I can't say that I'm surprised that NBC has reconfigured its fall lineup, in the wake of Ben Silverman's appointment at the network but I am pleasantly surprised to see that the Peacock has taken Chuck, one of my new favorite fall dramas, slightly out of the line of fire and moved it to another night.Chuck, from Warner Bros. Television and creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak, will now kick off Monday nights at 8 pm, joining returning drama Heroes at 9 pm, which leads into new fall drama Journeyman at 10 pm.
Hmmm, Chuck, Heroes, and Journeyman in a row? Could NBC have cracked a way to keep audience tune-in on Mondays? Only time will tell but I think it's a wonderful combination that should have been devised from the get-go.
Meanwhile, Deal or No Deal, which had occupied that Monday night timeslot, will relocate to Fridays, which also gets a makeover, as well. Deal or No Deal kicks off the night at 8 pm, followed by a relocated Friday Night Lights at 9 pm and Season Five of Las Vegas at 10 pm. And The Biggest Loser will, er, expand to 90-minute episodes, followed by The Singing Bee on Tuesday nights.
Of the switcheroo, Ben Silverman had this to say:
"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. 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."
In other NBC-related news, the Peacock unveiled its fall premiere dates for new and returning series:
SEPTEMBER 11th:
8-10 pm: The Biggest Loser
SEPTEMBER 17th:
8-9 pm: Deal or No Deal
SEPTEMBER 24th:
8-9 pm: Chuck
9-10 pm: Heroes
10-11 pm: Journeyman
SEPTEMBER 25th:
9:30-10 pm: The Singing Bee
10-11 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
SEPTEMBER 26th:
8-9 pm: Deal or No Deal
9-10 pm: Bionic Woman
10-11 pm: Life
September 27th:
8-9 pm: My Name Is Earl (one-hour premiere)
9-10 pm: The Office (one-hour premiere)
10-11 pm: ER
September 28th:
8-9 pm: Deal or No Deal
9-11 pm: Las Vegas (two-hour premiere)
October 4th:
8:30-9 pm: 30 Rock
October 5th:
9-10 pm: Friday Night Lights
October 25th:
9:30-10 pm: Scrubs
Comments
Tuesday is looking like it could be a disaster though, however with low-cost reality programs for 2 of the 3 hours no one is likely to really care.
Chuck moving to 8 pm on Monday does complicate things for me though since I am a loyal How I Met Your Mother viewer...