A look into NBC's new Winter lineup and my thoughts...

So NBC is shuffling the schedule around a bit and after looking at it, I'm not sure it's much better. Let's face it, the network is in trouble. They're getting slaughtered most nights and I see why they felt they needed to do something, other than Thursday nights I'm really not sure how this is better. They've decided to bounce around shows throughout the winter season and say things like, will air in this time-slot for 2 weeks and then on to their regular spot. I'm no network planner/scheduler but moving around shows like that can't be a good thing, way to keep a show in place so fans know when they're on.

Enough chatter, let's jump in and see what they've got in store for us. Hold on to your hats, this gets a wee bit complicated.


MONDAYS

8 pm – Chuck
9 pm – The Cape will premiere with a two-hour episode on Sunday, January 9 (9-11 p.m.). New episodes start in its regular time period on January 17 (9-10 p.m.)
10 pm – Harry's Law (beginning January 17)
9 pm – The Event (returns on February 28, 9-11 p.m.; resumes in its regular time slot March 7)
10-11 p.m. — Parenthood (debuts in this slot March 7 with all new episodes)

My Take: This is only Monday but do you see what I'm saying, bounces all over the place. We're going to need calendars to keep track of this. I don't watch Chuck but I like the geek loved Chuck leading into the Superhero/Comic Book show like The Cape, that seems to work. I've watched the preview for The Cape and it doesn't appeal to me at all, Vinnie Jones what are you doing man? And NBC; you canceled Heroes last year and you come back with The Cape this year. Umm, what? You can watch the preview for The Cape after this and make you're own decision. Harry's Law is yet another Lawyer show and this time it's based on some misfit lawyers. Hey NBC, The Whole Truth and Outlaw have already been canceled and The Defenders is rumored to not be getting a second season. So why bring us ANOTHER friggin lawyer show. The upside here is that it's written by tv mastermind David E. Kelley (Chicago HOpe, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Public, Boston Legal). The cast in this I will admit looks pretty strong and everyone knows that Kelley can write. I'm just not sure how yet another lawyer show will be recieved. Enjoy the preview! I'll be watching the 10 pm hour early in the season and by the time The Event returns I may be done with it, I'm not liking the Flashforward like treatment this show is getting and I don't see it ending well for it. We may never know how it'll end. SOB!

The preview for The Cape



The preview for Harry's Law




TUESDAYS

8-10 pm — The Biggest Loser: Couples (beginning January 4)
10 pm – Parenthood (beginning January 4 for 4 episodes)
10 pm — Law & Order: Los Angeles (beginning February 8 )

My Take: Yet another edition of Biggest Loser, I've commented on this one before. It doesn't pull the numbers you would think it would for how much NBC is behind it. But it does better then a lot of the other garbage the peacock puts on the air so, it's back again. Parenthood which is a good show that not enough people watch will keep it's normal slot for a month, apparently go off the air for a month because there isn't any mention of it in Feb and then moves to Mondays. You following? Damn. Many people were predicting that L&O:LA would move to another night to move SVU and that's exactly what's happened. SVU needs the 10PM wiggle room so I have to like that move. I'm just not sold on Los Angeles as it's own show. Last weeks wasn't exactly a glam filled LA type story, so I really hope that they aren't getting away from that. They really need to stick to the dirty downtown Los Angeles/Hollywood type stories to keep it interesting. Either way NBC you'll have me watching the 10 pm hour and that's it NBC. If Law & Order doesn't get any better, you just might lose me there as well as Detroit 1-8-7 is a MUCH better option.


WEDNESDAYS

8 pm — Minute to Win It (beginning January 5)
9 pm – Chase (beginning January 12)
10 pm – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (originals beginning January 5 with two-hour episode, 9-11 p.m. ET)
9 pm – America's Next Great Restaurant (beginning March 16)

My Take: Oh NBC, you've really thrown Wednesday night to the wolves here. I don't watch Minute to Win It, in fact, I don't know anyone that does. If you've read this blog before, you know that I Hate Chase and I don't know how it possibly get a full season order. Well folks, I hope you enjoyed Chase because it couldn't compete at 10 pm on a Monday and there is no way it's going to do better against Modern Family/Cougar Town and Criminal Minds. Buh Bye. America's Next Great Restaurant? I spent a weekend in the States a few weeks back and I don't need to re-live the food portion of that trip. I do like the fact that SVU gets a 10 pm slot, but I still won't watch it. SVU is the realest of the L&O's to me and it rattles me too much to watch it.


THURSDAYS (all beginning January 20)

8 pm – Community
8 pm – Perfect Couples
9 pm – The Office
9:30 pm – Parks and Recreation
10 pm – 30 Rock
10:30 pm – Outsourced

My Take: This is really the big part of the story, a three hour comedy block for the first time in a long while. I've ripped on NBC pretty hard on most of this post. But Bravo NBC for having the balls to totally change up things. Will it work, I really hope so. People have been crying for months about getting Parks and Rec back. So it's coming back and I hope people watch it, it's become a much better show then the office. If you watched it The First season and gave up on it. Go back, trust me, yes the first season was awful. Remember the first season of The Office US version, uh ya, pretty awful and it turned out to have a pretty good run. Community has had a few good episodes this season and I hope they return to form. But it really doesn't matter what you put in that 8 pm slot, it'll get destroyed by Big Bang Theory, so might as well keep Community there. It's got an established fan base. I'm very excited to see if 30 Rock changes its comedy up a bit by getting the later timeslot. It took me a long time to find a preview for Perfect Couples and I loved the preview, loved it! The first episode appears to be about games night! Loved that! It's got a view people that you'll recogonize in it. For some reason I can't embed the preview so you'll have to enjoy this link.


FRIDAYS

8 pm — Who Do You Think You Are? (beginning January 21)
9-11 pm – Dateline NBC (beginning January 7)

My Take: The Lisa Kudrow hosted Who Do You Think You Are? Um, celebs going through their family tree really doesn't interest me, at all. Then you've got Dateline. Personally I think the only thing you should be watching on Fridays if you're home watching tv is: Blue Bloods and then working on clearing the pvr. Sorry NBC, you're back to the sucking.


SUNDAYS

7 pm – Dateline NBC
8 pm – The Marriage Ref (beginning March 6)
9-11 pm – The Celebrity Apprentice (beginning March 6)

My Take: Um, ya...So another edition of Dateline, what did you miss in the two hours you had on Friday? Next. The Marriage Ref, you're really only good when you have good guests on. Plus you seem to get the dumbest couples in America, just saying. You line up good guests and I'll pvr it, at best. The ratings from this year indicate that viewers only want to watch The Apprentice when there are celebrities involved, I do use the term "celebrities" loosely. I really, really hope this is the last version of this. It needs to end.


So there it is, what will you be watching?