
NBC has officially announced their schedule for 2011-2012. The network ordered six new dramas (The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect, Grimm, The Firm, Smash, Awake) and six new sitcoms (Up All Night, Free Agents, Whitney, Best Friends Forever, Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea, Bent).
The network is programming Fridays fairly aggressively. Chuck will air its fifth and final 13-episode season on Fridays, paired with the new fairy tale drama Grimm and Friday staple Dateline NBC. NBC will hold 30 Rock for midseason to accommodate star/creator Tina Fey’s pregnancy. The Thursday night sitcom block will be cut back to two hours with Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Whitney leading into the Maria Bello-led Prime Suspect remake.
Click through to the links to watch preview clips for the new dramas and the new comedies. Hit the jump to check out the new schedule.

NBC joined Fox in the early pickup/renewal game last night with series orders for Whitney, Up All Night, Smash, and Prime Suspect. So far, the news continues accentuate the positive — only renewals and more pilot pickups, no cancellations. The most confident reports indicate NBC will renew Parenthood for a full third season order.
More circumstantial reports update on the fates of Chuck and Harry’s Law. This makes the fourth May in a row where Chuck has lived on the bubble, and somehow a fifth season is very much in the works. The deal isn’t official, but all signs suggest Chuck will continue to brighten the airwaves through 2012 with a 13-episode order. Meanwhile, NBC is expected to renew Harry’s Law for a second season. This will give creator David E. Kelly something to do next year, since NBC has reportedly passed on his Wonder Woman pilot.
Details on series orders for The Playboy Club, Awake, and Grimm.

Parenthood is a one-hour drama that is a re-imagined and updated version of the box-office hit of the same name. Returning for its second season on NBC on September 14th, the very large, very colorful and beautifully imperfect Braverman family will continue to explore all the ups and downs of life, at all ages.
While at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, actress Mae Whitman talked about what it’s like to work with this amazing ensemble of actors, how true to life the show and the relationships on it are, and what she likes about her not-always-likeable character. She also expressed her excitement for her role in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and the opportunity to work with director Edgar Wright, whom she was such a fan of. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

NBC has announced their premiere date schedule for fall 2010, kicking things off with television’s most-watched sport (football!) and games on the 9th and 12th. Everything else drops the week of September 20-24.
Hit the jump to see the full release schedule for old favorites (Chuck, Parenthood, Community, The Office, 30 Rock), potential adoptees (The Event, Chase, Undercovers), and more.

The once powerful superhero saga Heroes has fallen on hard times in the past couple seasons, whether the metric is critical praise or viewership. No shock, then, that Vulture reports it is increasingly unlikely that Heroes will get a fifth season. The show was very much a pop-culture sensation in its first season, reaching upwards of 16 million viewers at one point. It now averages less than 5 million. The series still has a shot at another season based on solid DVD sales and a strong international brand, though those factors can only sway the decision rather than make it.
There is hope for fans, though, as NBC is apparently looking into a one-off movie (two to four hours) to resolve the various dangling plotlines. Although, I recall something similar promised upon the network’s cancellation of Las Vegas which never came to fruition. After the jump, details on NBC’s Law & Order: LA offer to Jimmy Smits as well as the network’s Emmy submission selections.

As a remake of the 1989 Ron Howard film of the same name, NBC’s new family dramedy Parenthood will live or die by its cast. But with a playbill this long and fraught with familiar faces-including Lauren Graham, Peter Krause, Dax Shepard, Craig T. Nelson, Erika Christensen, Monica Potter, and Mae Whitman among others-you’re bound to find a reason to check it out. The talent behind the camera is perhaps even more encouraging, as creator Jason Katims also serves as the guiding force behind one of the best dramas of the last five years, Friday Night Lights.
Find out whether Parenthood lives up to its immense potential after the break.

Parenthood started out as a successful film from Academy Award-winners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer in 1989, went on to be a sitcom featuring Leonardo DiCaprio in 1990 and is now returning as a one-hour drama, premiering on NBC on March 2nd.
From Friday Night Lights executive producer Jason Katims, this new series re-imagines and updates the production to introduce audiences to the very large, very colorful and imperfect Braverman family, played by Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, Lauren Graham, Peter Krause, Monica Potter, Dax Shepard and Erika Christensen, among others.
While at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour to promote the series, executive producer Ron Howard explained that he was initially hesitant about revisiting a project that he truly cherishes, but that he realized it’s ultimately about parenting and being part of a family, which is universal to everyone. He also updated the status of the Arrested Development film, which he plans to narrate, as well as the development of the Dan Brown film The Lost Symbol and Cowboys and Aliens.
Check out what he had to say after the jump:
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