Breaking: NBC unveils fall sked, decision on 'Chuck' delayed

And the Chuck vigil continues…

NBC unveiled its fall lineup this morning, but conspicuously missing was any mention of bubble shows Chuck, Law & Order, Medium, Life, or My Name is Earl. According to a Peacock insider, a final ruling on the fate of all five shows will come on May 19. (Medium and Law & Order are both expected back; insiders say NBC execs are just finalizing the episode counts.)

NBC did, however, confirm that it’s bringing back Heroes, Southland, and Parks and Recreation. They join the already-renewed The Office, 30 Rock, Law & Order: SVU, Friday Night Lights, Celebrity Apprentice, and The Biggest Loser. Additionally, new series pickups include four dramas (Trauma, Parenthood, Mercy, Day One), two comedies (Community and 100 Questions), and six episodes of cheap filler Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday. Official descriptions of NBC’s new shows have been conveniently copied-and-pasted below. (To check on the fate of all your favorite bubble shows, bookmark my Bubble Show Cheat Sheet!)

PARENTHOOD
From writer/executive producer Jason Katims (Friday

Night Lights) — this contemporary re-imagining of the blockbuster

film depicts the colorful and imperfect Braverman family — four grown

siblings sharing the headaches, heartaches and joy of being parents.

The star-studded cast includes Peter Krause, Maura Tierney, Craig T.

Nelson, Dax Shepard, Bonnie Bedelia, Monica Potter, Erika Christensen

and Sarah Ramos. When Sarah Braverman (Tierney, ER), a financially

strapped single mother, returns home to her parents and siblings in

Berkeley, Calif. after packing up her Fresno apartment and uprooting

her two inconvenienced kids, Amber (Mae Whitman, In Treatment) and

Drew (Miles Heizer, ER), she is greeted by her opinionated father,

Zeek (Nelson, Family Stone, Coach), and strong mother, Camille

(Bedelia, Heart Like a Wheel), who are privately dealing with their

own marital issues. As Sarah is reunited with her siblings — sister,

Julia (Christensen, Traffic), and brothers Crosby (Shepard, Baby

Mama) and Adam (Krause, Six Feet Under) — all struggling with

issues of their own, it’s clear that the Braverman reunion is just what

they need to face the everyday challenges of modern family life.

(Watch a clip here.)

TRAUMA
Executive producer Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) delivers Trauma, the first high-octane medical

drama series to live exclusively in the field where the real action is.

Like an adrenaline shot to the heart, Trauma is an intense,

action-packed look at one of the most dangerous medical professions in

the world: first responder paramedics. When emergencies occur, the

trauma team from San Francisco General is first on the scene, traveling

by land, by sea or by air to reach their victims in time. From the

heights of the city’s Transamerica Pyramid to the depths of the San

Francisco Bay, these heroes must face the most extreme conditions to

save lives — and give meaning to their own existence in the process.

Starring in Trauma are Derek Luke (Notorious), Cliff Curtis

(10,000 B.C), Anastasia Griffith (Damages), Aimee Garcia (George

Lopez), Kevin Rankin (Friday Night Lights) and Jamey Sheridan (Law

& Order: Criminal Intent. (Watch a clip here.)

MERCY
Mercy, a

new medical drama with a unique point of view, portrays the lives of

the staff at Mercy Hospital as seen through the eyes of those who know

it best — its nurses. Nurse Veronica Callahan (Taylor Schilling, Dark

Matter) returns to Mercy from a military tour in Iraq — and she knows

more about medicine than all of the residents combined. Together with

fellow nurses Sonia Jimenez (Jamie Lee Kirchner, Rescue Me) and Chloe

Payne (Michelle Trachtenberg, Gossip Girl), Callahan navigates

through the daily traumas and social landmines of life and love both

inside the hospital and out in the real world. The cast also includes:

James Tupper (Men in Trees) as Dr. Chris Sands, a new doctor at the

hospital who complicates Veronica’s life; Diego Klattenhoff

(Supernatural) as Mike Callahan, Veronica’s husband; and Guillermo

Diaz (Weeds) as Nurse Angel Lopez. (Watch a clip here.)

DAY ONE
From

executive producer/writer Jesse Alexander (Heroes, Lost, Alias)

and director Alex Graves (Fringe, Journeyman), Day One tells the

story of life on earth following a global catastrophe that has

devastated the world’s infrastructures. Beginning with the immediate

aftermath of the cataclysmic event, an eclectic band of survivors —

played by Adam Campbell (Date Movie), Catherine Dent (The Shield),

Julie Gonzalo (Eli Stone), David Lyons (ER), Derek Mio (Greek),

Carly Pope (24), Thekla Reuten (Sleeper Cell) and Addison Timlin

(Cashmere Mafia) — strives to rebuild society as they unravel the

mysteries of what happened and face their uncertain future. The group,

all residents of one apartment building in suburban Van Nuys, Calif.,

embarks on a quest for survival and discovers that hope is found in

small victories — and heroes are born every day. (Watch a clip here.)

100 QUESTIONS
Emmy

winner James Burrows (Will & Grace, Friends) directs 100

Questions, a new comedy series written and executive-produced by

Christopher Moynihan (For Your Consideration) that provides hilarious

answers to 100 questions about love. Charlotte Payne (Sophie Winkleman, Peep Show) is looking for love and has rejected multiple marriage

proposals — but she has yet to meet Mr. Right. When she joins a

popular online dating site, she gets a little help from her dating

counselor Ravi (Amir Talai, The Ex List) — who requires her to take a

100-question compatibility test. The questions aren’t easy for

Charlotte to answer, and each one requires her to recount a poignant

and humorous time in her life with friends Leslie (Elizabeth Ho, Women’s Murder Club), Jill (Joy Suprano, Law & Order),

Mike (Christopher Moynihan, For Your Consideration) and Wayne (David

Walton Quarterlife). The test becomes a journey of self-discovery for

Charlotte who begins to realize what she truly wants in a relationship.

(Watch a clip here.)

COMMUNITY
From

Emmy Award-winning directors Joe and Anthony Russo (Arrested

Development) comes Community, a smart comedy series about higher

education — and lower expectations. The student body at Greendale

Community College is made up of high-school losers, newly divorced

housewives, and old people who want to keep their minds active. Within

these not-so-hallowed halls, Community focuses on a band of misfits,

at the center of which is a fast-talkin’ lawyer whose degree has been

revoked (Joel McHale, The Soup), who form a study group and end up

learning a lot more about themselves than they do about their course

work. In addition to McHale, the series also stars: Gillian Jacobs

(The Book of Daniel); Yvette Nicole Brown (Rules of Engagement);

Danny Pudi (Greek); Alison Brie (Mad Men); and comedy legend Chevy

Chase. (Watch a clip here.)

For updates live from NBC’s “infront” presentation this afternoon, follow me on Twitter!

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