Laura continues her review of the new 2013 fall schedule this year with her review of what’s new on NBC. You can follow Laura on Twitter for all things television and keep up to date as the season progresses. Granted her and I have different opinions on what we’ll be watching from NBC.
There isn’t a whole lot I can say about NBC. I seem to remember a time when I watched more shows on their network but two seems to have been the norm for the last few years. Of the three major networks, NBC has by far & away the most new shows this Fall season. So, I apologize now for the lengthiness of this post and will try to shorten it as best I can.
Following up their big reality show on Monday nights is The Blacklist, which is a show that I would be scared to find is reality. James Spader is an ex-government agent turned FBI most wanted fugitive who has turned himself in to help them catch a notorious terrorist who isn’t as dead as everyone thought. No, it won’t be one ongoing chase that spans multiple seasons but looks like there’ll be a new baddie from his considerable list of dirty politicians, mobsters, spies and terrorists to round up & lock away.
Once the Biggest Loser is announced midseason, two half hour replacement shows will slide into the Tuesday night line up. If you’ve seen the movie starring Hugh Grant & Toni Collette, About a Boy will hold no surprises for you since it’s the exact same storyline. In Growing Up Fisher, there’s a hint of the Wonder Years as narration is being handled off camera by Jason Bateman to tell how a young boy learns to deal with the divorce between his sight impaired father and mid-life crisis mom.
Unlike with the other networks I had a chance to watch the NBC Fall Preview before I wrote this recap of their schedule. So, while I was set to add Ironside to my “take a look” list for Wednedays, after seeing the preview I have set it firmly in my “miss” list. The idea of a NYPD detective solving crime & taking down bad guys from his wheelchair was intriguing to me. Unfortunately, the grittiness & in your face/over the top action of the preview made me wince & want to change the channel.
How would you handle it if just as you’re getting ready for your teenager to leave the nest, they come home & tell you that they’re adding one more instead?! In Welcome to the Family, we get to find out how the Yoder and the Hernandez families learn to deal with the unexpected news in the first of three new comedies on Thursday nights. The second sees the return of the comedic hilarity of Sean Hayes to TV in Sean Saves the World. Not too surprisingly, Sean plays a divorced gay man learning how to parent his 14 year-old daughter who now lives with him full time. Add in a pushy mother and an overbearing boss and Sean is in for the juggling act of a lifetime. Last but certainly not least is the return of Michael J. Fox, comedic royalty, with a show that seems like a mirror image of his life/career. The Michael J. Fox Show follows the return of a New York news anchor to TV following a hiatus to spend time with his family following his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. Stubborn to a fault, it is up to his family & former boss to make Mike think that his return is his idea with some subtle & maybe not so subtle machinations. With both these shows & The Crazy Ones on CBS, the 9to10pm slot looks to be the battle of the returning comedy stars on Thursday nights. I can’t wait… but unfortunately I don’t have room to add anything new. What am I going to do?!
Dracula scares me. There, I’ve said it. I’m a coward & I’m okay with that. This reincarnation of the classic tale depicts his immense creepiness hiding in plain sight as an American entrepreneur in 19th century London. He is halted in his plans for revenge on those that cursed him with immortality when he happens upon the reincarnation of his wife. Fans of the BBC series, Merlin, will be happy to note that Katie McGrath (who portrayed Morgana) will be part of the cast alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the title character. Its midseason replacement on Friday nights will be Crossbones, which is being touted as the true legend of Blackbeard, an action adventure series surrounding the highs & lows of the famous pirate captain.
This season once the pigskin has completed its final pass, Nate Berkus will lead the post football Sunday night replacements with American Dream Builders, a competition that pits designers, builders, architects and landscapers against each other in weekly challenges that will test their home renovation skills in architecturally diverse spaces. From the wonderfully fantastical minds of JJ Abrams & Alfonso Cuaron comes the series, Believe, about a little girl with extraordinary powers that sinister power mongers want to exploit. Chosen by her current protectors, a wrongfully imprisoned death row inmate will become her sole protector as they travel across the country changing not only their lives but those they come in contact with. The last new show for NBC centers around the hostage taking of the political & power elite of Washington DC in Crisis, which stars Dermot Mulroney & Gillian Anderson. Think 24 but with more whiny politicians and crying children.
Below is the full schedule for the network including premiere dates & highlighted are the NBC shows included in my schedule this coming season:
Mondays
8pm – The Voice (Sept 23rd)
10pm – The Blacklist (Sept 23rd)
Tuesdays
8pm – The Biggest Loser (Oct 8th)
9pm – The Voice (Sept 24th & midseason will move to 8pm)
9pm – About a Boy (midseason replacement – TBD)
9:30pm – Growing Up Fisher (midseason replacement – TBD)
10pm – Chicago Fire (Sept 24th)
Wednesdays
8pm – Revolution (Sept 25th)
9pm – Law & Order: SVU (Sept 25th)
10pm – Ironside (Oct 2nd)
Thursdays
8pm – Parks and Recreation (Sept 26th)
8:30pm – Welcome to the Family (Oct 3rd)
9pm – Sean Saves the World (Oct 3rd)
9:30pm – The Michael J. Fox Show (Sept 26th)
10pm – Parenthood (Sept 26th)
Fridays
8pm – Dateline NBC (2 hour premiere Sept 27th)
9pm – Grimm (Oct 25th)
10pm – Dracula (Oct 25th)
10pm – Crossbones (midseason replacement – TBD)
Saturdays
Encore Programming
11:30pm – Saturday Night Live
Sundays
7pm – Football Night in America
9pm – Dateline NBC (midseason replacement)
8pm – NBC Sunday Night Football
8pm – American Dream Builders (NFL replacement)
9pm – Believe (NFL replacement)
10pm – Crisis (NFL replacement)
The post What’s New on NBC – 2013 Fall TV Line Up appeared first on Gus Fosarolli.
