Searc’ rip-off called ‘America’s Got Talent,’ which takes the 8 p.m. slot. ‘The Apprentice’ returns, this time based in Los Angeles, at 9 p.m. Jeff Goldblum stars in the new crime drama, ‘Raines.’
Two other comedies are slated for mid-season, no times or dates set yet. ‘The Singles Table,’ follows a group of single people who meet at a wedding. ‘Andy Barker, P.I.’ reunites Conan O’Brien and Andy Richter, the later who stars in the title role. Richter plays an accountant who decides to become a private investigator. O’Brien is a co-writer and executive producer of the show.
‘Scrubs’ and ‘Crossing Jordan’ have not been cancelled but do not have a spot in the NBC grid at this time. Both shows are slated to return sometime at mid-season. ‘Scrubs’ got a similar treatment last year. It will likely jump in if one of the two new Wednesday comedies falls flat. Similarly ‘Jordan’ will probably be slotted in wherever another new show fails.
The biggest questions for the new season:
How will football work on Sundays?
Is ‘Deal or No Deal’ a one-season wonder?
Will NBC be able to get one big hit from its new dramas?
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 PM | Deal or No Deal | FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS | The Biggest Loser |
| 9 PM | HEROES | KIDNAPPED | 20 GOOD YEARS 30 ROCK |
| 10 PM | Medium | Law and Order: Special Victims Unit | Law and Order |
| Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 PM | FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA | |||
| 8 PM | My Name is Earl The Office |
Deal or No Deal | Dateline Saturday | SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL |
| 9 PM | STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP | Las Vegas | Drama Series Encores | |
| 10 PM | ER | Law & Order: Criminal Intent |
