It turns out NBC’s This Is Us won’t be going into the untested Thursday waters.
The network on Tuesday revised its fall schedule, and the much-hyped move for the breakout drama is no longer part of the plan. This Is Us will remain in the Tuesday 9 p.m. time slot that worked so well for it during its freshman run.
With the announcement, NBC is shuffling its Thursday lineup significantly with Will & Grace no longer opening the night. The revival will now debut at 9 p.m. Chicago Fire is also shifting to 10 p.m. instead of Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders. That will still get a This Is Us lead-in, only on Tuesdays.
Comedies Superstore, The Good Place and Great News will also join Will & Grace on the Thursday night sked, giving the network its first two-hour comedy block in several years. The foursome will face plenty of competition come fall with CBS’ Thursday Night Football and, eventually, The Big Bang Theory, as well as ABC’s TGIT drama block.
Tuesdays
8 p.m. ET/PT – The Voice
9 p.m. – This Is Us
10 p.m. – Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders
Thursdays
8 p.m. – Superstore
8:30 p.m. – The Good Place
9 p.m. – Will & Grace
9:30 p.m. – Great News
10 p.m. – Chicago Fire
It’s not immediately clear how this will affect the network’s big upfront pitch to revive its “Must-See TV” advertising slogan for Thursdays. The Will & Grace revival is clearly going to get a big push, but the No. 1 drama no longer being part of the play takes some wind out of its sails.
