NBC Shuffles Schedule, Renews The Office, 30 Rock, Biggest Loser

NBC announced early renewals for three returning shows while providing reassurance that Heroes has a “very secure” future. The Office, 30 Rock and The Biggest Loser will be back for another season, while the final verdict on underperformer Lipstick Jungle still isn’t in.

NBC also set premiere dates for its untitled Amy Poehler comedy (8:30 pm Thursday, April 9) and confirmed John Wells’ new police drama Southland will take over for ER at Thursdays at 10 pm April 9, while Kings will air at 8 pm Sundays starting March 15. New cooking competition series The Chopping Block will premiere at 8 pm Wednesday, March 11, filling the Knight Rider slot. Primetime entertainment president Angela Bromstad said the previously announced additional three ER episodes were ordered to ensure Wells had enough time to get Southland ready before taking over the Thursday slot and that Kings showrunner Michael Green was fine with the switch.

Bromstad assured that despite Jay Leno taking over NBC’s 10 pm spot that the network would not cut back on scripted development. The network is looking for six dramas and four comedies this fall and hopes to have long-awaited action series The Philanthropist on the air as early as this spring. “We have to have the quality and have to have the ratings,” Bromstad said. “We have to strive for that. But we won’t replace shows that are loved by fans and are good quality shows just to put another show on.”

Veteran Heroes, which has gone from one of the network’s top-rated programs to approaching worrisome ratings territory during the past few months, was given a vote of confidence. “Heroes is very secure,” she says. “We have a great relationship with Tim Kring. . . . What’s important is we never lose sight of being responsible in production.”

However, Kath & Kim and Knight Rider are “shows that may or may not come back” she said.