2013 Upfront Answers, NBC

Last week, I asked "Upfront Questions" to preview each network's fall 2013 schedule. With the schedule now official, here are the "Upfront Answers"!

NBC's upfront previews: True Power Rankings | Upfront Questions

Other Upfront Answers: NBC | Fox | ABC | CBS | CW

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MONDAY

Fall 2013 Schedule
8-10 p.m. - "The Voice"
10-11 p.m. - "THE BLACKLIST"

My Question: Is standing pat with Revolution a necessary financial play?

Apparently not, in a huge way. Not only does Revolution not get a direct post-Voice berth, but it's not even in an "indirect" situation (like Tuesday at 10 with The Voice at 8). It'll instead be very much fending for itself in the Wednesday 8/7c hour. While it's not a totally unreasonable piece of counter-programming (as there likely won't be any dramas in the slot), it feels increasingly dicey as the show's ratings have collapsed this spring. That kind of scheduling is definitely something I'd have considered reasonable for Revolution in the fall. Now, it's hard to rule out another "Day One Disaster" like Smash and Happy Endings.

NBC instead throws the show that's been called "white-hot" a thousand times, The Blacklist, into the network's best timeslot. Considering all the raves, that can't be considered a huge shock.

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TUESDAY

Fall 2013 Schedule
8-9 p.m. - "The Biggest Loser" (New Day and Time)
9-10 p.m. - "The Voice" (New time)
10-11 p.m. - "Chicago Fire" (New Day and Time)

My Question: Will a string of post-Voice mediocrity change the direction of the lead-outs?

Yes, in a pretty big way. Not only will they try a procedural, which is good, but they'll actually try a returning one, as Chicago Fire gets a huge upgrade. I figured this show had an acceptable enough audience that NBC wouldn't "mess" with it, but apparently they believe the potential is there for much more. So Chicago Fire, like Suburgatory and Revenge and Person of Interest from last year, is a sophomore show that gets something of a "love letter" from its network. We'll see if this one works out better.

This night also answered the dreaded Biggest Loser-around-the-Olympics question. It gets just one hour, and it should help NBC have a very stable Tuesday from top-to-bottom.

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WEDNESDAY

Fall 2013 Schedule
8-9 p.m. - "Revolution" (New Day and Time)
9-10 p.m. - "Law & Order: SVU"
10-11 p.m. - "IRONSIDE"

My Question: Will NBC stand behind its rare glimmer of Wednesday hope?

It seems Chicago Fire's success on Wednesday convinced NBC that SVU is capable of "launching" shows again. I tend to think they just got lucky with Chicago Fire, but we'll see. Will Revolution even make any improvement on the failed comedy blocks from recent years? Seems iffy. Overall, NBC had an opportunity to lock down the always problematic Wednesday to some degree... and they didn't take it.

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THURSDAY

Fall 2013 Schedule
8-8:30 p.m. - "Parks and Recreation" (New time)
8:30-9 p.m. - "WELCOME TO THE FAMILY"
9-9:30 p.m. - "SEAN SAVES THE WORLD"
9:30-10 p.m. - "THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW"
10-11 p.m. - "Parenthood" (New Day and Time)

My Question: What form does a revamped NBC Thursday take?

They did what seemed most likely even before the rash of comedy cancellations: a lot of new comedies. They actually have an OK-rated returnee, unlike ABC circa 2009, so Parks and Recreation gets thrown into the "Hank" lead-off spot. Though it shouldn't be too disastrous at 8:00, there will still be a ton of pressure to self-start out of the new shows. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the whole schedule: Michael J. Fox at the bottom of an hour? Who in the world would've thunk that? They must really like the Sean Hayes show.

They round out the night with a known property, which I was always a fan of. I didn't think it'd be Parenthood, but it should be one of the better solutions for the always difficult hour.

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FRIDAY

Fall 2013 Schedule
8-9 p.m. - "Dateline"
9-10 p.m. - "Grimm"
10-11 p.m. - "DRACULA" ("CROSSBONES" at midseason)

My Question: Will NBC make a more definitive statement about its Friday scripted priorities?

Yes! With Rock Center recently axed, NBC is going a little more all-out on Friday. Dracula and Crossbones are both lower-cost options by scripted standards... but that's good for Friday! Unlike some Friday skeds in years past, this one seems very likely to stick into the fall.
 

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SUNDAY

Fall 2013 Schedule
7:00-8:15 p.m. - "Football Night in America"
8:15-11:30 p.m. - "Sunday Night Football"

Midseason 2014 Schedule
7-8 p.m. - "Dateline NBC"
8-9 p.m. - "AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS"
9-10 p.m. - "BELIEVE"
10-11 p.m. - "CRISIS"

My Question: Is Celebrity Apprentice no longer big enough to be the midseason Sunday solution?

It's not the solution. In fact, it is absolutely nowhere to be seen, and its renewal is still a TBD situation. This particular midseason sked should certainly be written in pencil.

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GENERAL IMPRESSIONS

For the most part, NBC got the broad strokes right here: procedural after The Voice, lots of new comedies surrounded by known properties on Thursday, and a more cohesive plan for Friday which should use Grimm a little better. I have no problems with any of those larger themes, and there weren't particularly good alternatives.

But there are definitely some potential nitpicks within those themes; for example, I could've seen them flipping Ironside and Chicago Fire to try to avert another Wednesday meltdown. The multi-camera Sean Hayes show in the middle of three single-cams has not been a winning proposition historically. The whole Revolution situation.

Overall, a decent job given what they have.