Skip to main content

NBC Unveils New Post-Leno Primetime Schedule

Remember when NBC announced that they were going to cut the 10 pm hour out of their primetime schedule and fill it with a cheaply-produced talk show hosted by Jay Leno? We all scratched our heads.

Flash forward about seven months to the present as NBC has announced that it's pulling Jay Leno out of the 10 pm hour and now filling it back up with a mix of scripted and unscripted offerings. Yes, you might be scratching your head as to how everyone but the Peacock seemed to see that this was a doomed strategy from the first place.

NBC yesterday lifted the curtain on its primetime midseason schedule, which includes reality series The Marriage Ref, The Celebrity Apprentice, and Minute to Win It (formerly known as Perfect 10) and drama series Parenthood, Friday Night Lights, and Trauma.

The full NBC midseason schedule can be found below.

Monday
8-9 pm: Chuck
9-10 pm: Trauma
10-11 pm: Law & Order

Tuesday
8-10 pm: The Biggest Loser
10-11 pm: Parenthood

Wednesday
8-9 pm: Mercy
9-10 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (repeat)
10-11 pm: Law & Order Special Victims Unit

Thursday
8-8:30 pm: Community
8:30-9 pm: Parks and Recreation
9-9:30 pm: The Office
9:30-10 pm: 30 Rock
10-11 pm: The Marriage Ref

Friday
8-9 pm: Who Do You Think You Are?
9-11 pm: Dateline NBC

**Note: Friday Night Lights will take over at 10 pm ET/PT beginning Friday, April 30th.**

Saturday
8-9 pm: The Biggest Loser (repeat)
9-10 pm: Law & Order (repeat)
10-11 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (repeat)

Sunday
7-8 pm: Dateline NBC
8-9 pm: Minute to Win It (formerly known as Perfect 10)
9-11 pm: The Celebrity Apprentice

What do you make of the Peacock's new lineup? Does it work for you? Or would you have rather they just kept Southland this season instead of sending it off to TNT? Discuss.

Comments

joy said…
You know what's funny? I could have sworn Parenthood was gonna be a sitcom. Huh. Well, then.

I hate to say it, but Chuck and FNL remain my two reasons for watching NBC. And out of loyalty to the long-lost Gilmore Girls, I'll give Parenthood a shot.
Nicole said…
Good riddance Leno! And to be quite honest I think he should just do what he said he was going to do 5 years ago and be DONE with late night. O'Brian is such a better comedian!
I agree with "joy" I will give Parenthood a chance because I love Lauren Graham so much.

And....what about David Tennant's "Rex is Not Your Lawyer?" Are they going to give it a chance? I was hoping to see it on the NBC line up once they finally scrapped Leno.
Tempest said…
At least Southland gets a second chance. Had NBC come to their senses sooner (i.e. before they actually implemented the Leno fiasco), there would have been room for Life on the schedule. * sigh * Fortunately, they at least had the sense not to kick Chuck to the curb.
jojoko said…
looks like they've only got one night of programming worth watching and that would obviously be thursday. no wonder they are in last place. i can't believe they are airing so many reruns too.
rockauteur said…
How many episodes of TRAUMA do they have left? Enough to fill March - May or just enough for half of that amount?
Jace Lacob said…
Rockauteur,

They have six episodes unaired of Trauma, in fact.
Tonya Ricucci said…
Not very exciting, to say the least. But Chuck, 30 Rock and The Office are there, so I'll watch those. I just wish they'd pick up Better Off Ted when it inevitably gets cancelled.
Indi said…
Why can't FNL be on Wednesdays like it is for Direct TV? Most people are out on fridays...
Unknown said…
What NBC should do (and should have done in the first place) is to have Jay Leno do basically his Tonight Show but called the Jay Leno Show on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays at 10.

It would have allowed him to make his show feel more like a special event and just have the top celebs and would target his (face it Jay) aging audience who are home on the weekend and can't stay up past 11:30 anymore!

Now NBC will lose Conan, someone who has proven he can build an audience before, and have guaranteed through all of their mishandling of this who mess that no one will watch Jay if they put him back, some people are even saying they will boycott NBC altogether. Not hard to do with this line-up!
Anonymous said…
I am so happy Lauren Graham is coming back to tv!
Anonymous said…
Thank God for Chuck. That's the only NBC show I watch right now. But I have my fingers crossed for Parenthood and Lauren Graham. As for Southland... nothing compares to Third Watch, which I still miss.

Popular posts from this blog

Katie Lee Packs Her Knives: Breaking News from Bravo's "Top Chef"

The android has left the building. Or the test kitchen, anyway. Top Chef 's robotic host Katie Lee Joel, the veritable "Uptown Girl" herself (pictured at left), will NOT be sticking around for a second course of Bravo's hit culinary competition. According to a well-placed insider, Joel will "not be returning" to the show. No reason for her departure was cited. Unfortunately, the perfect replacement for Joel, Top Chef judge and professional chef Tom Colicchio, will not be taking over as the reality series' host (damn!). Instead, the show's producers are currently scouring to find a replacement for Joel. Top Chef 's second season was announced by Bravo last month, but no return date has been set for the series' ten-episode sophomore season. Stay tuned as this story develops. UPDATE (6/27): Bravo has now confirmed the above story .

BuzzFeed: Meet The TV Successor To "Serial"

HBO's stranger-than-fiction true crime documentary The Jinx   — about real estate heir Robert Durst — brings the chills and thrills missing since Serial   wrapped up its first season. Serial   obsessives: HBO's latest documentary series is exactly what you've been waiting for.   The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst , like Sarah Koenig's beloved podcast, sifts through old documents, finds new leads from fresh interviews, and seeks to determine just what happened on a fateful day in which the most foul murder was committed. And, also like  Serial  before it,  The Jinx may also hold no ultimate answer to innocence or guilt. But that seems almost beside the point; such investigations often remain murky and unclear, and guilt is not so easy a thing to be judged. Instead, this upcoming six-part tantalizing murder mystery, from director Andrew Jarecki ( Capturing the Friedmans ), is a gripping true crime story that unfolds with all of the speed of a page-turner; it

BuzzFeed: "The Good Wife Is The Best Show On Television Right Now"

The CBS legal drama, now in its sixth season, continually shakes up its narrative foundations and proves itself fearless in the process. Spoilers ahead, if you’re not up to date on the show. At BuzzFeed, you can read my latest feature, " The Good Wife Is The Best Show On Television Right Now," in which I praise CBS' The Good Wife and, well, hail it as the best show currently on television. (Yes, you read that right.) There is no need to be delicate here: If you’re not watching The Good Wife, you are missing out on the best show on television. I won’t qualify that statement in the least — I’m not talking about the best show currently airing on broadcast television or outside of cable or on premium or however you want to sandbox this remarkable show. No, the legal drama is the best thing currently airing on any channel on television. That The Good Wife is this perfect in its sixth season is reason to truly celebrate. Few shows embrace complexity and risk-taking in t