TV Jots

If you don’t recall — and I’m fairly certain lots of people don’t — Life is the funny and engaging show starring English actor Damian Lewis as Zen-loving, wrongfully incarcerated cop Charlie Crews. During the first season, Crews returns to his law enforcement job after finally being released from prison, only to encounter suspicious attitudes from colleagues as he skillfully solves crimes while secretly tracking down the person who set him up for a triple homicide over a decade ago.

Despite being one of the most enjoyable new series last fall, Life continually struggled in the ratings and just barely squeaked through to a second season. After NBC’s announcement at its April 2 upfront presentation that the show will air Fridays at 10pm EST when it returns in September, I’m inclined to think that fatal time slot was the strategy all along.

Something has to go on the schedule at that time, so why not a show that a small, vocal group of fans and critics championed? This way, the network looks good for keeping a very good but low-rated series around, and it doesn’t have to worry about what happens on Fridays. Either Life will sink, as is most likely given the history of Friday-night primetime TV programs that aren’t named Ghost Whisperer or Numb3rs, or, with a huge stroke of luck, it might swim.

Equally distressing is the fact that both the fall and winter planned lead-ins for Life could not be much more incompatible. In the fall, an adaptation of the enduring Robinson Crusoe novel will air at 8pm, and the insipid game show Deal or No Deal will follow at 9pm.

Then, come winter, Deal or No Deal will shift to 8pm and Friday Night Lights will take over the 9pm slot. I love FNL just as much as the next devotee, but let’s be serious. The earnest, small-town, family-friendly, football drama is in no way a good companion to a quirky, cerebral, crime-riddled, big-city detective dramedy like Life.

Ugh!!! Prepare yourselves for Life‘s final season right now, fellow fans. I just hope the show makes it all the way to the end and doesn’t get cut short a few episodes in.

If only someone at NBC had dedicated as much effort to putting together the Friday-night lineup as that on Monday nights in the fall, which rocks. Chuck at 8pm, Heroes at 9pm, and the new Jason Smilovic/Christian Slater spy-daddy drama My Own Worst Enemy at 10pm. Now, I’m totally looking forward to that.

NBC’s primetime schedules for Fall 2008–2009, Winter 2009, and Summer 2009 follow. And, yes — you read that correctly. Over an entire year’s worth of programming is coming up, which is what the network released.

Tags: Damian Lewis, Life, NBC, television, tv, upfronts