Josh’s Christmas in April

I promise that I had a regular “Just Being Josh” column all laid out for this week but then NBC gave me the greatest present in the world this past Wednesday.

The Peacock broke all procedural precedence by announcing its fall primetime programming in early April instead of waiting for the traditional “upfront” period in May (the week where all the nets trot out their new lineup in front of a bunch of potential advertisers in New York City).

And, on top of that, there were just SO many intriguing programming ideas and announcements that I have to give NBC some credit for trying to get themselves back on the map. Gray and I talked about this a little on the radio show the other night, but we didn’t get a chance to even scrape the surface, so I’ve been itching ever since to fully break everything down.

But first things first.

A little back-story.This whole thing is kinda a big deal only because NBC has become somewhat irrelevant the past few years. I can’t even begin to tell you how badly they dominated the TV landscape for over 20 years (early 1980’s – mid 2000’s) with hit after legendary hit, including “Seinfeld”, “Friends”, “Frasier”, “Cheers”, “The Cosby Show”, “ER”, etc.

It all started to fall apart for the Peacock in 2004 when “Friends” and “Frasier” both bowed out and since they had been on cruise control for 20 years (and hadn’t come up with anything new to take over) things just haven’t been the same.

Other than “The Office”, “30 Rock”, and “Heroes” the net has struggled mightily to develop successful new serial shows and has displayed an unhealthy dependence on reality television (“The Biggest Loser”, “The Apprentice”, “America’s Got Talent’, “Deal or No Deal”, “American Gladiators”, etc.)

I need a shower just thinking about it.

And this has obviously shown in the ratings as well. The other networks, Fox (“American Idol”), CBS (The “CSI” shows) and ABC (“Desperate Housewives”, “Gray’s Anatomy”, “Dancing with the “Stars”) have all developed monster cultural hits while NBC has been slipping gradually towards oblivion.

This past year, Ben Silverman (a former producer on “The Office” strangely enough) took over the reigns as the co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and has been trying to find new ways to make the Net relevant again; especially with two major crown jewels in their pocket for this upcoming year: the Summer Olympics from Beijing and the next Super Bowl in February.

Obviously those two events are going to be a ratings boon for any network, so Silverman knew he had to shake things up, step outside the proverbial box, and take some risks.

And this is what happened this past Wednesday.

Here are two main points about NBC’s schedule announcement that I noticed and could potentially be a big deal down the road and ultimately affect the future of programming:

1. Getting the Jump on the Competitors

After the writers’ strike was resolved, there was increased speculation that NBC would skip the dog-and-pony show at the May upfronts. They did just that with this scaled down presentation last Wednesday; and beyond just ditching the pomp and circumstance, they got a jump on the other networks in regards to catching the advertisers’ eyes. Right now, NBC has all the buzz and they have people (read: advertisers) talking and thinking about them exclusively for a few weeks. The other nets have all said they will present their fall lineups during the traditional upfront week but it will be interesting to see how (or if) this process changes if NBC gets things turned around a little this upcoming season.

2. Not Just a Fall Season Anymore

The biggest thing that jumped out to me was that NBC did not just unveil a fall lineup with a bunch of midseason replacement shows (that typically debut in January after a few of the fall shows get axed). Instead they announced a 65-week schedule that they will gradually roll out over the next year. Basically they are trying to cut down on ever having repeats. NBC has already been doing this with “Heroes” as have other networks (i.e. Fox with “24” and “Lost” on ABC) but no one has ever done it in such a “macro” format with every show on the schedule (Fox has tried variations of this the past few years but it’s tough to pull off when so many new shows don’t last more than a couple of weeks). This obviously won’t be in affect for every NBC show at the start of the fall season, but as more and more networks try this kind of programming, it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.

OK. Beyond those points, there were a couple of major NBC programming notes that warrant mentioning (I have included a news clip from Zap2it.com’s Rick Porter at the top of each nugget and then I will give my thoughts)

1. “The Office” spin-off

"The Office" executive producer Greg Daniels will oversee a spinoff of the series, and it will premiere with the highest possible profile. That much we know. As for the rest of it -- its title, premise, stars, locale, even how many episodes will get made -- NBC isn't telling. Nonetheless, NBC is planning to premiere the show, along with an episode of "The Office," after its broadcast of Super Bowl XLIII in February, when a good 30 million people will likely be watching (that's the five-year average for the post-Super Bowl program). – Rick Porter, Zap2it.com

I can’t tell you how excited I am about this. Some of my friends are nervous about “The Office” being diluted by a spinoff but the only thing I can say is that the “Office” producers have done a terrific job managing the series in its first four years. Every time you think the series is going to take a predictable, cliché route, they have taken it into a completely unexpected direction and I can’t imagine them taking on a spinoff unless they had a clear concept of what they wanted to do with it. Fans of the show are hoping that the original series doesn’t get poached too much by a second series but there obviously will have to be some kind of blending or cross-integration. All I know is that I CAN NOT wait for Super Bowl Sunday next year. Win, lose, or draw it’s going to be a great night with “The Office” and the new spinoff to cap the night off.

2. “Friday Night Lights” deal with DirecTV

NBC has entered a partnership with DirecTV whereby the satellite-TV service will get first crack at the new season [of “Friday Night Lights”]. Episodes will air on DirecTV's original programming channel, The 101, starting in October, but they won't make it to NBC until early 2009. Given that the show averaged only 6.2 million viewers a week this season, though, something more than a straight renewal was probably required to keep the show on the air. Bringing in DirecTV to help shoulder the cost will make iffy ratings easier to take, and will also allow NBC's sibling Universal Media Studios, which produces the show, to sell another season's worth of DVDs. – R.P.

I’m personally not a fan of “Friday Night Lights” (I watched a couple of episodes when it first aired but I just couldn’t get into it) but I was so excited to hear about this deal with DirecTV. From “Boomtown” to “Arrested Development” there have been so many shows that I have really liked and have had strong followings but have suffered from low ratings and ultimately get cancelled. If something like this had come around for one of the shows, I wouldn’t care that I wouldn’t be able to see it until the spring if I didn’t have DirecTV. I would just be stoked that new episodes were getting produced. It’s also a great deal for DirecTV to get some original programming and maybe pull in a few new customers and it’s even bigger for NBC in terms of generating some positive publicity as they show some commitment to a fan favorite.

3. Remakes are so hot right now

The point Silverman and Teri Weinberg, the No. 2 person at NBC Entertainment, repeatedly made was that NBC in 2008-09 is going to be about escapism and inspiration. Real life is kinda bleak right now, they think we think, and they want to offer a respite from that when people turn on their televisions at night. And how does one accomplish that? With a lot of remakes and updates and retellings. – R.P.

With a new slate of shows that are basically remakes (everything from a “Knight Rider” update to a remake of the Australian based sitcom “Kath & Kim”), NBC is getting a lot of critical flack for showing a lack of originality – but seriously, is there really anything that new under the sun? “The Office” was a remake and it’s one of my favorite shows on the air right now. I don’t have a problem with the Peacock trying to capitalize on familiar vibes, I just want a quality product. You can take the greatest original concept and execute it poorly just as easily as you can take the most redundant story and give it a fresh flair. I’m going to wait to offer an opinion on this move until I see the quality (or lack thereof) of the new offerings.

4. “Scrubs” is a free agent

NBC confirmed on Wednesday that "Scrubs" will end its seven-season run on the network in May. Which doesn't necessarily mean the show is going away for good. It's widely expected that "Scrubs" will end up on ABC next season, given that it's produced by the network's Disney brother ABC Studios. – R.P.

Because “Scrubs” was produced by ABC Studios, NBC has always kind of treated it like a red-headed stepchild (ABC should have just picked it up originally but whatever). They have never done a great job promoting the show or even supporting it in general; and it seems like every year we’ve had to endure talk of NBC threatening to cancel the series until ABC starts showing some interest and then NBC winds up taking it back like a jealous girlfriend. It’s like they don’t want the show but they don’t want anyone else to have it either. Annoying. Fortunately they’ve finally let it go and it looks like ABC will pick it up and really support it for a final season and give it the send- off it deserves. Granted the show has gotten outright silly in its old age, but anytime you make it seven years, that’s something that should be rewarded with a proper farewell. As perturbed as I am with how NBC screwed this up, I’m glad “Scrubs” will get to say goodbye on its own terms.

As crazy as it might sound, there was actually a whole lot more that I could have gone into (and probably will at a future date) but these were the main points that I took away from everything that was presented last week. I’m personally looking forward to tracking all of this; and like most things, it might just be a much ado about nothing situation. I do have to give NBC credit though for taking some risks and trying to get back into a game that they once owned.

We should expect nothing less.

- Josh Mahler