TCA Press Tour Update: NBC

Here are a few highlights from the NBC day at the TCAs:

Jerry Seinfeld will return to NBC as a guest star on the season premiere of 30 ROCK. I wonder if Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is pissed that he hasn’t shown up on THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE yet.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS has been confirmed for the 9PM slot on Friday nights. It will be sandwiched in between DEAL OR NO DEAL and LAS VEGAS. NBC plans on marketing the show as a family drama as opposed to a show about high school football to better appeal to women. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Put a shirtless Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor) and/or a shirtless Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) in your promos and the women will be flocking to the TV sets on Friday nights.

Donald Trump will be back with a “celebrity” edition of THE APPRENTICE. Has a reality show ever done a “celeb” version that actually features real celebrities? No! And The Apprentice will be no different. Of course The Donald wants Rosie on the show, and Rosie of course wants Donald to kiss her ass.

NBC will be featuring a “Green Week” during which it shows will be environmentally themed. THE OFFICE’s John Krasinski seemed a bit concerned over just how Dunder Mifflin would handle going green saying “”We’re a paper company, so we’re screwed.”

It seems that after just one episode SPELLING BEE has been declared a hit and earned a spot on NBC’s fall schedule. Looks like we won’t be saying Bye, Bye, Bye to Joey Fatone anytime soon. (Come on, it’s so easy…wouldn’t you be disappointed if I didn’t go for the lame joke?) The karaoke show will precede THE BIGGEST LOSER on Tuesday nights.

Isaiah Washington will be back on TV in one of Fall’s most anticipated shows, BIONIC WOMAN. Mr. Washington is getting a very rare second chance, so let’s all hope he has learned the error of his ways and opens his mouth to speak the lines of the script only.

One of GMMR’s favorite new shows of the Fall season, CHUCK, will be leading off NBC’s Monday night line-up. HEROES and JOURNEYMAN will follow.

Maya Rudolph may not be returning to SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE next season but Lorne Michaels is doing all he can to keep her around. I love Maya, but as long as you can keep Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudekis (and Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Seth Meyers…oh I guess I like the SNL cast more than I thought) around I’ll keep watching.

P.S. I know I’ve been a bit quiet about the Fall shows, but don’t fret, I will be issuing a big old Fall TV preview very soon on GMMR.  To be honest, I was just waiting to receive all the new pilots so I could be well informed.

Thanks to our friends and TCA sources at MeeVee, E!Online and TV Guide