NBC Sets Franchise-Heavy Fall But Holds All Comedies, and This Is Us, Until Midseason

NBC is setting up a franchise-packed fall season, including a Thursday night entirely devoted to its long-running Law & Order franchise, but there won't be a lot to laugh about on the network: It is holding all of its comedies—as well as the final season of This Is Us—until midseason. The broadcaster’s fall schedule, announced Friday ahead of NBCUniversal's upfront presentation on Monday, will hold off on the sixth and final season of This Is Us as well as most of NBC’s returning and new comedy series until later in the season. That will make its fall line-up drama-centric, with two back-to-back nights—Wednesday and Thursday—devoted to Dick Wolf’s enduring broadcast franchises Chicago and Law & Order, and two freshman dramas getting a post-Voice audience bump. This is the first NBC fall schedule announced since NBCUniversal's major organizational shakeup last August, which led to the exit of then-entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy. The broadcaster is now overseen by Frances Berwick, chairman, entertainment networks, NBCUniversal television and streaming, and Susan Rovner, chairman, entertainment content, NBCUniversal television and streaming. The network is bringing back its all-Chicago lineup on Wednesdays. Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. Thursday’s all-Law & Order lineup will begin with new series Law & Order: For the Defense, following a criminal defense firm, the long-running Law & Order: SVU and the sophomore season of Law & Order: Organized Crime. “We are leaning into pieces of the legacy that work, but not being precious about experimenting with things that can benefit from a change,” Berwick told reporters. Among those changes including a paring down of The Voice, which will return for its 21st cycle on Monday and Tuesday nights featuring new voice coach Ariana Grande, who will join Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Blake Shelton. That competition show, which will serve as a lead-in to NBC’s freshman fall dramas on Monday and Tuesdays, will for the first time run for only one cycle this season, skipping its spring airing, instead of its usual two-cycles-per-season cadence. “We want to eventize this iconic series,” Berwick said. “We think The Voice will be on NBC for a really long time to come, and we believe the best way to protect the brand while also super-serving fans is to produce one amazing cycle this year.” Using the Super Bowl and Olympics to launch comedies Another change includes an all-out hold on comedy series until midseason, when Brooklyn Nine-Nine will get a post-Olympics series sendoff in August, with its final 10 episodes airing ahead of the start of the fall. The midseason will feature new workplace comedy series American Auto and Grand Crew, as well as the second seasons of Kenan, Mr. Mayor and Young Rock. Those three sophomore series will also have holiday specials. Rovner said the choice to hold the network’s comedy line-up until midseason will allow NBC to capitalize on big audience and marketing opportunities around both the Winter Olympics and NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl 56 in February. “We feel strongly that having two big comedy blocks midseason will give our shows the biggest opportunity to become the iconic hits of our future,” Rovner said. This Is Us’ sixth and final season of 18 episodes will also be held until midseason, marking the first time that the show will not air in the fall. “What we wanted to do was honor the fans and give them as close to an uninterrupted run as we could, which is only possible in midseason,” Berwick said. The Thing About Pam—a six-episode series based on the true-crime story of Pam Hupp and her suspected involvement in several murders that was the subject of five Dateline NBC episodes and Dateline’s first true crime podcast series—will also come to the network midseason, with Renée Zellweger starring in her first broadcast TV role. In all, 18 shows will return to the broadcaster, and 13 new series, including seven unscripted series, will be on the schedule. The broadcaster will not decide about the fate of five shows—Ellen’s Game of Games, Good Girls, Manifest, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and freshman series Debris—until after the season. Some of those series in limbo could ultimately land up on NBC's streamer Peacock; "all options are going to be on the table," Rovner said. NBC Fall 2021-22 Schedule (New programs in ALL CAPS) MONDAY8-10 p.m. — The Voice10-11 p.m. — ORDINARY JOE TUESDAY8-9 p.m. — The Voice9-10 p.m. — LA BREA10-11 p.m. — New Amsterdam WEDNESDAY8-9 p.m. — Chicago Med9-10 p.m. — Chicago Fire10-11 p.m. — Chicago P.D. THURSDAY8-9 p.m. — LAW & ORDER: FOR THE DEFENSE9-10 p.m. — Law & Order: SVU 10-11 p.m. — Law & Order: Organized Crime FRIDAY8-9 p.m. — The Blacklist9-11 p.m. — Dateline NBC SATURDAY8-10 p.m. — Drama Encores9-10 p.m. — Dateline Weekend Mystery10-11 p.m. — Saturday Night Live (classic encores) SUNDAY7-8:20 p.m. — Football Night in America8:20-11 p.m. — Sunday Night Football MIDSEASONAGT: EXTREME, AMERICAN AUTO, AMERICAN SONG CONTEST, GRAND CREW, HOME SWEET HOME, Kenan, LA FIRE AND RESCUE, Mr. Mayor, THAT'S MY JAM, THE THING ABOUT PAM, This is Us, Transplant, Weakest Link, THE WHEEL, Who Do You Think You Are?