NBC Upfront/General News and Discussion: 2025-26

[TJ]

NBC unveils its 2025 fall schedule highlighting stability for its fan-favorite franchise dramas, huge unscripted hits, the biggest and best live specials and holiday programming, and the celebrated return of the NBA.

Starting in October, NBCUniversal will begin its 11-year agreement to present NBA and WNBA regular-season and playoff basketball games. Peacock will livestream exclusive national Monday night games while NBC/Peacock will present national coverage of regional doubleheaders on Tuesday nights. NBC Sports will also launch “Sunday Night Basketball” in 2026 across NBC and Peacock, providing NBA fans with three consecutive nights of national coverage across NBCUniversal platforms during the second half of the regular season. The playoffs and WNBA coverage begin in the spring of 2026. In addition, primetime television’s #1 program, “Sunday Night Football,” begins in the fall to kick off the NFL season.

On the comedy front, Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe will star in “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.” Executive produced by “30 Rock” creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock and written by Carlock and Sam Means (“30 Rock,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), the series focuses on a disgraced former football player (Morgan), who is on a mission to rehabilitate his image.

As part of NBC’s rolling development cycle, the network is looking to continue to strengthen its comedy pipeline with the pilots “Stumble,” from Jeff and Liz Astrof (“Trial & Error”), and an untitled project from Sierra Teller Ornelas (“Superstore,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”). With NBC’s 52-week scheduling strategy, these pilots – if picked up to series – could air in the 2025-26 season.

NBC strengthened its comedy lineup last season with two new series – “Happy’s Place” and “St. Denis Medical” – that have been renewed for the 2025-26 season. Combined, the series reached nearly 52 million viewers across linear and digital platforms in their freshman seasons. Both these shows will help serve as launchpads for new comedy series with “St. Denis Medical” starting its second season on Mondays in November and “Happy’s Place” beginning season two on Fridays.

In addition to the powerful #OneChicago franchise, “Law & Order” and “Law & Order: SVU,” the NBC drama lineup brings back sophomore series “Brilliant Minds,” starring Zachary Quinto, and “The Hunting Party,” starring Melissa Roxburgh. The shows reached 31 million and 27 million viewers, respectively, this past season across all platforms.

“On Brand with Jimmy Fallon” arrives on the fall schedule as the newest unscripted offering. “The Tonight Show” host will star in a highly addictive competition series in which he starts a premier marketing agency and fills it with the most creative, clever and competitive go-getters he can find.

NBC’s four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series “The Voice” returns this fall with all-star coaches Michael Bublé, Snoop Dogg, Niall Horan and Reba McEntire reclaiming their red chairs for season 28. This electrifying panel vies to discover and coach America’s next singing phenomenon.

Also coming this season is “Surviving Earth,” an incredible look back to see not only how life survived cataclysmic events on our planet, but managed to thrive. The eight-episode special event series will take an incredible journey into prehistory to learn the lessons from past mass extinctions.

Across the entire television landscape, NBC is the uncontested leader in delivering family favorite holiday specials and live events. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade returns to the streets of New York on Nov. 27, coming off its 2024 edition where it delivered its biggest audience ever and the most watched entertainment telecast in five years.

Also back are many annual favorites, including “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina,” “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” and animated classics such as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”

NBC comes off an incredibly strong season of highlights, including “Sunday Night Football” as the #1 program for the 14th season in a row in total viewers; “The Voice” continued to be the most-watched alternative series for the sixth consecutive season; “The Americas” debuted as the #1 most-watched new alternative series; and #OneChicago continued to dominate Wednesdays across all of television. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, “Saturday Night Live” was the #1 broadcast show of the season in the demo and the special brought in 21 million viewers for an unprecedented live event.

NBC FALL 2025-26 SCHEDULE (SEPT./OCT.)
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT)

MONDAY
8-10 P.M. — The Voice
10-11 P.M. — Brilliant Minds

TUESDAY (SEPTEMBER)
8-10 P.M. — The Voice
10-11 P.M. — ON BRAND WITH JIMMY FALLON

TUESDAY (OCTOBER)
8-11 P.M. — NBA

WEDNESDAY
8-9 P.M. — Chicago Med
9-10 P.M. — Chicago Fire
10-11 P.M. — Chicago P.D.

THURSDAY
8-9 P.M. — Law & Order
9-10 P.M. — Law & Order: SVU
10-11 P.M. — The Hunting Party

FRIDAY
8-9 P.M. — ON BRAND WITH JIMMY FALLON
9-11 P.M. — Dateline NBC

SATURDAY
7-7:30 P.M. ET — Big Ten Pregame / Notre Dame Pregame (also live on Peacock)
7:30-11 P.M. ET — Big Ten Saturday Night / Notre Dame Football (also live on Peacock)

SUNDAY
7-8:20 P.M. ET — Football Night in America (also live on Peacock)
8:20-11 P.M. ET — NBC Sunday Night Football (also live on Peacock)

NEW COMEDY SERIES
THE FALL AND RISE OF REGGIE DINKINS
A disgraced former football player is on a mission to rehabilitate his image. The series stars Tracy Morgan, Daniel Radcliffe, Erika Alexander, Bobby Moynihan, Precious Way, and Jalyn Hall. Writers Robert Carlock and Sam Means executive produce with Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey, Eric Gurian, and David Miner. Director Rhys Thomas also executive produces (pilot only). The series is produced by Universal Television (a division of Universal Studio Group), Little Stranger, Bevel Gears, and 3 Arts.

NEW UNSCRIPTED SERIES
ON BRAND WITH JIMMY FALLON
An innovative unscripted series that follows what happens when Jimmy Fallon starts a premier marketing agency and fills it with the most creative, clever, and competitive go-getters he can find. Fallon recruited Bozoma Saint John as the On Brand Agency’s Chief Marketing Officer, where she will mentor the creatives and evaluate their work.

In each episode, the On Brand Agency creatives will work with a major brand in need of a big idea for a massive, high-priority campaign — from creating earworm jingles and unbelievable activations to producing the most quotable commercials and must-have merchandise. They will have unprecedented access to the client’s business before pitching their vision to a brand representative, along with Saint John and Fallon, with only the best ideas moving on to proof of concept and the opportunity to see their campaign brought to life on the national stage.

The “On Brand” format will be licensed globally by NBCUniversal Formats, a division of Universal Studio Group. On Brand with Jimmy Fallon is produced by B17 Entertainment and Universal Television Alternative Studio, in association with Electric Hot Dog. Executive producers are Jimmy Fallon, Brien Meagher, Rhett Bachner, Pip Wells, and Kelly Powers. Creative Artists Agency’s (CAA) Media & Entertainment Partnerships division serves as a collaborative business partner with NBCUniversal to bring leading brands to the show.

SPECIAL EVENT SERIES
SURVIVING EARTH
NBC is going way back in time to see how life not only survived cataclysmic events but thrived in the unscripted special event series Surviving Earth. A co-production between Universal Television Alternative Studio (a division of Universal Studio Group) and UK indie Loud Minds, the eight-episode series will take an incredible journey into prehistory to learn the lessons from past mass extinctions.

Adopting cutting-edge digital technology, each episode transports the viewer back to meet the bizarre and amazing creatures and breathtaking landscapes of a vibrant lost world. Audiences will witness how life finds a way to survive on a planet where meteors fall, super volcanoes erupt, seas boil, and the land moves.

From the creators of Walking with Dinosaurs and Primeval, these are the stories of the survivors, fighters, and lucky ones that shaped the world we live in.

Blog story: https://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2025/...-schedule.html

2025–26 United States network television schedule - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025%E...ision_schedule

[icecream]

Bite me you hideous network. It is bad enough basketball takes over one night, Dateline should not have a permanent monopoly on Fridays. The Irrational and Found could have gone there, send Dateline crap to Saturdays midseason or ID.

[icecream]

NBC's returning sitcoms will premiere their new seasons in November. St. Denis Medical is moving to Mondays at 8:00 which will reduce The Voice to one hour at 9:00. Happy's Place remains Fridays at 8:00. The 8:30 slots will be new sitcoms TBD.

https://tvline.com/news/nbc-fall-sch...ce-1235446270/

[icecream]

NBC is considering airing The Paper on their linear station as well as Peacock. It is a spin-off of The Office. Just say no! I hope they at least pick a good sitcom to pair with Happy's Place and not more mockumentary crap.

[networkman]

I think The Paper would fit best with St. Denis Medical. I think The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dickens is most likely going to Friday following Happy's Place. I also can see NBC picking up both Stumble and the Native American Community Center comedy for midseason, with the former replacing The Paper and the later going to Friday replacing Reggie Dickens.

[Marcus2026]

Here's the fall dates for NBC:
https://deadline.com/2025/07/nbc-fal...25-1236472488/

[icecream]

NBC's horrible fall schedule got even worse with good for nothing Organized Crime replacing The Hunting Party. Only thing worth watching now is Happy's Place and regular Law and Order. This just adds extra insult to Found fans.

[Marcus2026]

Password with Keke Palmer and Jimmy Fallon has been renewed for S3.

[icecream]

NBC announced the sitcoms that will air Mondays at 8:30 and Fridays at 8:30 when St. Denis Medical and Happy's Place return. The Paper will air on Mondays, spin-off of lousy The Orifice (Office) that has already aired on Peacock. St. Denis will still have a two episode premiere on November 3, then The Paper has its NBC premiere on the 10th. I wouldn't mind a regular cheerleading sitcom with Kristin Chenoweth, but it shouldn't have been a lousy mockumentary. That show called Stumble will air on Fridays. Happy's Place will now just be one episode on Fridays starting November 7 followed by Stumble.

[icecream]

The CMA Awards on ABC usually dominate. But Wicked is so popular I could see it defying gravity and beating the CMAs for good tomorrow night.

[icecream]

Enough lousy crossovers! Yet another one between Law & Order and SVU, which I haven't liked in a long time, is January 8.

[icecream]

The EOM is no more. NBC got rid of their exactly one minute commercial breaks.

[Marcus2026]

As of tonight, The Paper repeats will no longer air on Mondays, with the final 3 episodes airing on a Saturday.
Replacing it on Mondays before the debut of The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins on February 23rd will be repeats of Stumble, debuting this Monday, alongside the season premiere of The Wall: https://www.tvline.com/2059055/the-p...1-finale-date/

[James28]

BREAKING NEWS: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Episode Guest Starring Timothy Busfield Pulled Following Child Sex Abuse Charges

No one wants to believe in "Innocent Until Proven Guilty" anymore.

https://deadline.com/2026/01/law-ord...ns-1236681155/

[Marcus2026]

NBC has just renewed Happy's Place and St. Denis Medical for S3:https://www.tvline.com/2091436/happy...-peterman-nbc/