First Take: NBC’s 2015-16 Schedule

The 201516 schedule NBC revealed Monday to advertisers and the press amp8211 which was largely old information for anyone who happened to be on Twitter four days earlier when a tsunami of details about all of the broadcastersamp8217 pickups and castoffs poured out across millions of digital devices amp8211 seemed sturdy enough but not nearly in the same league as everything else the network does Together amp8220Sunday Night Footballamp8221 coverage of the Winter and Summer Olympics amp8220Saturday Night Liveamp8221 amp8220The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonamp8221 and amp8220Late Night with Seth Meyersamp8221 create a dazzling media environment second to none I might add that the amp8220Todayamp8221 show when itamp8217s working properly also contributes to this overall sense of extreme accomplishmentAs for primetime NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt is certainly trying He has established an exciting new pop culture tradition with the networkamp8217s live December musicals this yearamp8217s offering will be amp8220The Wizamp8221 arguably the most exciting thing any broadcast network has tried in years His efforts with event series including amp8220The Slapamp8221 and amp8220ADamp8221 have been attention getters if considerably less successfulAs for ongoing scripted and unscripted shows take away amp8220The Voiceamp8221 which isnamp8217t as strong as it once was and seems already to have lost a bit of its early buzz and amp8220The Blacklistamp8221 still a Live3 and Live7 sensation but suffering in same day ratings since its relocation to Thursday and thereamp8217s nothing much to get excited aboutLooking ahead to next season it is entirely likely that nothing much will change NBC will stay strong on Sunday and Monday with amp8220Sunday Night Footballamp8221 and the twohour edition of amp8220The Voiceamp8221 respectively The latter will be followed at 10 pm by the new drama amp8220Blindspotamp8221 pictured above an ongoing mystery thriller about a beautiful woman who emerges from a duffel bag naked in Times Square with no memories of who she is and her body covered head to toe with tattoos Each tattoo provides a clue to what promises to be a giantsized mythology that will by nature of the genre have to remain unexplained for many years or become quite convoluted if the series is to continue beyond one season That sounds like an awfully big commitment The naked beautiful woman thing will generate some interest early on but the story is going to have to be as compelling as amp8220Lostamp8221 if it is to survive beyond its first few weeksTuesdays in the fall the onehour edition of amp8220The Voiceamp8221 will be followed by a new medical drama titled amp8220Heartbreakeramp8221 that doesnamp8217t look to be any better than any of the failed drama series NBC launched throughout the last 12 months That will lead into a comedyvariety hour amp8220Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harrisamp8221 that will be telecast live from New York City The general idea here once was tantalizing given Harrisamp8217 acclaimed work as host of multiple Tony Awards telecasts but it has dimmed a bit in the aftermath of his unremarkable stint as host of this yearamp8217s Academy Awards It will be up to him to eradicate those bad memories during the very first showWednesdays will continue to feature the inexplicably renewed amp8220The Mysteries of Lauraamp8221 the tiring amp8220Law ampamp Order SVUamp8221 and amp8220Chicago PDamp8221 amp8211 the latter one of the unremarkable Chicagobased shows from Dick Wolf that are spreading across NBCamp8217s schedule Another quotChicago Medquot is coming later in the 201516 seasonamp160If only the writing for these shows were as well done as the casting and direction amp8220Chicago Fireamp8221 the mothership of the franchise will run Tuesday at 10 starting in November when the NPH variety show is over unless the NPH variety show is a giant hit in which case it is difficult to believe that NBC will let it end before the November sweeps concludeOn Thursdays NBC will attempt to provide some support for amp8220The Blacklistamp8221 a show that was at 9 pm supposed to support the entire night with a limited continuation at 8 pm of the very played out amp8220Heroesamp8221 franchise titled amp8220Heroes Rebornamp8221 Apparently NBC has forgotten that by the time amp8220Heroesamp8221 ended its run the network couldnamp8217t pay people to watch it Of course that had a lot to do with its narrative which started out strong in its first season and then dropped off a cliff With the right story this time maybe it will work but the success of amp8220Heroes Rebornamp8221 is not a givenamp8220The Blacklistamp8221 will be followed by amp8220The Playeramp8221 an action thriller set in Las Vegas One might think viewers have had enough of Las Vegas amp8211 a city of very limited appeal to anyone not obsessed with it after the fiveyear run of NBCamp8217s amp8220Las Vegasamp8221 Apparently NBC executives donamp8217t think soNBC on Friday will try what promises to be one of the most interesting programming experiments of 201516 A weekly live halfhour telecast of the returning sitcom amp8220Undateableamp8221 which experimented with a live hourlong episode just last week The last alllive sitcom on a broadcast network Foxamp8217s amp8220Rocamp8221 also ran on Friday nights for its second season back in 199293 I donamp8217t recall the live amp8220Rocamp8221 doing any better than the taped amp8220Rocamp8221 and I canamp8217t imagine the live amp8220Undateableamp8221 doing any better than the current version But it should at least attract some attention and the entire cast mostly comics are rabid selfpromoters on social media so this could be one to watchThe new taped sitcom that will follow amp8220Undateableamp8221 titled amp8220People are Talkingamp8221 could be one to avoid based on available clips It certainly seems to be compatible to amp8220Undateableamp8221 but that isnamp8217t saying very much since the latter has never been a particularly robust performerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Media Village management or associated bloggers

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First Take: NBC’s 2015-16 Schedule

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Ed Martin

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First Take: NBC’s 2015-16 Schedule

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