Freshman drama Quantum Leap is taking a quantum leap to Tuesdays, as NBC unveiled a mostly strike-proof fall schedule that features three new series (two dramas and a comedy) and a crowded midseason bench.
The Peacock nets lineup is heavy as always on football and Dick Wolf: And even more so on the pigskin, as NBCs new deal to cover Big Ten football kicks in with a new Saturday showcase. But with few changes in store, the network will rely on established series to launch its freshman entries.
NBC will use unscripted mainstay The Voice on Mondays to launch the new Jesse L. Martin starrer The Irrational, based on author Dan Arielys Predictably Irrational, at 10 p.m. On Tuesday, the hit Night Court revival will continue to lead off the night and help launch the new comedy Extended Family, starring Jon Cryer and Donald Faison, and from Mike OMalley, at 8:30 p.m.
And then on Thursdays, NBC will use the Wolf double punch of Law Order and Law Order: SVU to premiere the new drama Found, starring Shanola Hampton (and from writer Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and Greg Berlantis production company) at 10 p.m.
Its about stability, said Jeff Bader, president, entertainment program planning strategy, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. We were fortunate enough to have a schedule where we have tentpoles on every night. And we put together a schedule where were using our highest rated shows to lead into our new shows, to give then the best possible chance for success.
Bader noted that there were no dramatic moves or shifts in fall, but he is excited to create a multi-camera comedy block with Night Court and Extended Family. As for the Quantum Leap move to Tuesday, that night starts with comedy, and so it just feels like its a lighter night from beginning to end.
Meanwhile, the decision not to keep a three-prong Law Order lineup on Thursdays comes out of the showrunner change on Law Order: Organized Crime. They will actually benefit from having a little time and the show will come back as part of the Thursday night stack in midseason. This opened up the opportunity to put Found in a great time period, Bader said.
NBC joins CBS in revealing a fall 2023 lineup that may have to make some pivots as September approaches, due to the writers strike and likely production delays. Should the strike continue through the summer, the Dick Wolf One Chicago and Law Order series may be delayed. But other series are already in the can: Night Court, Extended Family, Quantum Leap, Found and The Irrational are set to air, while midseason entries La Brea, Magnum PI and Transplant are also available if need be.
Our schedule actually will look very much like what youre looking at if the strike is a few months long, Bader said. If its prolonged strike, then we will have to start sliding the Dick Wolf shows Extended Family was picked up last summer, Found was supposed to premiere this spring and we held it for the fall. The Irrational was picked up last fall and went into production. We seem to be pretty well positioned.
The availability of those shows comes out of what NBC touts as 52-week development and order cycle. That also bears out in what the network didnt announce on Friday. Critically acclaimed comedies American Auto, Grand Crew and Young Rock all remain on the bubble, as the network hasnt decided yet on the three.
That news will come at the end of May (as options for those shows talent are set to expire). NBC will first have to decide between renewals and pilots that remain in the mix: Comedies Non-Evil Twin and St. Denis Medical, as well as for dramas Wolf and an untitled entry from Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs. NBC says those projects could pop up next season or be held for the 2024-2025 TV season.
We are in this new world of rolling development and pilot season is completely different, Bader said. We have two single camera comedy pilots and two dramas that will be screening at the end of May/beginning of June. And after seeing those pilots we will have a discussion that will include American Auto, Grand Crew and Young Rock to decide what our remaining pickups will be. So, were not done picking up for next season yet.
NBCUniversal has a stake in all three of its new fall shows to varying degrees; Extended Family is a co-production between Lionsgate and Universal Television; Found is from Warner Bros. TV and Universal Television; and The Irrational is a straight-ahead Universal Television production.
Meanwhile, Universal Television Alternative Studio is behind The Americas, along with BBC Studios Natural History Unit. Narrated by Tom Hanks and featuring music by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer. The sweeping 10-hour wildlife documentary series comes from producer Mike Gunton (Planet Earth II). We havent locked into a time period yet, but it will in the second quarter, Bader said. We will make a big event of this when it comes on, but thatll be later in the spring. We have discussed everything from doing it as an event series to doing an hour a week or two hours a week. It hasnt been determined yet.
Among new unscripted series is Deal or No Deal Island, a twist on the Banijay Deal or No Deal format, in which 100 cases with millions of dollars are hidden on the bankers private island. Endemol Shine North America is behind the series, with Sharon Levy, DJ Nurre and Howie Mandel as executive producers.
Deal or No Deal is a show that we get asked most often about coming back, Bader said. The twist of mashing it up with a competition show on an island, its fun. Rather than being on a stage where theres briefcases to choose from, you and your team have to go and find them out on the island. The banker messes things up, just like he does on the regular show.
Here is NBCs fall 2023 schedule:
MONDAY
8 p.m. The Voice
10 p.m. The Irrational (NEW DRAMA)
TUESDAY
8 p.m. Night Court
8:30 p.m. Extended Family (NEW COMEDY)
9 p.m. The Voice
10 p.m. Quantum Leap
WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. Chicago Med
9 p.m. Chicago Fire
10 p.m. Chicago P.D.
THURSDAY
8 p.m. Law Order
9 p.m. Law Order: SVU
10 p.m. Found (NEW DRAMA)
FRIDAY
8 p.m. The Wall
9 p.m. Dateline NBC
SATURDAY
7 p.m. Big Ten Countdown
7:30 p.m. Big Ten Saturday Night
SUNDAY
7 p.m. Football Night in America
8:20 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football
SUMMER 2023
Americas Got Talent
Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge
American Ninja Warrior
LA Fire and Rescue
MIDSEASON/SUMMER 2024
Untitled Americas Got Talent series
Deal or No Deal Island
Law Order: Organized Crime
La Brea
Magnum P.I.
Lopez vs. Lopez
Password
Transplant
The Americas (NEW EVENT SERIES)
STILL ON THE BUBBLE
American Auto
Grand Crew
Young Rock