The NBC Monday, Tuesday and Friday night schedules announced by ex-entertainment head Kevin Reilly two months ago? Forget them. New schedules were announced this morning by incoming entertainment chiefs Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff.
* “Chuck,” the hot new sci-fi secret-agent hourlong from “OC” mastermind Josh Schwartz, has been moved to Mondays at 8 p.m., where it will serve as lead-in to “Heroes” and the surprisingly good freshman time-travel saga “Journeyman.”
This essentially turns NBC’s Monday into an all-sci-fi night.
* “Chuck” takes over the slot held by “Deal or No Deal.” “Deal” now replaces “1 Vs. 100” on Fridays. “1 Vs. 100” appears to be off NBC’s fall schedule for the time being.
* “The Singing Bee,” meanwhile, has joined the fall schedule, where it will be paired with 90-minute editions of “The Biggest Loser” on Tuesdays.
* “Friday Night Lights” will be on one hour earlier (9 p.m. Friday), thanks to swapping slots with “Las Vegas,” which moves to 10 p.m. Friday.
NBC SHOWCASES FALL PRIMETIME ENTERTAINMENT SERIES BEGINNING WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 24
New Drama "Chuck" Kicks Off Mondays (8-9 p.m. ET) and "Deal or No Deal" Shifts to Fridays (8-9 p.m. ET) Leading into "Friday Night Lights" (9-10 p.m. ET) Followed by "Las Vegas" (10-11 p.m. ET)
"The Biggest Loser" Expands to 90 Minutes on Tuesdays and Shares the Night with Summer Hit "The Singing Bee," New Addition to Fall Lineup
One-hour Episodes of "My Name Is Earl" (8-9 p.m. ET) and "The Office" (9-10 p.m. ET) Premiere on Thursday, September 27
BURBANK – July 16, 2007 – NBC launches its season premieres the week of September 24. The network will adjust its schedule by moving the new comedic spy thriller "Chuck" to Mondays (8-9 p.m. ET) – followed by switching the popular Monday version of "Deal or No Deal" to Fridays (8-9 p.m. ET), and shifting "Friday Night Lights" to an earlier new time of 9-10 p.m. (ET) and " Las Vegas" to 10-11 p.m. (ET).
In addition, NBC will expand "The Biggest Loser" to 90 minutes on Tuesdays (8-9:30 p.m. ET) and will have a special two-hour premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 11. Summer's newest hit, "The Singing Bee" (which premiered earlier this month), will have its Fall premiere on Tuesday, September 25 (9:30-10 p.m. ET).
NBC's premiere week will also feature one-hour episodes each of "My Name Is Earl" (8-9 p.m. ET) and "The Office" (9-10 p.m. ET) on Thursday, September 27 and a two-hour episode premiere of "Las Vegas" on Friday, September 28 (9-11 p.m. ET).
The announcements were made by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, and Marc Graboff, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.
"We can't wait for the new season to begin and we believe that these programming changes will allow for a powerhouse Monday night with 'Chuck,' 'Heroes' and 'Journeyman,'" said Silverman. "On Tuesdays, the 90-minute 'The Biggest Loser' has always performed well and will fit perfectly with our new summer hit 'The Singing Bee.' On Fridays, we can hammock 'Friday Night Lights' between two proven hits – 'Deal or No Deal' and 'Las Vegas,' with new cast member Tom Selleck."
Said Graboff: "We like that we can start our season off strong with hour-long episodes of such comedy favorites as 'Earl' and 'The Office.' Coupled with the dynamo of 'Sunday Night Football,' we will have a very potent fall lineup and these schedule adjustments will only make us stronger."
All of NBC's primetime entertainment series will bow during the week of September 24 with the exception of "The Biggest Loser" (Tuesday, September 11), "30 Rock" (Thursday, October 4), "Friday Night Lights" (Friday, October 5) and "Scrubs" (Thursday, October 25).
In addition, "Deal or No Deal" will premiere on Monday, September 17 (8-9 p.m. ET) -- one final time in its previously announced day and time before moving to Fridays (8-9 p.m. ET) on September 28.
Likewise, "Friday Night Lights" was previously scheduled for Fridays (10-11 p.m. ET) and "Las Vegas" (9-10 p.m. ET) on the same night before swapping time periods.
On September 24, NBC tees up its new season on Mondays (8-9 p.m. ET) with "Chuck," a new hour-long series from executive producer Josh Schwartz ("The O.C.") and executive producer-director McG ("Charlie's Angels," "We Are Marshall"), who deliver a comedic spy thriller about Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi, "Less Than Perfect") -- a computer geek who is catapulted into a new career as the government's most vital secret agent. Then comes the much-anticipated second-season debut of "Heroes" (9-10 p.m. ET) as the epic ensemble drama centers on several ordinary people who possess extraordinary abilities.
Monday, September 24 will also serve as the premiere of the new drama "Journeyman" (10-11 p.m. ET). From Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Kevin Falls ("The West Wing") and Emmy Award-winning director-producer Alex Graves ("The West Wing"), "Journeyman" is a romantic mystery-drama about Dan Vasser (Kevin McKidd, "Rome"), a San Francisco newspaper
reporter and family man who inexplicably begins to travel through time and change people's lives.
Tuesdays mark the beginning of a new season of "The Biggest Loser" (8-10 p.m. ET) starting September 11 as the popular competitive weight-loss series boasts a few new twists. "The Singing Bee," introduced earlier this month, is hosted by Joey Fatone (*NSYNC) as it challenges contestants to not only sing a song – but compels them to sing the words
correctly. The variety-competition series will join the fall lineup on September 25.
The perennial favorite "Deal or No Deal" (8-9 p.m.) jump-starts Wednesdays beginning September 25 with host Howie Mandel, whose provocative series title question: "Deal – or no deal?" – has become a national catchphrase. The new "Bionic Woman" (9-10 p.m. ET) stars Michelle Ryan ("EastEnders") as a young woman whose life is radically altered and empowered after a car crash as it debuts on September 25. Also on the same night, the new drama "Life" (10-11 p.m. ET) features a complex police detective (Damian Lewis, "Band of Brothers") who's given a second chance on the force after serving years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.
"My Name Is Earl" (8-9 p.m. ET) and the Emmy Award-winning "The Office" (9-10 p.m. ET) will break out of the gate in a big way on Thursday, September 27 as each premieres with an hour-long episode. The 14th season debut of "ER" follows (10-11 p.m. ET).
The two-hour premiere of "Las Vegas" (9-11 p.m. ET) will follow the new Friday-night "Deal or No Deal" (8-9 p.m. ET) on September 28.
As it did during last fall, "Football Night in America" (7-8 p.m. ET) and "Sunday Night Football" (8-11 p.m. ET) will dominate on autumn Sundays.
