The Second Season of "Chicago Fire" Begins Tonight on NBC

Chicago Fire begins its second season tonight at 10:00 ET on NBC. The series has moved from Wednesday to Tuesday, but has not lost anything in the process. The first episode is filled with the usual mix of drama and more lighthearted moments, courtesy of the gang at Engine Co. 51. More drama is ahead for Kelly (Taylor Kinney), who realizes that he may not be the father of Renee's baby and also appears to be the target of an arsonist who makes life very difficult for him. In addition, budget cuts are prompting the closure of area fire stations and Engine Co 51 is on the short list. As a result, Chief Boden (Eammon Walker), has to tighten the purse strings and take on other displaced firefighters, which has significant impacts within the department. Meanwhile, Mouch (Christian Stolte) makes an important decision about his future.

Chicago Fire is an entertaining and exciting series featuring a fine and eclectic ensemble cast and is well worth watching.

New Series Spotlight: "The Blacklist" Starring James Spader

I admit it. I will watch anything featuring Emmy award winning actor James Spader. His stint as Alan Shore on Boston Legal was phenomenal and made me a fan for life. Spader is the main reason why I plan to become a regular viewer of The Blacklist, which premieres tonight at 10:00 ET on NBC. The pilot episode is a fast paced, surprising thrill ride centering around a rookie FBI profiler, Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), who is handpicked by one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives, Raymond Reddington (Spader), to act as his liaison to her superiors in an effort to help them track down other dangerous fugitives. Why Elizabeth? Well, the two share some sort of connection that may appear to be obvious, but I suspect it will turn out not to be what viewers are thinking. If the first episode is any indication, the series is too intelligent to go for the easy answer. Harry Lennix, Ryan Eggold and Diego Klattenhoff co-star.

Analysis: NBC's Fall 2013 Schedule

NBC's fall line-up looks relatively strong, courtesy of Sunday Night Football and The Voice, which should make the Peacock network competitive at least until the end of the year. While Monday, Tuesday and Sunday should draw solid ratings, courtesy of the aforementioned series, the other four nights pose a problem. I was surprised with the renewal of the long running Law & Order: SVU. Even with declining ratings, the series must still be profitable. In theory, with a lead-in from demo-friendly hit Revolution, SVU may benefit, but is Revolution really an 8:00pm show? I doubt it and would not be surprised to see ratings drop and possibly hurt the entire Wednesday line-up.

NBC also has much work to do on Thursday, with the low rated Parks and Recreation and Parenthood sandwiching three new comedy series. With tough competition from the CBS, ABC and FOX, NBC may be happy just to make another modest showing on Thursdays. Of course, the star power of Michael J.Fox and Sean Hayes could make NBC a player, but probably not a major one. Friday looks challenging as well, especially with news magazine Dateline leading into the supernatural themed Grimm. However, Grimm's lead-out, Dracula, looks much more compatible and I am anxious to see how well the series is received. Personally, I will be sampling Dracula and Blacklist, with James Spader.

Check out NBC's fall schedule below:


FALL 2013

Monday
8:00 p.m. “The Voice”
10:00 p.m. “THE BLACKLIST”

Tuesday
8:00 p.m. “The Biggest Loser”
9:00 p.m. “The Voice” (new time)
10:00 p.m. “Chicago Fire” (new day)

Wednesday
8:00 p.m. “Revolution” (new day & time)
9:00 p.m. “Law & Order: SVU”
10:00 p.m. “IRONSIDE”

Thursday
8:00 p.m. “Parks and Recreation” (new time)
8:30 p.m. “WELCOME TO THE FAMILY”
9:00 p.m. “SEAN SAVES THE WORLD”
9:30 p.m. “THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW”
10:00 p.m. “Parenthood” (new day)

Friday
8:00 p.m. “Dateline”
9:00 p.m. “Grimm”
10:00 p.m. “DRACULA”

Saturday
8:00 p.m. Encore programming

Sunday
7:00 p.m. “Football Night in America”
8:15 p.m. “Sunday Night Football”

New Programs

COMEDY

“The Michael J. Fox Show”
Semi-autobiographical in nature, a husband and father of three (Michael J. Fox) from New York City copes with his family, career and living with Parkinson’s disease.

“Sean Saves the World”
Former “Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes stars as a perfectionist and divorced gay father whose 14-year-old daughter moves in with him full time while dealing temperamental new at boss, throwing his life into upheaval. Linda Lavin “Alice” co-stars.

“Welcome to the Family”
Parents Dan (Mike O’Malley, “Glee”) and Karina (Mary McCormack) find out on the day their daughter (Ella Rae Peck) is graduating from high school with an acceptance to college, she announces she pregnant.

DRAMA

“The Blacklist”
An ex-government agent and now one of the FBI’s Most Wanted Fugitives (James Spader) offers to catch a long-thought-dead terrorist, Ranko Zamani, under the condition that he speaks only to Elizabeth “Liz” Keen (Megan Boone, “Law & Order: Los Angeles”), an FBI profiler.

“Dracula”
It’s the late 19th century and the mysterious Dracula (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. He is interested in the new technology of electricity, which promises to brighten the night — useful for someone who avoids the sun. But he has another reason for his travels: He hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier.

“Ironside”
Headlined by Blair Underwood, “Ironside” follows the life of a police detective relegated to a wheel chair after a shooting. The original, with Raymond Burr, aired on NBC from 1967 to 1975.

NBC Unveils 2013-2014 Programming Schedule

After cancelling many series, NBC is looking to continue to rebuild its prime time line-up for the 2013-2014 television season, with many new series planned for fall, midseason and beyond. Look for an analysis of the new NBC schedule next week. Cancelled series include "Go On,” “The New Normal,” “Guys With Kids,” “Up All Night," “1600 Penn," "Whitney," "Deception" and "Rock Center with Brian Williams," as well as “The Office” and “30 Rock."

FALL 2013

Monday
8:00 p.m. “The Voice”
10:00 p.m. “THE BLACKLIST”

Tuesday
8:00 p.m. “The Biggest Loser”
9:00 p.m. “The Voice” (new time)
10:00 p.m. “Chicago Fire” (new day)

Wednesday
8:00 p.m. “Revolution” (new day & time)
9:00 p.m. “Law & Order: SVU”
10:00 p.m. “IRONSIDE”

Thursday
8:00 p.m. “Parks and Recreation” (new time)
8:30 p.m. “WELCOME TO THE FAMILY”
9:00 p.m. “SEAN SAVES THE WORLD”
9:30 p.m. “THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW”
10:00 p.m. “Parenthood” (new day)

Friday
8:00 p.m. “Dateline”
9:00 p.m. “Grimm”
10:00 p.m. “DRACULA”

Saturday
8:00 p.m. Encore programming

Sunday
7:00 p.m. “Football Night in America”
8:15 p.m. “Sunday Night Football”

MIDSEASON

Monday
8:00 p.m. “The Voice”
10:00 p.m. “The Blacklist”

Tuesday
8:00 p.m. “The Voice”
9:00 p.m. “ABOUT A BOY”
9:30 p.m. “THE FAMILY GUIDE”
10:00 p.m. “Chicago Fire”

Wednesday
8:00 p.m. “Revolution”
9:00 p.m. “Law & Order: SVU”
10:00 p.m. “Ironside”

Thursday
8:00 p.m. “Parks and Recreation”
8:30 p.m. “Welcome to the Family”
9:00 p.m. “Sean Saves the World”
9:30 p.m. “The Michael J. Fox Show”
10:00 p.m. “Parenthood”

Friday
8:00 p.m. “Dateline”
9:00 p.m. “Grimm”
10:00 p.m. “CROSSBONES”

Saturday
8:00 p.m. Encore programming

Sunday
7:00 p.m. “Dateline”
8:00 p.m. “AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS”
9:00 p.m. “BELIEVE”
10:00 p.m. “CRISIS”

New Programs

COMEDY
“About a Boy” (midseason)
Based on the Nicholas Hornsby book (and Hugh Grant movie), the relationship between a bachelor man-child (David Walton) and the young boy who moves in next door is the focus.

“Family Guide” (midseason)
A son who idolizes his blind father and is amused by this mother’s newfound adolescence is post-divorce is the focus of this new single camera half-hour.

“The Michael J. Fox Show”
Semi-autobiographical in nature, a husband and father of three (Michael J. Fox) from New York City copes with his family, career and living with Parkinson’s disease.

“Sean Saves the World”
Former “Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes stars as a perfectionist and divorced gay father whose 14-year-old daughter moves in with him full time while dealing temperamental new at boss, throwing his life into upheaval. Linda Lavin “Alice” co-stars.

“Undateable” (midseason)
Based on the upcoming book “Undateable: 311 Things Guys Do That Guarantee They Won’t Be Dating or Having Sex”, the focus is on a confident slacker (Chris D’Elia) who takes on a roommate (Brent Morin) and inherits his group of romantically challenged friends.

“Welcome to the Family”
Parents Dan (Mike O’Malley, “Glee”) and Karina (Mary McCormack) find out on the day their daughter (Ella Rae Peck) is graduating from high school with an acceptance to college, she announces she pregnant.  

DRAMA

“Believe” (midseason)
Executive produced by J.J. Abrams, a young girl (Johnny Sequoyah) with a “gift” gets protection from a recently sprung con to keep evil forces at bay.

“The Blacklist”
An ex-government agent and now one of the FBI’s Most Wanted Fugitives (James Spader) offers to catch a long-thought-dead terrorist, Ranko Zamani, under the condition that he speaks only to Elizabeth “Liz” Keen (Megan Boone, “Law & Order: Los Angeles”), an FBI profiler.

“Chicago PD” (TBD)
The daily activity at the District 21 of the Chicago Police Department is the focus of this spin-off from “Chicago Fire.”

“Crisis” (midseason)
The aftermath of a school bus carrying the children of an elite private school who are captured by an evil mastermind is the focus. Gillian Anderson also stars.

“Crossbones” (midseason)
Set in 1715 on the Bahamian island of New Providence, the first functioning democracy in the Americas, where the diabolical pirate Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard (John Malkovich, “In the Line of Fire”), reigns over a rogue nation of thieves, outlaws and miscreant sailors is the focus.
  
“Dracula”
It’s the late 19th century and the mysterious Dracula (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. He is interested in the new technology of electricity, which promises to brighten the night — useful for someone who avoids the sun. But he has another reason for his travels: He hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier.
 
“Ironside”
Headlined by Blair Underwood, “Ironside” follows the life of a police detective relegated to a wheel chair after a shooting. The original, with Raymond Burr, aired on NBC from 1967 to 1975.

“Night Shift” (TBD)
The night shift at San Antonio Memorial Hospital is the focus of the “ER” like medical drama.

REALITY

“America’s Dream Builders” (midseason)
America’s top designers, builders, architects and landscapers go head-to-head each week, putting their talents to the test on extreme home renovations.
  
“Food Fighters” (midseason)
Hosted by Adam Richman (“Man vs. Food), the table is set for the ultimate culinary clash in this one part cooking competition, one part game show. Host Adam Richman (“Man v. Food”) will give homegrown amateur cooks the chance to test their skills against professional chefs.
 
“The Million Second Quiz” (Late Summer 2013)
Contestants test the limits of their knowledge, endurance and will to win as they battle each other in intense bouts of trivia for 12 consecutive days and nights in this live competition.

New Television Series Spotlight: "The New Normal" - Starring Justin Bartha and Andrew Rannells

Photo Credit: NBC

Ryan Murphy has the magic touch. His television series "Nip/Tuck," "Glee" and "American Horror Story" have all been tremendously popular and have also been favorites of mine at various times over the past several years. Murphy's latest endeavor, "The New Normal," premieres tonight at 10:00 pm ET on NBC, followed by another episode tomorrow, in the series' regular time slot - Tuesdays at 9:30 pm. "The New Normal" centers around the blended family of a gay couple, David (Justin Bartha) and Bryan (Andrew Rannells), who are trying to have a baby via a surrogate, Goldie (Georgia King). As a result, Goldie's eight year old daughter, Shania (Bebe Wood), and her outspoken mother, Jane (Ellen Barkin), become entangled in David and Bryan's world. Early buzz about the series has been positive, but I plan to watch anyway, since Ryan Murphy is the creative force, along with Ali Adler, behind the show.

For more information about "The New Normal," go here.