NBC fall lineup to feature familiar fare

NBC got a jump start on its competitors Wednesday, unveiling a 2008-09 prime-time lineup that leans heavily on heroic tropes and classic tales of adventure.

Six weeks before the four other television broadcast networks roll out their schedules, NBC said it was picking up 12 new shows, including dramas based on the stories of King David, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robinson Crusoe, Merlin and the 1980s series “Knight Rider.”

“The audience is returning to the familiar right now,” said Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment, during a presentation at Rockefeller Center. “They like the accessible themes. . . . But these are wholly original takes.”

The peacock network’s schedule offered a glimpse of the contours of the upcoming television season, which will probably be marked by a scattering of premieres throughout the year rather than a front-loaded fall schedule. The shift accelerates a trend that began several years ago at Fox, which successfully rolled out programs such us “American Idol” and “24” mid-season.

NBC presented a 65-week schedule through the summer of 2009 on Wednesday, more than a month before the traditional “upfront” network presentations to media buyers in New York. Executives said the early unveiling was aimed at giving advertisers more time to plan their buying strategies.

NBC laid out a theme for each hour of prime time -- family shows at 8 p.m., action series at 9 p.m. and adult dramas at 10 p.m. The network plans to air four new shows every quarter, an approach that will help it avoid repeats at 10 p.m. most days of the week, network executives said.

The fall offerings include the Jekyll and Hyde drama “My Worst Enemy,” starring Christian Slater. Later in the year, NBC will unveil a spinoff of “The Office.”

Among the network’s 16 returning shows will be “Friday Night Lights,” which will be back for its third season through a deal with DirectTV Group Inc., whose subscribers will get the first look when the show airs in the fall on a special channel on the satellite TV service. The 13-episode season will air on NBC in the winter.

NBC executives said this spring’s strike-curtailed pilot season didn’t hinder their ability to develop new shows because they had already begun ordering programs straight to series.

It’s a strategy that’s been widely embraced this spring, largely because the writers strike left little time for scripts to be written, much less produced. Just 63 pilots -- 39 dramas and 24 comedies -- are in the works, compared with 112 last year and 120 in 2006.

Some industry veterans hope this season’s streamlined approach will persuade networks to forgo the pilot process. The test episodes can cost millions, setting a standard that cannot be sustained throughout the series. (This season, Fox reportedly is spending the most on a pilot: $10 million for a two-hour episode of “Fringe” by J.J. Abrams.) Less than half the pilots made in recent years were picked up as series, and a small fraction became hits.

“We throw away 90% of our research and development -- any other industry would shut down,” said Tom Fontana, executive producer of “The Philanthropist,” which NBC ordered without a pilot.

Joss Whedon’s new Fox show, “Dollhouse,” was ordered to series without a first draft. The writer-director said that it might be too soon to expect a complete remaking of the development cycle but added that “the strike was the crisis that will nudge the community toward adapting.”

Some believe that year-round development will become the norm, but Suzanne Patmore Gibbs, executive vice president of drama development at ABC, thinks the industry will revert back to the traditional calendar next year.

“Even though it was a dysfunctional system, it worked in large part,” she said. “I think there is a merit to a cycle and deadlines and looking at things in some sort of context with one another.”

Because many pilots won’t be completed in time for upfront week this year, the historically lavish presentations are expected to be less extravagant and more succinct.

CBS has opted to make abbreviated presentations instead of showing pilots for five of its 15 potential new series, executives said.

The CW will showcase its three dramas through presentations as well and make additional pilots this summer for mid-season shows.

“Instead of everybody doing everything at once and everybody competing for the same directors and the same talent, we’re doing it into two phases,” CW Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff said.

ABC, which has already renewed 14 series for the fall, may not include new shows on its September lineup because of the lack of time to evaluate the 17 projects it has in development, network executives said.

Top-rated Fox is investing heavily in projects by writer-producers such as Shawn Ryan, Ryan Murphy and Brian Grazer but will probably include only two hours of new shows in its fall lineup, Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said. Midseason, the network will use big guns such as “American Idol” and “24” to promote other series.

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matea.gold@latimes.com

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maria.elena.fernandez@latimes.com

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On the schedule

Six weeks ahead of its competitors, NBC unveiled a slate of new shows that will roll out over the next year. Here’s how the new shows will unfold.

Fall 2008

“My Own Worst Enemy” -- A dramatic series starring Christian Slater as a mild-mannered suburban dad who learns that his alter ego is a spy.

“Kath & Kim” -- A comedy starring Molly Shannon about suburbia’s most dysfunctional mother and daughter duo.

“Knight Rider” -- An updating of the 1980s television hit about a talking car.

“Crusoe” -- Based on the classic by Daniel Defoe, the dramatic series chronicles the lead character’s struggle for survival after being shipwrecked on a remote tropical island.

Winter 2008

“The Philanthropist” -- A dramatic series about an iconoclastic billionaire who uses his wealth and power to help the little people.

“The Office” spinoff -- New faces, new locations, but with the same sense of humor from executive producer Greg Daniels.

“Merlin” -- Based on the Arthurian legend, the hourlong fantasy series is set in the mythical city of Camelot but is inspired by modern storytelling.

“Kings” -- Based on the biblical tale of David and Goliath, the dramatic series updates the tale and focuses on a small-town guy who eventually becomes king.

Summer 2009

“America’s Toughest Jobs” -- A reality series that pits a dozen people against one another as they tackle some of the planet’s most difficult jobs.

“Shark Taggers” -- A reality series about marine biologists who track down the ocean’s most feared predators.

“The Listener” -- A dramatic series about a paramedic who can read people’s minds.

“Chopping Block” -- A reality series that gives couples less than a week to design and revamp a restaurant space, plan a menu and create a signature dish.

Returning shows

“Chuck,” “Life,” “Heroes,” “The Office,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “ER,” “My Name Is Earl,” “Medium,” “Friday Night Lights,” “30 Rock,” “Lipstick Jungle,” “Deal or No Deal,” “Biggest Loser,” “Celebrity Apprentice,” “American Gladiators.”