NBC has solidified its key Monday strategy well into 2017, ordering three more episodes of drama Timeless for a full season order of 16 and slating action drama Taken for a Feb. 27 debut at 10 p.m. The latter follows the season premiere of the spring cycle of The Voice.
“Monday nights are critical to our success, and we’re going strong into the rest of the season with the return of The Voice in February followed by the premiere of Taken, along with additional episodes of our great new series Timeless,” said NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt. “We’re very happy to welcome Gwen Stefani back to The Voice, along with Blake [Shelton], Adam [Levine], and our new coach Alicia Keys.”
Miley Cyrus will sit out the spring season of The Voice, returning as a judge next fall.
Greenblatt called Taken “a thrilling new series inspired by the hit movie franchise but updated in a very clever way.”
Jennifer Salke, president of NBC Entertainment, said that extending the Timeless order enables the network to run the final six hours of the season in a row early next year. “Our hats are off to Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan for producing one of the most ambitious new shows anywhere on television,” she said.
Kripke and Ryan are the co-showrunners, writers and executive producers. John Davis, John Fox and Marney Hochman also executive produce. Timeless has averaged a 2.7 rating in adults 18-49 and 10.7 million viewers overall in live + 7.
NBC’s other new fall series, This Is Us and The Good Place, have been ordered for 18 and 13 episodes this season, respectively.
Taken comes from executive producer Luc Besson and follows the story of former Green Beret Bryan Mills (Clive Standen) as he deals with a tragedy that shakes his world. Mills is pulled into a career as a deadly CIA operative. In 30 years, the character becomes the Bryan Mills known from the Taken movies.
Liam Neeson played Mills in the films.
Alexander Cary is the writer and executive producer. Besson, Matthew Gross, Edouard de Vésinne, Thomas Anargyros and director Alex Graves also executive produce.
