NBC Not Airing ‘Timeless’ and ‘Genius Junior’ Sunday Night

NBC will not air an episodes of Timeless and Genius Junior on Tuesday night.

Listings show that the network will instead air Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert and an episode of Dateline NBC in their places.

The live musical event will begin at 8 p.m. ET and run until 10:20 p.m. ET. Dateline NBC will air a new episode immediately afterwards until 11 p.m. ET.

Dateline NBC‘s usual 7 p.m. ET slot will be filled by Little Big Shots, which in turn was shifted from its 8 p.m ET time slot to lead into Jesus Christ Superstar.

No official reason for network’s programming decision was given, but the move was expected. Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert has the potential to rack up big ratings for the network so clearing space for the show was essential. Little Big Shots will serve as a proven lead-in to catch some eyes and carrying them over into showtime.

Both Timeless and Genius Junior will return on April 8 with brand new episodes.

The Timeless episode is entitled “The Salem Witch Hunt” and features a historical tale involving witch trials.

As TV Guide reports, the synopsis reads, “While Wyatt sneaks away to face an unbelievable truth, Lucy, Rufus and Garcia chase the Mothership to the Salem Witch Trials. There they must prevent the execution of the mother to the yet to be born Benjamin Franklin. When Lucy is accused of being a witch, the team rallies together to save all the accused women.”

The new episode of Genuis Junior will be typical game show fare, with host Neil Patrick Harris quizzing a group of gifted kids.

“It’s a remarkably watchable game show pitting two teams of smart 8 to 12-year-olds against each other, and I rattle off questions,” Harris recently told Newsweek. “It’s not trivia based—it’s more spelling, math, memory recall. They accomplish cerebral feats that are uncanny, even for adults.”

Harris seems to be giving his all to Genius Junior, as he hopes the show appeals to audiences of all ages.

“I love game shows, I’ve hosted on NBC before and I used to play a child who was very smart. I was an appropriate man to helm the ship,” he said. “I’ve been trying to do content that can be appreciated by more than one demographic. As a parent myself, I get that time spent in front of a screen is best served together. Parents can watch Genius Junior and feel amazed and ineffective, and kids can feel inspired. And hopefully, kids respond to the celebration of education and take that enthusiasm back to school. So be sure to watch on Sundays—it’s certainly better than American Idol!”

When it is not an off-week, Genius Junior airs at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Timeless directly follows it at 10 p.m. ET.

Photo Credit: NBC / Chris Haston