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Heroes, Earl, Office, SVU will be back next year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With football gone and rival “American Idol” hitting the stage, NBC’s spring may not be quite as fruitful as their fall. NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly even joked to TV critics Wednesday that the season is now officially over for the network.
More seriously, he gave four shows very early green lights for the 2007-08 season: breakout hit “Heroes,” two comedies “My Name is Earl” and “The Office” and steady player “Law & Order: SVU.” After an okay performance this past December in a test run, the game show “Identity” will get seven more episodes in March.
And Reilly said an improv-based show will debut later in the spring, an import from Australia, called “Thank God You’re Here.” Improv artists will be dressed up and placed in situations they aren’t aware of until that phrase is uttered. David Alan Grier will host and Dave Foley will be the judge of sorts, he said. This sounds kind of like ABC’s former “Who’s Line is it Anyway?”
Overall, he feels NBC has turned the corner after a few dark years thanks to the likes of “Heroes” and “The Office.” He believes the network is one hit show away from hitting its stride.
He also said he’s confident ‘Heroes,” which returns next Monday, will hold its own against “24.” “We’re not going to blink on that or move that show or run,” he said.
Reilly also expressed confidence on three shows with problematic ratings: “30 Rock,” “Studio 60,” and “Friday Night Lights.”
And he knows the network has to just get by with “Idol” in the way. “You have to rope a dope there a bit” with “Idol” in the way, he said.
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