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While Fox wrapped its new series pickups and existing series renewals within a couple of hours yesterday, for NBC, whose upfront presentation is on the same day as Fox, it has become a week-long ordeal. After early series pickup of comedy Go On and renewals of Grimm and Smash last month, the network began its orders/renewals in earnest on Monday morning. Four days later, it’s still nowhere near done.
NBC’s highest-rated comedy series, The Office, is yet to get a renewal. (With stars Ed Helms, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer poised to return that now appears imminent.) The fate of NBC’s second most watched drama series, Harry’s Law (8.8 million viewers, only a fraction behind the Voice-boosted Smash with 9.0 million), is hanging in the balance. There’s no word on Parks & Recreation, Up All Night and Whitney. The Office, Parks & Recreation and Up All Night are all fully expected to return, and I hear their renewals may be done in one fell swoop. Buzz is also encouraging on Harry’s Law, which I hear is eyed for a potential 13-episode midseason order. The multi-camera Whitney is on the fence but not dead as the sole multi-camera comedy series picked up for next season so far, newbie Guys With Kids, is still looking for a companion.
Which brings us to the NBC pilots. Word is the network has not officially released those that haven’t been picked up despite speculation that it is pretty much done with its orders. That includes two of NBC’s highest-testing and well-received pilots, the multi-camera comedies Daddy’s Girls and Lady Friends, which had been in limbo but presumed dead. (Will ABC or CBS make a play for them?) On the drama side, none of the pilots that have not been picked up already seem to be in contention anymore. Two of them, Jason Katims’ medical drama County and the Peter Traugott-produced mystery Midnight Sun had been garnering early buzz. But NBC opted to go with its other medical drama pilot Do No Harm, instead handing Katims a renewal for his dramedy Parenthood. Trougott also is well off in his first year as a solo producer as his other NBC pilot, Do No Harm, was picked up to series. (Note: For those asking in the comments about the fate of the remaining Fox pilots, it is addressed in the Fox story linked in the first graph as well as here.)
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Medical dramas, fireman shows..c’mon… be daring NBC. Let’s see FRONTIER and BAD GIRLS on the schedule instead of the same old same old.
While I agree with you A.C., look at what going “against the grain” does. It puts them in last place almost every night. They have to do the procedurals cause they’ll get higher ratings (but maybe not since they will air on NBC haha)
So that means Midnight Sun has no chance of being picked up? Or there’s still some hope?
So that means Fox is done?
I assumed there were still a few open slots.
You’re saying Usher, Guilty, Asset — they are dead?
So that means Midnight Sun has no chance of being picked up? Or there’s still some hope?
It’s weird that they gave Commmunity a renewal but nothing for Parks right now. And the new comedy pilots all sound terrible (sorry Bill Pullman).
Sorry my post about FRONTIER and BAD GIRLS apparently “bored” you that it stayed up all of two minutes.
Before this post vanishes too I want anyone to know who reads this that FINALLY there is a site more OVER moderated that TELEVISION WITHOUT PITY. Congratulations.
Smooth move going with Trauma and My Own Worst Enemy… err, Chicago Fire and Do No Harm
I wish this was facebook so I could ‘like’ this.
Hope that is true on Harrys Law. I need both that and parks and rec back next season.
While I’m ecstatic that NBC finally seems to be aware that you don’t throw out one of your most watched programs just because it skews old, I’m annoyed that HARRY would be held back until mid-season–which means another layoff of at least seven months. Fortunately its upscale viewers are intelligent enough to find it wherever and whenever it airs, but it would do even better if they picked one time slot–say, Friday at 9:00–and left it there.
Harry’s Law is one of the lowest 18-49 performers on the schedule. That demo is anemic even by NBC’s standards. Let’s just say that you’re lucky that it’s even in contention for renewal.(I’m not saying that it’s not a good show. Your annoyance with NBC, however, is unwarranted.)
Asser is dead. Guilty can still get picked up after upfronts is what I’m hearing.
Whitney opened up wednesday nights up against some tough stuff and most thought that it was placed there to die…which it did not do. If it keeps growing with the writing that made is so good in the second 1/2 of the season then it could be a solid bet. I do see that it’s on the fence but it’s always felt that way and still it was one of the funniest sitcoms once it got going and shook off the disaster PR campaign.
I hope the best for that amazing cast because my house is in love with that house and NBC may have a second season grower in the house.
On another note….UAN has ever cast that should make that show funny and yet it falls flat. It is sad that they can’t get better writing approved and it goes to show you that if it’s not on the paper then it’s a tough long road to make it work. Again…i love the cast but can’t hang with it as a comedy…maybe as a drama….hmmmmm?
Perhaps Nbc never had any real interest in Katims’ “County” so to keep him happy they renewed Parenthood. Also,Nellie I hope you’re correct on Harry’s Law. At this point I’d be ecstatic at a pickup-even at 13 episodes. Nellie,thank you for the updates-it is greatly appreciated.
What about Frontier?!? Need a good adventure show to break up the endless medical/ cop dramas & reality shows. Desperate for something that tells a real story with talented actors not just well known ones. NBC Please pick up FRONTIER!
they better. i hear its INCREDIBLY good, like early LOST or HEROES- out of the box with an incredible cast. it’d be a big mistake to let it get away.
Go On is the only new comedy from NBC I am even remotely interested in watching. On the drama side, I am pretty disappointed they’ve likely passed on County as I love Jason Ritter and Jason Katims, but I am looking forward to Do No Harm. I love Steven Pasquale and his appearances on Up All Night were one of the things that kept me watching.
I hope Ladyfriends gets the pickup!
Also, where do you think “Rebounding” will land? Maybe on ABC with that other Levitan show? haha. It’d be nice to see it paired with Happy Endings.
Thank god Whitney is coming back that just made my week.
I still wish NBC would’ve been more active in picking up as many multi-cams as possible.
What about the Dane Cook single cam at NBC (with the always funny Jeffrey Tambor)? Funny script. Bad pilot?
Whitney? Seriously? Not only is it the lamest show in memory, but it’s renewal would be final proof that Greenblatt hasn’t a clue. Why would he give his (increasingly numerous) detractors that ammo?
Why are people still hating on Whitney that shit played out in 2011.
With all the short orders at NBC (13 eps for Community, 30 Rock, and likely Parks, etc) are they eying some of the other pilots as mid season replacements? They can’t just air color bars, right? At least not since Silverman left…
What about Next Caller Please? Loved that ensemble– could replace 30 Rock at mid season…?
i also thought about this. dane cook, jeffrey tambor.. i mean, come on.
How do they not pick up Usher?
I think we’ll get the Parks & Rec, Office and Up All Night renewal news tomorrow.
With all these short orders, could there be extra midseasons?
Didn’t several Office stars just sign new deals? Someone’s planning a return….
If Daddy’s Girls and Lady Friends were well received & tested high, why would NBC not want to pick them up? What does the once boasting peacock have against the multi-camera format? Why pick up mostly single-camera comedies? I m sure they are not any better or anything. That being said, NBC should renew Whitney for a second season, considering it performed better then most of their current Thursday comedies & the fact that Guys with Kids will need a suitable companion.
It’s about failing with dignity. When a multi-cam fails, people blame the network for picking it up. When a single-cam fails, it rarely gets really terrible reviews (because critics have a single-cam bias) and the exec can always say it was too edgy for the public or something.
The upside of a multi-cam success is huge, but it requires taking risks. There’s less risk in a single-cam because the failures aren’t as humiliating as a “Work It.” Though there were several single-cams almost as bad as “Work It.”
I think the networks should place the pilots online and let people vote on which shows get picked up.
You, and others, seem to be under the illusion that the networks choose which shows to pick up and air. They don’t. Or, not independently. The advertisers do. You think audience testing determines anything? Only incidentally. Only by influencing the advertisers’ decidions. Networks show the pilots to advertisers, and air the shows they can sell ad time on. Simple as that. And, if you’re working in the business, it’s endlessly helpful to remember it.
Thanks for the explanation, M. I actually was unaware that networks show the pilots to advertisers.
I’m sure advertisers DO care what shows people like and dislike, otherwise why do they care about Nielsens?
But networks would be very foolish to make this process more transparent, because this is what would happen:
-The internet is friendlier to sci fi, fantasy and teen soaps about vampires, so those shows would get higher scores than they deserve. The cop/doctor/lawyer shows that bore us so much also do appeal to people, just not the kind of people who vote in internet polls, so they would score too low.
-Regardless of what shows are picked up, people will prefer the ones that weren’t picked up. Why? Because we can see the shows that get picked up, and how they depart from the Platonic ideal that we can imagine for them. They can never compete with the products of our own imaginations as we envision the pilots that weren’t picked up, and how great they could have been. Who knows if they would have been great. They’d probably be just as disappointing as the others. But that’s not how human minds work.
-So, invariably the suits would be excoriated for picking up the “wrong” pilots, and internet campaigns would be launched in favor of the “better” pilots that were passed over. People might even be bitter enough that their pets weren’t picked up, that they would deliberately boycott the ones that were.
In short, it would be a cluckerfrak. Better not to tempt fate.