NBC schedule shakeup: "Life" gets paroled

Law and order to the rescue!

NBC is the first network to shake up its fall lineup, rebranding Wednesdays as a crime night.

A new midweek drama block will consist of "Knight Rider" and "Life," as well as the return of midseason replacement "Law & Order" to its traditional time period. The new Wednesday lineup debuts Nov. 5 and will mark the 19th season premiere for "L&O."

"Lipstick Jungle," which has been under-performing on Wednesdays at 10 p.m., is shifting to Friday nights starting Oct. 31 -- effectively swapping places with "Life."

Also, NBC is moving the premiere of Ryan Seacrest's reality series "Momma's Boys." The program will premiere after the finale of "Biggest Loser" on Dec. 16, then will move to Mondays at 9 p.m., taking over the "Heroes" time period during the action drama's winter hiatus.

The shakeup represents a real second-chance (third chance?) for "Life." It's rare for a drama to get banished to airless Friday nights, then climb back out to midweek.

As previously noted, NBC plugging a leak with "Life" makes sense as CBS crime procedurals are among the few genres holding their water during this difficult season. Also as previously noted, the Wednesdays at 9 p.m. slot is weak, and "there's room for a new drama here to rule the mob." "Life" was earning about a 2.7 rating after "Heroes," then fell sharply when moved to Fridays at 10 p.m.

Though "Life" will have a tough time against CBS' "Criminal Minds," the show now has hope once again for a pickup should it perform competitively (and the bar for what's "competitive" has been lowering faster than a limbo stick this season).

From the release:

"These moves will play to the shows' mutual strengths and will help us to reinforce our lineup," said NBC co-chairs Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff.  "A Wednesday night with wall-to-wall satisfying mysteries and great dramas -- paced by the return of the original 'Law & Order' to its home on Wednesdays – will provide creative continuity that night.  Fridays will feature escapist drama with 'Lipstick Jungle' joining 'Crusoe.'  Additionally, this strategy for 'Momma's Boys' offers the show a more favorable launch platform."