Media Life: NBC’s Programs Particularly Promising

One Stinker in the Bunch

In a critical look at NBC’s new fall shows, Josh Bell of Media Life predicts that of four dramas and two comedies, there’s only one stinker in the lot.

As the fourth-ranked broadcast network, NBC has a lot less to lose in taking chances. That fearlessness is what will drive the success of the new shows, according to the article.

Heroes, debuting Monday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. is perhaps the most-hyped show of the season, with an ad campaign that includes running a 2:30 content segment of the show at National CineMedia theaters across the country and previews available on iTunes. Though it has flaws, it largely lives up to its hype, Bell writes.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip airs after Heroes on Mondays at 10 p.m., and is characterized by rapid-fire dialogue and witty banter, similar to that which could be found on creator Aaron Sorkin’s popular West Wing. Friday Night Lights debuts Oct. 3 in the Tuesday 8 p.m. timeslot, and is a “surprisingly effective adaptation of the 2004 film of the same name.”

Kidnapped, coming Sept. 20 in the Wednesday 10 p.m. slot is “far superior to Fox’s similarly themed Vanished,” but is a bit disappointing, Bell writes, and 30 Rock, debuting Oct. 11 on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. also looks promising.

Only the sitcom 20 Good Years, debuting on Oct. 11 in the Wednesday 8:30 p.m. timeslot, really fails. The comedy, starring John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor, depends upon the interaction between the two actors for its success, but the pair “can’t seem to pull it off.”