UPFRONTS: NBC 2021-22 Schedule

Although my blog has evolved past mostly focusing on broadcast networks, this is still a busy time for them and I wanted to continue with my annual Upfronts posts that I have done since 2011! NBC was first out of the gate with its plans for 2021-22. 

MONDAYS

8:00 The Voice (21st edition)

10:00 ORDINARY JOE

NBC will once again use The Voice to launch a new drama in the fall. They have tried this time and time again for almost a decade and have had great results (The Blacklist), mixed results (Blindspot) and terrible results (The Brave). Where will Ordinary Joe land? Ordinary Joe is a gentle drama following a man (James Wolk) in three different timelines based on life decisions. The series seemed more likely to follow This is Us. It's different from most post-Voice shows on Mondays over the years because those have most often been intense dramas in one way or another. Wolk famously had a bomb on Monday nights in the Fall of 2010 with FOX's Lone Star so hopefully it'll go better for him this time around. Also notable is that The Voice will switch to one cycle per year. It's time for that to happen as the franchise is aging quite a bit and dropping to once per year has helped other long-running franchises like Dancing with the Stars. 

TUESDAYS

8:00 The Voice (21st edition)

9:00 LA BREA
10:00 New Amsterdam (4th season)

Perhaps the biggest surprise on the NBC fall schedule is that the final season of This is Us is being held for midseason, where it will air mostly uninterrupted after very erratic scheduling this year. Replacing it on Tuesday nights in the fall is La Brea, a drama about a massive sinkhole opening up in Los Angeles. This seems more like a Monday drama for NBC so it's interesting they went a different way with the two post-Voice newbies. I'm not sure what it says about their confidence in each of them. New Amsterdam will continue at 10pm after its late start to this season with COVID delays.

WEDNESDAYS

8:00 Chicago Med (7th season)

9:00 Chicago Fire (10th season)

10:00 Chicago PD (9th season)

NBC is keeping its Chicago trio on Wednesdays for a fourth straight year. It has continued to be one of the most steady lineups in an era of ever declining linear ratings. These shows could run another ten years easily.

THURSDAYS

8:00 LAW & ORDER: FOR THE DEFENSE

9:00 Law & Order: SVU (23rd season)

10:00 Law & Order: Organized Crime (2nd season)

The dual success of #OneChicago Wednesdays and the launch of Law & Order: Organized Crime meant NBC is going to give an all Law & Order night a try. After delivering huge ratings for a crossover premiere, Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime will return from 9-11pm. Leading them off at 8pm is Law & Order: For the Defense, which has yet to film a pilot or even announce casting. This move means the comedy hour is gone for now and NBC is going without comedy ANYWHERE in the fall, which is a notable move. They have a lot of comedies on deck for midseason but a big four network not having comedy on their fall lineup is pretty much unheard of.

FRIDAYS

8:00 The Blacklist (9th season)

9:00 Dateline NBC (31st season)

The Blacklist and Dateline NBC return to Friday nights as NBC won't do anything different with the night. The Blacklist has to end at some point. I'm guessing next season will be the last one.

SATURDAYS

8:00 Encores

9:00 Dateline Mystery

10:00 SNL Encores

SUNDAYS

7:00 Football Night in America (16th season)

8:30 Sunday Night Football

And of course football returns on Sunday with the highest rated game likely to come on October 3 when Tom Brady returns to New England in a Bucs-Patriots showdown.

MIDSEASON: AGT: EXTREME, AMERICAN AUTO, AMERICAN SONG CONTEST, GRAND CREW, HOME SWEET HOME, LA FIRE AND RESCUE, THAT'S MY JAM, THE THING ABOUT PAM, THE WHEEL, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, Kenan, Mr. Mayor, This is Us, Transplant, The Wall, Weakest Link, Young Rock

NBC has a ton on the bench for midseason and beyond. Some of these shows will certainly air at the holidays or in the summer. As mentioned, This is Us will return for a final run and is slated to come back to its Tuesday 9pm slot while comedies Kenan, Mr. Mayor, Young Rock and the new American Auto and Grand Crew will likely air in blocks on Tuesday or perhaps Thursday or Sunday. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is slated to return for its eighth and final season this summer after the Olympics. Many of the unscripted shows like That's My Jam, Dick Wolf's LA Fire and Rescue and the return of Who Do You Think You Are could be targeted for summer. The Thing About Pam is a limited series starring Renee Zellweger.

CANCELLED/ENDED: Connecting, Superstore

Only two shows are officially not coming back: the pandemic-themed Connecting and Superstore, which ended after six seasons. Others could join the list though (see below). 

TBD: Debris, Ellen's Game of Games, Good Girls, Manifest, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

Five NBC shows have not had their fates decided yet. There are rumblings of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist going to Peacock and Good Girls going to Netflix. These are true bubble shows though if I had to make one prediction with them, it would be the Zoey Peacock move.