BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – New NBC executive Ben Silverman is quickly putting his stamp on the network's fall schedule, juggling the lineup announced to advertisers in May and making room for the summer series "The Singing Bee."
Changes were announced for three nights, with "The Singing Bee" starting a fall run Sept. 25, Silverman said Monday.
The singing contest hosted by Joey Fatone ('N Sync, "Dancing with the Stars") had been scheduled to air later in the year after the run of game show "1 vs. 100," which now is bumped to midseason.
NBC opens its 2007-08 season Sept. 24 with newcomer "Chuck," a spy comedy-drama, airing 8 p.m. EDT Monday instead of its previously announced Tuesday slot. On Monday, it will be part of a sci-fi night with "Heroes" and new time-travel drama "Journeyman."
"The Biggest Loser" will expand to 90 minutes at 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday (it debuts early, on Sept. 11), followed by "The Singing Bee" at 9:30 p.m. EDT.
The Monday edition of game show "Deal or New Deal" will move to Friday at 8 p.m. EDT. It will serve as a lead-in to the critically acclaimed but low-rated "Friday Night Lights," which was scheduled to run at 10 p.m. but is now moving to 9 p.m., flip-flopping times with "Las Vegas."
In May, Silverman and Marc Graboff took over as co-chairmen of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios after the low-rated network fired chief programming executive Kevin Reilly shortly after giving him a new three-year contract.
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