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Court is not in session.
NBC is joining CBS, Fox and The CW in changing its fall lineup amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, with previously announced series such as Night Court not receiving fall premieres. The changes do not come as much of a surprise, with the recent SAG-AFTRA strike further complicating production across the entertainment industry.
The network will kick off its fall programming on Sept. 25 with a two-hour premiere of The Voice and the debut of The Irrational, starring Jesse L. Martin.
Tuesdays in the fall were previously set to feature Night Court, new series Extended Family, The Voice and Quantum Leap. However, for premiere week on Tuesday, Sept. 26, and Wednesday, Sept. 27, America’s Got Talent will air its penultimate episode and season finale, respectively.
In addition, a two-hour live telecast of the first People’s Choice Country Awards will be simulcast on Thursday, Sept. 28 across NBC and Peacock.
Starting Tuesday, Oct. 3, The Voice will run until 10 p.m., followed by new series Found starring Shanola Hampton.
Wednesdays were originally going to be all about Chicago-themed dramas. Now, reruns of Chicago dramas will start at 8 p.m. on Oct. 4. That is followed by new seasons of Quantum Leap and Magnum, P.I.
Transplant Season 3 makes its NBC return with new episodes on Thursday, Oct. 5 at 9 p.m.
Friday’s lineup includes new episodes of Dateline NBC, which begin Sept. 29 at 9 p.m., ahead of The Wall returning on Nov. 3 at 8 p.m.
Strike-proofing the schedule
Speaking with Adweek in May about the impact of the WGA strike on the NBC fall schedule, Jeff Bader, president, entertainment program planning strategy, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said the company had a “nice security blanket” with the amount of unscripted programming on the schedule. And due to the “year-round development and production cycle,” many series the network had planned were going to be available even if there was a prolonged strike.
According to Bader, new episodes of Night Court, Quantum Leap and The Wall, plus new shows The Irrational and Extended Family, would all be available “even if the strike goes on for an extended period.”
