NBC unveiled their slate of programs for the 2009-2010 season this morning.  Six new pilots were picked up (two comedies, four dramas).  NBC failed to concoct an actual day-by-day schedule for the Fall - they are expected to release that schedule within a couple of weeks.  Not mentioned during NBC's announcement this morning were the likes of Chuck, Medium, My Name is Earl, Law & Order and Life.  Some of those series could get picked up for mid-season.  As of right now, the fall schedule looks filled to the brim, especially when you consider that Jay Leno's new show will be taking up five hours of prime-time per week.  For Chuck fans, the wait continues, although the forecast isn't terribly bright.  Shows picked up for next season include Parks and Recreation, Southland and Heroes.  NBC has also ordered six more episodes of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday for the Fall. 

Here's a rundown of the six new shows from NBC:

From NBC's official press release:

Construction con-man found dead in house with no roof.

A man is found beaten and shot dead with a mouth full of money in a house with no roof.  Crews (Damian Lewis) and Reese (Sarah Shahi) begin their investigation and discover the victim was running an elaborate construction scam that left his clients without roofs or money.  While interviewing the duped customers, they meet an eccentric man with a violent streak and the intimidating son of an old woman with a long rap sheet.  The detectives work to figure out if either of these men could be the murderer.  Meanwhile, Crews has a confrontation with Mickey Rayborn (William Atherton) which sheds some light on the conspiracy against him.

From NBC's official press release:

Metal heads collide when the lead singer of a cover band is killed.

When the lead singer of a heavy metal cover band is suffocated to death, Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis) and Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi) are on the hunt to find the killer.  Crews and Reese question the remaining band members and learn that the previous front man had a bone to pick with the now dead singer after he was kicked out of the band. They track down the former front man who seems to have a legitimate alibi and their lead goes cold.  The investigation then takes an interesting turn when the detectives stumble across a homeless man who appears to be a groupie. Could this groupie have been responsible for the murder?  Meanwhile, Crews learns his father's wedding to Olivia (Christina Hendricks) has been called off.

While it seems that NBC is having trouble picking which shows to keep, the stars of their very own detective drama are talking amongst themselves.  Life’s Damian Lewis and Donal Logue gave a recent interview about their time on the show.  From the characters they play to those they interact with, the two actors have a lot to spill about Life.

The story isn’t your usual cop show, even though it deals with a falsely accused police officer seeking retribution.  It may sound pretty familiar, but it’s always the characters that make the series stand out.  We have on our screens Charlie Crews, who took a different turn after being incarcerated for 12 years.  Instead of being angry about his experience, he decided to become, in a word, Zen.  As he gets on with his life and solves crimes (typical detective work), he is joined by the crew consisting of partner Dani Reese (Sarah Shai), ex-con Ted Early (Adam Arkin) and his new boss Captain Kevin Tidwell (Donal Logue). 

Earlier this morning, NBC issued a press release announcing their mid-season schedule for January 2009.  The biggest omissions for January are Chuck, Heroes, Life and My Own Worst Enemy.  All of those shows, except for the recently canceled My Own Worst Enemy, will return in February. NBC was very clear in making this point.  In addition to a brand new Monday night slate for the month of January, there are also some new NBC specials poised to hit the air, including two new Saturday Night Live prime-time specials.  Friday Night Lights, which has been airing its third season exclusively on DirecTV, will make its return to Fridays on NBC in January, as we reported earlier. 

Hauling it away from the dark Friday pit it got stuck in, NBC's Life is back on track.  In the hopes of shooting up the ratings, the series received a full-season order to boot.  Last year it registered 8 million viewers, but it went a couple steps low on the scale.  It obtained an average of 6 million this season, but NBC is surely sticking by its side. 

As it centers on the life of Detective Charlie Crews (Damien Lewis), there are more stories to tell.  He's waited twelve years in prison for freedom, and it's doubtless he'll bring on the cop thrills.