NBC sked & ABC pickups--5/15/06

Tonight is Night 19 of May Sweeps
NOTE: The President's speech tonight will push the PRISON BREAK and HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER season finales to start 20 minutes later than scheduled on the East Coast and in the Central time zone. I don't think the west coast will be affected.
Here's tonight's rundown -- comments are AFTER the rundown today:

ABC: Grey's Anatomy (repeat of last night's episode - the start of the season finale), Grey's Anatomy (2 hour conclusion of season finale) NOTE: Oprah's Legends Ball special will now air NEXT Monday 5/22.
Show of hands please: who else thinks Denny will buy the farm tonight on GREY'S?

CBS: The King of Queens, How I Met Your Mother (season finale), Two and a Half Men, The New Adventures of Old Christine, CSI: Miami

NBC: Deal or No Deal (1 hour, 40 mins), The Apprentice 5
Regis Philbin visits DEAL OR NO DEAL tonight just to confuse the contestants.

FOX: Prison Break (season finale), 24
Saw an item today that the second season of PRISON BREAK is going to shoot in Dallas, TX.

UPN: One On One (season, or series, finale), All of Us (season finale), Half & Half (season, or series, finale: one hour)

WB: 7th Heaven (R), Everwood

7pm - TLC - Jamie's School Lunch Project
Thanks to my TV comrade JL for the heads up about this short series about chef Jamie Oliver's attempt to revamp the British school lunch program. I missed the first installment but because of JL's thoughts, I'm gonna make sure I tune in tonight.

I purposely didn't talk about THE OFFICE season finale last Friday because I knew some people hadn't seen it yet. Scroll down if you still haven't watched it. It was one of the best season finales I've ever seen. It gave us what we wanted (the couple we love to love) and left us wanting more (about same couple) which is masterful, to say the least. It had a careful combination of humor, emotion, wistfulness and wish fulfillment. Huge round of applause to Steve Carrell for writing the episode. I can't seem to find the director information for the episode but it was all terrific.

Last night's WEST WING series finale was wonderful. John Wells wrote the episode and I have to say that he scored on every level: the humor, the emotion, the pomp and circumstance. I loved every minute, including the quick shot of Aaron Sorkin in the audience at the inauguration. Christopher Misiano did a great job of directing this lovely sendoff to a great series.

It's a too-much-information kind of day so let's get to the rest of today's TV news.

Here's the NBC fall schedule info:
MONDAY
8-9 p.m. "Deal or No Deal" 9-10 p.m. "HEROES"10-11 p.m. "Medium"

TUESDAY
8-9 p.m. "FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS"9-10 p.m. "KIDNAPPED"10-11 p.m. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. "The Biggest Loser" 9-9:30 p.m. "20 GOOD YEARS"9:30-10 p.m. "30 ROCK"
10-11 p.m. "Law & Order"

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. "My Name Is Earl" (new time) 8:30-9 p.m. "The Office" (new time)9-10 p.m. "STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP" 10-11 p.m. "ER"/("THE BLACK DONNELLYS" in January 2007)

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. "Deal or No Deal"9-10 p.m. "Las Vegas" 10-11 p.m. "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (new day and time) SATURDAY8-9 p.m. "Dateline Saturday" 9-11 p.m. Drama Series Encores

SUNDAY
7-8 p.m. "FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA" 8-11 p.m. "SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL"

After football season: New drama RAINES will air on Sunday night.

Midseason orders: SCRUBS, ANDY BARKER P.I. and THE SINGLES TABLE.
Also wanted to include this NBC-related piece from C21Media -- NBC is obviously taking a hint from ABC's online success:

NBC unveils TV 360 strategy
US UPFRONTS: NBC today introduced advertisers and affiliates to its TV 360 strategy, which brings original and exclusive content ranging from interactive television to webisodes, all built around the network's new programming, to broadband channel platforms. As part of the company's Upfront presentation at New York's Radio City Music Hall, Jeff Zucker, CEO of NBC Universal Television Group, said: "We all know the power of television to connect with viewers and have an impact like no other medium. Now we're seeing the power of the web to capture those viewers, extend the television experience and build communities and a level of engagement like nothing else out there." NBC Universal is launching a new broadband comedy channel, DotComedy.com, anchored by some of NBC's best-known franchises and library programmes. The online channel will feature NBC late-night programming including content from Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, the first 10 years of Late Night With David Letterman (now on the CBS network), The Office, Coach, Leave It To Beaver and The Munsters. In addition, DotComedy.com is to feature original content produced exclusively for the site, including blogs, mash-ups and podcasts.

NBC will also launch a Firstlook.com franchise for each of its general entertainment channels ( NBCFirstlook.com, USAFirstlook.com, SciFiFirstlook.com, BravoFirstlook.com), which will be used to premiere up to four episodes of the respective networks' series, in their entirety, each year before they appear on the linear networks. NBC also announced the completion of its acquisition of iVillage and its plans to debut numerous new initiatives available exclusively on the site. NBC News's Today and iVillage will partner to offer women, and occasionally men, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be made over on Today, the network's morning news magazine show. Once a month, one lucky viewer/visitor will get expert advice on fashion, fitness, make-up and hair to help them achieve their full potential. The promotion ties in to iVillage Makeover Central, an online destination for beauty and fashion makeovers. The new Make Over initiative begins tomorrow (May 16) on Today, when the first makeover contest kicks off, pegged to June's Fathers Day. Another new programme scheduled to launch in December is iVillage Live. Filmed on location at Universal Studios Orlando, the programme will deliver information and advice on everything from parenting and pregnancy to health, beauty and style. The daily one-hour show will air on the NBC Universal-owned and -operated stations and will be streamed live on iVillage.com. NBC's Access Hollywood and iVillage are partnering to bring both viewers and users Access Hollywood Celebrity Horoscopes, revealing what the stars predict for Hollywood's stars. Weekly segments will air on the syndicated Access Hollywood and other segments will be streamed on the newly re-designed AccessHollywood.com, as well as the iVillage-owned Astrology.com.

More highlights of TV 360 include:

Thirty standalone webisodes of The Office, exclusively on NBC.com. The first set of 10 will begin streaming this summer.

An interactive component of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Each week, detectives at home will be able to log on to NBC.com to get an exclusive detective's briefing. Once the facts of the case are known, it's up to them to figure out who the killer is before the episode even airs. All correct solutions will be entered into the season-end draw for a prize.

Extra content for freshman drama Heroes, presented in an online, animated comic book. From comic book designer Tim Sale, best known for his Batman illustrations, the online plots will compliment the on-air story.

In conjunction with Tina Fey's new comedy series 30 Rock, a fictional show-behind-the-show at NBC.com. Viewers will see the show's actual comedy sketches that appear only briefly on the air.

Deal or No Deal will return with an online competition where users submit video for the chance to be the next suitcase model on the show, as well as a live blog from the infamous Banker.

The Biggest Loser will feature an online show featuring the contestants who didn't make it on air. They will be given video cameras to film their weekly training routines. The winner, selected by the online audience, will appear on the televised show.

NBC's late-night programming will also be expanded digitally. Beginning with The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and its redesigned home page, next season viewers will be able to visit the Cutting Room Floor to watch the pre-produced comedy bits that won't be seen on-air. Late Night with Conan O'Brien will also feature a completely redesigned home page on NBC.com, with many new site features and extensive video features, including 200 video clips from the show as well as an original and exclusive animated series created for NBC.com, called Pale Force.Similarly, there is a redesigned site for Saturday Night Live, which will feature a historical timeline, a searchable SNL database, a community message board, highlights of every Weekend Update in the show's 31-year history, a historical look at key cast members playing US presidents and more. On the heels of the Passions Red webisodes, NBC Daytime has launched original, exclusive online webisodes of the next instalment, Passions Vendetta, this season. Based on the success of the two, next year NBC will introduce an entirely online soap that promises to be even sexier, called The Cove, a Passions-themed series. Kris Sofley 15 May 2006 © C21 Media 2006

Looking forward to tomorrow's announcement of ABC's fall schedule, here's a rundown of the shows ABC has picked up so far. It looks like INVASION, SONS & DAUGHTERS, LESS THAN PERFECT, HOPE AND FAITH and FREDDIE have been cancelled. ACCORDING TO JIM and GEORGE LOPEZ will return. No definite word about COMMANDER IN CHIEF yet.

NOTES FROM THE UNDERBELLY - COMEDY
Warner Bros. TV / Tannenbaum Co.
EP/W: STACY TRAUB
EP/N/W: Eric and Kim Tannenbaum
D: BARRY SONNENFELD
CAST: Jennifer Westfeldt, Rachel Harris, Melanie Deanne Moore, Michael Weaver
A group of friends through the eyes of an expectant father

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY - COMEDY
Touchstone TV
EP/W: Howard J. Morris
EP/N/W: Emile Levisetti
D: Jon Favreau
Four friends from high school reunite during a crossroad in their lives.
Cast: David Arquette, Greg Germann co-star

HELP ME HELP YOU - COMEDY
EP/W: JENNIFER KONNER & ALEXANDRA RUSHFIELD ("What I Like About You")
REGENCY TV for ABC
CAST: TED DANSON, Charlie Finn, Jim Rash, Darlene Hunt, Jane Kaczmarek, Kathleen Rose Perkins
Single-camera ensemble comedy about a disparate group of people connected through therapy. Danson plays a psychologist who runs the group sessions.D: Brian Dannelly

THE NINE - DRAMA
Warner Bros. TelevisionSeries Pick Up Hank Steinberg (EP, W-Pilot), K.J. Steinberg (EP, W-Pilot), Alex Graves (D-Pilot)Cast: Lourdes Benedicto, John Billingsley, Jessica Collins, Tim Daly, Dana Davis, Camille Guaty, Chi McBride, Kim Raver, Scott Wolf, Owain Yeoman
Logline: So much in life is beyond your control. One day you wake up and go to work like a regular day. Suddenly a random moment, an accident, a blessing, even a stranger, comes from out of the blue and redirects your life forever. But it's up to you to decide if that moment will stop you in your tracks or lift you up to new heights. Today nine people face just such an unexpected twist when they are caught in a bank robbery gone wrong and endure a 52-hour hostage standoff that will leave one person dead. When all! is said and done, these nine people will never be the same. They will always share the common bond of what happens inside the bank…which only they'll know. And they will be forever affected and intertwined because of it. This is a dramatic character study that will keep audiences hooked from the beginning of the bank robbery to the end of the hostage standoff. Taking a twist from Lost, each episode will begin with a flashback to reveal another 10 minutes of the hostage crisis, uncovering why and how these nine strangers are still linked today.
DAYBREAK - DRAMA
Gross Ent. / Touchstone for ABC
EP/W: Paul Zbyszerski, Jeffrey Bell
EP/N/W: Matthew Gross
D: Rob Bowman
C: Adam Baldwin, Moon Bloodgood, Taye Diggs

SIX DEGREES - DRAMA
Bad Robot/Touchstone
EP: Stu Sicherman/Raven Metzner
D: Rodrigo Garcia
EP: JJ Abrams, Bryan Burk
EP/N/W: Thom Sherman
C: Campbell Scott, Bridget Moynihan, Erika Christensen, Jay Hernandez

A DAY IN THE LIFE - COMEDYStudio: Sony Pictures Television Commitment: Series Pick Up Auspices: Josh Goldsmith (EP, W-Pilot)*, Cathy Yuspa (EP, W-Pilot)*, Michael Spiller (D-Pilot) Cast: Josh Cooke, Kurt Fuller, Wendie Malick, Steve Rannazzisi, Miriam Shor, Marla Sokoloff, Stephnie Weir Logline: Think about how much planning and attention to detail go into arranging a wedding…the venue, the dress, the reception, the food, the flowers, the music...and on and on and on. Months and months of planning go into a celebration that begins and ends in a single day. Not this wedding. Danny and Alice are getting married today, and just like any other wedding it will only take a single day, but we are going to break that! single day down into 22 individual episodes as we watch all of the meticulous planning start to unravel throughout the day. Everything matters at a wedding, and the tiniest of imperfections can reverberate throughout the event as if lives actually hang in the balance. Choice of side salad? A trivial decision for the thousands of side salads you will eat in the course of a lifetime. But for the mother of the bride on wedding day, this might as well be the most critical decision of her life, and if you're the caterer you better get it right. Misplace your contact lenses? No big deal...unless you're the best man and the maid of honor just drank the glass of water you put them in before the two of you went to bed last night... together. Things are about to get very complicated for Danny and Alice as their day turns into a season-long roller coaster with thrilling drops, loops and corkscrews when nothing goes as planned. The writers of What Women Want and 13 Going on 30 take a f! ull season to dissect the one biggest day in any family's life. Tapping into the charm of such romantic comedies as Father of the Bride and the real horror of Bridezillas they show you the pressure and stress everyone adds to this wild, wonderful event.

LET'S ROB MICK JAGGER - COMEDYStudio: Touchstone Television, Worldwide Pants Inc. Commitment: Series Pick Up Auspices: Jon D Beckerman (EP, W-Pilot), Rob Burnett (D-Pilot, EP, W-Pilot), David Letterman (EP N/W), Donal Logue (P N/W) Cast: Josh Grisetti, Mick Jagger (Guest Star), Maz Jobrani, Koji Kataoka, Donal Logue, Kevin Michael Richardson, Lenny Venito, Sofia Vergara Logline: For almost 20 years, Eugene Gurkin (Donal Logue) has dreamt of opening a bar, but his dead end job on the late, late janitorial shift won't even fund a bottle of premium booze. In the wake of a co-worker's death, he catches an episode of MTV's Cribs. Call it divine intervention, call it a dumb idea, but whatever it is takes hold of Eugene and soon he recruits a group of misfits into his "gang" for a heist to finance their dreams. The target: a major celebrity's super-luxe Central Park West apartment. Working together, this band of adorable, new-age Robin Hoods, who have never even shoplifted a candy bar, are soon casing the joint and prepping for their crime. What they don't know is that there's a much richer target for them…the chance to find hope, self-esteem and confidence within themselves.
TRAVELER - DRAMA
WARNER BROS. TV / JINKS - COHEN
EP/W:DAVID DIGILIO
D: DAVID NUTTER
EP/N/W: DAN JINKS, BRUCE COHEN
CAST: AARON STANFORD, LOGAN MARSHALL-GREEN, MATT BOMER, STEVEN CULP, VIOLA DAVIS
SYNOPSIS: How well do you know your friends? Would you bet your life on it? It's not what we share with our friends, but what we keep hidden that defines what kind of people we are. After spending every minute of the last two years living, working, and partying together, Jay, Tyler and Will are departing on a summer journey. But being together ends today... simple prank to rollerblade through one of New York City's most famous museums has made Jay and Tyler prime suspects in the terrorist bombing that destroyed it seconds later. The guys hope Will can help clear up this misunderstanding, but he's been missing since the explosion and they think he might be dead. Jay wants to talk to the police about finding Will, but quickly realizes they can't even prove Will exists – in every photo for the last two years, Will managed to block his face. He was their only alibi. The F.B.I. confirms a man matching Will's description died in the explosion, but also learns the explosion was triggered by a call from Jay's cell phone. It's a highly suspicious coincidence that may prove Will, the glue in their friendship, may have meticulously planned this betrayal for over two years. Perfectly framed and on the run, the friends must rely on each other to get away from the F.B.I., and try to get to the bottom of a conspiracy that has destroyed their future. But what can they do when they're merely pawns in a game of global intrigue? Flashing back to the prior two years to illustrate the formation of this friendship and Will's insidious behavior, this action-packed drama taps into our paranoia with pure adrenaline-fueled entertainment.

MEN IN TREES - DRAMA
WARNER BROS. TV / TREE LINE FILM
EP/W: JENNY BICKS
EP/N/W: CATHY KONRAD, JIM MANGOLD
D: JIM MANGOLD
CAST: ANNE HECHE, ABRAHAM BENRUBI, DEREK RICHARDSON, EMILY BERGL, JOHN AMOS
SYNOPSIS: Finding a good man in today's world isn't as difficult as some women think. Relationship coach Marin Frist (ANNE HECHE) knows what to look for, what to avoid, and what will make her happy. As the many fans of her two best-selling books could tell you, we're all in charge of our own happiness. Marin's personal happiness includes the upcoming wedding to her "perfect man." But like many people full of advice, Marin fails to apply it to herself. On her way to a speaking engagement in Alaska she learns that her fiancé has cheated on her...the wedding plans are instantly over. Slapped in the face with personal failure, she's now snowed in and stuck in a small town full of the one thing she really doesn't need: available men. Marin's friends and publisher try to lend long-distance support, but the fact remains Marin's been living with her eyes closed for too long. Now that they're finally open, she sees the amazingly beautiful world surrounding her, and, for the first time, she'll have the chance to stop and breathe. If she could get the raccoon out of her hotel room, this place might be perfect.

UGLY BETTY - DRAMA
TOUCHSTONE/REVEILLE/VENTANAROSA
EP/W: SILVIO HORTA
EP/N/W: SALMA HAYEK, BEN SILVERMAN, TERI WEINBERG, PEPE TAMEZ
D: RICHARD SHEPARD
CAST: AMERICA FERRARA, TONY PLANA, ALAN DALE, ERIC MABIUS, BECKY NEWTON, ANA ORTIZ
In the superficial world of high fashion, image is everything. Styles come and go and the only constants are wafer-thin beauties who wear it. Where could a girl who is less than pretty and a little bit pudgy possibly fit in? If you knew Betty Suarez, you'd see how sweet, intelligent and hard-working she is. Few people ever get to know her because in the world of fashion, Betty is the oversized square peg, in the petite round hole. But finally, her looks and lack of fashion sense are going to be an asset. When publishing mogul Bradford Meade hands the reigns of his fashion magazine, Gloss, over to his son Daniel, he specifically hires Betty as his son's new assistant - mostly because she's the only woman in NYC who Daniel won't sleep with. Repulsed at first, Betty will win him over with her efficiency. Neither of them really knows the ins and outs of the fashion world, but the two of them are a formidable team against the label-wearing sharks who will do anything to see them fail. That includes many couture co-workers with botoxed smiles on their faces and knives behind their Galliano backs.

BROTHERS & SISTERS - DRAMA
TOUCHSTONE
EP/W: JON ROBIN BAITZ
EP/N/W: KEN OLIN
D: KEN OLIN
EP: MARTI NOXON
CAST: JONATHAN LAPAGLIA, BALT GETTY, BETTY BUCKLEY, CALISTA FLOCKHART, DAVE ANNABLE, GAGE GOLIGHTLY, PATRICIA WETTIG, RACHEL GRIFFITHS, RON RIFKIN
As kids, brothers and sisters share many laughs, work through many arguments and form many bonds. As adults the same rules apply but it gets a lot more complicated when they've all grown into very different people... united by a gene pool. The adult children of Henry March, along with their respective families, have gathered to celebrate a birthday. What they don't know is that tonight the patriarch will die. With this safety net gone, everyone will be forced to face the reality of their lives. Kitty's radio success has led to a TV pundit job in Los Angeles, but her New York boyfriend just proposed. Charlie and Nora can't work with each other but somehow they have to in order to save the family business. Bryan's well ordered life is shaken by the news his ex-wife is moving his 8-year- old son to Texas. Justin's kicked nicotine but other addictions and his gulf war distress keep him from moving forward. The challenges of an autistic son are pushing Nora to the breaking point. Set in Los Angeles, this multi-generational family works to balance their personal lives with the family business, their siblings, and a grieving mother.

You must be tired of reading by now so let's call it a wrap for today.