NBC's 2009-2010 Series Pick-Ups; WGN America Minor Schedule Changes

Monday, May 04, 2009

NBC's 2009-2010 Series Pick-Ups; WGN America Minor Schedule Changes

NBC unveiled today programming for the 2009-2010 television season announcing the pickups of six new series featuring four new dramas including Trauma, Parenthood, Mercy and the event series Day One, as well as two new comedies including Community (single camera) and 100 Questions (four camera). It will be announced in two weeks which are for the fall and which are for midseason, but Day One is midseason. Four returning series pickups were also announced today including Heroes, Southland, Parks and Recreation and the addition of six new episodes of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday skewering today's top stories in live half-hour primetime shows.
The new and returning series will launch next season and the epic event series Day One is slated to premiere out of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games with a two-hour event.
The Jay Leno Show will be broadcast Monday-Fridays, 10-11 p.m. ET beginning in the fall, slated for the second week of September. Previously announced series pickups include The Office, 30 Rock, The Biggest Loser, The Celebrity Apprentice, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Friday Night Lights, and new alternative series The Marriage Ref, Breakthrough With Tony Robbins and Who Do You Think You Are?
View video clips of the new series.
NOTE: Additional series pickups will be announced May 19, when NBC announces its 2009-2010 schedule. So this means the fate of series such as My Name is Earl, Chuck, Medium, and Law & Order will be revealed during that week. I expect two of those to get cut, but knowing how desperate NBC is, they might all return. NBC will likely stock-up shows for midseason just in case Jay Leno Show is a big bust. We could get more new series announcements then too, such as David E. Kelley's Legally Mad.
View the details on the announced new series. And stay tuned in two weeks for the actual fall schedule, but before that come on back next week for our schedule predictions week!

WGN America has made some minor schedule changes. It seems new series Around The World For Free is not doing that well in the ratings on Thursday nights at 9pm ET. WGN America will move it to Mondays starting tonight, but tonight they will repeat the first two episodes from 8-10pm ET, before it joins the Monday schedule next week (May 11) at 9pm ET following an episode of AFV. Around the World for Free will also encore at 12am ET on Mondays replacing a Bob and Tom Show airing which moves to 4am ET on Mondays. That will cut the Corner Gas triple shot from 4am-5:30am to just a half-hour at 5am. Not to worry, because Corner Gas will be added to Tuesday nights starting May 12 from 4am-5:30am ET replacing Moesha. Moesha will slide over to Wednesday nights from 4am-5:30am replacing Sister, Sister which is off the schedule. Both Moesha and Sister, Sister were slated to leave the schedule after June as we previously mentioned, so Sister, Sister is leaving earlier than planned. Moesha will still leave after June. Fortunately, both shows are on other cable networks (Moesha on The N and Sister, Sister on ABC Family).
Anyway, replacing the original Around the World for Free airing on Thursdays will be various specials. Slated Thursdays at 9pm are Funniest Wedding Outtakes, Funny Things Kids Do, World's Most Shocking Moments Caught On Tape, and That Moment! With Jake Steinfeld. The specials will air out of WWE Superstars.
View the full list of changes happening on WGN America starting next week.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, June 5

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A House Divided" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Audrey and Mary go to war over CeeCee and Georgie, and Mandy can’t help but take sides.

Ghosts - "Thorapy 2: Abandonment Issues" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Thor returns to therapy to work through his angst over being abandoned by his Viking shipmates. Also, Jay’s sister, Bela (Punam Patel), attempts to help him with the restaurant.

Bob's Burgers - "Snackface" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Tina, Gene and Louise strike it rich in the illegal snack business at school, but the addition of a new member to their "cartel" threatens to destroy it.

Grimsburg - "The Undies" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
In order to win this year's Undies Award for best undercover operation, Flute infiltrates the Preggo crime family.

Family Guy - "Martian Meg" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Fed up with feeling like she doesn't belong, Meg enlists in a training program for a mission to Mars.

The Great North - "Reservoir Dad Adventure" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Beef discovers the thrills of stunt fishing.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 1)

Thursday, June 5

Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy/American Dad!/The Cleveland Show) - Catch Seth on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) and Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Nick and Andrew are guests on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate) - Dakota stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite/Benched) - Maria is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Mario Cantone (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Mario appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10:15pm on Bravo.
Nicole Ari Parker (And Just Like That.../Second Time Around) - Nicole talks about And Just Like That... on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Leslie Bibb (Palm Royale/God's Favorite Idiot/American Housewife/The Odd Couple/About a Boy) - Leslie talks about The White Lotus on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Brianne Howey (Dollface) - Brianne talks about Ginny & Georgia on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am, on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour, and on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Drew-crewer Valerie is joining Drew with chef Bobby Flay to whip up something amazing in the kitchen on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Kerri Kenney (The Four Seasons/Maggie/Superstore/Reno 911!/The Ellen Show) - Kerri is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.