NBC's fall schedule announced

NBC new 2007-08 schedule contains five dramas, one comedy, and several reality/competition programs as the network is rolling it out today at the start of the network upfronts in New York.

Here is the official schedule from NBC (All times are Eastern - Central Time Zone readers just subtract a hour...):

SUNDAY (Fall 2007)

7-8 p.m. "Football Night in America"

8-11 p.m. "NBC Sunday Night Football"


SUNDAY (January 2008)

7-8 p.m. "Dateline NBC"

8-9 p.m. "Law & Order"

9-10 p.m. "Medium"

10-11 p.m. "Lipstick Jungle"


MONDAY

8-9 p.m. "Deal or No Deal"

9-10 p.m. "Heroes"

10-11 p.m. "Journeymen"



TUESDAY

8-9 p.m. "The Biggest Loser"

9-10 p.m. "Chuck"

10-11 p.m. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"



WEDNESDAY

8-9 p.m. "Deal or No Deal"

9-10 p.m. "Bionic Woman"

10-11 p.m. "Life"



THURSDAY

8-8:30 p.m. "My Name Is Earl"

8:30-9 p.m. "30 Rock"

9-9:30 p.m. "The Office"

9:30-10 p.m. "Scrubs"

10-11 p.m. "ER"



FRIDAY

8-9 p.m. "1 vs 100"/"The Singing Bee"

9-10 p.m. "Las Vegas"

10-11 p.m. "Friday Night Lights"



SATURDAY

8-9 p.m. "Dateline NBC"

9-11 p.m. Drama Series Encores

Out the door are Studio 60, Crossing Jordan, Wedding Crashers, Thank God Your Here, Idenity, and Raines.

No word yet whether or not The Apprentice will be back.

Meanwhile, the peacock network will pick up a new workplace-oriented comedy, The IT crowd for midseason, and has signed former network star Jerry Seinfeld to star in 20 live-action "minisodes", a behind the scenes look at his new animated movie coming out for DreamWorks Animation called Bee Movie.

Analysis: You'd think NBC would come up with a more aggressive schedule than this. There is nothing to suggest that NBC will get out of fourth place next season. The New Bionic Woman is a good idea I guess - this show aired in the 1970's on ABC and NBC. Maybe it'll succeed where the original failed. As long as they stay away from the formula Night Stalker was using....

While Friday Night Lights is now actually on Friday, a family-targeted series should be airing at 8 ET - not at 10 ET. Families are not sitting around the TV at that time and definitely not on a Friday. And NBC continues to overexpose Deal or No Deal. If the new Singing Bee doesn't make it in midseason, we might see a third night of Deal or No Deal. Again.

As for the dramas - there's still a glut of them, but to NBC, it's better than scheduling more loser comedies.

To tally it all up: It's going to be another long year for NBC.