NBC Renews "Heroes," "The Office" for Next Season

Crime fighters and wacky characters saved the struggling NBC this past fall, and the network's executives took notice.

NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly announced the renewals of Heroes, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, My Name Is Earl and The Office for next season, speaking during the network's mid-season press tour.

Meanwhile, the future remains unclear for NBC's critically acclaimed but viewer-deprived new series 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Reilly said he wants all three shows to return next season, but didn't make any promises.

NBC will be glad to have the likes of Heroes on its side this spring. With this week's premiere of American Idol, all of the major networks are bracing for a tough few months, as the singing competition is expected to continue its ratings domination well into its May finale.

"NBC will be ending our season as of yesterday," Reilly joked. "Fox disregards the fall because baseball interrupts their flow, so we're going to disregard the spring because Idol interrupts our flow."