Fall may be coming early this year for NBC. Or the TV season might, anyway. With the Peacock set to present the London Olympics this summer, they'll likely want to use the event to garner attention to some of their new and returning programming, and fill the gap between the Games and the start of the fall season by giving some shows a head start. It's a logical strategy, and one that could benefit some shows, including Grimm.
Deadline reported that NBC's considering bringing Grimm back for Season 2 in August to air following the network's Olympics coverage. The supernatural procedural series was renewed for Season 2 back in March, so news that it's returning isn't especially new, but fans would likely appreciate it if the series returned sooner rather than later, and some advertising for the show's return certainly couldn't hurt Grimm's ratings.
Also being eyed for an early premiere is the new comedy series Go On, which received an early pick-up to series. The single-camera comedy is set to star Matthew Perry as "an irreverent yet charming sportscaster" who suffers a loss and seeks comfort from people in a mandatory support group.
More recently, Deadline has reported that NBC's also considering early starts for Save Me and The New Normal. Save Me stars Anne Heche as a woman who suffers some kind of accident, after which she believes she's channelling God. Meanwhile, The New Normal is a comedy co-written by Ryan Murphy and Ali Adler and stars a gay couple (played by Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha), and a "cash-strapped waitress" (played by Georgia King) who agrees to be their surrogate.
I have high hopes for The New Normal, due in part to my interest in Murphy's projects, and my appreciation for Andrew Rannells, who's not only among the original cast of the Tony award winning Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, but also delivered a great, but too-brief performance in last Sunday night's episode of Girls, playing Hannah's recently-out ex-boyfriend Elijah. As neither of these two projects have been greenlighted to series, this is certainly interesting news, as it suggests that things are looking good for both of them. In fact, Deadline's sources say New Normal has been given the go-ahead to start staffing. That seems like a very good sign.
