NBC to Cut Fall Season in Two

According to Daily Variety, the National Broadcasting Company is changing it's lineup for 2009-2010, splitting the calendar in half to take advantage of the Winter Olympics as well as the premiere of The Jay Leno Show at 10 p.m.

At the heart of the network's strategy is its decision to forgo the traditional, 22 episode order in favor of shorter seasons and fewer repeat episodes.

Among the new selections to premiere on the network: Mercy, a hospital drama, and the dating drama, 100 Questions, to premiere during spring 2010.

In addition, the network announced some changes for some of it's flagship shows, including Chuck. Thanks to a marketing deal brokered with the sandwich giant, the 13-episode 2009 season will feature Subway product placement, as well as tie-ins--one major character will work at one of its stores. The deal was struck in an eleventh hour deal to save the show from cancellation, following a grassroots "Save Chuck" campaign featuring Subway.

The news isn't all good. The Biggest Loser, the popular weight-loss reality will be reduced to 90 minute episodes starting in the spring. The formula doesn't diminish the show's two night block in the fall. The move is expected to make way for a new comedy, 100 questions, to premiere this fall.

Even with the crowded field of shows on NBC's roster, this season is the first in a long time that the network has featured so many scripted shows--a far cry from past seasons which have focused heavily on reality shows such as The Apprentice or America's Got Talent.

"You'll wind up with more originals than ever," said Ben Silverman, co-chair of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. "What we don't need to do is turn around and do one TV in the same slot for the whole year. We're playing for 52 weeks of originals."

The lone exception to this formula is Saturday nights, which the network reserves for repeats. For fall 2009, that means back-to-back episodes of Trauma and Southland.

With the fall season months away, the network is betting that with the interest in Jay Leno's new show and the premiere of the Winter Olympics next year--a traditional lock on the 18-49 female demographic for NBC--the network will come out on top in the ratings game. Hence, the decision to postpone Mercy and 100 Questions until next year.

The lynchpin in the network's overall strategy, said NBC Entertainment co-chair Marc Graboff, is its five night a week Jay Leno Show, which will put them head to head with their competitor's best--including ABC's slate of 11 shows for the coming fall and spring.

"After seeing ABC's schedule, I'm more confident than ever in Leno," he said. "We look at Jay holistically from a year-round standpoint. I think the show will perform great on a year-round basis."