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NBC unveils fall schedule

Posted at 7:54 AM, May 14, 2013
and last updated 2013-05-14 07:58:26-04
By Breeanna Hare

(CNN) — We hope you didn’t get too attached to NBC’s new comedies last fall, because the network has cleaned house.

Along with the cancellations of “Whitney” and “Up All Night,” newbies “Guys With Kids,” “1600 Penn,” “Go On” and “The New Normal” have also gotten the ax.

In their place this fall will be three new comedies that are all lined up for Thursdays: “Welcome to the Family,” “Sean Saves the World” and “The Michael J. Fox Show,” which, as its title suggests, stars the veteran actor.

The network is also adding “The Blacklist,” “Ironside” and “Dracula” to its calendar for the fall season. (It’s tossed aside dramas “Do No Harm” and, as expected, “Smash.”)

But on the plus side for “Community” fans, the critically acclaimed comedy will return for a fifth season. “Community” joins other renewed NBC shows “Grimm,” “Parenthood,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Revolution,” “Chicago Fire” and “Parks and Recreation.”

NBC’s Chairman of Entertainment, Bob Greenblatt, said in a statement that “The Voice” will still lead primetime on Mondays and Tuesdays in the fall, while three of the networks dramas will hold down Wednesdays: “Revolution,” “Law & Order: SVU” and the “Ironside” remake with Blair Underwood.

“Thursday will have a family theme, starting with a two-hour comedy block from 8-10 p.m. anchored by strong stars: Amy Poehler in ‘Parks and Recreation,’ Mike O’Malley in ‘Welcome to the Family,’ Sean Hayes in ‘Sean Saves the World’ and the new ‘Michael J. Fox Show,'” Greenblatt said in the statement. “Then at 10 p.m. ‘Parenthood’ moves in to top off the night with what I know is the best family drama on television.”

“Grimm” will air on Friday nights, followed by the limited series “Dracula” with Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Check out the fall 2013 schedule below, with new shows, complete with descriptions, in bold:

Monday

8-10 p.m. — “The Voice”

10-11 p.m. — “The Blacklist”: “For decades, ex-government agent Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington (James Spader) has been one of the FBI’s Most Wanted fugitives. Now, he’s mysteriously surrendered to the FBI with an explosive offer: He will help catch a long-thought-dead terrorist, Ranko Zamani, under the condition that he speaks only to Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Keen (Megan Boone), an FBI profiler fresh out of Quantico. … Zamani is only the first of many on a list that Red has compiled over the years: a ‘blacklist’ of politicians, mobsters, spies and international terrorists. He will help catch them all… with the caveat that Liz continues to work as his partner. Red will teach Liz to think like a criminal and ‘see the bigger picture’ … whether she wants to or not.”

Tuesday

8-9 p.m. — “The Biggest Loser”

9-10 p.m. — “The Voice”

10-11 p.m. — “Chicago Fire”

Wednesday

8-9 p.m. — “Revolution”

9-10 p.m. — “Law & Order: SVU”

10-11 p.m. — “Ironside”: “In the gritty world of the NYPD, no one’s tougher than Det. Robert Ironside (Blair Underwood). … He and his trusted, handpicked team of specialists — Virgil (Pablo Schreiber), Holly (Spencer Grammer) and Teddy (Neal Bledsoe), as well as his former partner Gary (Brent Sexton) and boss, Det. Ed Rollins (Kenneth Choi) — will do whatever it takes to solve New York’s most difficult and notorious crimes. Ironside’s instincts are second to none, and those around him have to stay on their toes if they want to keep up because when his spine was shattered by a bullet two years ago, Ironside swore he’d never let a wheelchair slow him down.”

Thursday

8-8:30 p.m. — “Parks and Recreation”

8:30-9 p.m. — “Welcome to the Family”: “Parents Dan Yoder (Mike O’Malley) and wife Karina (Mary McCormack) find out on the day their daughter Molly (Ella Rae Peck) is graduating from high school with an acceptance to college that she’s pregnant. Across town in East L.A., Junior Hernandez (Joseph Haro), in the middle of his high school valedictorian speech, gets a text from girlfriend Molly that he’s going to be a daddy. Expectedly, Junior’s parents Miguel (Ricardo Chavira) and Lisette (Justina Machado) are also upset, as they now have Caucasians in the family. What follows is a crash course in culture blending as Molly and Junior decide they want to get married and, in doing so, bring together two very different families.”

9-9:30 p.m. — “Sean Saves the World”: “Sean (Sean P. Hayes) is a divorced gay dad who juggles a lot — his successful but demanding career, offbeat employees, pushy mom Lorna (Linda Lavin) and weekends with his teenage daughter, Ellie (Sami Isler). So when she moves in full-time, it’s a whole new world. … From keeping his boss happy, employees motivated and enduring his mother’s tactless ‘advice’ to raising a smart, grounded and healthy kid, it’s going to be a growing experience, to say the least. But if anyone can handle it all, it’s Sean.”

9:30-10 p.m. — “The Michael J. Fox Show”: “Look who’s making the news again. One of New York’s most beloved news anchors, Mike Henry (Michael J. Fox), put his career on hold to spend more time with his family and focus on his health after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. But five years later, with the kids busy growing up and Mike growing restless, it just might be time for him to get back to work. Having never wanted Mike to leave in the first place, his old boss Harris Green (Wendell Pierce) jumped at the chance to get him back on TV. … Now the plan is in motion and Mike will be back to juggling home, family, and career — just like the old days, but only better.”

10-11 p.m. — “Parenthood”

Friday

8-9 p.m. — “Dateline NBC”

9-10 p.m. — “Grimm”

10-11 p.m. — “Dracula”: “It’s the late 19th century and the mysterious Dracula (Rhys Meyers) has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. He’s especially interested in the new technology of electricity, which promises to brighten the night — useful for someone who avoids the sun. But he has another reason for his travels: He hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier. Everything seems to be going according to plan … until he becomes infatuated with a woman who appears to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.”

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