NBC in 2019-20: Eight New Scripted Series Announced

NBC has announced eight new scripted series in the 2019-20 TV season, with the breakdown four dramas and four comedies. Three of the eight new series – dramas “Bluff City Law” (Monday at 10 p.m. ET) and Thursday night comedies “Perfect Harmony” and “Sunnyside” will debut this fall. The remaining five – dramas ”Council of Dads,” “Lincoln” and “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist;” and comedies “Indebted,” and “The Kenan Show” will launch later in the season.

Four of the seven nights on NBC this fall (Tuesday, the “Chicago”-based drama trio on Wednesday, lifeless Saturday, and Sunday — care of football) will not be changed. “This Is Us” on Tuesday, in fact, has been renewed for three additional seasons. And “Dateline” on Friday will be expanded to two-hours (out of returning “The Blacklist”) in what is certainly far from an aggressive move.

Despite the absence of “The Big Bang Theory” on CBS, NBC is leaving moderately rated “Superstore” on the Thursday 8 p.m. anchor position (instead of attempting something new), and will position new comedies “Perfect Harmony” and “Sunnyside” in between aforementioned “Superstore” and also perennially ratings-challenged “The Good Place” in the 9 p.m. half-hour. “Law & Order: SVU,” which inherits the title as the longest running scripted drama in television history, will remain in the Thursday 10 p.m. hour.

Monday on NBC, meanwhile, will feature new legal drama “Bluff City” out of “The Voice.” Saturday, once again, will remain a dumping ground for repeats.

Following football season, Sundays on NBC will feature the return of “Little Big Shots” at 8 p.m., now hosted by Melissa McCarthy, followed by “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” and season three of “Good Girls.”

Additional previously announced new NBC series include “Bring the Funny,” “Small Fortune,” “Songland,” “That’s My Jam” and the return of “Who Do You Think You Are?”

Also later in the season on NBC will be returning dramas “Manifest” and the final season of “Blindpot;” comedies “Will & Grace” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine;” game show “The Wall;” and competition series “”America’s Got Talent,” “American Ninja Warrior,” “Ellen’s Game of Games,” “Hollywood Game Night” and “World of Dance.”

There is no word at press time for renewals on comedies “Abby’s” and AP Bio,” dramas “The Enemy Within” and “The Village” and competition series “Titan Games.”

What follows is NBC’s primetime line-up next fall. New shows are in caps, with the new program descriptions immediately follows:

NBC Fall 2019

Monday
8:00 “The Voice” (two hours)
10:00 p.m. “BLUFF CITY LAW”

Tuesday
8:00 p.m. “The Voice”
9:00 p.m. “This Is Us”
10:00 p.m. “New Amsterdam”

Wednesday
8:00 p.m. “Chicago Med”
9:00 p.m. “Chicago Fire”
10:00 p.m. “Chicago PD”

Thursday
8:00 p.m. “Superstore”
8:30 p.m. “PERFECT HARMONY”
9:00 p.m. “The Good Place”
9:30 p.m. “SUNNYSIDE”
10:00 p.m. “Law & Order: SVU”

Friday
8:00 p.m. “The Blacklist”
9:00 p.m. “Dateline” (two hours)

Saturday
8:00 p.m. “Dateline Saturday Night Mystery” (R)
10:00 p.m. “Saturday Night Live” (R)

Sunday
7:00 p.m. “Football Night in America”
8:20 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football

New Program Descriptions

DRAMA

“BLUFF CITY LAW”
Coming from a famous Memphis family known for taking on injustice, brilliant lawyer Sydney Strait used to work at her father Elijah’s celebrated law firm until their tumultuous relationship got in the way. After barely speaking to him for years, Sydney is suddenly thrust back into the family fold when her philanthropist mother passes away unexpectedly. In the wake of her loss, hoping to reconnect with the daughter he loves, Elijah asks Sydney to rejoin his firm. She agrees because despite her lingering resentment and distrust, she knows that working alongside her father is her best hope at changing the world … if they can ever get along.

The cast includes Jimmy Smits, Caitlin McGee, Scott Shepherd, Barry Sloane, Michael Luwoye, MaameYaa Boafo, Stony Blyden and Jayne Atkinson.

Dean Georgaris will write and executive produce. Michael Aguliar and David Janollari will executive produce.

“Bluff City Law” is produced by Universal Television in association with David Janollari Entertainment.

“COUNCIL OF DADS” (midseason)
When Scott, a loving father of four, has his entire life’s plan thrown into upheaval by an unexpected health scare, he calls on a few of his closest allies to step in as back-up dads for every stage of his growing family’s life. Scott assembles a trusted group of role models that includes Anthony, his oldest friend; Larry, his AA sponsor; and Oliver, his surgeon and best friend to his wife, Robin. These men agree to devote themselves to supporting and guiding Scott’s amazing family through all the triumphs and challenges life has to offer – just in case he ever can’t be there to do so himself.

The cast includes Sarah Wayne Callies, Clive Standen, Tom Everett Scott, J. August Richards, Blue Chapman, Emjay Anthony, Michele Weaver, Thalia Tran, Steven Silver and Michael O’Neill.

Tony Phelan & Joan Rater will write and executive produce. Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed will executive produce. James Oh and Bruce Feiler will produce.

“Council of Dads” is produced by Universal Television in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Midwest Livestock Productions.

“LINCOLN” (midseason)
Inspired by the best-selling book “The Bone Collector,” former NYPD detective and forensic genius Lincoln Rhyme was at the top of his game until a serious accident at the hands of a notorious serial killer forces him out of the field. When Amelia Sachs, an intuitive young officer who’s got her own gift for profiling, finds herself hot on the killer’s trail, Rhyme in turn finds a partner for this new game of cat and mouse. As the unlikely detective duo joins forces to crack the city’s most confounding cases, they must also race to take down the enigmatic “Bone Collector” who brought them together.

The cast includes Russell Hornsby, Arielle Kebbel, Brían F. O’Byrne, Tate Ellington, Courtney Grosbeck, Ramses Jimenez, Brooke Lyons, Roslyn Ruff and Michael Imperioli.

VJ Boyd and Mark Bianculli will write and executive produce. Seth Gordon will direct and executive produce. Avi Nir, Peter Traugott and Rachel Kaplan will executive produce.

“Lincoln” is produced by Universal Television and Sony Pictures Television and in association with Keshet Studios.

“ZOEY’S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST” (midseason)
In this joyous and celebratory drama, Zoey Clarke is a whip-smart computer coder forging her way in San Francisco. After an unusual event she starts to hear the innermost wants and desires of the people around her through songs. At first, she questions her own sanity but soon realizes this unwanted curse may just be an incredibly wonderful gift.

The cast includes Jane Levy, Skylar Astin, Peter Gallagher, Alex Newell, John Clarence Stewart, Carmen Cusack and Mary Steenburgen.

Austin Winsberg will write and executive produce. Richard Shepard will direct and executive produce (pilot only). Paul Feig, Jessie Henderson, Kim Tannenbaum, Eric Tannenbaum, David Blackman and Daniel Inkeles will executive produce.

“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” is produced by Lionsgate in association with the Tannenbaum Company, FeigCo Entertainment and Universal Music Group.

COMEDY

“INDEBTED” (midseason)
Young parents Dave and Rebecca are ready to reclaim their life after years of diapers and sleepless nights. However, things take an unexpected turn when Dave’s parents show up unannounced and broke, leaving Dave with no choice but to open the door to the people who gave him everything. But these boomerang parents aren’t great with boundaries and the question of who’s parenting who quickly becomes blurred in this multi-generational comedy starring Fran Drescher and Adam Pally as mother and son.

The cast includes Adam Pally, Abby Elliott, Steven Weber and Fran Drescher.

Dan Levy will write and executive produce. Doug Robinson will executive produce.

“Uninsured” is produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with Doug Robinson Productions.

“THE KENAN SHOW” (midseason)
In this family comedy, Kenan Thompson strives to be a super dad to his two adorable girls while simultaneously balancing his job and a father-in-law who “helps” in the most inappropriate ways.

The cast includes Kenan Thompson, Punam Patel, Dani Lockett, Dannah Lockett and Andy Garcia.

Jackie Clarke will write and executive produce. Chris Rock will direct and executive produce. Kenan Thompson, Lorne Michaels and Andrew Singer will executive produce.

“The Kenan Show” is produced by Universal Television in association with Broadway Video.

“PERFECT HARMONY”
Bradley Whitford stars in this comedy about finding inspiration in the most unlikely places. When former Princeton music professor Arthur Cochran unexpectedly stumbles into choir practice at a small-town church, he finds a group of singers that are out of tune in more ways than one. Despite the ultimate clash of sensibilities, Arthur and his newfound cohorts may just be the perfect mix of individuals to help each other reinvent and rediscover a little happiness, just when they all need it most.

The cast includes Bradley Whitford, Anna Camp, Tymberlee Hill, Rizwan Manji, Will Greenberg, Geno Segers and Spencer Allport.

Lesley Wake Webster will write and executive produce. Jason Winer will direct and executive produce. Bradley Whitford, Adam Anders and Jon Radler will executive produce.

“Perfect Harmony” is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Small Dog Picture Company.

“SUNNYSIDE”
Garrett Modi was living the American Dream. As the youngest New York City Councilman ever, he was rubbing elbows with the political elite, attending star-studded parties and was the pride of Queens. But instead of spending his time in office helping the people that got him elected, he lost his way amidst the power and glamour of politics. When his downward spiral got him busted for public intoxication (and downright stupidity), it was all caught on tape and ended his career. Now, Garrett’s crashing with his sister, Mallory, and wondering where it all went wrong. That is, until he’s hired by a diverse group of hopefuls who dream of becoming American citizens and believe he can help – giving him a new sense of purpose and a chance for redemption, as long as he remembers where he came from.

The cast includes Kal Penn, Diana Maria Riva, Joel Kim Booster, Kiran Deol, Poppy Liu, Moses Storm and Samba Schutte.

Kal Penn and Matt Murray will write and executive produce. Michael Schur will be supervising executive producer. David Miner and Dan Spilo will executive produce.

“Sunnyside” is produced by Universal Television in association with Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment.