It’s early May, which means one thing: it’s time to start thinking about what we’ll be watching in the fall. Below is a preview of NBC’s new fall and midseason series, a look at NBC’s 2025-2026 schedule, a list of the shows that have been renewed for at least another year, the unlucky few that have been canceled, and a handful of shows that are still awaiting their fates.
NBC is playing it suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper safe for the 2025 fall season: we only have one new series — a kinder, gentler version of The Apprentice hosted by the kinder, gentler Jimmy Fallon. The rest of the schedule is filled with NBC stalwarts Chicagos and Law & Orders and The Voice and a bunch of sportsball. Like I said: super safe.
And the midseason only features two new series: a CGI dinosaur series, and a 30 Rock reunion. Can you guess which one I’m excited about?
Schedule
MONDAY
(September)
7/8 p.m.: The Voice (September 22)
9/10 p.m.: Brilliant Minds (September 22)
(November)
7/8 p.m.: St. Denis Medical (November 3)
7:30/8:30 p.m.: St. Denis Medical (November 3)
8/9 p.m.: The Voice
9/10 p.m.: Brilliant Minds
TUESDAY
(September)
7/8 p.m.: The Voice (September 23)
9/10 p.m.: ON BRAND WITH JIMMY FALLON (September 30)
(November)
7/8 p.m.: NBA on NBC (October 21)
WEDNESDAY
7/8 p.m.: Chicago Med (October 1)
8/9 p.m.: Chicago Fire (October 1)
9/10 p.m.: Chicago P.D. (October 1)
THURSDAY
7/8 p.m.: Law & Order (September 25)
8/9 p.m.: Law & Order: SVU (September 25)
9/10 p.m.: Law & Order: Organized Crime, Season 5 (September 25)
FRIDAY
(September)
7/8 p.m.: ON BRAND WITH JIMMY FALLON (October 3)
8/9 p.m.: Dateline NBC (September 26)
(November)
7/8 p.m.: Happy’s Place (November 7)
7:30/8:30 p.m.: Happy’s Place (November 7)
8/9 p.m.: Dateline NBC
SATURDAY
7/8 p.m.: College football
SUNDAY
6/7 p.m.: Football Night in America (September 4)
7:20/8:20 p.m.: NBC Sunday Night Football (September 7)
New Fall Shows
On Brand with Jimmy Fallon
@fallontonight First take, total pros. 😂 #OnBrand with @Jimmy Fallon featuring @Bozoma Saint John is officially in production! #JimmyFallon #BozomaSaintJohn
Official synopsis:
An innovative unscripted series that follows what happens when Jimmy Fallon starts a premier marketing agency and fills it with the most creative, clever and competitive go-getters he can find. Fallon recruited Bozoma Saint John as the On Brand Agency’s Chief Marketing Officer, where she will mentor the creatives and evaluate their work. In each episode, the On Brand Agency creatives will work with a major brand in need of a big idea for a massive, high-priority campaign – from creating earworm jingles and unbelievable activations to producing the most quotable commercials and must-have merchandise. They will have unprecedented access to the client’s businesses before pitching their vision to a brand representative, along with Saint John and Fallon, with only the best ideas moving on to proof of concept and the opportunity to see their campaign brought to life on the national stage after each episode.
T’s Take:
When I first heard about this, I thought it was going to be NBC’s Shark Tank. But the more I read about it, the more it sounds like a nicer version of The Apprentice: a bunch of people compete to create free marketing campaigns for NBC’s advertisers, but this time with a smile instead of a sneer. I swear, if this leads to Jimmy Fallon running for President in ten years …
Midseason
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins
Video To Come
Official synopsis:
A disgraced former football player is on a mission to rehabilitate his image. The series stars Tracy Morgan, Daniel Radcliffe, Erika Alexander, Bobby Moynihan, Precious Way, Jalyn Hall. Writers Robert Carlock and Sam Means executive produce with Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey, Eric Gurian and David Miner.
T’s Take:
This is, unsurprisingly, the show I’m most excited about, and I hope it makes it into that “Comedy TBD” spot in the fall, but since this is listed as a midseason series, I’m not going to hold my breath. It’s a 30 Rock reunion, what more do I need to say? Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan are obviously both hilarious on their own, but something wonderful happens when the two of them work together. GIVE IT HERE ALREADY.
Surviving Earth
Video To Come
Official synopsis:
NBC is going way back in time to see how life not only survived cataclysmic events but thrived in the unscripted special event series order Surviving Earth. A co-production between Universal Television Alternative Studio, a division of Universal Studio Group, and UK indie Loud Minds, the eight episodes will take an incredible journey into prehistory to learn the lessons from past mass extinctions. Adopting cutting-edge digital technology, each episode transports the viewer back to meet the bizarre and amazing creatures and breathtaking landscapes of a vibrant lost world. Audiences will witness how life finds a way to survive on a planet where meteors fall, super volcanoes erupt, seas boil and the land moves. From the creators of Walking with Dinosaurs and Primeval, these are the stories of the survivors, fighters and lucky ones that shaped the world we live in.
T’s Take:
Fun fact: this series was ordered in 2022, which seems like a lifetime ago. From what I can tell, it’s La Brea minus the time travel, bad acting, and plot holes Walking with Dinosaurs but on NBC. I mean, we already have a PBS … … … wait … do we still have a PBS?
Cancellations
- Found
- Grosse Pointe Garden Society
- The Irrational
- Lopez vs. Lopez
- Night Court
- Suits LA
- Weakest Link (moving to Fox)
Renewals
- America’s Got Talent
- American Ninja Warrior
- Brilliant Minds
- Chicago Fire
- Chicago Med
- Chicago P.D.
- Dateline NBC
- Deal or No Deal Island
- Happy’s Place
- The Hunting Party
- Law & Order
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
- St. Denis Medical
- Transplant
- The Voice
- The Wall
Shows Still Up in the Air
- America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League
- The Americas
- Password
- Yes, Chef!