NBC Announces: The Office Spinoff!!

In a bit of a surprise press release this week, NBC announced their fall lineup, some new series they'll be picking up (including one with Christian Slater, who will always be Hard Harry to me), and what shows will be relaunched.

Heroes will be smaller than I anticipated. I know a lot of my readers think I've given up on the show because I didn't blog on the last three episodes of season 2, but that actually had nothing to do with giving up, and everything to do with an infant who wasn't sleeping at the time if I had the TV on, so by the time I saw those episodes, they were three weeks old and I didn't think anyone would be interested in what I had to say. :) I'm still very excited about what is upcoming, and can't wait for season 3. Season 2 had its disappointments, for sure (ok, the majority of the season was a disappointment) but Tim Kring admitted his problems, and said he would do better, and how many executives have the nerve to issue a mea culpa like that? If the guy can admit he was wrong, rather than say, "Look, the show was good, and you people suck if you didn't like it" (which is more along the lines of what he said in season 1 when people didn't like the finale) then I have high hopes for a new direction. I thought season 2 ended on a high note.

So, my love of Heroes re-established, on to the news: season 3 has been reduced to 20 episodes, with 10 running in the fall (kicked off by a 2-hour beginning) and 10 running straight in the spring, beginning in February. Heroes: Origins has been scrapped, sadly. There was SO much hype surrounding this spinoff idea, and I thought it was awesome, and now, because of the writer's strike, it's gone.

Of course, many of you may have heard there's a possible actor's strike pending, and if that happens, I think we can probably say goodbye to a lot of shows, including Heroes. But let's just hope it doesn't come to that.

The Office was the big announcement: Starting in spring 2009, there will be a new spinoff. Which character, you might ask? Will we see the adventures of Dwight and Mose on their beet farm in a Newhart-like setting? Will Jim and Pam leave Dunder-Mifflin and engage in wacky adventures as they travel around Europe? Will Phyllis and Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration become the Lucy and Ricky of Scranton? Will Stanley become the 21st century Archie Bunker?

Sadly... I have no idea. And neither does NBC. For, they have this grand idea that there will be a spinoff, but haven't yet decided WHO will be spinning off. Time for your vote: who do you think will be spinning off, and what will the show be about? On the one hand, this is a good thing, but on the other, a spinoff always means that character will no longer be on The Office. And I can't imagine losing ANY of these people. So I'm still not sure I'm happy about this news.

As mentioned, Friday Night Lights will be appearing on NBC in spring 2009, but will air in fall 2008 on DirectTV (I see major fall downloads of this show in the future). Chuck will be back, and will actually be paired up with Heroes on the schedule. Journeyman is definitely gone (WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH) as is Bionic Woman (.....). However, Life, which many thought would be cancelled, has been renewed.

There will be a new version of Knight Rider. Val Kilmer will be KITT. The Hoff will not be on it. 30 Rock has been picked up for another full season (YES!)

One of the new shows is Crusoe, based on Robinson Crusoe. Hmm... apparently Lost hasn't pushed enough boundaries with a group of people on a possessed and mysterious island, so NBC is going back to the idea of one guy on an island. With no smoke monster, Ben Linus, or polar bears.