NBC Announces Fall 2020 Schedule

Assuming there will be football this fall, the long-delayed announcement of NBC’s fall primetime schedule will feature just one new series — drama “Law & Order: Organized Crime” (with Christopher Meloni reprising his role from “Law & Order: SVU”) and, of course, the return of primetime’s perennially top-rated event, “Sunday Night Football.” In an unusually non-ambitious schedule (a result, no doubt, of COVID-19), there will be changes on only one night of the week – Thursday. Eleven of the network’s series will also be featured on streamer Peacock.

Only two sitcoms — “Superstore” (minus America Ferrara) and “Brooklyn Nine” — will be featured, and veteran singing competition “The Voice” will include the return Gwen Stefani.

“Thanks to the ingenuity of our creative teams and our partner studios, NBC has assembled a remarkably stable schedule at a time when stability is called for,” said Paul Telegdy, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. “With the reopening of the Universal lot for select productions this week, we are confident that our schedule will premiere intact later this fall. We design shows for longevity and this schedule remains a powerful propulsive force for shows to start here and carry on entertaining across generations.”

Telegdy continued, “Our brand has always championed positive programming, and the events of this year have allowed us the time to take pause, examine our business with a new lens and take some immediate action. Since many of our writers’ rooms have not yet opened, we are taking this opportunity to offer all of this season’s showrunners the chance to enrich their team with an additional diverse writer at any level. It is not the solution by any means, but it is something we can do right now to take a positive step.”

The network will continue to work with NBCUniversal and studio partners on a long-term plan to increase diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our business. And for the third consecutive year, each returning show will also participate in the network’s Female Forward, Emerging Director Program or Alternative Directors Program, all of which provide opportunities for women and ethnically diverse directors in the scripted and unscripted space. While production guidelines due to COVID-19 may impact the programs, the intent of all the above programs remains to provide participants with an in-season episode to direct.

In midseason, new series to be rolled include Tina Fey and Robert Carlock sitcom “Mr. Mayor,” starring Ted Danson and Holly Hunter; “Kenan,” starring Kenan Thompson; and “Young Rock” from Showrunner Nahnatchka Khan and producer/star Dwayne Johnson; game shows “That’s My Jam,” hosted by Jimmy Fallon, and “Small Fortune;” and comical reality series “True Story,” hosted by Ed Helms (“The Office”) and Randall Park (“Fresh Off the Boat”).

What follows is the fall 2020 primetime line-up (with “Law & Order: Organized Crime” in bold and the shows to also be featured on Peacock with an asterisk next to them).

NBC FALL SCHEDULE 2020*
(All times ET)

MONDAY
8-10 P.M. — The Voice
10-11 P.M. — Manifest”*

TUESDAY
8-9 P.M. — The Voice
9-10 P.M. — This Is Us*
10-11 P.M. — New Amsterdam*

WEDNESDAY
8-9 P.M. — Chicago Med*
9-10 P.M. — Chicago Fire*
10-11 P.M. — Chicago P.D.*

THURSDAY
8-8:30 P.M. — Superstore*
8:30-9 P.M. — Brooklyn Nine-Nine
9-10 P.M. — Law & Order: SVU*
10-11 P.M. — Law & Order: Organized Crime*

FRIDAY
8-9 P.M. – The Blacklist*
9-11 P.M — Dateline NBC*

SATURDAY
8-10 P.M. — Dateline Saturday Night Mystery*
10-11 P.M. – Saturday Night Live* (encores)

SUNDAY
7-8:20 P.M. — Football Night in America
8:20-11 P.M. — NBC Sunday Night Football