Upfronts 2012: NBC Expands Comedy to Four Nights, 'Voice' toFall and Midseason

Complete Coverage: Upfronts 2012
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NBC released its fall schedule Sunday, which includes four
nights of comedies on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and as
expected, a return of reality hit The
Voice in fall as well as its regular midseason run.

The Voice will
return on Mondays from 8-10 p.m. for its third season, and includes an
additional hour-long episode on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. NBC Entertainment chairman
Bob Greenblatt said NBC has options on all four judges - Adam Levine, Cee Lo
Green, Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton - for the next two cycles, but
because of scheduling considerations for the judges recording and touring
commitments, the final judging panel has not yet been set for fall.

Greenblatt said there was no hesitation about doing two
cycles of The Voice per season now
that the reality show is established, pointing to the twice-a-year scheduling
of reality stalwarts like Dancing With
the Stars and Survivor. "This
year I think we feel that it really does have the longevity that we hoped it
would have," he said. "We're also really examining the format and are going to
make some changes in it so that we can hopefully make the best experience for
the audience."

NBC will add four new comedies in the fall as part of its
expansion of the genre. "I'm determined to build momentum from night to night
which is something that has alluded us in recent years," Greenblatt said. With
Sunday Night Football dominating Sundays in the fall and The Voice poised for
success on Mondays, the focus is on building Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

As such, the new Matthew Perry comedy Go On will air on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. following an hour of The Voice, with Ryan Murphy's gay
blended family comedy following at 9:30 p.m. Parenthood has been renewed and will return to its Tuesday at 10
p.m. slot.

Workplace comedy Animal
Practice, about a vet who loves animals but hates their owners, will lead
of Wednesdays at 8 p.m., leading into multi-camera Guys With Kids, from executive producer Jimmy Fallon.

Thursday nights will stay mostly intact, with 30 Rock leading off the night, followed
by Up All Night, The Office and Parks and
Recreation. Rock Center With Brian
Williams has been renewed and is on the schedule for Thursdays at 10 p.m.,
a time period that NBC unsuccessfully tried to launch three dramas this year.
Greenblatt said fans can expect to see all of the key Office cast members back save for Mindy Kaling, whose series waspicked up at Fox,
as well as some new faces.

Whitney will shift
to Fridays at 8 p.m. for its sophomore season, followed by Community at 8:30 p.m. Grimm
will resume Fridays at 9 p.m. and Dateline
NBC at 10 p.m. While it had previously been reported that its next seventh
season would be 30 Rock's last,
Greenblatt said that had not been definitively decided for 30 Rock, The Office or Community.

"Comedy at the moment seems to really have the audience's
attention," Greenblatt said of the expansion of the genre to four nights this
fall, adding that NBC's comedy development exceeded his expectations this season
(the Anne Heche starrer Save Me, 1600 Penn, about a dysfunctional First
Family led by Bill Pullman and Jenna Elfman; and Next Caller starring Dane Cook are all being saved for midseason).

The network will bow two new dramas in the fall. J.J. Abrams
Revolution, about a world where all
forms of electricity have ceased to exist, will get NBC's top launch pad,
leading out of The Voice on Mondays
at 10 p.m., a plum slot Greenblatt said he strived to give to the broadest show.

"You have such a large audience flowing into the 10 p.m.
time period that you actually have a fighting chance of making something work,"
he said. "I think Revolution is
potentially broader than Smash was
and hopefully it will benefit in a big way of that audience from The Voice."

Dick Wolf's Chicago
Fire, about a Chicago fire department, will lead out of his Law & Order: Special Victims Unit at
10 p.m. on Wednesdays. The Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde-esque drama Do No Harm
will premiere in midseason on Sundays at 10 p.m. following the run of Sunday Night Football, with dramas Infamous and Hannibal also being held for winter.

The previously renewed Smash
is being held for midseason as well to allow it to run its expected 15-18
episodes continuously, with Greenblatt saying that is the "only way that these
serialized shows can succeed." Gossip Girl's Josh Safran will also be taking
over as showrunner from Theresa Rebeck for Smash's sophomore year, with
Greenblatt giving him the priority of shoring up the show's serialized
storytelling.

New reality series Stars
Earn Stripes, Howie Mandel's White
Elephant, Ready for Love and Surprise with Jenny McCarthy have also
been ordered for the 2012-13 season. Fashion
Star and The Celebrity Apprentice
will return on Sundays in midseason while The
Biggest Loser and Betty White's Off
Their Rockers have also been renewed, but remain unscheduled.