The NBCUniversal upfront presentation kicked off at New York’s Radio City Music Hall with an orchestra performing, before Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show, came out for his own musical numbers.
“What even is primetime?” he sang, before quipping that NBCU is the only broadcaster left “that can still afford the upfronts.”
Mark Lazarus, NBCUniversal Media Group chairman, was out next. He noted the buzzwords one hears at the upfronts, saying the competition is good at one or two of them, but only NBCU can do all of them.
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“While the others have been spinning, we spent the last year investing,” he said.
Next out were Shanola Hampton, Jabari Banks and Jesse L. Martin, stars of Found, Bel-Air and The Irrational.
“No matter if it’s a second season or a second decade, NBC never stops imagining how to make stories better,” Martin said.
Then Donna Langley, chairman, NBCU Studio Group and chief content officer, came out. “We have the unique ability to bring stories forward, and by doing that, giving voice to visionary artists with something to say,” she said.
She spoke about the Wicked movie project, which has Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the cast, and will air November 25.
Langley noted how Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked will air on NBC and Peacock, with the full NBCU marketing push behind it. “This is how our company shines,” she said, then shared the first trailer anyone has seen.
Kevin Hart was out next. “I have had so much fun playing in the sandbox at NBCUniversal,” said Hart, who will host an Olympics highlight show with Kenan Thompson.
Hart and Taraji P. Henson spoke about Peacock shows, including Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, in which they star along with Samuel L. Jackson and Don Cheadle. The limited series is about an armed robbery that takes place the night of a Muhammed Ali title fight.
“Based on some shit that really happened,” the trailer said.
They also shared trailers for horror series Teacup and comedy Laid.
Then it was Wendi McLendon-Covey, Zachary Quinto, Isabella Castillo and Danilo Carrera, talking up new shows on NBC and Telemundo.
“There is no replacement for broadcast,” said McLendon, star of St. Denis Medical.
Trailers rolled for St. Denis Medical, Brilliant Minds, Happy’s Place and Sed De Venganza.
The orchestra then came out to play while the trailer for the Tom Hanks nature series The Americas rolled.
Amanda Seyfried shared the trailer for her crime drama Long Bright River on Peacock, which she described as a “rich, complex story” about a police officer handling a unique case in Philadelphia.
Trailers then showed for the gladiator drama Those About to Die, with Anthony Hopkins, and political thriller The Day of the Jackal, with Eddie Redmayne.
Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang and Heidi Gardner spoke about Saturday Night Live getting set to turn 50, which will have a primetime special. Yang said “the show both captures the cultural zeitgeist and contributes to it.”
Thompson and Hart spoke about their Olympics highlight show on Peacock. “I heard every athlete is legally required to wear a beret,” Thompson said of the Paris Games.
Olympics host Mike Tirico said the Games “will make you cry, will make you cheer,” and noted that they are taking place “in the cultural capital of the world.”
Snoop Dog then came out to talk Olympics with Tirico, Snoop lined up to be a special correspondent. “It’s not the AI Snoop, but the real Snoop,” he said.
Then it was Cesar Conde, chairman of the NBCU News Group, and Lester Holt, anchor of NBC Nightly News. “In our communities and across the globe, we are living in momentous times,” said Conde. “It is times like these when our audiences know they need the most trustworthy information. It is when we have our highest levels of engagement and when our audiences most rely on us. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously.”
Holt spoke about what sets NBCU’s news outfits apart. “Our journalists are passionate about what we do,” he said, reporting “without fear or favor.”
Snoop was back out to mention that he’ll coach on season 26 of The Voice, then introduced Michael Buble, performing with the orchestra. After a little rap, he sang “You’re Nobody Until Somebody Loves You.”
Andy Cohen, host of Watch What Happens Live, said the show has been picked up through 2025, and will spend a week in a city to be announced.
Alan Cumming, host of The Traitors, hosted a video segment with a range of would-be contestants, including Joe Manganiello, Howie Mandel and Nicole Ritchie talking about unscripted shows.
When Cumming came out, Cohen asked if any of those stars might be on the next season of The Traitors. “No,” he said. “They all failed their auditions spectacularly.”
Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, hosts on Today, were out next to talk holiday programming, including the Thanksgiving parade, the tree lighting and New Year's Eve. Kotb spoke about Little Big Town’s Christmas at the Opry. “A holiday spectacular in true NBC style,” she said.
Little Big Town then performed, including a few Christmas numbers, before Seth Meyers, host of Late Night, came out. He mentioned finding $20 on the street, which makes him “one of the two finalists for Paramount.”
Mark Marshall, chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCU, spoke about connections and advertisers having their product “show up in moments of consumer connection.”
Kelly Clarkson then came out to sing “Stronger” and “Since U Been Gone.”
Around an hour and 50 minutes after it began, the NBCU upfront presentation then concluded.
