Tuesday, December 15, 2009

NBC Sets Dates for 'Parenthood'

NBC's long-delayed drama "Parenthood", starring Peter Krause, finally makes it to air on March 1st.

The Peacock also confirmed Monday that its post-NFL Sunday night sked will go all-nonscripted, with the preem of Jerry Seinfeld's "The Marriage Ref" and the return of "Celebrity Apprentice."

Parenthood," originally slated for fall, was pushed to midseason after original star Maura Tierney revealed that she was battling cancer. Tierney's role was eventually filled by Lauren Graham; the show will now air Mondays at 9 p.m., following "Chuck."

Parenthood" will get a strong push during the femme-centric Winter Olympics (don't be surprised if the Peacock cameras spot Graham in the crowd observing the figure skating competish), bowing the night after the Closing Ceremonies.

It will need that promo boost, considering its tough competish. "Parenthood" will face off against ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" -- which likely shares the most similar audience composition -- as well as CBS' mega-hot "Two and a Half Men"/"The Big Bang Theory" comedy combo and Fox's "24."

As previously announced, "Chuck" returns to Mondays on January 11th (after a two-hour preem on Sunday, January 10th). "Heroes," which moves to 9 p.m., airs its season finale on February 8th. The Winter Olympics then take over from February 12th-28th.

On Sundays, NBC has several weeks of specials lined up between that "Chuck" bow and the Olympics -- including the Golden Globes on January 17th and the "AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships" on January 24th.

Then, following the Olympics, "The Marriage Ref" bows on Sunday, March 14th, at 8 p.m., following by "Celebrity Apprentice" at 9 p.m. (like last year, "Celebrity Apprentice" airs for a Trump-sized two hours).

The rest of NBC's schedule remains the same. Yes, that means "The Jay Leno Show" still runs at 10 p.m. from Monday through Friday.

Still on the bench: NBC still has six episodes left of "Trauma," which remains on hiatus. Also without airdates are comedy "100 Questions" and limited-run drama "Day One" (both of which saw their order cut back), as well as reality entry "Who Do You Think You Are?"

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