Skip to main content

Flailing Peacock: NBC Announces Midseason Schedule, No "Chuck," "Life," or "Heroes" Until February

Cherish the episodes of Chuck that may be left before Christmas because the series sadly won't be returning to NBC until sometime in February. (Same holds true for Heroes and Life.)

NBC today announced their midseason schedule which features series launches of reality series Superstars of Dance (debuting January 4th) and Howie Do It (January 9) and the returns of The Biggest Loser: Couples (January 6th) and Friday Night Lights (January 16th), the latter of which will have already aired its season on DirecTV.

I can't say that I am too impressed with the offering especially the reality fare and the lack of scripted dramas like Chuck, Life, and Heroes. Yes, they'll be back come February sweeps but their replacements are less than thrilling. At least, we've got 30 Rock. Sigh.

The full schedule can be found after the jump.

MONDAYS (beginning January 5th)
8-10 pm: Superstars of Dance; premieres Sunday, January 4th (9-11 pm); season finale Monday, January 26th (8-9 pm)
10-11 pm: Momma's Boys

(N.B.: Chuck and Heroes return in February)

TUESDAYS (beginning January 6th)
8-10 pm: The Biggest Loser: Couples
10-11 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

TUESDAY (January 20th)
10-11 pm: Dateline NBC Presidential Inauguration Special (10-11 pm ET)

WEDNESDAYS (beginning January 7th)
8-9 pm: Knight Rider
9-10 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (repeats)
10-11 pm: Law & Order

(N.B.: Life returns in February)

THURSDAYS (beginning January 8th)
8-8:30 pm: My Name Is Earl
8:30-9 pm: Kath & Kim
9:00-9:31 pm: The Office
9:31-10 pm: 30 Rock
10-11 pm: ER

FRIDAYS
8-9 pm: Howie Do It (series premiere January 9th)
9-10 pm: Friday Night Lights (beginning January 16th)
10-11 pm: Dateline NBC (beginning December 5th)

SATURDAYS (beginning January 10th)
8-11 pm: Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit repeats

SUNDAYS (January 4th)
7-9 pm: Saturday Night Live Sports Extra
9-11 pm: Superstars of Dance (premiere)

SUNDAYS: Event Specials
8-11 pm: Golden Globe Awards (January 11th)
9-11 pm: Saturday Night Live Film Festival (January 18th)
9-11 pm: The Last Templar (January 25th and Monday, January 26th)
6:15-10 pm: Super Bowl XLIII (February 1st)

Stay tuned.

Comments

rockauteur said…
What about Medium and Kings?
Jace Lacob said…
Good question. I'm going to think that both will be delayed until February or March... but I am surprised that neither was mentioned in their announcement.
Unknown said…
as usual, couldn't agree more with you. there's a lotta lame in that midseason lineup but I suppose we should just be thankful 30 ROCK is still on the schedule. as for CHUCK and LIFE, I can wait til February. that's not so far off and i'll have 24 in the meantime.
The CineManiac said…
SNL Sports Extra?!?!? I think NBC needs to find the mole whose on the payroll for one of the other networks, because they are clearly self sabotaging.
Anonymous said…
No wonder NBC's ratings are lower than ABC and CBS. They don't let any of their shows gain any traction by airing them on a weekly basis.

Now with Tap Dance is done and with Football ending in December NBC’s Monday night core is going AWOL!

Look at what the writers strike did last year to the ratings. All of the network's ratings are still consistently down compared to last year.

There is too much competition on Monday nights to have a show go gone for a month or more. I’m guessing that those shows won’t have new episodes towards the end of December too. So now they could be gone for 5+ weeks.

Chuck's rating dropped earlier in the season after only skipping one week.

Pulling Chuck, Life, and Heros until February is going to allow other shows on Monday night to gain viewers while those three are completely missing.

Jack is Back (24) starting in January and traditionally runs weekly until May. If I remember correctly Fox is moving House to Monday's too.

Dumb move.
gmr2048 said…
Dear NBC,

My advertising-influenced dollars and I shall see you in February, because there is not a single show on your network that makes me want to tune it until then.

Love,
-me
Anonymous said…
30 Rock. That's all I'll be watching on NBC until Chuck returns!
Anonymous said…
Is NBC nuts?? I HATE reality TV! I figure they'll attempt to relaunch Chuck with 3-D on Feb 2 after superbowl. In the meantime,will NOT watch those January shows on NBC. Just hope they don't shoot themselves in the foot. Just hope they aren't even considering doing anything dumb like taking down the episodes on their website.
Unknown said…
Casey Fan, I totally agree. These shows stutter so much, I'm amazed (and grateful) anyone's still watching them. At least we'll have 24 to fill the gap (and my library offers DVDs). :)
Anonymous said…
People still watch 24??? I'm surprised. I think NBC is out of their minds with this reality crap. What happened to Chopping Block? It was the one reality show I was looking forward to.
katm said…
Chuck is the only primetime show I watch on NBC. Usually watch shows on CBS. Maybe very few on ABC. Can't believe they leave on junk like Knightrider plus that reality crap. Now they give Rosie a show! Once liked her until she attempted to shove her views down our throats. This is the perfect time to leave Chuck on--when Dancing w/ the Stars is done this cycle. Hopefully, for next 3 weeks, when Dancing not on, will do better. Would rather watch reruns of Chuck than that garbage reality--or as I call it--greed tv--people show how greedy they are. I understand need to air Christmas shows shortly. Even if just rerun few episodes, Chuck would be better.
Anonymous said…
Bye Bye NBC- Chuck was all you had worth watching. I hope I remember where your channel is located when it returns. If not, there is always the season 2 DVD!
Anonymous said…
EGAD! NBC = No Brains Certainly

MORE dancing and reality? C'mon!

Do NOT make us wait until FEB for Chuck, bad enough that you twinkies mess with scheduling, might as well cancel.
NONONONONONONONONOoooooooooooooooooooo!

Jess & Lisa
Anonymous said…
Is the plan to still broadcast the Chuck 3D episode after the Superbowl?

If so, and there are no episodes until Feb, that means that 2.12 - Chuck Vs The Best Friend is going to get squeezed out, no?

Peace

Old Darth

Popular posts from this blog

What's Done is Done: The Eternal Struggle Between Good and Evil on the Season Finale of "Lost"

Every story begins with thread. It's up to the storyteller to determine just how much they need to parcel out, what pattern they're making, and when to cut it short and tie it off. With last night's penultimate season finale of Lost ("The Incident, Parts One and Two"), written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, we began to see the pattern that Lindelof and Cuse have been designing towards the last five seasons of this serpentine series. And it was only fitting that the two-hour finale, which pushes us on the road to the final season of Lost , should begin with thread, a loom, and a tapestry. Would Jack follow through on his plan to detonate the island and therefore reset their lives aboard Oceanic Flight 815 ? Why did Locke want to kill Jacob? What caused The Incident? What was in the box and just what lies in the shadow of the statue? We got the answers to these in a two-hour season finale that didn't quite pack the same emotional wallop of previous season

Pilot Inspektor: CBS' "Smith"

I may just have to change my original "What I'll Be Watching This Fall" post, as I sat down and finally watched CBS' new crime drama Smith this weekend. (What? It's taken me a long time to make my way through the stack of pilot DVDs.) While it's on following Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars on Tuesday nights (10 pm ET/PT, to be exact), I'm going to be sure to leave enough room on my TiVo to make sure that I catch this compelling, amoral drama. While one can't help but be impressed by what might just be the most marquee-friendly cast in primetime--Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Jonny Lee Miller, Amy Smart, Simon Baker, and Franky G all star and Shohreh Aghdashloo has a recurring role--the pilot's premise alone earned major points in my book: it's a crime drama from the point of view of the criminals, who engage in high-stakes heists. But don't be alarmed; it's nothing like NBC's short-lived Heist . Instead, think of it as The Italian

The Daily Beast: "How The Killing Went Wrong"

While the uproar over the U.S. version of The Killing has quieted, the show is still a pale imitation of the Danish series on which it is based. Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "How The Killing Went Wrong," in which I look at how The Killing has handled itself during its second season, and compare it to the stunning and electrifying original Danish series, Forbrydelsen , on which it is based. (I recently watched all 20 episodes of Forbrydelsen over a few evenings.) The original is a mind-blowing and gut-wrenching work of genius. It’s not necessary to rehash the anger that followed in the wake of the conclusion last June of the first season of AMC’s mystery drama The Killing, based on Søren Sveistrup’s landmark Danish show Forbrydelsen, which follows the murder of a schoolgirl and its impact on the people whose lives the investigation touches upon. What followed were irate reviews, burnished with the “burning intensity of 10,000 white-hot suns