NBC, fall 2008 and beyond: Tuesday and Wednesday

Don’t miss an all-new “My Name is Earl,” tonight on NBC!

Hey, look, NBC – I can write promotional copy! Does that pay well? You got any openings?

Otherwise, I’m just going to have to keep analyzing your whopping big new schedule, picking at it like a scab, and no one wants that…

(New shows are labeled with an *; timeslot changes with a ^.)

Tuesday

Fall 2008
8-9:30 p.m. “The Biggest Loser: Families”
9:30-10 p.m. “Kath & Kim” *
10-11 p.m. “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”

Winter 2009
8-9:30 p.m. “The Biggest Loser: Couples”
9:30-10 p.m. “Kath & Kim” *
10-11 p.m. “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”

“Kath & Kim” is a remake of a hit Australian sitcom about a wackily boorish, dysfunctional mother-daughter duo. Molly Shannon will play the mother; Selma Blair the daughter (fun fact: Shannon is about eight years older than Blair). It’ll be tricky to adjust this tonally for American audiences – the Aussie version was loud and almost abrasively over-the-top – and it seems an odd fit with the purportedly inspirational “Biggest Loser.”

Here’s guessing at some point they’ll try it out on Thursdays after “My Name Is Earl” (where it kind of seems a natural) and maybe move “30 Rock” to after “The Office” (which is where it sort of belongs) and expand “Loser” to two hours, which is what it has been this season.

Summer 2009
8-9 p.m. “Most Outrageous Moments” ^
9-10 p.m. “America's Got Talent”
10-11 p.m. “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (repeats)

Summer timeslot placeholders. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Wednesday

Fall 2008
8-9 p.m. “Knight Rider” *
9-10 p.m. “Deal or No Deal” ^
10-11 p.m. “Lipstick Jungle” ^

The biggest surprise on NBC’s schedule was brining back the low-rated (and not-very-good) “Lipstick Jungle.” In a press conference yesterday, NBC Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman justified the decision by calling it both an “upscale” show and one that does particularly well in the demographic of women aged 18-34. That seems kind of contradictory – I don’t imagine that women aged 18-34 really have a whole lot of discretionary income to spend (unless, of course, they’re starring in “Lipstick Jungle”) – but that’s a tough demographic for a broadcast network to reach, and maybe it’ll do better on a schedule not hampered by a writers strike.

As for “Knight Rider,” well, you know the drill – talking car (or, as NBC puts it, “absolutely the coolest car ever created”) and, in this post-“Transformers” era, capable of changing into other stuff. The TV movie did well, even though NBC didn’t send out advance screeners (and the few reviews it did get were pretty withering). But one thing NBC is all about as it presses forward is arranging advertiser-friendly deals, and this has one built right in with the Ford Mustang folks.

Winter 2009
8-9 p.m. “Knight Rider” *
9-10 p.m. “Deal or No Deal”
10-11 p.m. “Law & Order”

“L&O” creator Dick Wolf is hellbent to have his show break the record for longest-running drama in American TV history, and it got a second wind (or was a third or fourth?) this past season thanks to being the rare show in original episodes during the writers strike. Even if he has to bankroll the episodes himself and pay NBC to air them (which he could easily afford to do), he will break that record (beating “Gunsmoke,” by the way). It’s impressive that any show could’ve lasted as long as it has in today’s climate. “Gunsmoke” had it easy, competing only against two other networks.

Summer 2009
8-9 p.m. “Shark Taggers” *
9-10 p.m. “America's Got Talent" (results show)
10-11 p.m. “Law & Order” (repeats)

Thom Beers (“Deadliest Catch,” etc.) kinda cribs from himself again with this reality series that “follows daring marine biologists as they track down the ocean's top predators and hand-tag them with cutting-edge satellite transmitters or investigate bull sharks' sudden attacks on surfers.” Someone’s gonna lose a hand…

Next: Thursday and Friday