With 7 New Programs, NBC Gets a Lineup

NBC has lost Most Valuable Player Jerry Seinfeld, but there were still dancers and smiling executives on the stage of Radio City Music Hall in New York Monday as the network unveiled its “Seinfeld”-less fall schedule.

In announcing that the Emmy Award-winning “Frasier” would succeed “Seinfeld” in the coveted Thursday 9 p.m. “Must-See TV” time slot, NBC Entertainment President Warren Littlefield said he was confident the comedy would help NBC retain its dominance among networks.

He added that scheduling “Frasier” on Thursday was a mutual dream for both the network and star Kelsey Grammer. “Kelsey said to us this spring, ‘It would be nice to be back on Thursday,’ ” Littlefield said.

“Frasier” had premiered on Thursday as a successor to “Cheers” in 1993, but was moved to Tuesday night in 1994.

The executive added that Grammer had promised that the show “would do a really good job. He’s kept his word and I suspect he will when ‘Frasier’ moves to Thursdays this fall.”

Grammer appeared and, grinning widely, said he was overwhelmed by the good fortune. “I am very excited. It’s hard for me to get this excited,” he said, adding that he had been panicked during the last several days, wondering whether his show would make the move.

He concluded his brief statement by saying, “From this day on, when I’m down on my knees saying my prayers at night, I will be thanking God and NBC.”

Littlefield did not offer an explanation of why “Frasier” was chosen for the “Seinfeld” slot over other candidates (“Just Shoot Me,” “Friends,” “Mad About You”) other than noting that it has won four Emmys in a row as TV’s best comedy series.

The announcement was one of the highlights of NBC’s afternoon presentation, during which network executives unveiled for advertisers the four new comedy series, two new dramas and a fifth night of the newsmagazine “Dateline NBC” that will join 16 hours of returning shows on the prime-time schedule this fall.

Left unclarified was what NBC plans to schedule Sundays at 7 p.m. opposite CBS’ “60 Minutes.” The network said it would be trying to turn Sundays into an event evening, with the 7 p.m. slot targeted for a variety of reality and sports-oriented programming.

While the meeting’s overall emphasis was on new shows, there were several references to the loss of “Seinfeld,” which concluded its nine-year run last Thursday and is the season’s No. 1-rated show this season. The funniest came during a taped skit in which Littlefield was seen fainting after getting a call from Seinfeld during the NBC Christmas party. The executive was then shown being wheeled into the set for NBC’s hit drama “ER,” where the cast revived him.

Here’s NBC’s fall schedule, with new shows in bold:

Sunday: “Various,” “Dateline NBC,” “NBC Sunday Night Movie.”

Monday: “Suddenly Susan,” “Conrad Bloom,” “Caroline in the City,” “Will & Grace,” “Dateline NBC.”

Tuesday: “Mad About You,” “Encore! Encore!,” “Just Shoot Me,” “Working,” “Dateline NBC.”

Wednesday: “Dateline NBC,” “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “NewsRadio,” “Law & Order.”

Thursday: “Friends,” “All My Life,” “Frasier,” “Veronica’s Closet,” “ER.”

Friday: “Trinity,” “Dateline NBC,” “Homicide: Life on the Street.”

Saturday: “Wind on Water,” “The Pretender,” “Profiler.”