• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, 5 hours ago

A “Rockford Files” reboot at NBC and a “Family Guy” spinoff on Fox focusing on the talking baby Stewie were two of the standout highlights of the new content announcements at the two companies’ Upfronts on Monday.

The new “Rockford,” slated to premiere next January and starring David Boreanaz, was one of four new scripted shows -- two dramas and two comedies -- announced by NBC for next season.

The announcements came during a sprawling Upfront event at NBCUniversal’s customary venue -- Radio City Music Hall -- in which the overriding theme was NBC’s 100th anniversary.

That theme was taken up at the outset of the nearly two-hour presentation by Mark Marshall, chairman of global advertising and partnerships for NBCU.

In promoting the centennial of the company, Marshall positioned the word “legacy” as an asset, not a negative.

“For 100 years, NBC has shaped culture by creating moments that capture attention and build fandom at scale alongside our advertising partners,” Marshall said on stage (photo above).

“That legacy is our foundation and continues to guide how we show up for consumers and brands today,” he said.

The NBCU Upfront devoted ample time to promoting most -- if not all -- of its content platforms, including NBC, Peacock, NBC News, Telemundo, Bravo and NBC Sports.

The Upfront even devoted time to the Versant cable networks that NBCU used to own -- USA Network, MSNOW, E! and CNBC. NBCU still handles ad sales for the spun-off cable channels.

In addition to “The Rockford Files” -- the well-remembered James Garner detective series of the 1970s -- NBC’s other new drama series is “Line of Fire,” centered on a multigenerational family of federal law-enforcement agents who investigate a conspiracy that may involve some of their own, according to a clip shown at the Upfront.

“Line of Fire” will join the NBC lineup this fall Monday nights at 10 Eastern.

NBC’s two new comedies are “Sunset P.I.,” a one-camera, docu-style sitcom starring Keith David as the head of a small L.A. detective agency, and “Newlyweds,” a middle-aged rom-com starring Tim Daly and Tea Leoni.

Two new Peacock dramas promoted at the Upfront were “The Good Daughter,” about a pair of estranged grown-up sisters (Rose Byrne and Meghan Fahy) still coping with a night of violence from years earlier, and “Crystal Lake,” starring Linda Cardellini, described as an origin-story prequel to the “Friday the 13th” horror movies.

Two new comedies were also announced for Peacock -- “Dig,” starring Amy Poehler and Hugh Laurie, about an archaeological dig in Greece; and a new entry in Seth MacFarlane’s growing “Ted” universe -- “Ted: The Animated Series.” 

Yes, Ted the talking teddy bear is now a cartoon. The voice-cast includes Mark Wahlberg, star of the original “Ted” movies, and Amanda Seyfried.

Vin Diesel, star of the “Fast & Furious” movies, came onstage to announce that at least four “F&F” TV series are in the works for Peacock.

USA Network, now part of Versant, will have a new drama series produced by Lea Thompson. 

The show, titled “Anna Pigeon,” stars Tracy Spiridakos (formerly of “Chicago P.D.”) as a National Park ranger and crime investigator.

Other new shows announced at the NBCU Upfront include “Cocktail Wars,” a bartending reality-competition show coming to E! hosted by ’N Sync members Lance Bass and Joey Fatone.

One other show announced Monday for NBC was announced earlier in the day on “The Today Show” -- a game-show adaptation of the popular New York Times word game “Wordle,” produced by Jimmy Fallon and hosted by Savannah Guthrie.

Meanwhile, the “Family Guy” spinoff at Fox, titled simply “Stewie,” will have the acerbic talking baby of the Griffin family getting expelled from his preschool and forced to enroll in a new one where Stewie soon makes his presence known. The show will not likely be seen until 2027, Fox said.

Among the announcements of new Fox shows, the one that made the biggest splash was Fox’s reboot of the southern California lifeguard drama “Baywatch,” starring an all-new cast of beautiful men and women in red bathing suits. The show premieres next January.

Fox announced another drama for next season -- “The Interrogator,” starring British actor Stephen Fry as an eccentric and uncanny interrogator and profiler of suspected criminals who is overseen by a veteran CIA agent played by Jenna Elfman. 

Fox also officially announced a show that goes in the opposite direction of “Baywatch,” its reboot of “Highway to Heaven,” the wholesome 1980s series that starred Michael Landon as an angel. Fox expects the new “Highway to Heaven” to premiere in 2027.