[02.27.07 - 10:43 AM]
NBC.COM PREVIEWS MID-SEASON SERIES AND STREAMS FOUR NEW NBC PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
Released by NBC

[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

Some New Mid-season Series Will Stream Before Broadcast, Including "Andy Barker, P.I." and "Raines"; Bonus Episodes of "The Black Donnellys" and "Andy Barker, P.I." to Be Web-exclusives

BURBANK, Calif. -- February 27, 2007 -- NBC.com today announced plans to stream NBC's upcoming new mid-season primetime series -- "The Black Donnellys," "Andy Barker, P.I." and "Raines." In addition, in an innovative promotion, NBC.com will be streaming all produced episodes of "Andy Barker" as well as the "Raines" pilot before their broadcast dates. The site also will have bonus episodes of "The Black Donnellys" and "Andy Barker" which will be Web-exclusives. The popular primetime series "Medium" and the alternative series "Identity" will also begin streaming in March.

The announcements were made by Vivi Zigler, Executive Vice President NBC Digital Entertainment and New Media.

"Consumers are responding enthusiastically and in great numbers to our streaming," said Zigler. "Our research is telling us that our users are finding it convenient and easy to view our programming on NBC.com and, in most cases, are treating our site like their own DVR."

Additionally, this spring, NBC.com will offer viewers a chance to catch up on the full season of both "Heroes" and "Friday Night Lights" by streaming all episodes, beginning with the pilots of each program.

With the addition of these four shows, NBC.com will offer full episode streaming of 13 primetime and daytime series. Streaming programming includes "The Apprentice," "Heroes," "30 Rock," "Las Vegas," "Friday Night Lights," "Passions," "Studio 60," "My Name Is Earl," "Identity," "Medium" and the new mid-season offerings.

NBC earlier announced that the mid-season drama "Raines" will debut on Thursday, March 15 (10-11 p.m. ET) followed by a second episode on March 22 before the series settles in its regular day and time on Friday, March 30 (9-10 p.m. ET).

Emmy Award-winning executive producer-writer Graham Yost ("Band of Brothers," "From the Earth to the Moon," "Boomtown") and star Jeff Goldblum ("The Lost World: Jurassic Park," "Independence Day," "The Fly") combine forces in "Raines," an inventive police drama that blends traditional noir storytelling with humor and intrigue. Eccentric LAPD Detective Michael Raines (Goldblum) uses his unique imagination to focus on every murder case in such a way that the murder victims actually begin to take shape in front of him. At first, he thinks he's losing his mind, but he then uses the constantly evolving hallucinations -- which are figments of his imagination and not ghosts -- to help him discover the victims' killers. Raines struggles to accept this peculiar gift -- or burden -- and reconcile it with his daily life. Also prominent in Raines' life are his understanding boss, Captain Daniel Lewis (Matt Craven, "From the Earth to the Moon"); an antagonistic uniformed officer, Remi Boyer (Dov Davidoff, "Third Watch"); Boyer's long-suffering partner, Officer Michelle Lance (Linda Park, "Star Trek: Enterprise"); sharp-tongued civilian employee, Carolyn Crumley (Nicole Sullivan, "MADtv"); his former partner, Charlie Lincoln (Malik Yoba, "Thief"); and therapist, Samantha Kohl (Madeleine Stowe, "The Last of the Mohicans," "We Were Soldiers"). "Raines" is from NBC Universal Television Studio.

The new comedy "Andy Barker, P.I.," starring Andy Richter, will debut on Thursday, March 15 (9:30-10 p.m. ET).

Andy Richter ("Late Night with Conan O'Brien") re-teams with Conan O'Brien (series co-creator and executive producer) in this comedy as he portrays Andy Barker, an earnest, hard-working CPA who has succeeded at everything -- until his new accounting business fails to take off. But when he's mistaken for Lew Staziak (Harve Presnell, "Fargo"), the retired private detective who used to occupy his storefront office, Andy embraces the twist of fate and dives into his double life. Andy's relentlessly supportive wife Jen (Clea Lewis, "Ellen") isn't sold on this risky new venture, that is, until she notices a sudden boost in Andy's self-confidence. Andy's fellow strip mall neighbors -- Simon (Tony Hale, "Arrested Development") and Wally (Marshall Manesh, "Will & Grace") join him in the dicey investigations. The comedy series was created by O'Brien and former "Late Night" head writer Jonathan Groff ("Ed"), who executive-produce the series with Jeff Ross and David Kissinger. "Andy Barker, P.I." is from NBC Universal Television Studio and Conaco. The pilot was directed by Jason Ensler ("The West Wing").

"The Black Donnellys" will premiere on Monday, February 26 (10-11 p.m. ET) -- following the hit drama "Heroes" (9-10 p.m. ET)

Academy Award winners Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco ("Crash") are the creators of "The Black Donnellys," a gritty new crime-drama series filmed in New York City and loosely based on Moresco's background. The show follows the exploits of four young, working-class Irish-American brothers and their involvement in organized crime in New York City. The Donnelly brothers will do anything to protect each other against all odds. The ensemble cast includes Kirk Acevedo, Thomas Guiry, Billy Lush, Keith Nobbs, Michael Stahl-David, Jonathan Tucker and Olivia Wilde. The pilot was directed by Haggis, who also wrote the Academy Award-winning "Million Dollar Baby." Haggis and Moresco are the creators and executive producers. The series is a production of NBC Universal Television Studio in association with Blackfriars Bridge Productions.

"Identity" is an exhilarating game show from Reveille, the producers of NBC's "The Office," "The Biggest Loser" and "Ugly Betty" where contestants size up a group of strangers in an effort to match their identities and win a top prize of $500,000. The ultimate mind game is hosted by Emmy Award-winning comedian/magician Penn Jillette (Penn & Teller). In this intense game of impulse and reasoning where keen perception and instincts can lead to big money, each new contestant faces 12 new strangers and a list of 12 new identities. The game unfolds as the contestant picks an identity - ranging anywhere from a profession to a shoe size - and tries to match it with one of the 12 strangers. The amount of money the contestant accumulates increases with each correctly identified stranger. If all 12 are matched up correctly, the player is rewarded with the top prize of $500,000. Reveille's Ben Silverman and H.T. Owens ("Nashville Star", "Date My Mom") serve as executive producers along with Andrew Golder ("Win Ben Stein's Money," "Solitary") and Tim Puntillo ("Friend or Foe," "Fight for Fame"). Mark Koops and Chris Grant of Reveille serve as co-executive producers. "Identity" is a production of Reveille.