NBC Ready To Deal Some More

By John Eggerton & Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/9/2006 3:04:00 PM

NBC has picked up eight more episodes of game show Deal or No Deal, for Monday and Friday airings at 8-9 p.m..

Mitch Metcalf, NBC executive VP of program planning and scheduling, told B&C last week that the network wanted to use Deal to launch its new Friday-night lineup, which features the relocated Las Vegas at 9 and debuting Dick Wolf drama Conviction at 10.

But using the game show multiple times in a week risked going down the path of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, which flickered out quickly when ABC ran it too often.

“It’s a balancing act,” Metcalf says. “While it’s hot, there is always the temptation, but you want to do what’s right for the show and not burn it out too quickly.”

That balance proved to be two nights.