Image Credit: NBCNBC, as first reported by EW, announced today that it will air six comedies on Thursdays beginning Jan. 20. The network will also debut new dramas like The Cape and Harry’s Law during the same month while making time period changes for Law & Order: Los Angeles, Chase, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Parenthood.
In other moves, NBC also announced the return of Parks and Recreation, The Biggest Loser: Couples, Who Do You Think You Are?, Minute to Win It, The Marriage Ref and The Celebrity Apprentice to the schedule. “The goal for our midseason schedule was to keep us in original programming throughout the season and launch several promising new shows,” said Mitch Metcalf, NBC’s head of program planning and scheduling, in a statement. ”We were looking to add more comedy to our schedule, and we believe the best way to do so is to expand our already successful Thursday night.”
This wouldn’t be the first time that NBC ran six comedies. During the 1990-91 season, then-NBC topper Brandon Tartikoff scheduled Parenthood, Working it Out, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, Carol & Company and American Dreamer on Saturday nights.
The one show missing from NBC’s midseason lineup is Love Bites, the Cindy Chupack-penned anthology that’s similar to the old Love, American Style. An insider told EW that the network remains high on the dramedy, which could bow in the spring. Here’s the midseason schedule:
Mondays
8-9 p.m. Chuck
9-10 p.m. The Cape (premiere with a two-hour episode on Sunday, Jan. 9 and new episodes start in its regular time period on Jan. 17)
10-11 p.m. Harry’s Law (Jan. 17)
9-10 p.m. The Event (returns on Feb. 28, 9-11 p.m.; resumes in its regular time slot March 7)
10-11 p.m. Parenthood (debuts in this slot March 7)
Tuesdays
8-10 p.m. The Biggest Loser: Couples (Jan. 4)
10-11 p.m. Parenthood (Jan. 4 for four episodes)
10-11 p.m. Law & Order: Los Angeles (Feb. 8 )
Wednesdays
8-9 p.m. Minute to Win It (Jan. 5)
9-10 p.m. Chase (Jan. 12)
10-11 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Jan. 5)
9-10 p.m. America’s Next Great Restaurant (March 16)
Thursdays (Jan. 20)
8-8:30 p.m. Community
8:30-9 p.m. Perfect Couples
9-9:30 p.m. The Office
9:30-10 p.m. Parks and Recreation
10-10:30 p.m. 30 Rock
10:30-11 p.m. Outsourced
Fridays
8-9 p.m. Who Do You Think You Are? (Jan. 21)
9-11 p.m. Dateline NBC (Jan. 7)
Sundays
7-8 p.m. Dateline NBC
8-9 p.m. The Marriage Ref (March 6)
9-11 p.m. The Celebrity Apprentice (March 6)
P&R can not come back soon enough and I think the heavens that it get’s a 9:30 show time. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I know! P&R is so great. Can’t wait for season 3!
I strongly suggest you a place where you can —Meet sing-les,—hot personals——, who are searching for their special someone. a place to meet singles and admirers in the world
==== Bla c kw h it eF lirts. C” 0- M===== 
which gives you a chance to make your life better and open opportunities for you to meet the attractive sin gles and treat you like a king or Queen. Maybe you wanna check it out or tell your friends.
I am cinfused when is heros on?
Heros was cancled. I read that there might be a movie-length special on at some point to wrap up a lot of loose plot threads but I haven’t heard details about that.
In 2008?
soooo excited! thank god parks and rec and 30 rock got time changes. that 8:30 slot is a ratings killer.
We get 90 minutes of comedy GOLD from 9 to 10:30! (Community is good, too)
My thoughts exactly!!! I am SOOOO glad P&R is back! Season 3 can’t start fast enough
Yes! I am so excited! I was also glad to see it’s not in a 10:30 death slot.
Absolutely!! It doesn’t make up for pushing P&R to mid-season, but I was really hoping they’d at least be put at the 9:30 slot to get they love they deserve, so I’m really happy about this!!
Community should have been moved later in the evening.
Agreed. Its a shame they put it against The Big Bang Theory… The Office and 30 Rock would hold up better against it, and give Community a better chance of a 3rd season… I’m worried about it getting renewed…
It’s heavily time-shifted and its ratings have been some of the most consistent of the season. There is hope.
If only Community could be moved to 9-11 instead of Outsourced, it would be a great 2 hour comedy block.
Agreed…Community is a good show but needs a later time.
Parks & Rec!! Finally!
Wow. Why is their schedule so confusing and all over the place? Shos on one night, switching to another night, running for a month…
Agreed. The Monday schedule makes no sense. No wonder NBC is in last place, they can’t keep their quality shows in one place long enough for you to consistently find them.
Yay to comedy Thursdays! I’m so glad that Parks and Rec is back; I need some Ron Swanson bad. And this increases its chances of getting a pick up for next season, right? (Please please please say yes).
Whoa, they’re moving Parenthood to Mondays mid-season? Interesting.
It’s going to KILL Parenthood. Parenthood will be premiering on Tuesdays in January, have a month of repeats in February and then suddenly be at 10PM Mondays? Against Castle and 5-0???
Yikes that is going to hurt the confused fanbase.
Yeah, what in the world? Why not just hold off until February and have it premiere on Mondays? Put Murphy’s Law on Tuesdays. NBC, you are still a mess.
I agree- it doesn’t make sense for NBC to have Parenthood be on Tuesdays in January and Switch to Mondays in March. The should just premiere Harry’s Law on Tuesdays. NBC is really screwing up a great show.
I agree about moving Parenthood. What are they thinking with flipping it around like that? I get moving it to Monday since going against The Good Wife is hard but flipping stuff around makes it hard to keep an audience. I really like this show and want it to do well.
I am confused NOW: its not scheduled for two weeks (maybe more, it only goes to two weeks) and I had a heck of a time even finding this link to figure what the heck happened, since they didnt mention a hiatus. Is it taking Dec off? Where did it go? I still am frustrated, and the full Thurs lineup sucks as I have about 3 other 10pm things and only 2 recorders… From this its Tues in Jan and Mon in March? Sigh…
I don’t understand why NBC keeps putting Parenthood on at 10. Put it on at 8 or 9, people! It’s a great show that families can actually watch together.
I am so happy that P&R got the post-office slot!
Outsourced moved to 10:30, yesss. It will surely die now.
From your lips to Krishna’s ears, my friend. That show is doo doo.
My idea of a perfect government is one guy who sits in a small room at a desk, and the only thing he’s allowed to decide is who to nuke. The man is chosen based on some kind of IQ test, and maybe also a physical tournament, like a decathlon. And women are brought to him, maybe … when he desires them.
I love you Ron Swanson, and you’re love of brunettes and breakfast foods.
Yuck! 30 Rock should be on at 8 instead of Community, which should be the one at 10 p.m. That’s a deal-breaker, Liz Lemon …
No, when he wears Crocs and he’s not a nurse or Mario Batali, THAT’S a deal breaker!
Hey, apparently the Feb. 18th premiere of LOLA is extra cool because the computer automatically inserted a smiley with shades. Also, that’s my birthday. Win.
This looks messy, but with ‘Parks and Recreation’ coming back in two months, I can’t really complain.
I never heard of the day ‘shades smiley face’. Hilarious.
Haha, showed up the same way for me. Thought it was CSI Miami for a sec. In related news, is there an emoticon for mustaches? That would be the one for LOLA.
An emoticon for mustaches would be so awesome.
They are SOOOO STUPID. The move Parenthood to a different day but NOT a different time slot???? It NEEDS to be at 9pm to get more viewers!!! They are going to destroy one of the best shows on tv. Why don’t they ever LISTEN to the viewers?!
Agreed, Parenthood needs to be on one hour earlier.
because you know just about as much as they do.
Josh- I hope you’re being sarcastic. Do you really think that just because they are “NBC” and its their “job” that they know what they are doing? People have been posting for months about how they want to watch Parenthood as a family but can’t stay up that late. 10pm is just not a good time slot for a family drama that has no sex or cursing or anything controversial. I never can watch the show live and I am a devoted fan. I have to catch it on hulu because my husband records 2 other programs on the dvr Tues nights at 10, and NEITHER of them is The Good Wife, which I know is an extremely popular show that probably takes a lot of the same viewers as Parenthood. I don’t claim to be an expert, but I can tell them exactly why I don’t watch Parenthood on tv- the time slot.
I’m so happy to see Parks and Rec back on the Thursday schedule. I also love that they pushed Outsourced back to 10:30pm so I don’t have to sit through it waiting for 30 Rock to start.