Upfronts 2012: Watch previews of 'Revolution' and 'Chicago Fire'

NBC presented its new shows on Monday at its upfront presentation, and perhaps the largest scaled project is "Revolution," written by "Supernatural's" Eric Kripke with Jon Favreau directing the pilot. But based on the trailer, this project has producer J.J. Abrams' fingerprints all over it.

Set in a world 15 years after all forms of power have ceased to work, survivors battle each other over all the things survivors in post-apocalyptic worlds usually battle each other over. Adding to the anxiety factor is the casting of "Breaking Bad" baddie Giancarlo Esposito (formerly known as "Gus" Fring) as the series villain.

But back to the Abrams influence. It's all right there in the trailer: the crashing airplane, the early '80s computer interface (remember the numbers in "Lost?") and the unexplained events occurring in the background (just why exactly did power go out? First season finale, perhaps?)

VIDEO: Watch 2012 TV previews

Billy Burke (from the "Twilight" series) gets to show off his prowess with a katana blade and Australian actresss Anna Lise Phillips looks very "Hunger Games" with her crossbow action. Archery enthusiasts should have a lot to cheer about with this one.

"Revolution" will air Mondays at 10 p.m.

"Law & Order" chief Dick Wolf is conjuring the spirit of Ron Howard's firefighter drama "Backdraft" with his new series, "Chicago Fire," which promises all the fires, feuds and fornicating of the best evening soaps.

The men and women of a Chicago firehouse are picking up the pieces following the death of one of their own and it seems two of the firehouse's members are now nearly at each other's throats. Meanwhile, there's the new guy in the house trying to figure things out. Of course, there are lots of shirtless firefighter guys (at least one of whom will no doubt make it on People magazine's most sexy list next year, just you wait).

Amazingly, even Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel seems to have a cameo in the show.

Charlie Barnett, Merle Dandridge, David Eigenberg, Lauren German, Teri Kinney, Jesse Spencer and Eamonn Walker star. The show will air Wednesdays at 10 p.m.

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-- Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: The cast of "Revolution." Credit: NBC.

Fall TV: NBC says buh-bye to 'very old' 'Harry's Law' viewers

NBC has a message for "Harry's Law" fans: Well, we tried, but you folks are just too dang old for advertisers.

The network made it official Sunday and axed "Harry's Law," the drama starring Kathy Bates as a criminal lawyer entering the final act of her career. The executive producer is David E. Kelley, responsible for past hits such as "Ally McBeal" and "Boston Legal."

On paper, the cancellation looked a bit surprising, because "Harry's Law" is NBC's second most-watched drama behind "Smash." "Harry's Law" averaged 8.8 million total viewers this season, compared with 9 million for "Smash," according to Nielsen. And it drew more viewers than "Law & Order: SVU" (7.6 million), which just got renewed for next fall.

The problem? Those "Harry's Law" viewers are older than Madison Avenue wants. The show ranked very low among viewers ages 18 to 49, the demographic most advertisers care about. In fact, its young-adult numbers were beneath those for "Prime Suspect," a cop show that NBC canceled earlier this season, and roughly on par with those of "Off Their Rockers," the Betty White show about senior citizens pulling pranks on younger people. 

"It was a difficult decision," an NBC executive said Sunday, quoted by the site Deadline.com. "Everyone here respects 'Harry's Law' a lot but we were finding it hard to grow the audience for it. Its audience skewed very old and it is hard to monetize that." 

What do you think of the "Harry's Law" axing?

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--Scott Collins

twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT

Photo: Kathy Bates in "Harry's Law," which was canceled by NBC. Credit: Jordin Althaus / NBC

 

Fall TV: A 'Community' without its creator Dan Harmon? Just maybe

Human beings: Imagine the Greendale Community College universe without its overlord Dan Harmon running the mothership ... because it's a real possibility.

The good news about the return of "Community" got sullied pretty quickly. For those already up in arms about "Community's" move from Thursdays to Fridays, you might be keeping those arms up. There's been speculation that its creator, Harmon, would step down as showrunner for the NBC comedy. And NBC President Robert Greenblatt did little to deny that was a real possibility.

"Those conversations are happening as we speak," Greenblatt said during a conference call Sunday with reporters.  "I guess what I would say is ... I expect Dan's voice to be part of the show somehow. I'm just not sure exactly if that means him running it day to day or consulting on it."

Could Harmon's war of words with show co-star Chevy Chase be the reason? Much has been made of the spar between the veteran actor and Harmon, which resulted after some hostile voice messages were leaked. Greenblatt tip-toed around the issue in his denial.

"I don't think so," he said. "I know that was blown up into something. I don't really think we have determined him running the show or not based on one of the actors. I think it's a larger issue that has to do with a lot of things."

Harmon, for his part, said Thursday on Twitter that should he step down, it would not be because of Chase -- who he described in more colorful terms.

"That'd be like punching a wall because water's wet. Now CELEBRATE!" he added. Harmon wasn't immediately available for comment Sunday.

It won't be the show's only reshuffling. Harmon's co-showrunners, Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman, are leaving the show to develop and supervise new projects for 20th Century Fox TV.

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--Yvonne Villarreal

twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: Dan Harmon, left, with Chevy Chase and the cast of "Community." Credit: Getty Images

Fall TV: NBC's `Rock Center' news magazine survives low ratings

It helps to have friends in high places.

NBC is renewing the Brian Williams-anchored news magazine "Rock Center" despite a dismal ratings performance in its freshman season. According to Nielsen, "Rock Center" averaged less than 4 million viewers this season. That's less than half of what NBC's legal drama "Harry's Law" averaged and it was canceled. Among the coveted 18-49 demographic, "Rock Center" had only 1.2 million viewers compared with 1.75 million for "Harry's Law." The difference: NBC owns "Rock Center" and its star is NBC News anchor Williams, while "Harry's Law" comes from Warner Bros.

Not only is the show coming back, it is even getting a promotion of sorts. Currently on Wednesday nights at 9 p.m., "Rock Center" is moving to Thursdays at 10 p.m., a more important time slot because movie companies and auto dealers spend heavily on that night.

The move to 10 p.m. says as much about NBC's faith in its new and returning dramas as it does about "Rock Center." Once home to critical and commercial smashes including "ER," "L.A. Law" and "Hill Street Blues," the Thursday 10 p.m. slot has become a wasteland for NBC. Last season both "Prime Suspect" and "Awake" flopped in that time period.

NBC Broadcasting Chairman Ted Harbert acknowledged the low ratings of "Rock Center" in unveiling NBC's fall schedule to reporters in a conference call. However, he noted that when he was a senior executive at ABC, it took several season for news magazines "Prime Time" and "20/20" to establish itself with viewers.

"They've done some fantastic work this year," Harbert said, citing a Bob Costas interview with former Penn State coach and accused child molester Jerry Sandusky and a special report on the one-year anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden.

Another factor in "Rock Center's" favor was that news magazines typically cost less to produce on a per-episode basis than a drama.

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-- Joe Flint

Photo: "Rock Center" anchor Brian Williams. Credit: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

Fall TV: NBC to get four nights of comedy plus 'The Voice'

NBC evidently believes laughter is the best medicine: The struggling network will have four nights of comedy in the fall, plus the Season 3 return of "The Voice."

Keeping its Thursday sitcom block essentially intact with existing series, NBC will move "Community" and "Whitney" to Fridays and open up Tuesday and Wednesday for new comedies such as "Go On," "Animal Practice" and "Guys With Kids."

"I'm determined to build momentum from night to night, something that's eluded us in recent years," Bob Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, said in a conference call with reporters Sunday.

Also, the singing contest "The Voice" will open in fall for the first time, on Mondays and Tuesdays, setting up a likely confrontation with Simon Cowell's "The X Factor" on Fox.

J.J. Abrams' new sci-fi drama "Revolution" will land at 10 p.m. Mondays, while Dick Wolf's "Chicago Fire" will round out the night on Wednesdays.

"We've got a lineup of new shows that will really get people to sit up and take notice," Greenblatt said.

The new dramas "Do No Harm," "Infamous" and "Hannibal" will be held for mid-season.

Here's the entire schedule (* denotes new series):

MONDAY

8 - 10 p.m. "The Voice"

10 p.m. "Revolution" *

TUESDAY

8 p.m. "The Voice"

9 p.m. - "Go On" *

9:30 p.m. - The New Normal" *

10 p.m. - "Parenthood"

WEDNESDAY

8 p.m. - "Animal Practice" *

8:30 p.m. - "Guys With Kids" *

9 p.m. - "Law & Order: SVU"

10 p.m. - "Chicago Fire" *  

 THURSDAY

8 p.m. - "30 Rock"

8:30 p.m. - "Up All Night"

9 p.m. - "The Office"

9:30 p.m. - "Parks and Recreation"

10 p.m. - "Rock Center with Brian Williams"

FRIDAY

8 p.m. - "Whitney"

8:30 p.m. - "Community"

9 p.m. - "Grimm"

10 p.m. - "Dateline NBC"

SATURDAY

Repeats

SUNDAY

Fall

7 p.m. "Football Night in America"

8:15 p.m. "NBC Sunday Night Football"

 

Winter

7 p.m. - "Dateline NBC"

8 p.m. - "Fashion Star"

9 p.m. - "The Celebrity Apprentice"

10 p.m. - "Do No Harm" *

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— Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: NBC's comedy lineup includes "Guys With Kids," with Anthony Anderson (left), Jesse Bradford and Zach Cregger. Credit: Vivian Zink / NBC.

 

 

'Saturday Night Live's' eight greatest stars

Will Ferrell is back on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, hosting the show for the third time since leaving the cast in 2002. And those pining for the actor's glory days on the show will be reminded once again of just how big of a sketch comedy star Ferrell was during his tenure from 1995-2002.

And though his post-"SNL" career has had its share of hits ("Elf","Anchorman") and misses ("Land of the Lost," "Bewitched"), nothing has quite tarnished the huge amount of goodwill he built up playing such characters as the Spartan cheerleader, the cowbell guy in Blue Oyster Cult and President George W. Bush.

"SNL" is famous for being a launching pad for comedy stars. But it doesn't always work that way. Some have undistinguished "SNL" careers before blowing up huge after, like Robert Downey Jr. or Chris Rock. And others do well on the show before promptly vanishing into the mists of Hollywood.

But disregarding everything that happened after their time on the floor of Studio 8H in 30 Rockefeller Center, who were the biggest stars of "Saturday Night Live?" Which performers used the live sketch format to its fullest to connect to an audience?

Everyone has their favorites and (nearly) every current and former cast member has advocates. But these eight are widely regarded as the people who went on the air on a Saturday night and made it their own.

VIDEO: Will Ferrell, all-star cast in 100th 'SNL' digital short

 

Will Ferrell's hosting job on "Saturday Night Live" has drawn some mixed reviews on Twitter. But viewers seem near-united in acclaim for the all-star video clip that celebrated the 100th "Digital Short" shown on NBC's comedy-variety program.

Produced by the Lonely Island troupe that includes "SNL" cast member Andy Samberg, the 100th vid included walk-ons by Jon Hamm, Justin Timberlake, Natalie Portman, Michael Bolton, Justin Bieber, Usher and others. The basic premise - which included a bleeped-out obscenity - was that the Digital Short crew should give itself a, er, pat on the back by reprising some of their greatest hits, such as "I'm on a Boat" and "The Creep."

Twitter reaction was swift and almost uniformly positive. "Lonely Island just killed it," tweeted @michaelabartos. "Nothing short of amazing," added another viewer.

What did you think of the short and the rest of Ferrell's "SNL" episode?

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-Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

 

'American Idol'-'Voice': Jessica Sanchez better than Jermaine Paul?

“The Voice” ended its run this week, crowning Jermaine Paul the winner of Season 2. Over at "American Idol," Hollie Cavanagh got the boot, leaving finalists Jessica Sanchez, Phillip Phillips and Joshua Ledet  to do their hometown visits and vie for the big prize.

Although “The Voice” is over, our "Idol" vs. "Voice" rankings continue, taking the singers from both shows and putting them head to head each week. I'm still choosing my top five performers from among the two shows, along with Times music writers Todd Martens and Chris Barton, and you can cast your votes too, at the bottom of this post.

Below are my picks for the week. To see what my co-judges have to say and to view the performances, click below.

INTERACTIVE: Who's the best? "Idol" vs. "The Voice

1. Jessica Sanchez, "American Idol"

Jimmy Iovine predicted that Sanchez's performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls" could seal the "Idol" win for her, and if Phillip Phillips and Joshua Ledet hadn't also had strong performances this week, it likely would have done so. Sanchez funneled into the song all the fury and frustration she felt after her near-elimination earlier this season and solidly, passionately landed every note, every word, every nuance. It felt cathartic. And when she sang "And you, and you, and you, and you … You're gonna love me," she left viewers no choice but to surrender.

 2. Phillip Phillips, "American Idol"

This take on Damien Rice's "Volcano" was perfect, pure Phillip Phillips: intimate, contained, intense, with so much hot emotion roiling beneath the surface of his pebbly voice. He showed a range, melodic command and vocal ease he had not before and brought the song a lava-like sizzle that was also … cool. No herky-jerky moves, no jimmying legs, you could barely see Phillips' profile in chiaroscuro. Steven Tyler was spot-on when he said it was the kind of song he could imagine listening to on headphones over and over and over again. I'm ready to replay it –- yet again -– right now.

 3. Jermaine Paul, "The Voice"

Paul tucked the "Voice" win under his wing and lifted off as a solo artist with R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly." He sang with soul and style, passion and power, emotion and elegance. Now he'll be able to crow about a win (though he seems so humble, it's hard to see him doing that), feather his nest with $100,000 and sing like a bird on his own record. May he soar high and go far.

 4. Joshua Ledet, "American Idol"

Ledet went all in on James Brown's textured "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." At points, he seemed to be attacking the song through gritted teeth. And how could you not love that stage full of female musicians? Though it didn't pack quite the emotional punch and the added irony of Juliet Simms' triumphantly furious recent take on it on "The Voice," it had standing-o-worthy soul to spare (that "ahhh-hooo" moment especially). If Ledet keeps this up, who knows? It may be a Man's Man's Man's "Idol" again this year.

5. Juliet Simms, "The Voice"

Though she was apparently ill, Simms carried off Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" like the rock star she's poised to become. She's a bird we don't want to change –- and it will be interesting to see how she launches from her second-place perch. The incredible Erte-esque costume –- that fiery red dress with the filmy cape that at one point shot up in the air like a flame –- didn't hurt either. Lighters aloft to that!

"American Idol" vs. "The Voice"

Each week our experts and readers rank the best of the best between the two blockbuster singing competitions. Last week, readers put "American Idol's" Jessica Sanchez just slightly ahead of "The Voice's" Juliet Simms on top. Who will be the favorite this week? Vote below and check out this week's performances and see what our judges had to say at latimes.com/idol-voice.

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— Amy Reiter

Photo: Jermaine Paul won it all on "The Voice." Credit: Mitchell Haaseth / NBC.

NBC axes 'Bent,' 'Awake,' 'Chelsea,' 'Best Friends Forever'

Four of NBC's freshman shows won't be returning to prime time.

The casualties include three comedies — "Bent," "Are You There, Chelsea?" and "Best Friends Forever." All three shows premiered in midseason and drew mediocre ratings.

The network has also canceled "Awake," which starred Jason Isaacs as a detective caught between two realities.

[Update: 2:44 p.m.: NBC just announced it has also canned "Harry's Law," which is actually one of its most-watched shows.]

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— Greg Braxton

Photo: Laura Prepon, left, and Chelsea Handler in NBC's "Are You There, Chelsea?" It's one of the shows the network has canceled. Credit: NBC.

NBC renews 'Parks and Recreation,' 'Up All Night,' 'Whitney'

"Parks and Recreation," "Up All Night" and "Whitney" will return next season on NBC, the network confirmed. In addition, it has picked up the Dane Cook comedy "Next Caller Please."

The renewal will bring "Parks and Recreation, which aired its finale Thursday, into its fifth season with a 22-episode order, rather than a stunted order like those for "30 Rock" and "Community."

Meanwhile, freshman comedy "Up All Night," which was created by "Parks and Recreation" veteran Emily Spivey, had a solid opening when it rolled out last season following "America's Got Talent" on Wednesdays.  Starring Christina Applegate and Will Arnett, the comedy was moved midseason to Thursdays, with "The Office" serving as its lead-in. Its April season finale brought in 3.12 million viewers, with a 1.5 in the 18-49 demo--which seemed enough for NBC.

Probably the more shocking return will be "Whitney." The comedy, which comes from comedian Whitney Cummings, premiered to nearly 7 million viewers last fall, when it aired on Thursdays. But the show was bumped to Wednesdays and saw its ratings dip. It's finale, which aired in March, brought just over 4 million viewers. It ensures that Cummings' plate will be full: It was recently announced that she would be getting a talk show on the E! network, and she continues to serve as an executive producer on CBS' "Two Broke Girls."

The shows join previously announced renewals for "30 Rock," "Community," and "Fashion Star." In addition, the network announced Friday the pickup of "Next Caller." The series is set in a satellite-radio station and centers on an alpha male DJ (Cook) and his feminist co-host (Collette Wolfe).

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-- Yvonne Villarreal
twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: Amy Poehler in "Parks and Recreation." Credit: NBC

NBC renews 'Community' for fourth season

#Sixseasonsandamovie -- oh, the power of suggestion. NBC has renewed "Community" for a fourth season, sources close to production confirmed Thursday.

The series will return with an abbreviated 13-episode order — but, hey, it's 13 more than some had predicted. (And we expect the actors' reaction to the news is similar to the one in the above photo.) The cult comedy has endured a rocky third season on the network, getting pulled from the schedule midseason that had fans rallying for its return, which it made in March. And then there was the whole voicemail kerfuffle between cast member Chevy Chase and executive producer Dan Harmon.

The series, a vortex of pop culture allusions and spoofs involving oddball students at an equally oddball community college, has found a fierce following among young viewers who are more likely to catch it later on DVR or online — in December, its production company Sony struck a digital syndication deal with Hulu, making its entire library of episodes available.

Its final three episodes of this season will air May 17.

The quirky laffer joins fellow Thursday comedy "30 Rock" in the renewal bin.

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— Yvonne Villarreal

twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo credit: NBC.

NBC renews '30 Rock' and 'Parenthood,' adds two new series

NBC's veteran series "30 Rock" and "Parenthood" have been picked up for another season, and the network this fall will add two other series, "Do No Harm" and "Infamous," the network announced.

The new season of "30 Rock" -- its seventh and final season -- will be abbreviated, with only 13 episodes. "Parenthood" will be entering its fourth season.

"Do No Harm" is a medical drama that puts a twist on the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story, revolving around a neurosurgeon with a dark alter-ego. "Infamous" features a female detective who goes undercover to the rich family she grew up in — as the maid's daughter — to solve the murder of the heiress who had been her best friend.

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— Greg Braxton

Photo: Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey of "30 Rock." Credit: Ali Goldstein / NBC.