NBC has announced its first midseason schedule, for January. As part of the Great TV Resurrection of 2009, you will finally be able to watch Friday Night Lights without putting a thing on your roof. (I got the sense there are not a lot of DirecTV subscribers in the Tuned In audience.) The Panthers return Friday, January 16.
In other news: Lipstick Jungle may not be officially cancelled, but it is also officially not on this schedule; as previously announced, Kath & Kim and Knight Rider will both return to torture us; my most anticipated new NBC show, Kings, still has no date; and there’s so much reality on the schedule, you’d think there was a strike on. The release follows the jump.
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – November 25, 2008 – NBC announced today the January 2009 schedule that features the series premieres of “Superstars of Dance” (debuting January 4) and “Howie Do It” (January 9), the returns of “The Biggest Loser: Couples” (January 6) and “Friday Night Lights” (January 16).
Likewise, NBC will broadcast the original movie event “The Last Templar” Sunday and Monday, January 25-26, 9-11 p.m. ET both nights).
NBC also showcases the new specials “Saturday Night Live Sports Extra” on Sunday, January 4 (7-9 p.m. ET) and “Saturday Night Live Film Festival” on Sunday, January 18 (9-11 p.m. ET). “Dateline NBC” also will broadcast a Presidential Inauguration Day Special on Tuesday, January 20 (10-11 p.m. ET).
Among the new night-by-night lineup changes are:
The two-hour premiere of “Superstars of Dance” – from the producers of “So You Think You Can Dance?” — will be broadcast on Sunday, January 4 (9-11 p.m. ET) before the series resumes in its regular day and time on Monday, January 5 through January 19 (8-10 p.m. ET). The new competition series — showcasing the world’s best and most varied dancers — will be followed on Mondays by “Momma’s Boys” (10-11 p.m. ET), the new alternative series from executive producer Ryan Seacrest.
The season finale of “Superstars of Dance” will wrap on Monday, January 26 (8-9 p.m. ET).
On Tuesdays — from January 6 — NBC will telecast “The Biggest Loser: Couples” (8-10 p.m. ET) followed by “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (10-11 p.m. ET).
Fridays will see the debut of “Howie Do It” — starring Howie Mandel of NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” (8-9 p.m. ET) — beginning January 9.
The critically acclaimed “Friday Night Lights” will then return to NBC’s Friday-night lineup on January 16 (9-10 p.m. ET).
The new January program schedule grid follows (all times ET); new series are capitalized:
MONDAYS (beginning January 5)
8-10 p.m. — “SUPERSTARS OF DANCE”; premieres Sunday, January 4 (9-11 p.m.); season finale Monday, January 26 (8-9 p.m.)
10-11 p.m. – “MOMMA’S BOYS”
(“Chuck” and “Heroes” return in February)
TUESDAYS (beginning January 6)
8-10 p.m. – “The Biggest Loser: Couples”
10-11 p.m. — Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”
TUESDAY (January 20)
10-11 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”: Presidential Inauguration Special (10-11 p.m. ET)
WEDNESDAYS (beginning January 7)
8-9 p.m. — “Knight Rider”
9-10 p.m. – “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” encores (“Life” returns in February)
10-11 p.m. — “Law & Order”
THURSDAYS (beginning January 8)
8-8:30 p.m. – “My Name Is Earl”
8:30-9 p.m. — “Kath & Kim”
9:00-9:31 p.m. — “The Office”
9:31-10 p.m. — “30 Rock”
10-11 p.m. – “ER”
FRIDAYS
8-9 p.m. — “HOWIE DO IT” (series premiere January 9)
9-10 p.m. – “Friday Night Lights” (beginning January 16)
10-11 p.m. — “Dateline NBC” (beginning December 5)
SATURDAYS (beginning January 10)
8-11 – “Law & Order” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” encores
SUNDAYS (January 4)
7-9 p.m. – “Saturday Night Live Sports Extra”
9-11 p.m. – “SUPERSTARS OF DANCE” (premiere)
“Sunday — Event Specials”
8-11 p.m. – “THE GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS” (January 11)
9-11 p.m. – “SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE FILM FESTIVAL” (January 18)
9-11 p.m. — THE LAST TEMPLAR — (January 25 and Monday, January 26)
6:15-10 p.m. — SUPER BOWL XLIII (February 1)