NBC has announced three new primetime series for next fall and six for the 2024-25 TV season.
And the password is: modest.
NBC will feature three new primetime series this fall: drama Brilliant Minds and comedies St. Denis Medical and the multi-camera Happy’s Place with Reba McEntire. The changes (including new time periods for comedies Night Court and Lopez vs. Lopez, and dramas The Irrational and Found) will impact four nights of the week. Chicago drama-themed Wednesday, and football on Saturday and Sunday will remain unchanged.
Monday on NBC will feature drama Beautiful Minds at 10 p.m. ET out of returning The Voice. Newbie St. Denis Medical will open Tuesday into returning Night Court, followed The Voice and The Irrational. Found is stepping in for Law & Order: Organized Crime (which is switching to steaming partner Peacock) in the Wednesday 10 p.m. hour. And NBC is hoping Reba McEntire in Happy’s Place into surprise returnee Lopez vs. Lopez will ignite interest in the network’s perennial Dateline-themed Friday.
Midseason on NBC will feature procedural drama The Hunting Party and two non-scripted entries: natural-centric The America’s and competition series Destination X. Also featured will be the sophomore competition series Deal or No Deal Island. No time periods have been announced for the midseason crop.
The bottom line: Sunday Night Football, no doubt, will ignite NBC, while veteran The Voice, the Chicago trio (Med, Fire and PD) and Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU should remain consistent. But the remaining returning series are all weak. Opening Friday with the beloved Reba McEntire seems like a missed opportunity. And, year after year, the Peacock net is lacking in the comedy department. Is the Peacock network poised for audience growth next season? Probably not.
What follows is NBC’s fall 2024 primetime line-up.
Monday
8:00 p.m. The Voice (two hours)
10:00 p.m. Brilliant Minds (NEW)
Inspired by the extraordinary life and work of world-famous author and physician Oliver Sacks, Brilliant Minds follows a revolutionary, larger-than-life neurologist and his team of interns as they explore the last great frontier – the human mind – while grappling with their own relationships and mental health. The cast includes Zachary Quinto, Tamberla Perry, Ashleigh LaThrop, Alex MacNicoll, Aury Krebs, Spence Moore II, Teddy Sears and Donna Murphy.
Tuesday
8:00 p.m. St. Denis Medical (NEW)
A mockumentary about an underfunded, understaffed Oregon hospital where the dedicated doctors and nurses try their best to treat patients while maintaining their own sanity. The cast includes Wendi McClendon-Covey, David Alan Grier, Allison Tolman, Josh Lawson, Mekki Leeper, Kahyun Kim and Kaliko Kauahi.
8:30 p.m. Night Court (new time)
9:00 p.m. The Voice
10:00 p.m. The Irrational (new time period)
Wednesday
8:00 p.m. Chicago Med
9:00 p.m. Chicago Fire
10:00 p.m. Chicago PD
Thursday
8:00 p.m. Law & Order
9:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU
10:00 p.m. Found (new time period)
Friday
8:00 p.m. Happy’s Place (NEW)
Bobbi (Reba McEntire) inherits her father’s bar and is less than thrilled to discover that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had. Also featured are Belissa Escobedo, Melissa Peterman, Pablo Castelblanco, Tokala Black Elk and Rex Linn.
8:30 p.m. Lopez vs. Lopez (new day)
9:00 p.m. Dateline (two hours)
Saturday
8:00 p.m. Big Ten Saturday Night / Notre Dame Football (also live on Peacock)
Sunday
7:00 p.m. Football Night in America (also live on Peacock)
8:20 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football (also live on Peacock)
New Midseason Program Descriptions
Dramas
The Hunting Party
A high-concept crime procedural about a small team of investigators who are assembled to track down and capture the most dangerous killers our country has ever seen, all of whom have just escaped from a top-secret prison that’s not supposed to exist. The cast includes Melissa Roxburgh. JJ Bailey and Jake Coburn will write and executive produce.
Non-Scripted
The Americas
From BBC Studios Natural History Unit, and narrated and produced by Tom Hanks, The Americas will employ revolutionary filmmaking technology that will showcase the wonders, secrets and fragilities of the Americas – Earth’s largest landmass and the only one to stretch between both poles – and reveal extraordinary, untold wildlife stories that deeply connect with millions around the world.
Destination X
Merging fantasy with reality in this adventure competition series, viewers will follow contestants as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime but have no idea of their location. In order to win, they must figure out their mystery locations. Once they're on the blacked-out Destination X bus, the journey transforms into a real-life game board, with challenges designed to offer clues as to their location, along with a few misdirects to keep them guessing. At the end of each episode, the contestant who places an X on a map furthest from the actual location packs their bags.
