• by Wayne Friedman , May 15, 2007

NBC has one plan for fall--give viewers more bang for their prime-time buck--more scripted dramas this season, and more episodes of favorite shows.

One of its major efforts is pairing "Journeyman" on Mondays at 10 p.m. as a lead-out to "Heroes." The new show is about a San Francisco newspaper reporter who inexplicably begins to travel through time and alter people's lives. For "Heroes," NBC will offer 24 new hours--two more than the usual 22 for a network show, as well as six "Heroes: Origins" episodes--sort of a prequel to the original show.

NBC will also air 30 episodes of its critically acclaimed "The Office," five of which will be one-hour episodes. NBC's other big comedy, "My Name is Earl," will be bumped up to 25 episodes. "It makes sense to keep shows out of repeats these days," says Kevin Reilly, president of NBC Entertainment. "It's the long hiatuses where you get into trouble."

NBC's biggest change of the week comes on Wednesday night, when the net debuts two new dramas: "Bionic Woman," at 9 p.m., riffing off of the 1970s classic. Starring Michelle Ryan from "EastEnders," the show is about a hard-luck bartender who has a devastating car accident leaving her close to death. Thanks to cutting-edge and top-secret technology, she can live a new life.

At 10 p.m. comes "Life," a drama about a snarky detective who is given a second chance. Damian Lewis, from "Band of Brothers," stars as a complex, offbeat detective who returns to the force after years in prison. "Chuck" will air on Tuesdays at 9 p.m., a comedic spy thriller about a computer geek who mysteriously has governmental top secrets embedded into his brain.

Responding to concern that too much science-fiction-type shows could water down NBC's success with "Heroes," Reilly says the new slate of dramas "all have distinct tones and hooks."

After many rumors about the "Law & Order" franchise departing for a cable home, NBC has decided to keep the show for another year. Hopefully, the show gets a better 8 p.m. Sunday time slot, moving it from the generally lesser-viewed Friday night. "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" will get an unusual deal: Original episodes go to NBC's sister USA Network, with NBC getting reruns later in the year.

Also on Friday, NBC looks to program a "Sex and the City"-type show with "Lipstick Jungle" from Candace Bushnell, who wrote the original "Sex and the City" column and was the inspiration for the HBO show. The dramedy follows three high-powered New York City friends.

NBC's Thursday-night comedy lineup stays the same: "My Name is Earl," "30 Rock," "The Office," "Scrubs." Although ratings for comedies are still struggling, Reilly says all have loyal audiences.

Jerry Seinfeld will return to the network--sort of--with 20 "minisodes," short comedy clips riffing off the upcoming DreamWorks film "Bee Movie," which features Seinfeld as a disillusioned bee. "It's another opportunity for advertisers to get involved," says Reilly, who didn't go into details about how the clips will be sold.

NBC shows that didn't make the cut: "Studio City on the Sunset Strip, "The Black Donnellys" and "The Apprentice." Reilly added that the "Apprentice" has an outside chance of returning later in the year.