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This is a very special week for the broadcast networks and the advertisers that buy ad time from them. It’s upfront week and it’s the most important week in the TV industry. NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX and the new CW (the marriage of the WB and UPN) will unveil their fall schedules to advertisers. The advertisers will then judge each new show by a short snippet of footage, then decide which shows they think will be hits and buy ad time accordingly. The hardest part is for the network execs to convince advertisers and their local affiliates that the new shows are better than the canceled shows and that their new lineup is stronger than the others. It’s a fantastic time for all!

A few years ago NBC was the dominant ratings leader, but my how times have changed. NBC struggles at the bottom of every demographic after the last few disastrous seasons. But NBC is always cocky, even when they’re in last place. So you can bet NBC will be the most aggressive as they tell advertisers they have their strongest schedule in years….for me to poop on….

NBC’s number one show is the Monday night Howie Mandel hosted game-show “Deal of No Deal.” NBC’s number two show is Wednesday night Howie Mandel hosted game-show “Deal of No Deal.” NBC’s number three show is the Friday night Howie Mandel hosted game-show “Deal of No Deal.” Can you see the start of their woes? NBC has fallen so badly that they’ve had to rely on the only hit they’ve managed to launch in the last two years thrice weekly. ABC did the same thing a few years ago with “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” That proved to be a temporary solution to a much bigger problem and ABC plummeted. It was only in the last two years that ABC managed to recover. Monkey see, monkey don’t?

So how does NBC’s new sked look? Pretty weak. The net is over-reliant on aging dramas like “ER” and the weakened “Law & Order” trilogy. (”SVU” is NBC’s most potent drama.) There were rumors last week that NBC was going to kick “ER” off of Thursdays but the net decided to leave it in tact - a bold move considering the ratings their Thursday night has been hemorrhaging since “Friends” signed off. With the exception of “ER,” Thursday looks the strongest in years. Now that the depressing “Will & Grace” is gone, NBC will open the night with its most promising assets, “My Name is Earl” and “The Office.” After that comes Aaron Sorkin’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” the most talked about and buzzworthy new show of the season. Sorkin’s latest opus is about the behind the scenes life of an “SNL” like sketch comedy show and comes packed with a stellar cast that includes Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford (”The West Wing”) as a creative team who return to the show-within-the-show in the wake of a televised meltdown by its producer. D.L. Hughley (”Weekends at the D.L.”), Sarah Paulson (”Deadwood”), Timothy Busfield (”The West Wing”), Nathan Corddry (Rob’s brother from “The Daily Show”), Steven Weber (”Wings”), Evan Handler (”Sex and the City”) and Carlos Jacott (”Kicking and Screaming”) round out the cast. Oh yeah, Amanda Peet is also on the show. Somebody really should wave a skunk in front of her. Peet aside, this is one show that has the potential to be brilliant.

NBC has always done well with comedy. The net will launch two new comedies in the fall: “20 Good Years” with John Lithgow (”3rd Rock from the Sun”) and Jeffrey Tambor (”Arrested Development”) is about two middle-aged men who set out to make the most of their impending golden years; and “30 Rock” from Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels about the behinds the scenes life at an “SNL” like sketch comedy show…. No, I have not made a mistake. NBC has two shows about the behind the scenes workings of a sketch comedy show. Both series were developed independently and NBC apparently liked them both. Fey’s “30 Rock” is a traditional 30 minute comedy starring Fey and Alec Baldwin; while Sorkin’s is an hour-long more or less like “Sports Night.” “Scrubs” will be also be back but not until midseason again. Maybe NBC will give this hilarious yet unappreciated show a good time-slot come January. Thursdays perhaps?

Other than that most of NBC’s shows seem like tired ideas. Among them are a crime thriller about kidnapping and a high school football show based off a movie. Since ABC jettisoned “Monday Night Football” to ESPN, NBC will get back in the NFL business for the first time in eight years with “Sunday Night Football.” Football is always a big draw, especially in primetime, but that leaves NBC with the problem of launching a Sunday night lineup come January. For the record: ABC never succeed in launching a post-football Monday night lineup in 25 years. Good luck NBC.

Bottom Line: If “Deal or No Deal” remains strong, NBC will have a good start on Monday and Friday. Except for “SVU,” Tuesday has always been a nightmare. If the two new dramas falter early then it could be a complete mess, and “SVU” could really hurt in the process. Wednesday seems venerable. “The Biggest Loser” is a modest hit and could start the night off strong but the flow of reality shows into comedies has never worked. (FOX has tried to launch comedies after “American Idle” for years and hasn’t once succeeded.) It would be a shame if two promising comedies died quickly. NBC should put all of its comedy assets on Thursday, slide “Studio 60″ an hour later and move “ER” to Wednesdays. NBC’s complete fall schedule is below.

Tuesday - ABC unveils its fall sked
Wednesday - CBS and the CW
Thursday - Fox

NBC’s Fall Schedule
(new shows are in bold CAPS)
[all times Eastern]

MONDAY
8:00 “Deal or No Deal”
9:00 “HEROS”
10:00 “Medium”

TUESDAY
8:00 “FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS”
9:00 “KIDNAPPED”
10:00 “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”

WEDNESDAY
8:00 “The Biggest Loser”
9:00 “20 GOOD YEARS”
9:30 “30 ROCK”
10:00 “Law & Order”

THURSDAY
8:00 “My Name Is Earl” (new time)
8:30 “The Office” (new time)
9:00 “STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP”
10:00 “ER” (“THE BLACK DONNELLYS” in January 2007)

FRIDAY
8:00 “Deal or No Deal”
9:00 “Las Vegas”
10:00 “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (new day and time)

SATURDAY
8:00 “Dateline Saturday”
9:00 Drama Series Encores

SUNDAY
7:00 “FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA”
8:00 “SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL”

MID-SEASON
Post NFL on Sundays:
8:00 “America’s Got Talent” (new reality show)
9:00 “The Apprentice: Hollywood”
10:00 “RAINES” (new drama)

New Comedies:
“The Singles Table”
“Andy Barker, P.I.”

Returning:
“Crossing Jordan”
“Scrubs”

This Television entry was posted Monday, May 15th, 2006 at 6:37 am.