Yahoo News NBC Fall 2024-25 Schedule: ‘Found’, ‘The Irrational’ & ‘Night Court’ On The Move, Reba Returns To Friday
NBC has made subtle changes to its schedule for fall, which features three new series, medical drama Brilliant Minds, starring Zachary Quinto; medical comedy St. Denis Medical, headlined by Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier; and Reba McEntire’s new sitcom, Happy’s Place. NBC is creating two clearly defined 8 PM comedy blocks next season — a workplace one on Tuesday and a family one on Friday.
Here is NBC’s “very stable schedule” for fall, as NBCU’s SVP Content Planning Steve Kern described it, followed by analysis with input from Kern and NBCU President of Program Planning Jeff Bader, who also discussed contingencies in case of an IATSE strike, as well as description of NBC’s new series.
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NBC FALL 2024-25 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8-10 P.M. — The Voice
10-11 P.M. — BRILLIANT MINDS
TUESDAY
8-8:30 P.M. —ST. DENIS MEDICAL
8:30-9 P.M. — Night Court
9-10 P.M. — The Voice
10-11 P.M. — The Irrational
WEDNESDAY
8-9 P.M. — Chicago Med
9-10 P.M. — Chicago Fire
10-11 P.M. — Chicago P.D.
THURSDAY
8-9 P.M. — Law & Order
9-10 P.M. — Law & Order: SVU
10-11 P.M. — Found
FRIDAY
8-8:30 P.M. — HAPPY’S PLACE
8:30-9 P.M. — Lopez vs. Lopez
9-11 P.M — Dateline NBC
SATURDAY
7-7:30 P.M. ET— Big Ten Pregame / Notre Dame Pregame (also live on Peacock)
7:30-11 P.M. ET— Big Ten Saturday Night / Notre Dame Football (also live on Peacock)
SUNDAY
7-8:20 P.M. ET— Football Night in America (also live on Peacock)
8:20-11 P.M. ET— NBC Sunday Night Football (also live on Peacock)
NBC’s freshman drama series, Found and The Irrational, which launched in a vacuum last fall when the strike delayed most broadcast scripted series, have now been integrated into the network’s regular lineup. The Irrational, which debuted behind The Voice on Mondays, is taking the other post-Voice slot on the schedule, Tuesdays at 10 PM.
That is where Found launched last fall. The missing persons drama starring Shanola Hampton, is relocating to Thursdays to join Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU, replacing the third Law & Order drama, Organized Crime, which is moving to Peacock for its upcoming fifth season, making future L&O crossovers very difficult to pull off. (NBC scheduling executives are leaving the door open to Organized Crime being part of crossovers with its network counterparts if/when creatively — and logistically – possible.)
Once again, NBC is using the Monday installment of The Voice, where shows like The Blacklist started, as a launch pad for a new drama series. This time it is Brilliant Minds, marking Heroes star Zachary Quinto’s return to NBC — and to the network’s Monday lineup where the superhero drama aired.
“We are using our returning hit shows to help launch new shows, whether it’s Brilliant Minds Mondays at 10, or help fortify our our sophomore shows like Irrational and Found — Tuesday at 10 using The Voice for the second season of Irrational and Thursdays at 10, using our highest rated drama Law & Order: SVU to help the second season of Found,” Kern said.
As to why Found was picked to follow SVU, beyond both being crime procedurals with a strong female lead, “totally and thematically, the shows have a lot in common, so it just feels right on Thursday,” Kern said.
NBC introduced a Friday comedy block during the 2022-23 season with Lopez vs. Lopez and Young Rock/Grand Crew. Phased out for the strike-impacted 2023-24 season, the multi-cam block is back, led by the new Reba McEntire comedy Happy’s Place, paired with Lopez vs. Lopez. Both are multi-camera family comedies headlined by proven sitcom stars in McEntire and George Lopez.
“Family comedies have done well on Friday, and Reba seems like the perfect person to anchor our new family comedy block,” Bader said, referring to the genre’s traditions on the night with franchises like ABC’s TGIF.
Friday also is the night where McEntire’s previous sitcom, Reba, ran for five seasons on the WB before relocating to Mondays for its final season on the CW when Fridays were taken over by UPN’s WWE Smackdown. Happy’s Place reunites key auspices from Reba, including stars McEntire and Melissa Peterman and several executive producers.
Also, McEntire has been a coach on The Voice this season and is poised to return after getting strong feedback from fans. That would create strong promotional opportunities with McEntire on NBC three nights a week.
Superstore and American Auto creator Justin Spitzer’s latest workplace comedy, St. Denis Medical, will be opening Tuesday night at 8 PM. Night Court, which held the Tuesday 8 PM slot for its first two seasons, is shifting to 8:30 PM.
“We have a strong, broad access lead-in that our affiliates provide us from 7:30-8 PM. We want to use the access lead-in, which is one of the highest-rated lead-ins on broadcast TV these days, to launch St. Denis Medical at 8 o’clock,” Kern said, adding that Happy’s Place is at 8 PM on Fridays for the same reason and stressing that live viewing is important for the linear schedule.
With that in mind, NBC also shifted Tuesday’s Voice installment from 8 PM to 9 PM a couple of seasons ago, creating two launch pads, one at 8 PM and one at 10 PM.
NBC’s fall schedule features a lot of scripted series alongside 3 hours of The Voice and football on Saturday and Sunday, with new unscripted series Destination X, along with new drama The Hunting Party, held for midseason. (As Deadline has reported, pickup decisions on pilots Suits: L.A. and Grosse Pointe Garden Society are not expected until after the upfronts.)
“Generally, launching new unscripted shows in the fall is not very successful,” Kern noted. “People, even after all these years, amid television ratings decline, they still expect the networks to launch new scripted shows in the fall. So that’s where we stick with that.”
That may change if there is another Hollywood strike this summer, this time initiated by IATSE.
“We have contingency plans in place. A lot of our shows are already back in production shooting episodes that we’ll have if there is a strike, much like last fall when we were the only network with scripted shows available,” Kern said, referring to Found and The Irrational, which were held for fall as strike contingency. “Also, we do have the last season of Transplant available to us, we have seven hours of sports on our full schedule, we have Dateline, so we have less hours to fill. We hope that there won’t be another strike this summer but we do have plans.”
NEW COMEDY SERIES
HAPPY’S PLACE
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. (Multi-cam)
The series stars Reba McEntire, Belissa Escobedo, Melissa Peterman, Pablo Castelblanco, Tokala Black Elk and Rex Linn. Writer Kevin Abbott executive produces with Michael Hanel, Mindy Schultheis, Julie Abbott and Reba McEntire. “Happy’s Place” is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
ST. DENIS MEDICAL
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. (Single-cam) The cast includes Wendi McClendon-Covey, David Alan Grier, Allison Tolman, Josh Lawson, Mekki Leeper, Kahyun Kim and Kaliko Kauahi. Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin will write and executive produce. Simon Heuer also executive produces with director Ruben Fleischer (pilot only). Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, produces in association with Spitzer Holding Company.
NEW DRAMA SERIES
BRILLIANT MINDS
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. Michael Grassi serves as writer and executive producer. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Leigh London Redman, Lee Toland Krieger, DeMane Davis, Melissa Aouate, Henrik Bastin, Andy Serkis, Jonathan Cavendish and Will Tennant also executive produce. Berlanti Productions, Fabel Entertainment, The Imaginarium, Grassi Productions and Tavala produce in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
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. Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, will produce.
NEW UNSCRIPTED SERIES
THE AMERICAS
From BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the creators of the critically acclaimed and multi-Emmy Award-winning “Planet Earth” and “Blue Planet,” in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio, comes the epic 10-part tentpole event series “The Americas.” Marking the first time acclaimed actor, producer and writer Tom Hanks will narrate an unscripted entertainment series, “The Americas” will also feature music by two-time Oscar winner Hans Zimmer. This incomparable project 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. “The Americas” is executive produced by renowned Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning wildlife producer Mike Gunton (“Life,” “Planet Earth II,” and “Dynasties”) for BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the world’s largest production unit dedicated to wildlife filmmaking, in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio, a division of Universal Studio Group.
DESTINATION X
Merging fantasy with reality in this larger-than-life 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 clever 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. The first participant to reach Destination X will be crowned the winner. With high stakes and mind-blowing, spectacular gameplay, the series will keep viewers engaged and playing along on all screens. Caroline Davies, Andy Cadman Dan Adamson and David Clews will executive produce. Shireen Abbott and Karen Hudson will oversee production. Twofour and Universal Television Alternative Studio, a division of Universal Studio Group, will produce.
NEW SPECIALS
DEFYING GRAVITY: THE CURTAIN RISES ON WICKED
In celebration of the generation-defining, cinematic event of the year, international superstars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande lead an all-star cast in a journey through a dazzling new vision of Oz, created for Universal Pictures’ “Wicked.” As they unveil some of the most spectacular sets ever created for film, “Wicked” stars Erivo and Grande are joined by Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey and more to host this thrilling behind-the-scenes special, sharing their personal memories, intimate video diaries and secrets of the making of “Wicked,” culminating in the debut of a world-exclusive scene from the film. Andrew Smith will executive produce. Monkey Kingdom will produce.
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