• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, May 15, 2007

NBC will give us five new shows next season -- but maybe it really wanted to give us six or seven. These are the network's new economics at work.

The four dramas ("Journeyman," "Chuck," "The Bionic Woman" and "Life") and a reality/competition show called "The Singing Bee," will get the help of three larger-size returning shows , "My Name is Earl," "The Office," and "Heroes."

Those shows will have more than the traditional 22 episodes in a season: 25 for "Earl" are scheduled; 30 half-hours that include five hourly episodes for "The Office" will run; and there will be 30 hours of "Heroes," which include six prequel episodes.

NBC went this route to help stem the loss of audiences who seem to increasingly drift away during reruns. If the network had not offered this new extended programming, it would have had to develop at least one or two more new programs -- which are a lot harder to schedule and market.

By adding more hours to established shows, NBC takes a safe route -- as well as adding valuable original gross rating points to sell to advertisers this upfront.  It does this also without going into the sometimes-troubling spinoff arena.

How can you argue with that?

Additionally, in keeping with NBC Universal's chief effort to offer up less-expensive programming in early evening time slots, NBC has four games starting at 8 p.m. -- "Deal or No Deal" on two nights, Monday and Wednesday; "The Biggest Loser" on Tuesday; and "1 vs 100/The Singing Bee" on Fridays. News magazine "Dateline NBC," has two opens -- Saturday and Sunday. 

Only on the highly competitive Thursday night does NBC take a chance with starting with a scripted show, "Earl," at 8 p.m.

In years past networks in NBC's position, those in the cellar, have started up as many as eight, nine or ten shows, shaking up every night of the week -- like what ABC did a few years ago.

NBC looks smart, and if its strategy is successful, it will make the strategists look like heroes around the office.