As first reported by B&C,
NBC will telecast the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards live
coast-to-coast on Aug. 29 (5-8 p.m. PT, 8-11 p.m. ET), the network announced
March 4.
The move this summer marks the first
time in the current era of television that the Emmys will be live across the
country. The show's first telecast, on NBC in 1955, aired live coast-to-coast
from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. ET. The last time the show aired live was on ABC
in 1976, when it aired 9-11 p.m. ET. Whether NBC affiliates in the West will
rebroadcast the kudofest in primetime as they did with the Golden Globes --
which made the switch to a live, nationwide telecast on Jan. 17 -- has not yet
been determined.
NBC also unveiled much of its summer
programming lineup in the announcement, which includes the debuts of two
scripted series that had not yet made the schedule this season: Comedy 100
Questions (Thursday, May 27, 8:30-9 p.m. ET), from Universal Media Studios,
and mystery drama Persons Unknown (Monday, June 7, 10-11 p.m. ET), from
Fox TV Studios.
In addition, summer workhorse America's
Got Talent will return with a two-hour premiere on Tuesday, June 1 (8-10
p.m. ET) with the Wednesday edition debuting June 2 (9-10 p.m. ET). Last
Comic Standing will return with a two-hour premiere on Monday, June 7 (8-10
p.m. ET) before moving to its regular slot the following week, Mondays (9-10 p.m.
ET).
NBC also has slated episodes of Law
& Order: Criminal Intent and Friday Night Lights that have not
yet aired on NBC but will have premiered on USA Network and DirecTV,
respectively. Episodes from the ninth season of Criminal Intent, which
premieres on USA Network this month, will encore on NBC beginning Sunday, June
20 (10-11 p.m. ET) with repeats of those episodes airing Saturdays beginning
June 26 (8-9 p.m. ET). As previously announced, Friday Night Lights
episodes premiere on NBC Friday, April 30 (8-9 p.m. ET) and will continue
through the summer.
NBC has some special programming on tap
this summer as well, including original movie The Jensen Project on
Friday, July 16 (8-10 p.m. ET) as well as The Making of The Wizarding World
of Harry Potter on Sunday, June 6 (7-7:30 p.m. ET) and The Macy's 4th of
July Fireworks Spectacular (Sunday, July 4, 9-10 p.m. ET).
Additional NBC summer programming
announcements are expected in coming weeks.
NBC's Summer at 10
Summer in recent years has been
important to fourth-place NBC, as a good performance can mean a bump up to
third place in the ratings race. And all of the Big Four have been expected to
work a little harder to keep viewers' attention this summer (Related: Whythe Broadcast Networks Can't Take the Summer Off).
This summer, of course, comes at a turning point for NBC, as Jay Leno has
returned to latenight and NBC is in the process of once again re-imagining its
10 p.m. time slot Monday to Friday. With additional announcements still due to
come, here is how the 10 p.m. slot is shaping up for the summer:
Sundays at 10:Law & Order Criminal Intent encore (debuts on
USA)
Mondays at 10:Persons Unknown
Tuesdays at 10: To Be Announced/America's Got Talent (9-11) starting July 6
Wednesdays at 10:Law & Order: SVU repeats
Thursdays at 10: To Be Announced
Fridays at 10:Dateline
