NBC primetime schedule 2013-14

NBC has put out its lineup of primetime shows for the upcoming 2013-14 season, including returning series, and eight new dramas and six new comedies. NBC hopes its schedule this upcoming year will be bolstered by its coverage of the Winter Games in February 2014.

NEW NBC 2013-14 SERIES

About a Boy — Based on the Nick Hornby novel (which was also made into a Hugh Grant film), this midseason comedy stars David Walton as Will Freeman, the ultimate man-child whose life is changed by a needy single mom (Minnie Driver) and her oddly charming 11-year-old son (Benjamin Stockham).

The Family Guide — J.K. Simmons stars in this midseason comedy about how a family is actually brought closer together by divorce.

The Michael J. Fox Show (pictured at top) — Michael J. Fox plays New York news anchor Mike Henry, who put his career on hold to spend more time with his family and focus on his health after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. But five years later, with the kids busy growing up and Mike restless, it might be time for him to get back to work. Wendell Pierce also stars in this comedy that sounds like it has more than a few elements borrowed from Fox’s own life.

Sean Saves the World — In this comedy, Sean (Sean P. Hayes) is a divorced gay dad who juggles a career, offbeat employees, pushy mom (Linda Lavin) and weekends with his teenage daughter (Sami Isler). So when she moves in full-time, it’s a whole new world.

Welcome to the Family — Parents Dan Yoder (Mike O’Malley) and Karina (Mary McCormack) find out on the day their daughter Molly (Ella Rae Peck) is graduating from high school with an acceptance to college that she is pregnant. Across town in East L.A., Junior Hernandez (Joseph Hero), in the middle of his high school valedictorian speech, gets a text from his girlfriend Molly announcing her pregnancy. What follows is a crash course in culture blending as Molly and Junior decide they want to get married and, in doing so, bring together two very different families.

Undateable — Bill Lawrence (Cougar Town) is an executive producer on this midseason comedy, about slacker Danny Beeman (Chris D’Elia), who takes Justin (Brent Morin) on as a roommate, unwittingly inheriting Justin’s group of romantically challenged friends in the process.

Believe — Since she was 2 years old, Bo (Johnny Sequoyah) has had gifts she could neither fully understand, nor control. Raised by a small group known as the True Believers, the orphaned girl has been safeguarded from harmful outsiders who would use her powers for personal gain. Now that she is 10, her powers have become stronger, and the threat more dangerous. With her life and future in jeopardy, the Believers turn to the only person they see fit to be her full-time protector — once they break him out of jail. Jack McLaughlin, Delroy Lindo and Kyle MacLachlan also star in this new midseason drama, on which the ever-busy J.J. Abrams is an executive producer.

The Blacklist — James Spader plays ex-government agent Raymond “Red” Reddington, one of the FBI’s Most Wanted fugitives. But he mysteriously surrenders with an offer: He will help catch a “blacklist” of politicians, mobsters, spies and terrorists he has compiled over the years, with the caveat that only FBI profiler Liz Keen (Megan Boone) works with him. Red will teach Liz to think like a criminal and “see the bigger picture” … whether she wants to or not.

Chicago PD — This drama follows the two distinctly different groups that make up the Chicago Police Department — the uniformed cops who patrol the beat and deal with street crimes, and the intelligence unit that combats the city’s major offenses. Jason Beghe and Jon Seda star in this series from executive producer Dick Wolf.

Crisis — Premiering in midseason, this drama kicks off with a busload of high school students ambushed on a field trip, with the kids and their chaperones taken. The teenagers are the children of Washington, D.C.’s elite, including the president’s son, and the event triggers a national crisis, putting some of the country’s most powerful parents at the mercy of a vengeful mastermind. Dermot Mulroney, Gillian Anderson and Lance Gross star in the thriller.

Crossbones — This midseason drama is set in 1715 on the Bahamian island of New Providence, where the pirate Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard (John Malkovich), reigns over a rogue nation of thieves, outlaws and miscreant sailors. To gain control of this fearsome society, Tom Lowe, an undercover assassin, is sent to the pirate haven to take down Blackbeard.

Dracula — Johnathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) stars in this new drama as one of the most iconic characters in literature. It’s the late 19th century, and the mysterious Dracula (Rhys Meyers) has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. But he has another reason for his travels — to seek revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier. Everything seems to be going according to plan, until he becomes infatuated with a woman who appears to be a reincarnation of his dead wife. Victoria Smurfit and Thomas Kretschmann costar.

Ironside — This remake of the classic ’70s detective drama stars Blair Underwood as the wheelchair-bound Detective Robert Ironside, a fearless cop who won’t stop until the guilty are brought to justice in New York City. Pablo Schreiber, Spencer Grammer and Neal Bledsoe costar.

The Night Shift — This midseason drama is set at San Antonio Memorial, focusing on the men and women who work the late-night hours at the hospital. Eoin Macken, Ken Leung, Brendan Fehr, Freddy Rodriguez and Jill Flint star.

The Million Second Quiz — This new live competition series finds contestants battling each other in intense bouts of trivia for 12 consecutive days and nights. Live from a gigantic hourglass-shaped structure in Manhattan, the setting will also serve as the living quarters for the reigning champions — the four players who have remained in the game the longest. Viewers will be able to play along at home in real time and sync to the live primetime broadcast.

Food Fighters — This series is one part cooking competition, one part game show. Host Adam Richman gives homegrown amateur cooks the chance to test their skills against professional chefs.

American Dream Builders — Nate Berkus is an executive producer and host of this competition series that has America’s top designers, builders, architects and landscapers going head-to-head each week, putting their talents to the test on extreme home renovations.

RETURNING NBC SERIES 2013-14

The Biggest Loser; Chicago Fire; Community; Grimm; Parenthood; Law & Order: SVU; Parks and Recreation; Revolution; The Sing-Off; The Voice

Pick-up decisions on Celebrity Apprentice and Hannibal will be made in the next few weeks, according to NBC.

UPDATE 5/30/13: NBC has renewed Hannibal for a second season of 13 episodes, which will air no earlier than midseason.

 

NBC FALL 2013-14 SCHEDULE

(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET)

MONDAY

8-10 p.m. – “The Voice”

10-11 p.m. – “THE BLACKLIST”

 

TUESDAY

8-9 p.m. – “The Biggest Loser” (New Day and Time)

9-10 p.m. – “The Voice” (New time)

10-11 p.m. – “Chicago Fire” (New Day and Time)

 

WEDNESDAY

8-9 p.m. – “Revolution” (New Day and Time)

9-10 p.m. – ”Law & Order: SVU”

10-11 p.m. – “IRONSIDE”

 

THURSDAY

8-8:30 p.m. – “Parks and Recreation” (New time)

8:30-9 p.m. – “WELCOME TO THE FAMILY”

9-9:30 p.m. – “SEAN SAVES THE WORLD”

9:30-10 p.m. – “THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW”

10-11 p.m. – “Parenthood” (New Day and Time)

 

FRIDAY

8-9 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”

9-10 p.m. – “Grimm”

10-11 p.m. – “DRACULA”

 

SATURDAY

Encore programming

 

SUNDAY

7:00-8:15 p.m. – “Football Night in America”

8:15-11:30 p.m. – “NBC Sunday Night Football”

 

NBC MIDSEASON 2013-14 SCHEDULE

(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET)

MONDAY

8-10 p.m. – “The Voice”

10-11 p.m. – “THE BLACKLIST”

 

TUESDAY

8-9 p.m. – “The Voice”

9-9:30 p.m. – “ABOUT A BOY”

9:30-10 p.m. – “THE FAMILY GUIDE”

10-11 p.m. – “Chicago Fire”

 

WEDNESDAY

8-9 p.m. – “Revolution”

9-10 p.m. – ”Law & Order: SVU”

10-11 p.m. – “IRONSIDE”

 

THURSDAY

8-8:30 p.m. – “Parks and Recreation”

8:30-9 p.m. – “WELCOME TO THE FAMILY”

9-9:30 p.m. – “SEAN SAVES THE WORLD”

9:30-10 p.m. – “THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW”

10-11 p.m. – “Parenthood”

 

FRIDAY

8-9 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”

9-10 p.m. – “Grimm”

10-11 p.m. – “CROSSBONES”

 

SATURDAY

8-10 p.m. – Encore and specials programming

10-11 p.m. – “Saturday Night Live” (Encore)

 

SUNDAY

7-8 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”

8-9 p.m. – “AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS”

9-10 p.m. – “BELIEVE”

10-11 p.m. – “CRISIS”

NOTE: Chicago PD, Food Fighters, The Night Shift and Undateable have not been scheduled at this time.

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The Michael J. Fox Show: Eric Liebowitz/NBC

Dracula: Jonathon Hession/NBC