NBC 3 comedies, 3 dramas

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC is bringing a reformed crook, a reformed overeater and mysterious creatures of the deep sea to its primetime lineup for the 2005-06 season.

Sources said the network has ordered at least three new comedies -- "My Name Is Earl," "Thick and Thin" and "Four Kings" -- and three new dramas -- "E-Ring," "Inconceivable" and "Fathom" -- for the coming season.

Series that are gone completely from the '05-'06 lineup include midseason comedy "Committed," dramas "Medical Investigation" and "American Dreams" and, most surprisingly, "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," a short-lived spinoff of **** Wolf's enduring cops-and-courts franchise.

The network kicks off a week of broadcast network upfront presentations Monday with its fall scheduling unveiling for media buyers, major advertisers and industryites at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Sources said the network will emphasize its plans to launch new programing throughout the September-May season, which for NBC will include significant primetime pre-emptions from Feb. 10-16 for coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Indeed, some of the speculative NBC schedules making the rounds did not include "My Name Is Earl" or "Four Kings" on the fall lineup and had two versions of "The Apprentice" -- one hosted by Donald Trump, the other by Martha Stewart -- nailing down slots on Thursday and Sunday, respectively.

"Earl" is described as an offbeat vehicle starring Jason Lee as a low-rent crook who decides to make amends with his victims after he wins the lottery. "Thick and Thin" stars Jessica Capshaw as a woman who struggles to grow into her new svelte lifestyle after losing a lot of weight. "Four Kings," from "Will & Grace" creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick revolves around four men in New York who have been friends since childhood.

Dramawise, "E-Ring," from the Jerry Bruckheimer TV shop, is a high-end drama in the "West Wing" vein but set in the Pentagon, with Dennis Hopper and Benjamin Bratt leading the ensemble cast. "Inconceivable" is a behind-the-scenes look at the work of doctors at a fertility clinic. "Fathom" revolves around the search for mysterious creatures of the ocean.

Sources said NBC network brass were still negotiating a renewal of midseason comedy "The Office," which has earned some affection from critics but weak ratings in its airings so far on Tuesdays. The network was said to have offered a six-episode pickup while the studio side of its NBC Universal parent was holding out for at least 8-10 episodes, sources said. There also was talk that the returning comedy "Scrubs" would be held back from the fall schedule for a midseason return, but that could not be confirmed.

New projects said to be in contention for midseason orders included the comedies "Filmore Middle" and "Lies and the Wives We Tell Them To." The drama "The Book of Daniel" was said to still have a shot at a midseason order, along with a midseason nod for more episodes of "Revelations," which has had a six-episode run as a limited-series this season.

The specifics of where NBC's new series will land on the schedule were hard to come by late Sunday. One schedule that was widely circulated among industry insiders had the Monday lineup as status quo from this season: "Fear Factor" at 8 p.m., leading into dramas "Las Vegas" and "Medium."

Tuesday is expected to see major changes, given NBC's flagging fortunes on the night. One scenario had the night starting off with reality show "The Biggest Loser" leading into the sophomore season of "Joey," which had held down the old "Friends" Thursday 8 p.m. berth this season, into "Scrubs" at 9:30 p.m. and capped at 10 p.m. by "Law & Order: SVU" in the slot that has been its home for the past two seasons. There was talk that after "Loser" wrapped its 13- to 15-episode run late in the fourth quarter, NBC would slide "Joey" and "Scrubs" to the 8-9 p.m. hour and slot "The West Wing" at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

source: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsAr...ION-NBC-DC.XML