Friday , March 29 2024
Jay Leno anyone?

The 2009 Network Upfronts: NBC Looks to Leno

NBC had already announced much of its programming for this fall heading into today’s scheduling announcement, but today the picture did get a little more clear. For instance, rumored to be on the chopping block My Name is Earl did indeed find itself axed, and Law & Order, which was up in the air, found itself placed on the network’s Friday night lineup. Also missing from NBC’s future lineup is Medium. Additionally, the network announced that people who don’t get DirecTV will have to wait until next summer to watch new episodes of Friday Night Lights. The network presented two schedules today, one for fall and one for spring.

Fall:

 

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wed. Thursday Friday Saturday
7:00 Football Pregame
(until 8:20)
           
7:30
8:00 NFL
Football
Heroes The Biggest
Loser
Parenthood SNL Wknd
Update Thu.
Law &
Order
Dateline
8:30 Parks and
Recreation
9:00 Trauma Law & Order:
SVU
The
Office
Southland Trauma
(Encore)
9:30 Community

10:00 The Jay
Leno Show
The Jay
Leno Show
The Jay
Leno Show
The Jay
Leno Show
The Jay
Leno Show
Law & Order:
SVU (Encore)
10:30

Spring:


 

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wed. Thursday Friday Saturday
7:00 Dateline            
7:30
8:00 The Marriage
Ref
Chuck The Biggest
Loser
Mercy Community Law &
Order
Dateline
8:30 Parks and
Recreation
9:00 The Celebrity
Apprentice
Day One Law & Order:
SVU
The
Office
Southland Southland
(Encore)
9:30 100 Questions 30 Rock
10:00 The Jay
Leno Show
The Jay
Leno Show
The Jay
Leno Show
The Jay
Leno Show
The Jay
Leno Show
Law & Order:
SVU (Encore)
10:30

NBC’s slotting Jay Leno for five hours of programming a week still feels like a gamble, but it’s one which could pay huge dividends to the network which has found itself struggling in recent years. Leno has done well for years on end in his late night slot, but if he can manage to turn that success into primetime success remains to be seen. Should his new show work in primetime, NBC may have created the best possible launching platform for new series that it has ever had. However, that’s a best case scenario, and not necessarily what will take place.

Whatever happens with Leno, NBC does stand to do exceedingly well during the next February sweep due to the return of the Winter Olympics.

About Josh Lasser

Josh has deftly segued from a life of being pre-med to film school to television production to writing about the media in general. And by 'deftly' he means with agonizing second thoughts and the formation of an ulcer.

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