NBC 2016 Shows Bring Back Familiar Faces And Stories
NBC’s 2016 TV show plans include a few familiar faces and storylines, with the network’s large list of replacement series to begin airing this fall. Many of the 15 TV shows that were announced during the network’s upfront presentation for advertisers feature familiar names of franchises, producers, storylines and stars.
Two spin-off shows planned for fall 2016 include The Blacklist: Redemption starring Famke Janssen and the newest “Chicago” series, Chicago Justice. Emerald City, which takes place in the land of Oz, sounds similar to ABC’s popular Once Upon a Time, while Midnight Texas, which includes stories about vampires and witches, sounds a lot like NBC’s own Grimm series.
A number of new NBC shows for 2016 will welcome back TV star favorites like Ted Danson and Kristen Bell in The Good Place, Andrea Martin in Great News, Third Rock From The Sun star John Lithgow and Sherri Shepherd in Trial & Error, and Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw, and George Foreman in the comedy reality show, Better Late Than Never.
This year’s crop of new shows also brings a few other familiar faces to the small screen, including Mandy Moore in the comedy/drama This Is Us, Vanessa Hudgens in the DC Comic’s comedy Powerless, and Marlon Wayans in his own sitcom.
NBC’s list of new 2016-2017 shows include:
The Blacklist: Redemption
Stars: Famke Janssen, Edi Gathegi and Tawny Cypress
Description: Spinoff of NBC’s The Blacklist focusing on Susan “Scottie” Hargrave, the chief of Grey Matters which just so happens to be a covert mercenary organization. Susan is also the mother of the former’s show’s character, Tom.
Chicago Justice
Stars: Philip Winchester, Carl Weathers, Nazneen Contractor, Joelle Carter and Ryan-James Hatanaka
Description: Now the Dick Wolf world is complete by adding a court show to the Chicago franchise.
Emerald City
Stars: Vincent D’Onofrio and Adria Arjona
Description: After last November of The Wiz, NBC is off to visit the wizard again, only this time, Dorothy Gale is 20-years-old and travels with a K9 police dog. This Oz is a much darker world, as well, but still contains many familiar characters.
Midnight Texas
Stars: François Arnaud and Dylan Bruce
Description: Niels Arden Oplev, director of Mr. Robot, is putting his touch on this show based on the book series by Charlaine Harris where vampires, witches, psychics, and what not hang out in the town of Midnight.
Taken
Stars: Clive Standen
Description: Luc Besson, executive producer of the movie Taken, helms this new project which is a prequel to the three Liam Neeson movies that came before it. Standen plays Bryan Mills in a new CIA operative career.
This Is Us
Stars: Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore and Sterling K. Brown
Description: From the writer and directors of the film, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Moore heads an ensemble cast of characters who cross paths and find out that not only do they share the same birthday, but other events as well.
Timeless
Stars: Abigail Spencer and Matt Lanter
Description: Producers of The Black List have created this new thriller about an unknown criminal who steals or takes over a time machine with the intent of destroying America by changing events from the past.
The Good Place
Stars: Kristen Bell and Ted Danson
Description: Michael Schur, executive producer of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks and Recreation and The Office created this new sitcom about a woman who has just entered the afterlife and realizes that she wasn’t all that kind while she lived on earth.
Great News
Stars: Briga Heelan and Andrea Martin
Description: This sitcom centers on a up-and-coming news producer tasked with working with her own mother who is the station’s new intern.
Marlon
Stars: Marlon Wayans
Description: Loosely based on and/or inspired by its own star’s life, Marlon learns how to take responsibility co-parenting his two children with his ex-wife, only he is just a big kid himself.
Powerless
Stars: Vanessa Hudgens, Alan Tudyk, Danny Pudi and Christina Kirk
Description: Hudgens stars as an insurance adjuster who helps the human race from the damage caused by crime-fighting superheroes.
Trial & Error
Stars: John Lithgow and Sherri Shepherd
Description: Described as a fish-out-of-water comedy about a new New York lawyer sent to a small town and has to set up shop at the local taxidermy shop and gets ready to work on his first case: defending a poetry professor who is accused of murdering his wife.
Better Late Than Never
Stars: Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw, George Foreman and Jeff Dye
Description: This reality show comedy follows the four big stars as they travel across Asia with no set plan for their visit. Comedian Jeff Dye is on hand to help keep the men off track. NBC says that the show is “packed with hilarious cultural experiences, heartwarming spectacles and unexpected twists.”
First Dates
Description: This show is executive-produced by Ellen DeGeneres and is narrated by Drew Barrymore as the cameras follow a bunch of real first dates and record the whole affair.
The Wall
Stars: Chris Hardwick
Description: Comedian Chris Hardwick hosts this unique game show that features a 40-foot wall that “involves quick thinking, shrewd strategy and a little luck.”
[Photo courtesy of NBC]
