NBC ‘s Summer Abounds With Unscripted and Re-Purposed Shows – But Only A Single First-Run Scripted Series!

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NBC released its summer schedule today and surprise! It’s mostly unscripted [reality] shows! The lone scripted programming will be new episodes of the re-tooled Law & Order: Los Angeles. Re-purposed shows are: the final season of Friday Night Lights – fresh from its final season run on DirecTV, and the final season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent – fresh from its run on USA Network. The news unscripted shows are: It’s Worth What? And Love In The Wild. Returning shows include The Voice and America’s Got Talent. Sounds pretty weak to me. Details follow the jump.

New honcho Bob Greenblatt prefaced the details with this, ‘We want to make it clear that NBC considers the summer as an important part of its overall season and will continue to offer a varied lineup of original programs,” said Greenblatt. ‘Our viewers will have plenty of options with new series such as ‘It’s Worth What?’ and ‘Love in the Wild’ as well as continuing shows such as ‘The Voice’ plus returning favorites like ‘America’s Got Talent.’ We even have scripted series such as ‘Friday Night Lights,’ and episodes of two separate ‘Law and Order’ franchises as we build momentum toward the fall season.’

America’s Got Talent – television’s top-rated summer series – will premiere its sixth season on Tuesday, May 31 (9-11 p.m. ET) with a two-hour broadcast. After its debut, the series will resume its run on Tuesdays (9-10 p.m. ET) from June 7 through June 28. The series then will begin two-hour Tuesday editions (9-11 p.m. ET) starting July 5 until September 6. America’s Got Talent will debut its Wednesday broadcasts on June 1 (9-10 p.m. ET) — and will continue on that night through September 7.
On Tuesday, September 13, America’s Got Talent returns to one hour (9-10 p.m. ET) for its penultimate episode before returning for its season finale on the next night – Wednesday, September 14 (9-11 p.m. ET).

NBC will premiere It’s Worth What? (day and time TBA), a new alternative series hosted by comedian Cedric The Entertainer (The Steve Harvey Show, The Original Kings of Comedy). It’s Worth What? is a game show that taps into America’s love for cost and value, such as the hidden gems found in one’s attic. A pair of contestants is taken through a series of challenges that escalate in level of difficulty. As a result, they are tasked with discerning the price of the items in each round. If they successfully complete the challenges, contestants can win up to $1 million.

The Marriage Ref returns Sunday, June 26 [10/9C] with Jerry Seinfeld back and in the producer’s chair for an all-new and improved second season. In this revealing comedy panel series, real-life married couples take center stage as their quirky, funny, and relatable disputes are explored, examined — and ultimately judged. New for this season, couples will appear in-studio and face a panel of “experts” composed of top celebrities and comedians who weigh in and decide which spouse is right. This will give couples something they have always wanted but have never had — a clear winner.

At the end of each episode, the studio audience will vote to make one of the winners The Rightest of the Right. That person will receive $25,000 and their own billboard, in their hometown, declaring they are right.

The Voice debuts Tuesday, April 26 (9-11 p.m. ET) and will continue with new episodes through the end of June. On The Voice, four famous musician coaches — Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton — will each select singers to mentor into artists during the blind auditions. Once they have their teams, the star coaches will bring in their personal songwriters, producers, and high-powered friends to help their teams evolve. Ultimately, America will decide which singer will be worthy of the grand prize.

Still Standing is a unique and thrilling game show designed to keep both contestants and viewers on their toes. The new competitive series is based on the hit Israeli series of the same title, which offers contestants the chance to win by out-guessing 10 opponents in 10 fast-paced and dramatic trivia battles. At the start of the game, each player stands behind a coin whose value ranges between $1.00 and $50,000. The value of the coin is hidden from the players, however, and will not be revealed until one of them loses and drops out of the game – literally – through the trapdoor in the studio floor on which he or she is standing.

Love in the Wild is an exciting new – adventure dating series that will put relationships to the ultimate test. Ten single men and 10 single women, all looking for love, will experience a romantic adventure unlike anything they could have ever imagined. The series will follow them as they head deep into the remote jungles of Costa Rica, paddle down crocodile-infested waters, navigate through bat infested caves, and hang 200 feet above the rain forest floor as they descend down one of the most majestic waterfalls all in the hope of finding that special someone.
During an elimination unlike anything seen before, the couples will come together to reveal whether a connection has formed with their current partner — or if they would like to switch and get to know someone else. At the end of every episode, two heartbroken singles will be sent home. The series will culminate with one couple left standing, who will have completed the adventure of a lifetime and found the one thing they’ve been looking for – Love in the Wild.

Photo by Chris Haston/Courtesy of NBC.