NBC Announces 2008-09 Season Schedules; RTN Announces 3 More Affiliates, Launches Official Website

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

NBC Announces 2008-09 Season Schedules; RTN Announces 3 More Affiliates, Launches Official Website

NBC today unveiled its new lineup for the 2008-09 television season, introducing a schedule earlier than ever. All the other networks will continue announcing the schedule in the annual upfronts in mid-May, but NBC has decided to break that tradition and announce the schedule 6 weeks earlier than normal. Also, they have actually made actual timeslots for the entire year, going with a 52-week schedule. Among the series they have picked-up for the fall are sitcom Kath & Kim, and new dramas Knight Rider, My Own Worst Enemy and Crusoe. Coming in mid-season are The Office spin-off, new dramas The Philanthropist, Merlin and Kings.
Returning to the NBC schedule next season will be ER, the most-nominated series in Emmy Award history, returning for its 15th and final season on NBC's Thursday night lineup, and the acclaimed Friday Night Lights, slated to re-join the Friday schedule in February as part of a unique broadcast partnership between NBC and DIRECTV. NBC would begin broadcasting the Season 3 episodes on Fridays (9-10 p.m. ET), starting soon after NBC's telecast of the Super Bowl in 2009. DIRECTV would have exclusive rights to the season's 13 new episodes beginning Wednesday, October 1 on DIRECTV's entertainment channel "The 101."
NBC also announced today that the post Super Bowl slot, will be used to launch a spinoff of the network's hit comedy series, The Office. Immediately following NBC Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLIII, the network will first present an original episode of The Office, followed by the debut of the new Greg Daniels comedy.
Also, a surprise on the schedule is the return of Lipstick Jungle, which will move to Wednesdays now. Law & Order will return in the winter for an all-new season. No sign of Scrubs returning, so it could be very well moving to ABC next season.
Here are the schedules:

Fall 2008
(New programs in CAPS, except ER)
MONDAY
8-9 p.m. Chuck
9-10 p.m. Heroes
10-11 p.m. MY OWN WORST ENEMY
TUESDAY
8- 9:30 p.m. The Biggest Loser: Families
9:30-10 p.m. KATH & KIM
10-11 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. KNIGHT RIDER
9-10 p.m. Deal or No Deal
10-11 p.m. Lipstick Jungle
THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m. My Name Is Earl
8:30-9 p.m. 30 Rock
9- 9:30 p.m. The Office
9:30-10 p.m. The Office/ SNL THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE
10-11 p.m. ER
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. CRUSOE
9-10 p.m. Deal or No Deal
10-11 p.m. Life
SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. Dateline NBC
9-10 p.m. KNIGHT RIDER (Encores)
10-11 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Encores)
SUNDAY
7- 8:20 p.m. Football Night in America
8:20-11 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football

For the winter and summer 2009 schedules, and more on all these new series, I advise you to click HERE! You wanna bet we will see changes to the winter and summer 2009 right? Maybe even Fall 2008 will see changes. It makes no sense to release winter and summer 2009 already.

Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Citadel Communications Company to launch RTN programming in three markets. The new affiliates will air on the digital streams of WOI-TV (Des Moines-Ames, IA), KLKN-TV (Lincoln, NE) and WHBF-TV (Davenport, IA/Rock Island-Moline, IL).
Meanwhile, their official website is now up! RetroTelevision.net is their website. The website has details on RTN, their programming, shows, affiliates, how to advertise and how to contact them. It's 'primetime all the time' has now hit the web! The Fonz, Mr. T, Andy, Lucy, Matlock and the rest of RTN's finest are now online! Take a peek...it is pretty well designed, too!

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, May 7

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Little Schmoozin’ and a Nose for the News" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie’s plan to get on the news sparks a feud between Mandy and a rival weathergirl. Meanwhile, Mandy tries to use the conflict to help her career.

Ghosts - "Gate-gate" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When an emotion‑driven decision puts Woodstone at risk, Sam and Jay step up to defend what they’ve built. Meanwhile, Isaac struggles to adjust to new surroundings, only to realize that some connections are too important to leave behind.

Animal Control - "Roosters and Moles" / "Donkeys and Weasels" (Fox, 9:02PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Templeton is nominated for Animal Control officer of the year, Frank sets out to rescue 24 animals in 24 hours; Victoria and Patel try to find ways to replace pet food that was destroyed in a fire.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 4)

Thursday, May 7

Molly Gordon (The Bear/Ramy) - Catch Molly on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
John Krasinksi (The Office) - John appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny makes a special appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback/No Good Deed/HouseBroken/Web Therapy/Friends/Mad About You) - Lisa stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about The Comeback on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Casey Wilson (The Righteous Gemstones/Black Monday/The Hotwives/Marry Me/Happy Endings) and Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Andy Cohen interviews Casey and Andrew on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
Garcelle Beauvais (The Other Black Girl/Survival of the Thickest/The Jamie Foxx Show/Merry Happy Whatever) - NBC's Today catches up with Garcelle in the 9am hour.
Julie Bowen (Modern Family/Ed) - NBC's Today catches up with Julie in the 10am hour.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie talks about Lifetime's Love, Again on NBC's Today in the 10am hour. She is covering the news sunny-side up with Drew and Ross on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Kellee Stewart (My Boys) - Kellee shares her fertility journey on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Regina Hall (Black Monday/Grandfathered/Married/Second Generation Wayans) - Regina tells Drew all about her action-packed film One Battle After Another on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Teri Hatcher (The Odd Couple/Sunday Dinner/Karen's Song/The Love Boat) - Teri is whipping up a delicious meal in the kitchen with her Desperately Devoted Podcast Co-Hosts onscreen daughter Andrea Bowen and real-life daughter Emerson Tenney on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Fabrizio Guido (Running Point) - Fabrizio talks about Netflix's Running Point on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Jessica Hecht (Special/Red Oaks/What About Joan?/The Single Guy) - Jessica is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.