NBC Announces the 2010-11 Television Lineup

After spending the better part of the last 10 years desperate trying to find the next Friends and ER, NBC will throw their hat in the ring with a whole new set of dramas they hope will prevent them from being the butt of industry jokes for yet another year.

Going into the fall, NBC is completely overhauling their entire primetime schedule. They have canceled half of their drama series, including the mothership Law & Order, which was about to break the record for the longest running drama series in the history of television (Gunsmoke is the current champ).

Eight new dramas are coming our way this fall, and while a few of them do sound interesting, I have to admit that I'm concerned that NBC may have taken on too many procedural/crime dramas. It seems as though the network is attempting to fill in the big hole that 24 is leaving in the action-adventure/crime drama department -- will the gamble pay off or fail miserably?

Canceled Dramas: Heroes, Mercy, Trauma and Law & Order

New Dramas Coming to NBC

Chase
Jerry Bruckheimer brings his magic to the small screen with this exciting crime drama about a team of U.S. Marshalls who are hunting down some of American's most vile and dangerous fugitives. The team is led by U.S. Marshal Annie Frost, a rough and tough deputy whose Texas upbringing gives her a unique advantage in tracking down the bad guys.
Cast: Kelli Giddish as Annie Frost, Amaury Nolasco as Marco Martinez, Cole Hauser as Jimmy Godfrey, Rose Rollins as Daisy Ogbaa, Jesse Metcalfe as Luke Watson.

Harry's Law
After being fired from her cushy job as a patent attorney, Harriet crosses paths with Malcolm and Matthew, two men who are at a crossroads in their lives. As the three get better acquainted, they decide to open up a law practice... in a rundown shoe store.
Cast: Kathy Bates as Harriet, Ben Chaplin as Matthew, Aml Ameen as Malcolm, Brittany Snow as Jenna and Beatrice Rosen as Eve.

Law & Order: Los Angeles
The Law & Order franchise travels across the country to the mean streets of Los Angeles. Fans of the other L&O series can expect the same style of storytelling as its predecessors, where the first half of the episode is spent capturing the criminals, who are then handed over to the justice system.
Cast: TBA

Love Bites
Annie and Frannie are the last two single girls amongst their group of close-knit, married friends in this romantic dramedy. While Annie is the exuberant optimist, Frannie is described as the "always-a-bridesmaid realist." Can either of these women find true love despite the pressure they feel to join their friends in marital bliss?
Cast: Becki Newton as Annie and Jordana Spiro as Frannie.

Outlaw
After coming to the realization that the justice system is seriously flawed, former U.S. Supreme Court justice Cyrus Garza leaves behind his powerful seat on the bench to practice law once again. Using his inside knowledge of the system to his advantage, Garza will represent "the little guy," but not without ruffling a few feathers along the way.
Cast: Jimmy Smits as Cyrus Garza, Jesse Bradford, Carly Pope, Ellen Woglom and David Ramsey.

The Cape
Vince Faraday is a devoted husband, father and cop, but when he is framed for a series of murders he didn't commit and then presumed dead, he is forced into hiding while he tries to prove his innocence. Vince decides to take on the bad guys by becoming "The Cape," a superhero from his son's comic book series.
Cast: David Lyons as Vince Faraday, Jennifer Ferrin as Dana, Ryan Wynott as Trip, James Frain as Peter Fleming/Chess, Keith David as Max Malini, Summer Glau as Orwell and Dorian Missick as Marty Voyt.

The Event
Jason Ritter stars as Sean Walker in this high-octane drama about an "Everyman" searching for his missing fiancée, whose disappearance leads Walker to uncover one of the biggest cover-ups in U.S. history.
Cast: Jason Ritter as Sean Walker, Blair Underwood as U.S. President Martinez, Laura Innes as Sophia, and Sarah Roemer as Leila. The series also stars Scott Patterson, Ian Anthony Dale and Željko Ivanek.

Undercovers
J.J. Abrams brings his brilliant mind back to television with this thrilling spy drama. Steven and Samantha Bloom appear to be your average married couple, but little do their friends and neighbors know that they are actually retired CIA agents. When their former colleague and good friend Nash goes missing while on assignment, the two are forced back into the spy game and tasked with locating Nash. During their mission, Samantha and Steven realize that the excitement that comes from being spies might just be exactly what they need to repair their dull marriage.
Cast: Boris Kodjoe as Steven Bloom, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Samantha Bloom, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Lizzy, Carter MacIntyre as Nash and Gerald McRaney as Carlton Shaw.

NBC Primetime Fall Schedule At a Glance
*New Series in bold

MONDAY
8-9 p.m. - Chuck
9-10 p.m. - The Event
10-11 p.m. - Chase

TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. - The Biggest Loser
10-11 p.m. - Parenthood

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. - Undercovers
9-10 p.m. - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
10-11 p.m. - Law & Order: Los Angeles

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. - Community
8:30-9 p.m. - 30 Rock
9-9:30 p.m. - The Office
9:30-10 p.m. - Outsourced
10-11 p.m. - Love Bites

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. - Who Do You Think You Are?/School Pride
9-10 p.m. - Dateline NBC
10-11 p.m. - Outlaw

SATURDAY
Encore programming

SUNDAY
7- 8:15 p.m. -- Football Night in America
8:15-11:30 p.m. -- NBC Sunday Night Football