Breaking: NBC unveils fall sked, decision on 'Chuck' delayed

And the Chuck vigil continues…

NBC unveiled its fall lineup this morning, but conspicuously missing was any mention of bubble shows Chuck, Law & Order, Medium, Life, or My Name is Earl. According to a Peacock insider, a final ruling on the fate of all five shows will come on May 19. (Medium and Law & Order are both expected back; insiders say NBC execs are just finalizing the episode counts.)

NBC did, however, confirm that it’s bringing back Heroes, Southland, and Parks and Recreation. They join the already-renewed The Office, 30 Rock, Law & Order: SVU, Friday Night Lights, Celebrity Apprentice, and The Biggest Loser. Additionally, new series pickups include four dramas (Trauma, Parenthood, Mercy, Day One), two comedies (Community and 100 Questions), and six episodes of cheap filler Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday. Official descriptions of NBC’s new shows have been conveniently copied-and-pasted below. (To check on the fate of all your favorite bubble shows, bookmark my Bubble Show Cheat Sheet!)

PARENTHOOD
From writer/executive producer Jason Katims (Friday
Night Lights) — this contemporary re-imagining of the blockbuster
film depicts the colorful and imperfect Braverman family — four grown
siblings sharing the headaches, heartaches and joy of being parents.
The star-studded cast includes Peter Krause, Maura Tierney, Craig T.
Nelson, Dax Shepard, Bonnie Bedelia, Monica Potter, Erika Christensen
and Sarah Ramos. When Sarah Braverman (Tierney, ER), a financially
strapped single mother, returns home to her parents and siblings in
Berkeley, Calif. after packing up her Fresno apartment and uprooting
her two inconvenienced kids, Amber (Mae Whitman, In Treatment) and
Drew (Miles Heizer, ER), she is greeted by her opinionated father,
Zeek (Nelson, Family Stone, Coach), and strong mother, Camille
(Bedelia, Heart Like a Wheel), who are privately dealing with their
own marital issues. As Sarah is reunited with her siblings — sister,
Julia (Christensen, Traffic), and brothers Crosby (Shepard, Baby
Mama) and Adam (Krause, Six Feet Under) — all struggling with
issues of their own, it’s clear that the Braverman reunion is just what
they need to face the everyday challenges of modern family life.
(Watch a clip here.)

TRAUMA
Executive producer Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) delivers Trauma, the first high-octane medical
drama series to live exclusively in the field where the real action is.
Like an adrenaline shot to the heart, Trauma is an intense,
action-packed look at one of the most dangerous medical professions in
the world: first responder paramedics. When emergencies occur, the
trauma team from San Francisco General is first on the scene, traveling
by land, by sea or by air to reach their victims in time. From the
heights of the city’s Transamerica Pyramid to the depths of the San
Francisco Bay, these heroes must face the most extreme conditions to
save lives — and give meaning to their own existence in the process.
Starring in Trauma are Derek Luke (Notorious), Cliff Curtis
(10,000 B.C), Anastasia Griffith (Damages), Aimee Garcia (George
Lopez), Kevin Rankin (Friday Night Lights) and Jamey Sheridan (Law
& Order: Criminal Intent. (Watch a clip here.)

MERCY
Mercy, a
new medical drama with a unique point of view, portrays the lives of
the staff at Mercy Hospital as seen through the eyes of those who know
it best — its nurses. Nurse Veronica Callahan (Taylor Schilling, Dark
Matter) returns to Mercy from a military tour in Iraq — and she knows
more about medicine than all of the residents combined. Together with
fellow nurses Sonia Jimenez (Jamie Lee Kirchner, Rescue Me) and Chloe
Payne (Michelle Trachtenberg, Gossip Girl), Callahan navigates
through the daily traumas and social landmines of life and love both
inside the hospital and out in the real world. The cast also includes:
James Tupper (Men in Trees) as Dr. Chris Sands, a new doctor at the
hospital who complicates Veronica’s life; Diego Klattenhoff
(Supernatural) as Mike Callahan, Veronica’s husband; and Guillermo
Diaz (Weeds) as Nurse Angel Lopez. (Watch a clip here.)

DAY ONE
From
executive producer/writer Jesse Alexander (Heroes, Lost, Alias)
and director Alex Graves (Fringe, Journeyman), Day One tells the
story of life on earth following a global catastrophe that has
devastated the world’s infrastructures. Beginning with the immediate
aftermath of the cataclysmic event, an eclectic band of survivors –
played by Adam Campbell (Date Movie), Catherine Dent (The Shield),
Julie Gonzalo (Eli Stone), David Lyons (ER), Derek Mio (Greek),
Carly Pope (24), Thekla Reuten (Sleeper Cell) and Addison Timlin
(Cashmere Mafia) — strives to rebuild society as they unravel the
mysteries of what happened and face their uncertain future. The group,
all residents of one apartment building in suburban Van Nuys, Calif.,
embarks on a quest for survival and discovers that hope is found in
small victories — and heroes are born every day. (Watch a clip here.)

100 QUESTIONS
Emmy
winner James Burrows (Will & Grace, Friends) directs 100
Questions, a new comedy series written and executive-produced by
Christopher Moynihan (For Your Consideration) that provides hilarious
answers to 100 questions about love. Charlotte Payne (Sophie Winkleman, Peep Show) is looking for love and has rejected multiple marriage
proposals — but she has yet to meet Mr. Right. When she joins a
popular online dating site, she gets a little help from her dating
counselor Ravi (Amir Talai, The Ex List) — who requires her to take a
100-question compatibility test. The questions aren’t easy for
Charlotte to answer, and each one requires her to recount a poignant
and humorous time in her life with friends Leslie (Elizabeth Ho, Women’s Murder Club), Jill (Joy Suprano, Law & Order),
Mike (Christopher Moynihan, For Your Consideration) and Wayne (David
Walton Quarterlife). The test becomes a journey of self-discovery for
Charlotte who begins to realize what she truly wants in a relationship.
(Watch a clip here.)

COMMUNITY
From
Emmy Award-winning directors Joe and Anthony Russo (Arrested
Development) comes Community, a smart comedy series about higher
education — and lower expectations. The student body at Greendale
Community College is made up of high-school losers, newly divorced
housewives, and old people who want to keep their minds active. Within
these not-so-hallowed halls, Community focuses on a band of misfits,
at the center of which is a fast-talkin’ lawyer whose degree has been
revoked (Joel McHale, The Soup), who form a study group and end up
learning a lot more about themselves than they do about their course
work. In addition to McHale, the series also stars: Gillian Jacobs
(The Book of Daniel); Yvette Nicole Brown (Rules of Engagement);
Danny Pudi (Greek); Alison Brie (Mad Men); and comedy legend Chevy
Chase. (Watch a clip here.)

For updates live from NBC’s "infront" presentation this afternoon, follow me on Twitter!

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