TV Bulletin Board (Mon., Nov. 15) -- NBC's new midseason schedule will make it wall-to-wall comedy on Thursdays

By ED BARK
Downtrodden NBC will try anew in January with a heavily jumbled midseason lineup that turns Thursdays over entirely to comedy, moves the made-in-North Texas Chase from Mondays to Wednesdays and premieres a new sci fi-ish cop series, The Cape.

The latter series will temporarily supplant The Event on Monday nights at 8 p.m. (central) after a two-hour sneak preview on Sunday, Jan. 9th.

NBC's three other newcomers are the legal drama Harry's Law (from Boston Legal/The Practice creator David E. Kelley), a sitcom titled Perfect Couples and a reality-competition series, America's Next Great Restaurant.

Perfect Couples, which NBC bills as the "heroic journey" of three pairs of twosomes, is being slotted on Thursday nights between Community and The Office. It will mark the first three-hour, all-comedy network lineup since CBS' 1977 Saturday night schedule of The Bob Newhart Show, We've Got Each Other, The Jeffersons, The Tony Randall Show and The Carol Burnett Show.

NBC's Thursday 9 p.m. hour, currently occupied by The Apprentice and previously home base for the likes of ER, L.A. Law and Hill Street Blues, will be filled by 30 Rock (already renewed for next season) and Outsourced. The new schedule launches on Jan. 20th.

Returning in midseason are Parks and Recreation, The Marriage Ref, Who Do You Think You Are?, Celebrity Apprentice and Minute to Win It. As previously reported, the freshman series Outlaw and Undercovers are goners. School Pride also is being junked.

Chase, starring Kelli Giddish as the head of a Texas-based team of U.S. Marshals, will be supplanted on Mondays at 9 p.m. by the new Harry's Law, which co-stars two-time Oscar-winner Kathy Bates.

In its new Wednesday slot (beginning Jan. 12th), Chase will air at 8 p.m. between Minute to Win It and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

The Cape stars David Lyons (ER) as an honest cop on a corrupt force who's framed for a series of murders and then presumed dead. Instead he re-emerges in disguise as his son's favorite comic book hero. Summer Glau, from Fox's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, co-stars as an "investigative blogger" named Orwell.

Here's NBC's night-by-night midseason schedule -- which can be kind of dizzying. All times are central.

MONDAY
7 p.m. -- Chuck
8 p.m. -- The Cape, beginning on Jan. 17th after the Sunday Jan. 9th sneak preview. The Event will then return at this hour on Feb. 28th.
9 p.m. -- Harry's Law, starting on Jan. 17th before Parenthood switches from Tuesdays on March 7th.

TUESDAY
7 to 9 p.m. -- The Biggest Loser
9 p.m. -- Parenthood for four episodes before Law & Order: Los Angeles supplants it on Feb. 8th.

WEDNESDAY
7 p.m. -- Minute to Win It, starting Jan. 5th
8 p.m. -- Chase, beginning Jan. 12th until America's Next Great Restaurant replaces it on March 16th.
9 p.m. -- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, on Jan. 12th after a two-hour episode the week before.

THURSDAY (with the entire schedule taking effect on Jan. 20th)
7 p.m. -- Community
7:30 p.m. -- Perfect Couples
8 p.m. -- The Office
8:30 p.m. -- Parks and Recreation
9 p.m. -- 30 Rock
9:30 p.m. -- Outsourced

FRIDAY
7 p.m. -- Who Do You Think You Are?, starting on Jan. 21st
8 to 10 p.m. -- Dateline NBC, on Jan. 7th

SATURDAY
7 to 10 p.m. -- various reruns

SUNDAY
6 p.m. -- Dateline NBC as usual
7 p.m. -- The Marriage Ref, starting March 6th
8 to 10 p.m. -- The Celebrity Apprentice, also on March 6th