The Blacklist, based on its premise, appears to be a high-concept thriller in the vein of Homeland, but handled on the network level: a former criminal works with a rookie FBI agent to investigate those on his “blacklist”, teaching her to “think like a criminal” along a way.  Not my personal cup of tea, but it stars James Spader, so his fans will likely be interested.

TUESDAY

8-9PM “The Biggest Loser” (Returning)

Another reality staple for NBC, this is definitely not something on my watch list.

9-10PM “The Voice” (Returning)

Same comments as for the Monday night version; but I do note that this is another season where NBC has two-hour reality blocks to start of the week.

10-11PM “Chicago Fire” (Returning)

It’s pretty clear that Chicago Fire has been moved to this slot in the hopes of nurturing it towards a bigger audience.  But I’m a bit disappointed that Grimm isn’t going to be getting the benefit of this timeslot next season.

WEDNESDAY

8-9PM “Revolution” (returning)

There are two surprising things about this decision.  First, that the show is even coming back; the much-anticipated Abrams/Kripke collaboration has been one of the deepest genre disappointments in quite some time.  But the bigger issue is that it puts a weak genre contender up against some stiff competition, if CW keeps its current Arrow/Supernatural block intact.  This might take it out of competition with Syfy’s Monday night block, but I doubt many genre fans are going to choose Revolution over Arrow!

9-10PM “Law and Order: SVU” (Returning)

The Law and Order franchise is something of a dying breed, and its decline is one of the reasons why NBC is scrambling.  This is the kind of scheduling that drives the armchair quarterbacks insane.  Is the audience for this show anything like the one for Revolution?

10-11PM “Ironside” (NEW)

Ironside is at least a logical follow-up to a legal procedural.  This remake of a classic police procedural stars Blair Underwood as the wheelchair-bound detective.  A quick glance at the production staff doesn’t reveal any huge standout names, so I imagine this is pitched more to the seasoned viewers who have fond memories of the reruns of the original series.  It rounds out what is a rather strange Wednesday night for NBC.

THURSDAY

8-8:30PM “Parks and Recreation” (Returning)

This comedy has plenty of fans, and while I’m not big on sitcoms, this seems like the kind of show I might eventually mainline.  It’s also a bit of a lone familiar face for NBC on the night.

8:30-9PM “Welcome to the Family” (NEW)

A comedy about Caucasian and Latino families that must learn to live together when their high-school graduate children are expecting a baby.  I’m sure that NBC is chasing after the kind of balance that Modern Family often achieves in terms of broad-based culture-clash humor, but this has the potential to be a semi-racist disaster.

9-9:30PM “Sean Saves the World” (NEW)

Remember this guy from Will and Grace?  Well, he has his own show now.  He plays a single gay dad trying to juggle parenting a teenager with increased job responsibilities.  I suppose it’s nice that this comedy block is embracing diversity, but I have a bad feeling about this one, too.

9:30-10PM “The Michael J. Fox Show” (NEW)

I wonder if this is NCB trying to keep Fox from guesting so often on The Good Wife!  The premise for this is just bizarre.  Fox plays a news anchor named Mike who left the business when diagnosed with Parkinson’s, but now he’s been brought back by an old producer friend, and they have to deal with the wacky hilarity that ensues.  All rather meta, to say the least, and I’m not sure if this sounds promising or vaguely disturbing.

10-11PM “Parenthood” (Returning)

For all the new shows hitting the air on this night, it seems like NBC is sticking to a family-centric theme.  I’m sure there’s a comfortable audience for all of this material, but genre fans are going to be paying attention to other channels on this night.

FRIDAY

8-9PM “Dateline NBC” (Returning)

Because no network would be the same without a “news magazine” on Friday night.

9-10PM “Grimm” (Returning)

Grimm has found its place in the genre world, especially since it stopped running against Supernatural and more people got to see how it has become the spiritual successor to Angel.  NBC played more than a few games with the show’s scheduling this past season, and yet the ratings remained steady.  I imagine the idea is that Grimm can maintain at least some ratings presence on Friday and serve as a reliable lead-in.

10-11PM “Dracula” (NEW)

It’s easy to see that NBC is trying to build a Friday night genre block, especially since CW moved theirs last season and Syfy has all but abandoned Friday night at this point.  Tapping talents from The Tudors and Merlin is a nice touch, so it’s all going to come down to execution.

SUNDAY

8-11PM “Sunday Night Football” (Returning)

About as reliable a Sunday night staple as any network can wish for, this is a no-brainer.  Football fans will tune in, everyone else will be looking at their favorite Sunday night cable shows, and deciding what (if anything) on the networks could fill in any gaps.

MID-SEASON/EXTRAS

“The Family Guide” (Tuesdays)

Apparently a comedy about divorce, with voiceover narration by Jason Bateman.  Bateman is also a producer.  Take that for what you will.

“About a Boy” (Tuesdays)

The television adaptation of the recent film, this is a Jason Katims-produced show with a lot of those involved with the film helping out.  If you liked the film, you might like the show, I suppose.

“Crossbones” (Fridays)

When Dracula finishes up on Friday nights (either by ratings or design), another high-concept series will take its place.  Crossbones is a show about Blackbeard, as played by John Malkovich.  This could either be inspired or a complete disaster.

“American Dream Builders” (Sundays)

Because we all needed another version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition?

“Believe” (Sundays)

This is a strange show about a young girl with massive paranormal abilities, driven by Alfonso Cuaron and JJ Abrams.  I’m a fan of both, and I’m not even sure what to think of this one.  It could be what Touch wanted to be, or it could be another Alcatraz or Revolution.  Needless to say, I’ll be checking it out, based on the talent behind the production.

“Crisis” (Sundays)

A thriller in which the children of prominent politicians, business folk, and other powerful elites are kidnapped and held ransom, and what these people will do to see their children safety returned.  It has an interesting cast (notably Gillian Anderson), but beyond that, it’s hard to know if this high-concept show is going to gain any ground.

“Undatable” (Unscheduled)

A comedy about a slacker who takes it upon himself to teach his new roommate’s friends about his rules of dating.  Call it a derivative male-led version of The New Girl, and you might be close.

“Chicago PD” (Unscheduled)

A Dick Wolf crime drama that is exactly what it sounds like it would be.  It’s interesting that this isn’t even on the announced schedule, which might say more about Dick Wolf’s pull (or lack thereof) than the quality of the concept.

“The Night Shift” (Unscheduled)

A medical drama that is only really notable for a cast filled with several genre veterans from the past decade, many of which haven’t been heard from in a while.

WHAT WE DON’T SEE

It was renewed, so where is Community on the schedule?  It’s not even mentioned in the official press release!  And while there is still supposedly no firm decision at the time of writing, fans of Hannibal have to be dishearted by the lack of mention of that show.  Those who were worried that it would be the Awake of this season may be all too correct.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Genre fans might look to NBC on Friday nights, where the reliable Grimm holds court, but otherwise, it is slim pickings.  The mid-season schedule has a lot more genre material to offer, but even in this era in which the fall season is less and less important, I’m not sure what to think about shows like Believe or Crossbones.  With Revolution doing very little creatively to give genre fans a reason to keep tuning in, NBC will likely continue to be a rare destination.