NBC Reportedly Considering Major Move for Its Weeknight Schedule

By Andrew Roberts

NBC might be giving some viewers flashbacks with the network's proposed plans for its 10 p.m. hour. There are differences, though, with the network possibly giving up the hour to local affiliates instead of trying to program the third hour of prime-time television.

According to TV Line, the network may start to stop showing programming during the 10-11 pm hour and give it to local TV stations to program themselves. That is seven hours per week that would fall into the laps of local advertisers and personalities. But it also means that The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon will likely be on the move within the schedule.

This is where the traumas of the past come into play. The last time the network really fiddled with its 10 p.m. formula came a little over a decade ago when Jay Leno made the move to 10 p.m. and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien was left to pick up pieces after a local news broadcast that was feeling the lack of lead-in viewership. The situation ended with O'Brien leaving the network and his role as the Tonight Show host, allowing Jay Leno to return and eventually hand over to Jimmy Fallon without incident.

The circumstances are much different with the current situation, with The Tonight Show still appearing on the "night" portion of the schedule and NBC hopefully shedding the negatives from some of their viewing numbers.

If NBC does ditch its 10 p.m. hour, numerous series will be affected and a lot of history will be leaned on to support the decision. Shows like Law & Order and E.R. have long been hits in the old schedules. It has also been the home of news magazine shows like Dateline, riding the wave of success from the true crime boom.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the talks about the change are preliminary and NBC has not discussed any firm plan with its affiliate board. If things were in motion, though, the outlet says the earliest changes could happen would be fall of 2023.

"We are always looking at strategies to ensure that our broadcast business remains as strong as possible," a spokesperson told the outlet. "As a company, our advantage lies in our ability to provide audiences with the content they love across broadcast, cable and streaming."

It would only be the latest change to network strategies for their content on terrestrial television. According to WSJ, NBC has been leaning into changes for a while now. The move away from sitcoms and into sports or reality programs viewers will watch live has already put a dent in traditional methods. Now with streaming and live streaming from networks, as we'll see with Dancing With the Stars, it'll be interesting to see what other changes are in the pipeline.

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