NBC Confirms Emmys Will Air Live Coast-to-Coast

Network also unveils other summer programming, including two new scripted series, returns for ‘Talent,' ‘Comic'

By Melissa Grego -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/4/2010 11:30:00 PM

As first reported by B&C, NBC will telecast the 62^nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards live coast-to-coast on Aug. 29 (5-8 p.m. PT, 8-11 p.m. ET), the network announced March 4.

The move this summer marks the first time in the current era of television that the Emmys will be live across the country. The show's first telecast, on NBC in 1955, aired live coast-to-coast from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. ET. The last time the show aired live was on ABC in 1976, when it aired 9-11 p.m. ET. Whether NBC affiliates in the West will rebroadcast the kudofest in primetime as they did with the Golden Globes -- which made the switch to a live, nationwide telecast on Jan. 17 -- has not yet been determined.

NBC also unveiled much of its summer programming lineup in the announcement, which includes the debuts of two scripted series that had not yet made the schedule this season: Comedy 100 Questions (Thursday, May 27, 8:30-9 p.m. ET), from Universal Media Studios, and mystery drama Persons Unknown (Monday, June 7, 10-11 p.m. ET), from Fox TV Studios.

In addition, summer workhorse America's Got Talent will return with a two-hour premiere on Tuesday, June 1 (8-10 p.m. ET) with the Wednesday edition debuting June 2 (9-10 p.m. ET). Last Comic Standing will return with a two-hour premiere on Monday, June 7 (8-10 p.m. ET) before moving to its regular slot the following week, Mondays (9-10 p.m. ET). 

NBC also has slated episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Friday Night Lights that have not yet aired on NBC but will have premiered on USA Network and DirecTV, respectively. Episodes from the ninth season of Criminal Intent, which premieres on USA Network this month, will encore on NBC beginning Sunday, June 20 (10-11 p.m. ET) with repeats of those episodes airing Saturdays beginning June 26 (8-9 p.m. ET). As previously announced, Friday Night Lights episodes premiere on NBC Friday, April 30 (8-9 p.m. ET) and will continue through the summer. 

NBC has some special programming on tap this summer as well, including original movie The Jensen Project on Friday, July 16 (8-10 p.m. ET) as well as The Making of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on Sunday, June 6 (7-7:30 p.m. ET) and The Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular (Sunday, July 4, 9-10 p.m. ET).

Additional NBC summer programming announcements are expected in coming weeks.

NBC's Summer at 10

Summer in recent years has been important to fourth-place NBC, as a good performance can mean a bump up to third place in the ratings race. And all of the Big Four have been expected to work a little harder to keep viewers' attention this summer (Related: Why the Broadcast Networks Can't Take the Summer Off). This summer, of course, comes at a turning point for NBC, as Jay Leno has returned to latenight and NBC is in the process of once again re-imagining its 10 p.m. time slot Monday to Friday. With additional announcements still due to come, here is how the 10 p.m. slot is shaping up for the summer:

Sundays at 10: Law & Order Criminal Intent encore (debuts on USA)

Mondays at 10: Persons Unknown

Tuesdays at 10: To Be Announced/America's Got Talent (9-11) starting July 6

Wednesdays at 10: Law & Order: SVU repeats

Thursdays at 10:  To Be Announced

Fridays at 10: Dateline