What's on tap at NBC this fall? Three new series, Big Ten football, strike-proof shows

 NBC is adding three new series this fall, including a drama starring Jesse L. Martin ("Law & Order") and a sitcom featuring Jon Cryer ("Two and a Half Men").

The network is also bulking up on sports with Big Ten college football games on Saturdays, joining "Sunday Night Football." And it will reduce from six to five the number of fall series produced by Dick Wolf, who's behind the "Chicago" and "Law & Order" franchises, as "Law & Order: Organized Crime" is benched until midseason.

Among four endangered comedies "on the bubble," the network has renewed only one, freshman George Lopez comedy "Lopez vs. Lopez," which voters in USA TODAY's Save Our Shows poll most wanted to be canceled. (It will sit out in the fall and return next year.) But the network says it will decide by June 30 which (if any) of the others – "American Auto," "Grand Crew" and "Young Rock" – will be renewed, pending additional new comedy candidates.

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The new shows are "The Irrational," a drama starring "Law & Order" and Broadway veteran Jesse L. Martin as a behavioral scientist who works on high-stakes cases, based on Dan Ariely’s novel “Predictably Irrational"; "Found," a missing-persons drama starring Shanola Hampton as a public relations specialist who looks out for them while hiding her own secret; and "Extended Family," a sitcom starring Cryer and Abigail Spencer as a divorced couple still sharing the family home and kids.  

Like other networks announcing new schedules this month ahead of the "upfront" ad-sales season, NBC's fall plans are contingent on a settlement in the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike (two other unions' contracts expire June 30). If it persists, as many expect, traditional late September rollouts could be delayed. But NBC is in a stronger position than most: All three new series, along with returning series "Quantum Leap" and "Night Court," were picked up or renewed early and have been in production.

"Those will all be fine if there's a long strike," says Jeff Bader, president of program planning and strategy for NBCUniversal's entertainment networks. "We actually do have a good start" to the fall season.

"La Brea," "Magnum, P.I." and more unscripted reality or game shows scheduled to return in midseason also produced new episodes before the strike and could be moved up to fall, Bader says.

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NBC's schedule of returning shows is mostly stable: "Quantum Leap" will remain behind "The Voice" – which loses original coach Blake Shelton this month – but moves to Tuesdays.

NBC's fall schedule

Monday: 8, The Voice; 10, The Irrational

Tuesday: 8, Night Court; 8:30, Extended Family; 9, The Voice; 10, Quantum Leap

Wednesday: 8, Chicago Med; 9, Chicago Fire; 10, Chicago PD

Thursday: 8, Law & Order; 9, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; 10, Found

Friday: 8, The Wall; 9, Dateline NBC

Saturday: 7, Big Ten/Notre Dame pregame; 7:30, Big Ten Saturday Night/Notre Dame Football

Sunday 7, Football Night in America; 8:20, Sunday Night Football

(All times EDT/PDT except sports; new shows in bold; new time slots in italics.)