NBC Making News - May 4, 2009

The TV upfronts have begun with NBC giving us a little tease of what is to come. NBC did say that they will not announce their full lineup for another couple of weeks. For us Chuck fans, that means that we are still in the waiting game. I keep hearing positive things though making me believe that Chuck will be back. NBC is going to be interesting to follow cause they have less programming to fill due to Leno being on in primetime on weeknights. That leaves less spots for shows. No word yet on My Name Is Earl either. There was talk over the weekend that Medium had been picked up but there was nothing about it from NBC today. Not sure what is going on with that so Medium is up in the air.

Returning Shows: The Office, 30 Rock, Celebrity Apprentice, Friday Night Lights, The Biggest Loser, Law & Order: SVU, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursdays, Heroes, Southland, Parks and Recreation.

New Shows: 100 Questions (comedy about a woman named Charlotte who has turned down several marriage proposals and ends up trying online dating and has a dating counselor. She answers a 100 question test about herself and that sets up each episode), Community (comedy about a study group formed at a community college which stars Joe McHale and Chevy Chase. Reminds me of The Breakfast Club and there are even references to it in the promo video), Parenthood (drama from the producers of the movie, Parenthood, about a single mom returning to her hometown with her family), Day One (drama about a group of survivors of a global catastrophe and looking to get society back along with trying to figure out what actually happened in the first place), Trauma (drama about first responder paramedics), and Mercy (drama following the lives of nurses which stars Buffy alum, Michelle Trachtenberg), The Marriage Ref (Jerry Seinfeld reality show that will have married couples discussing their issues. This was announced a few months ago and sounds like it could be fun), Breakthrough With Tony Robbins, and Who Do You Think You Are?

Overall thoughts. Not sure what to make of NBC. They didn't announce a whole lot and speculation from several in the entertainment industry is that they are maybe waiting on seeing what other networks do before showing their entire hand of cards. Like I said, Leno is going to take up a lot of room on the schedule. The promotional video for Leno shows that we'll be getting all of the usual Leno segments that we are used to so that is a major plus. There are shows that we are still awaiting word on with the most important to me being Chuck. What will happen with My Name Is Earl? There are rumors of another network being interested in picking it up so that could have something to do with this. Heroes will be back with a shorter episode run. With ER gone, it does seem like NBC is short on major hits right now. As far as new shows, the cast of Parenthood is definitely appealing which features Peter Krause, Maura Tierney, Monica Potter, Erika Christensen, Craig T. Nelson, also Sarah Ramos who played Patty in one of my favorite shows ever, American Dreams. I could see myself checking out that show in the fall. 100 Questions sounds like a fun concept that could be good. I wasn't really as crazy about the promo video as I thought I would be. I liked the promo video for Community and the video has sold me on checking it out. We have a couple new medical shows that are looking to fill the void of ER being gone. I'm not into medical shows but Mercy does look like it could be a solid show with a mix of drama and comedy. Trauma mixes in a lot of action and effects with its story. NBC has definitely left fans of various shows hanging on what the future will hold for them. May 19 is the date when NBC will really announce their full intentions including scheduling.

Here are some videos that NBC has released promoting their new shows.

100 Questions:


Community:


Day One:


Mercy:


The Jay Leno Show:


Parenthood:


Trauma: