NBC unveiled a 2008-'09 television schedule that's dominated by new and returning SF, fantasy and horror programming, including a series revival of Knight Rider and a new anthology series called Fear Itself, as well as the renewal of Medium, whose fate had been in question.
The announcements came at the network's "infront" (the new nickname for upfronts) presentation to advertisers in New York on April 2. The shows and miniseries will be part of the network's ambitious 52-week program strategy and will premiere anytime between this May and summer 2009. The new series include Kings, Fear Itself and Knight Rider, all of which had been expected to make the schedule, as well as the surprise entries My Own Worst Enemy and The Listener. Waiting in the wings is Merlin. Also on the way is The Last Templar, a Da Vinci Code-esque miniseries. Returning shows include Chuck and Heroes, which had previously been announced and which will premiere in September, and Medium, which was reportedly on the bubble but will return next winter for a fifth season. Speaking of the NBC slate in his presentation, Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, said, "There is a ton of noise out there. There is a cacophony of crap. Even the sports pages are filled with scandal. We need to break through and deliver eternal themes and heroic themes and entertaining themes and escapist themes. We're going to give you real heroes and superheroes, and we're going to engage you with our content in a dramatic, emotional way." Debuting on May 29: Fear Itself. The show, a horror anthology series from the makers of Masters of Horror, will feature such stars as John Billingsley and Shiri Appleby and showcase the talents of directors including Brad Anderson, Mary Harron, Ernest Dickerson, Ronny Yu, John Carpenter and Stuart Gordon. Shows on the fall 2008-'09 schedule: Chuck, airing Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Heroes, airing Mondays at 9 p.m. My Own Worst Enemy, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. Christian Slater makes his television series debut as Henry Spivey, an efficiency expert and married father of two who learns that he has an alter ego named Edward Albright, an operative who speaks numerous languages and can kill with his teeth. The network is touting it as "Jekyll and Hyde meets Jason Bourne." Heroes veteran David Semel directed the pilot and will stay on as executive producer. Knight Rider, airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. NBC scored a hit with a two-hour backdoor pilot movie that aired in February, and the series picks up where the movie left off. K.I.T.T., the supercar with a mind of its own, returns, as do stars Justin Bruening, Deanna Russo, Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Bruce Davison. Shows debuting in winter 2009: Merlin, airing Sundays at 8 p.m. A fantasy series set in Camelot but inspired by 21st-century storytelling, Merlin stars Colin Morgan (Doctor Who) as the title character and Bradley James as Arthur, and it explores the characters' lives before they became legends. Co-stars include Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Richard Wilson and Angel Coulby. Kings, airing Sundays at 10. A modern-day spin on the King David tale, the show stars Christopher Egan as David and Ian McShane as the king. Michael Green (Heroes) penned the pilot and will executive-produce. I Am Legend helmer Francis Lawrence directed the pilot and will executive-produce the series as well. Series debuting in summer 2009: The Listener, airing Thursdays at 10 p.m. Toby Logan (Craig Olejinik of Thirteen Ghosts) is a 24-year-old paramedic and telepath who's always ignored his ability to hear people's thoughts ... until now. Having changed his mind, he uses his unique gift to help others. Miniseries debuting in 2009: The Last Templar. In this four-hour miniseries, four horsemen dressed as knights crash the New York Metropolitan Museum during the opening of an exhibition of Vatican treasures and swipe an arcane medieval decoder, thereby sending an archaeologist (Mira Sorvino) and an FBI agent (Scott Foley) on a wild chase for the secrets of the Knights Templar. Co-stars include Victor Garber and Omar Sharif. (NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.) --Ian Spelling http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=51590
