NBC Announces 2023 Mid-season Schedule

Following another Premiere Week win and a top-rated fall, NBC heads into 2023 with the launch of an all-new Night Court, the debuts of dramas Found and Magnum P.I. and an extension of the world’s most successful reality format with America’s Got Talent: All-Stars.

NBC heads into midseason as the #1 network in both total viewers and 18-49 demo in overall programming as well as being #1 in the demo in entertainment-only programming.  

Saturday Night Live continues its reign as the #1 entertainment program in the demo (live + 3). In live +7 viewing in the demo, NBC has the top three shows – Chicago P.D., Saturday Night Live and Chicago Fire. Quantum Leap, which was recently given a full-series order, ranks #3 in new shows this season in the demo L+7.

In total viewers, the current season of The Voice – with coaches Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, John Legend and Camila Cabello – ranks #1 for unscripted programming.

"Following another winning fall, we’re looking forward to a great January and beyond with a strong schedule that delivers on the return of many favorites coupled with fantastic new premieres", said Frances Berwick, Chairman, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. "We continue to program with an eye toward a year-round schedule, constantly providing our audiences with new reasons to tune in and engage either live on NBC or stream next day on Peacock."

"We can’t wait to share these terrific new series with our audience", said Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. "Found, from Greg Berlanti and Nkechi Okoro Carroll, is a stellar addition to our drama lineup while Magnum, P.I. comes to us with a passionate fanbase already in place that we intend to nourish. On the comedy side, having John Larroquette and Melissa Rauch co-star in an updated Night Court is a dream come true, and our critically acclaimed comedy American Auto is back with its hilarious and ironic look at corporate America. Add AGT: All-Stars to that mix and it’s a great start to the new year."

Launching right out of the holiday season, America’s Got Talent: All-Stars premieres Monday, Jan. 2. This new series serves as an extension of the powerhouse hit franchise, featuring winners, fan favorites and viral sensations from previous seasons of America’s Got Talent and Got Talent franchises around the world.

On Tuesday, Jan. 17, court is back in session when Night Court debuts. Melissa Rauch plays the late Harry Stone’s daughter and takes the gavel, sparring with new public defender and Night Court legend John Larroquette. A week after Night Court airs back-to-back episodes, the critically acclaimed Ana Gasteyer-starrer American Auto returns to create an hourlong Tuesday comedy block beginning Jan. 24.

Sunday, Feb. 19 will mark the premiere date for the broadcast return of Magnum, P.I. and series premiere of Found, starring Shanola Hampton and from executive producer Greg Berlanti. Magnum P.I., starring Jay Hernandez as the suave title character, will be beginning its fifth season. A week later on Feb. 26 will be the Season 10 premiere of The Blacklist, the ultra-compelling drama starring Emmy Award winner James Spader as Red Reddington.

The Voice returns March 6 with new coaches Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan alongside Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton. A day later, first-year hit That’s My Jam, with host Jimmy Fallon, returns for more games, performances and musical impressions, expanding to 10 episodes in season two.

In addition to their curated linear timeslots, all shows will be available to stream on Peacock.  

Previously announced shows that have been ordered to series but not yet dated include Grand Crew, The Wheel and L.A. Fire and Rescue.

NBC MIDSEASON 2022-23 SCHEDULE

(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT)  

MONDAY, JAN. 2

• 8 p.m. — AMERICA’S GOT TALENT: ALL-STARS (Series premiere)
• 10 p.m. – Quantum Leap (Return from hiatus)

TUESDAY, JAN. 3

• 8 p.m. – America’s Got Talent: All-Stars (Encore)
• 10 p.m. – New Amsterdam (Return from hiatus)

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4

• 8 p.m. — Chicago Med (Return from hiatus)
• 9 p.m. — Chicago Fire (Return from hiatus)
• 10 p.m. — Chicago P.D. (Return from hiatus)

THURSDAY, JAN. 5

• 8 p.m.  — Law & Order (Return from hiatus)
• 9 p.m.  — Law & Order: SVU (Return from hiatus)
• 10 p.m. — Law & Order: Organized Crime (Return from hiatus)

FRIDAY, JAN. 6

• 8 p.m. — Lopez vs. Lopez (Return from hiatus)
• 8:30 p.m. – Young Rock (Return from hiatus)
• 9 p.m. – Dateline NBC (Return from hiatus)

TUESDAY, JAN. 17

• 8 and 8:30 p.m. – NIGHT COURT (Series premiere; back-to-back episodes one night only)
• 9 p.m. – New Amsterdam (Two-hour series finale)

TUESDAY, JAN. 24

• 8:30 p.m. – American Auto (Season premiere)

TUESDAY, JAN. 31

• 9 and 10 p.m. – La Brea (Return from hiatus; back-to-back episodes one night only)

SUNDAY, FEB. 19

• 9 p.m. – MAGNUM P.I. (Season premiere)
• 10 p.m. – FOUND (Series premiere)

SUNDAY, FEB. 26

• 8 p.m. – The Blacklist (Season premiere)

MONDAY, MARCH 6

• 8 p.m. – The Voice (Season premiere)

TUESDAY, MARCH 7

• 9 p.m. – The Voice
• 10 p.m. – That’s My Jam (Season premiere)

NEW COMEDY SERIES

© NBC

NIGHT COURT

Unapologetic optimist judge Abby Stone, the daughter of the late Harry Stone, follows in her father’s footsteps as she presides over the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court and tries to bring order to its crew of oddballs and cynics, most notably former night court prosecutor Dan Fielding.

The cast includes Melissa Rauch, John Larroquette, India de Beaufort, Kapil Talwalkar and Lacretta.

NEW DRAMA SERIES

© NBC

MAGNUM P.I.

Magnum P.I. is a modern take on the classic series centering on Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator. A charming rogue, an American hero and a die-hard Detroit Tigers fan, Magnum lives in a guest cottage on Robin’s Nest, the luxurious estate where he works as a security consultant to supplement his P.I. business. The majordomo of the property is Juliet Higgins, a beautiful and commanding disavowed MI:6 agent whose second job is to keep Magnum in line, with the help of her two Dobermans. When Magnum needs back up on a job, he turns to his trusted buddies and fellow POW survivors Theodore ‘TC’ Calvin, a former Marine chopper pilot who runs Island Hoppers, a helicopter tour business, and Orville Rick Wright, a former Marine door-gunner-turned-impresario of Oahu’s coolest nightclub and the most connected man on the island. With keys to a vintage Ferrari in one hand, aviator sunglasses in the other, and an Old Düsseldorf longneck chilling in the fridge, Thomas Magnum is back on the case!

The cast includes Jay Hernandez, Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill, Amy Hill, and Tim Kang.

© NBC

FOUND

In any given year, more than 600,000 people are reported missing in the U.S. More than half that number are people of color that the country seems to forget about. Public relations specialist Gabi Mosely (series star and producer Shanola Hampton) — who was once herself one of those forgotten ones — and her crisis management team now make sure there is always someone looking out for the forgotten missing people. But unbeknownst to anyone, this everyday hero is hiding a chilling secret of her own.

The cast includes Shanola Hampton, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Kelli Williams, Brett Dalton, Gabrielle Walsh, Arlen Escarpeta and Karan Oberoi.

NEW UNSCRIPTED SERIES

© NBC

AMERICA’S GOT TALENT: ALL-STARS

America’s Got Talent: All-Stars, a new extension of the powerhouse hit series featuring winners, finalists, fan favorites and viral sensations from previous seasons of America’s Got Talent and Got Talent franchises around the world. The contestants will take the stage once again, but this time to compete for the ultimate All-Star title.

Got Talent creator and executive producer Simon Cowell will judge alongside global fashion icon Heidi Klum and renowned comedian Howie Mandel. America’s Got Talent host Terry Crews will serve as host.

With more than 70 local versions of Got Talent produced across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, AGT: All-Stars brings together the most beloved and memorable contestants from across the globe for one of the toughest competitions yet. The best of the best will return to the stage to showcase their talent in hopes of being crowned the first-ever winner of AGT: All-Stars.

The Got Talent format has had more than a billion global viewers since it began airing in 2006 in America and has aired in 194 territories worldwide. Got Talent holds the Guinness World Records title as the Most Successful Reality Television Format.

NBC Announces Fall 2022 Premiere Dates

NBC previously announced its plans for the 2022-2023 TV season, and now the network has revealed its Fall 2022 premiere dates.

• NBC will begin its 2022-23 season with the #1 program for 11 consecutive years, Sunday Night Football, on Thursday, Sept. 8. On the heels of the NFL kickoff, season two of Capital One College Bowl, hosted by Peyton Manning, will debut the following night with back-to-back episodes.
• Scripted programming will launch the week of Sept. 19 and will include the premiere of the reimagined Quantum Leap, starring Raymond Lee.
  
• On Nov. 4, family comedies join the lineup with the premiere of Lopez vs. Lopez, starring and executive produced by George Lopez, followed by the third season of Young Rock, starring and executive produced by Dwayne Johnson.
  
• NBC has more shows in the top 20 than any other network in the key 18-49 demo and finished the 2021-22 season #1 in the demo for the eighth time in nine seasons.

NBC's fall slate rolls out as follows (new shows in bold):

Thursday, Sept. 8

• 8:15-11:30 p.m. - Sunday Night Football: NFL Kickoff Game (Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Rams)

Friday, Sept. 9

• 8-10 p.m. - Capital One College Bowl (Back-to-back episodes this night only)

Sunday, Sept. 11

• 8:15-11:30 p.m. - Sunday Night Football (Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys)

Friday, Sept. 16

• 9-11 p.m. - Dateline NBC

Monday, Sept. 19

• 8 p.m. - The Voice
• 10 p.m. - Quantum Leap

Tuesday, Sept. 20

• 8 p.m. - The Voice
• 10 p.m. - New Amsterdam

Wednesday, Sept. 21

• 8 p.m. - Chicago Med
• 9 p.m. - Chicago Fire
• 10 p.m. - Chicago P.D.

Thursday, Sept. 22

• 8 p.m. - Law & Order
• 9 p.m. - Law & Order: SVU
• 10 p.m. - Law & Order: Organized Crime

Saturday, Sept. 23

• 9 p.m. - Dateline Weekend Mystery
• 10 p.m. - SNL Vintage

Tuesday, Sept. 27

• 9 p.m. - La Brea

Friday, Nov. 4

• 8 p.m. - Lopez vs. Lopez
• 8:30 p.m. - Young Rock

NEW SERIES

QUANTUM LEAP

© NBC

It's been nearly 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now, a new team, led by physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee), has been assembled to restart the project in hope of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it.

Everything changes, however, when Ben makes an unauthorized leap into the past, leaving the team behind to solve the mystery of why he did it. At Ben's side throughout his leaps is Addison (Caitlin Bassett), who appears in the form of a hologram only Ben can see and hear. She's a decorated Army veteran who brings level-headed precision to her job.

At the helm of the highly confidential operation is Herbert Magic Williams (Ernie Hudson), a no-nonsense career military man who has to answer to his bosses who won't be happy once they learn about the breach of protocol. The rest of the team at headquarters includes Ian Wright (Mason Alexander Park), who runs the Artificial Intelligence unit Ziggy, and Jenn Chou (Nanrisa Lee), who heads up digital security for the project.

As Ben leaps from life to life, putting right what once went wrong, it becomes clear that he and the team are on a thrilling journey. However, Addison, Magic, Ian and Jenn know that if they are going to solve the mystery of Ben's leap and bring him home, they must act fast or lose him forever.

Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt will write and executive produce. Don Bellisario, Deborah Pratt and Martin Gero executive produce.

LOPEZ VS. LOPEZ

© NBC

A working-class family comedy about dysfunction, reconnection and all the pain and joy in between.

The cast includes George Lopez, Mayan Lopez, Selenis Leyva, Brice Gonzalez, Matt Shively, Laci Mosley (recurring) and Kiran Deol (recurring).

Debby Wolfe (showrunner) will write and executive produce. Bruce Helford is a supervising executive producer. Katie Newman, Michael Rotenberg and George Lopez executive produce. Mayan Lopez will produce.

NBC Announces 2021-2022 Schedule

Capitalizing on a year with huge audience drivers, including two Olympics and the Super Bowl, NBC heads into the 2021-22 season with a winning year-round programming strategy that highlights dominant dramas in the fall, doubles down on comedies in midseason and pairs powerhouse unscripted shows with big tentpole event programming.

“Our program strategy for NBC is singularly focused on driving growth by capturing audiences with can’t-miss event television and keeping them on the network with immersive scripted series,” said Frances Berwick, Chairman, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “We are leaning into pieces of the legacy that work, but not being precious about experimenting with things that can benefit from a change.”

“NBC is the flagship network in our portfolio and we wanted to treat it as such, shining a light on some of our most beloved shows and introducing a broad range of dynamic new programming,” said Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “Honoring our fans is a major focus this year and we’re delivering on favorites with more ‘Law & Order’ and ‘AGT’ as well as big send-offs for award-winning shows ‘This Is Us’ and ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine.’ We have all of our amazing returning shows, and we’re launching what I believe will be fan favorites of the future – strong dramas like ‘La Brea,’ ‘Ordinary Joe,’ and ‘The Thing About Pam,’ laugh-out-loud comedies ‘American Auto’ and Grand Crew,’ and big new unscripted shows such as ‘American Song Contest.’”

Three new dramas join the fall schedule, including “Ordinary Joe” – a heartfelt, uplifting series centered around the idea of how choices made in a single moment can alter the course of life forever; “La Brea,” which follows the aftermath of a massive sinkhole that opens in Los Angeles revealing a mysterious primeval land; and “Law & Order: For the Defense,” a new chapter of the beloved brand that puts lawyers under the microscope. With perennial hit “The Voice” returning for its 21st cycle, featuring first-time coach Ariana Grande, the two new dramas will use the music show’s enviable launch pad on Monday and Tuesday nights.

The success of Wednesday night’s One Chicago lineup -- #1 in total viewers three years running -- will pave the way for the “Law & Order” franchise to dominate on Thursday nights.

This new night of Dick Wolf dramas brings together the iconic, record-breaking 23rd season of “Law & Order: SVU” with newly minted hit “Law & Order: Organized Crime” and the premiere of “Law & Order: For the Defense,” providing the perfect playground for crossover events.

After kicking off with a special post-Olympics send-off for “Brooklyn Nine Nine” this summer, comedy returns to the schedule in midseason. New series “American Auto” and “Grand Crew” will join sophomore successes “Kenan,” “Mr. Mayor” and “Young Rock”for two big nights of funny.From “Superstore” creator Justin Spitzer and starring Ana Gasteyer and Jon Barinholtz, “American Auto” builds on NBC’s legacy as the unrivaled home of the workplace comedy.  “Grand Crew” also builds on NBC catalogue, hailing from “Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s” Phil Augusta Jackson and Dan Goor. Starring Echo Kellum (“Arrow”) and Nicole Byer (“Nailed It!”), “Grand Crew” revolves around a group of friends who unpack the ups and downs of life and love at a wine bar.

Midseason continues with new true-crime limited series “The Thing About Pam,” from Blumhouse Television, starring Renee Zellweger and inspired by episodes of “Dateline NBC,” where it became one of the most popular topics to ever air on the hit franchise. Other marquee midseason dramas include the sixth and final season of Dan Fogelman’s award-winning series “This Is Us,” which will return to its traditional Tuesday night 9 p.m. timeslot to give fans a largely uninterrupted run.

Throughout the year, NBC’s scripted series will be supercharged by huge promotional opportunities, including the Tokyo Summer Olympics, Beijing Winter Olympics and Super Bowl LVI as well as NBC’s hit holiday programming and four-quadrant unscripted series.

NBC’s holiday programming remains a top-audience driver, and this season’s robust lineup of live events and specials includes a return to the network’s storied tradition of live musicals with seven-time Tony Award winner “Annie Live!” In addition, Jimmy Fallon is set produce the animated special “Five More Sleeps ‘Til Christmas,” based on his best-selling children’s book, and a new animated special, “Trolls Holiday in Harmony,” arrives from DreamWorks Animation.

Hit comedies “Kenan,” “Mr. Mayor,” and “Young Rock” will also air special holiday episodes.  These special events join perennial favorites that include “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” and “Christmas at Rockefeller Center,” ensuring that audiences stay entertained and engaged all through the holiday season.

Unscripted series continue the family fun with all new shows and returning favorites that kick-off in January and will populate the schedule throughout midseason and summer. These include “AGT: Extreme,” the high-octane, stunt-filled spinoff of hit franchise “America’s Got Talent,” and for the first time, an adaptation of the biggest music competition in the world, Eurovision Song Contest, with “American Song Contest.” This all-live event series features original musical performances, representing all 50 states, five U.S. territories and our nation’s capital, competing to win the country's vote for the Best Original Song in a grand spectacle.

New game show “The Wheel,” based on a smash hit UK format, features contestants aiming to win big with the help of celebrity guests playing on a giant, spinning wheel. Jimmy Fallon heads to the primetime schedule as the executive producer and host of “That’s My Jam,” while Dick Wolf enters the unscripted space with the docuseries “LA Fire and Rescue,” following the real-life heroes of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The Emmy Award-winning celebrity genealogy docuseries “Who Do You Think You Are?” returns to NBC from executive producers Lisa Kudrow and Dan Bucatinsky, while “Home Sweet Home” from Ava DuVernay will see two families embark on a life-changing experience, switching homes to see what life is really like behind closed doors.

NBC will finish the current season with the #1 most-watched alternative program “The Voice,” the #1 comedy with “Saturday Night Live” and the #1 drama with “This Is Us.” The network had two of the most successful comedies of the season in "Young Rock," which scored NBC’s best comedy debut in the 18-49 demo in nearly four years, and “Mr. Mayor,” which premiered as NBC’s best Thursday comedy launch in total viewers in nearly five years.

Returning shows for the 2021-22 schedule include “The Blacklist,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago Med,” “Chicago P.D.,” “Dateline NBC,” “Kenan,” “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Mr. Mayor,” “NBC Sunday Night Football,” “New Amsterdam,” “This Is Us,” “The Voice,” “The Wall,” “Transplant,” “Weakest Link” and “Young Rock.”

Decisions are yet to be made on “Debris,” “Ellen’s Game of Games,” “Good Girls,” “Manifest,” and “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.”

As part of NBC’s rolling pilot process this year, the following projects have been picked up to pilot with decisions yet to be made on series greenlights: “Dangerous Moms” “Getaway,” “Hungry,” “Night Court” “Someone Out There” and the Untitled Nick Wootton/Jake Coburn Project. With the NBC’s 52-week scheduling strategy,these pilots could be possibilities for later in the 2021-22 season or could roll over to the 2022-23 season.

NBC FALL 2021-22 SCHEDULE (New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT)

MONDAY

• 8-10 P.M. — The Voice
• 10-11 P.M. — ORDINARY JOE

TUESDAY

• 8-9 P.M. — The Voice
• 9-10 P.M. — LA BREA
• 10-11 P.M. — New Amsterdam

WEDNESDAY

• 8-9 P.M. — Chicago Med
• 9-10 P.M. — Chicago Fire
• 10-11 P.M. — Chicago P.D.

THURSDAY

• 8-9 P.M.  — LAW & ORDER: FOR THE DEFENSE
• 9-10 P.M.  — Law & Order: SVU
• 10-11 P.M. — Law & Order: Organized Crime

FRIDAY 

• 8-9 P.M. – The Blacklist
• 9-11 P.M — Dateline NBC

SATURDAY 

• 8-9 P.M. — Drama Encores
• 9-10 P.M. — Dateline Weekend Mystery
• 10-11 P.M. – SNL Vintage

SUNDAY

• 7-8:20 P.M. — Football Night in America
• 8:20-11 P.M. — NBC Sunday Night Football

NEW COMEDY SERIES 

"AMERICAN AUTO”

From the creator of “Superstore” comes a new workplace comedy that takes the wheels off the automobile industry. Set in Detroit, the corporate executives of Payne Motors are at a crossroads: adapt to the changing times or be sent to the junkyard. Shaking things up is the new CEO, whose leadership, experience and savvy is only slightly offset by her complete lack of knowledge about cars. Luckily, her team has some of the best minds in the business – when they aren’t fighting or trying to outwit each other. From the corporate office to the factory floor, the crew of Payne Motors is driving home the laughs.

The cast includes Ana Gasteyer, Jon Barinholtz, Harriet Dyer, Humphrey Ker, Michael B. Washington, Tye White and X Mayo.

“GRAND CREW”

From Phil Augusta Jackson (writer-producer-director, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) and Dan Goor (creator, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) comes a new comedy that proves that life is better with your crew. This group of young professionals are all trying to navigate the ups and downs of life and love in Los Angeles — and they always find time to gather at their favorite bar to “wine down” and unpack it all. There’s Noah, a hopeless romantic too eager to settle down; Nicky, a go-getter in both real estate and romance; Sherm, a low-key genius who plays the dating odds; Anthony, whose true love is his career; and Wyatt, who’s relieved to be married and out of the dating scene. And just like wine, their friendship gets better with time.

The cast includes Nicole Byer, Justin Cunningham, Aaron Jennings, Echo Kellum and Carl Tart.

© NBC

“LA BREA”

An epic adventure begins when a massive sinkhole opens in the middle of Los Angeles, pulling hundreds of people and buildings into its depths. Those who fell in find themselves in a mysterious and dangerous primeval land, where they have no choice but to band together to survive. Meanwhile, the rest of the world desperately seeks to understand what happened. In the search for answers, one family torn apart by this disaster will have to unlock the secrets of this inexplicable event to find a way back to each other.

The cast includes Natalie Zea, Eoin Macken, Jon Seda, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chiké Okonkwo, Karina Logue, Zyra Gorecki, Jack Martin, Veronica St. Clair, Rohan Mirchandaney, Lily Santiago, Josh McKenzie and Chloe De Los Santos.

© NBC

"ORDINARY JOE”

Life is all about the choices you make – and sometimes what you do in a single moment can change everything. This new heartfelt, life-affirming drama follows Joe Kimbreau, who faces one of these decisions at his college graduation. The three parallel stories that diverge from that night find Joe and the people around him with different careers, relationships and family lives, showing the unexpected ways that things change – and stay the same. But when it comes down to it, there is no “right” choice; no matter what happens, Joe’s life is always messy, exciting, tough, unpredictable … and beautiful.

The cast includes James Wolk, Natalie Martinez, Elizabeth Lail and Charlie Barnett.

© NBC

“LAW & ORDER: FOR THE DEFENSE”

In its 30-year history as the most successful brand in television, Law and Order has only ever explored the perspective of its iconic prosecutors … until now. From legendary executive producer Dick Wolf comes “Law & Order: For the Defense,” the newest entry in the beloved franchise that takes an unflinching look inside a criminal defense firm. Every week, the series will put the lawyers – and the criminal justice system – under the microscope like only Law & Order can, delivering hard-hitting, ripped-from-the-headlines stories that provide a new vantage point on justice.

LIMITED DRAMA SERIES

"THE THING ABOUT PAM”

Two-time Academy Award winner Renée Zellweger stars in a riveting true-crime drama inspired by one of the most popular, compelling sagas ever told on “Dateline NBC.” What appeared to be a straightforward murder case would eventually set off a chain of events exposing both a wrongful conviction and a diabolical scheme involving a woman named Pam Hupp. From Blumhouse Television, NBC News Studios and showrunner/executive producer Jessika Borsiczky, this limited series will bring a new perspective to a story that has already captivated millions.

The cast includes Renee Zellweger.

NEW UNSCRIPTED SERIES

“AGT: EXTREME”

Expanding the “America’s Got Talent” franchise from powerhouse producer Simon Cowell and production partner Fremantle, “AGT: Extreme” will showcase the most outrageous and jaw-dropping daredevil acts. Each week extreme contestants will go head-to-head in the most wild, wacky and craziest stunts to vie for the ultimate title. Cowell will serve as a judge.

“AMERICAN SONG CONTEST”

America’s biggest live entertainment event has arrived! Based on the worldwide phenomenon “Eurovision Song Contest,” organized for 65 years by the European Broadcasting Union and watched by 200 million viewers annually, this amazing musical spectacular combines the competitive spirit of rooting for your favorite sports team with the joy of watching a beloved singing performance. In the U.S. version of the international megahit, “American Song Contest” will feature live original musical performances, representing all 50 states, five U.S. territories and our nation’s capital, competing to win the country's vote for the Best Original Song. An incredible solo artist, duo, DJ or a band will represent each location and will perform a new, original song, celebrating the different styles and genres across America. The live competition consists of three rounds as the acts compete in a series of Qualifying Rounds, followed by the Semi Finals and the ultimate Grand Final where one state or territory will emerge victorious.

"THAT’S MY JAM”

Jimmy Fallon will make his primetime hosting debut and executive produce “That's My Jam,” a new hourlong music and comedy variety event series that draws its creative DNA from wildly popular “The Tonight Show” games such as “Wheel of Musical Impressions,” “Roots Name That Song” and “Slay It Don’t Spray It.” In each episode, two teams of two celebrities compete for charity in a series of music and dance-based games, performative segments and play-along trivia with Fallon hosting all the action.

“LA FIRE AND RESCUE”

In this new docuseries, Dick Wolf, Universal Television Alternative Studio and 44 Blue Productions have gained unprecedented access within The Los Angeles County Fire Department. The LACoFD is responsible for protecting the lives and property of 4 million residents living in 59 cities across Los Angeles County. From helicopter mountain rescues, lifeguard beach SOS, fireboats, hazmat units, to California’s raging wildfires... they do it all. These fire fighters are true everyday heroes and their compelling stories will be told alongside the heart-pounding action of unpredictable and dangerous circumstances as they face the front lines of life and death. From the producers of NBC’s hit drama Chicago Fire comes Real Heroes. Real Calls. Real Drama.

“THE WHEEL”

The series will put viewers into a spin each week as celebrity guests attempt to help contestants win big. Full of edge-of-your seat jeopardy, plenty of laughs, huge stars and a spectacular 42-foot-wide spinning wheel make for one of the most exciting, and unorthodox, game shows to come around in a long time.

“WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?”

“Who Do You Think You Are?” returns with new journeys of self-discovery, connection and diversity.  A new group of celebrities will set sail on their mission to connect with their family history.

“HOME SWEET HOME”

Following two families who lead very different lives for a life-changing experience, executive producer Ava DuVernay’s “Home Sweet Home” explores what it’s like to walk a mile in another person’s shoes by challenging racial, religious, economic, geographic, gender and identity assumptions as participants exchange homes for a week and experience the life of someone unlike them.

Debris S01E12: A Message From Ground Control

© NBC

Is the debris revealing its purpose?
by Chuck Duncan

Guest Cast: Erin Karpluck, Zarina Sterling

This week's episode, 'A Message From Ground Control', has a pretty gruesome opening as we see debris stored in containers in a warehouse/lab facility start moving on their own. Getting a bit too close to one of the containers, a lab tech gets a hole in his head as a ball of light bursts through the container, his head other containers and a wall before hitting the partially reconstructed alien ship in the Orbital facility. Then the lights go out. If they wanted to get our attention, that's one way to do it.

George has finally arrived at the antenna field in Arco, Virginia, rendezvousing with Finola and Bryan. The place was the location for Voice of America transmissions. Finola gives her father the Ligari files she received and he's eager to find the one bit of information he needs to help jog his memory of what needs to be done to find the one piece of debris everyone is looking for because it is believed this single piece can pinpoint the location of all the other pieces that have fallen to Earth. But to find it, he needs to redirect a UK satellite and use the Earth's magnetic field over the US to pinpopint its location. But Finola has a question for her father that's been nagging at her -- why does Maddonx want him dead? George can only answer that perhaps Maddox fears what he can't control, then he warns her to beware of the coalition between the US and UK. She tells him she believes in Bryan, but Orbital doesn't feel like a coalition at all. But duty calls as Bryan and Finola get called back to Orbital to look into the incident that shut down the power and forced everyone to evacuate the building.

Eight scientists are still unaccounted for inside the facility, and Maddox believes Influx may be behind the incident, somehow controlling the debris from afar, supporting Finola's hypothesis that the debris is connected somehow. Five of the techs are found inside, facing a wall in a hallway, in some sort of a trance state. They also find the unfortunate tech with the large hole in his head, and two more techs also in a trance are moving containers of debris, lining them up in a row. Confused about what's happening, Bryan and Finola are taken by surprise when one of the containers flies toward them, vanishing in mid-air, then reappearing a second later from the same spot, falling to the floor smashed with the debris inside missing. There is already a pile of smashed containers on the floor and the other cases in the line are also doing the same thing. Assuming the containers are entering a 'pocket dimension' that is creating a strong gravitational field, they try to shut it down with the MUs but it doesn't work because there are too many different pieces to lock onto one so they need to inventory the pieces that have gone missing to see what might link them. But what it does seem to do is awaken the techs in a trance, though still in a trance, with Bryan ordering the team to let the techs go and follow them. They go to another area and all stand in front of a glass wall just like they did in the hallway.

Nothing seems to link any of the missing pieces, and an attempt to remove the containers already lined up proves futile as one member of the team gets zapped into a trance-like state as the others, joining them at the glass wall. Bryan tries to find anything in the warehouse where the alien ship is partially reconstructed, but there's nothing to be found. While they wonder if there is something inside the pocket trying to use the debris to destroy them all, one of the techs convulses and dies.

© NBC

Finola tries to get more help from George regarding the random pieces but when she begins to read off the numbers of the pieces, he tells her they aren't random but are a harmonic sequence, and that constant contact with those Ligari harmonics can cause catastrophic brain damage. Whatever is being constructed with the debris could emit a kinetic pulse that could throw the Earth off its axis. Reversing the polarity of the MUs could be the only way to shut down the debris and give them a chance to figure out what's going on. And it works as the next case is drawn to the pocket area but basically bounces off undamaged. But new Ligaru readings show that there is something happening beneath them. Bryan and Finola find a lab they didn't know existed along with schematics -- it's a weapons lab! Orbital is weaponizing the debris, and Finola finds a notebook with her father's notes and realizes they are using his work to do it. They also find a big chunk of the missing debris.

Finola confronts Maddox and he tells her they'd doing it to protect their assets. And they aren't the only ones. China is doing, Russia is doing ... the UK is doing it too, and that's why he's been trying to locate George so no one else can use him to create their weapons. Finola reminds Maddox that George took his own life because of all this. A second tech collapses, and the others at the glass wall are on the move to shut down the MUs ... but touching one of the devices vaporizes one of the techs. The power fluctuates, Bryan suddenly sees Asalah, and then the power goes out. Under the emergency lighting, he then sees the chair in which Mariel had been sitting, then he sees her and again asks 'why?'

We don't see what Bryan saw, but whatever it was it totally enlightened him as to the debris' actions, and also his need to protect people. He says they need to let the debris finish what it started and if they prevent it from finishing they'll end up killing more people. Finola is a bit shocked by Bryan's sudden turn around -- perhaps her own as well as their opinions of the debris have reversed just like the polarity of the MUs -- but Bryan assures her he know what the debris is doing, he just can't put into words what he learned from connecting with Mariel. The takeaway is the debris is doing something good, just like Finola once believed. And Finola puts all of her faith in Bryan, never once questioning if the debris showed him what it wanted him to see rather than showing him the truth.

They shut down the MUs, the rest of the cases fly through and reappear crushed, but there is one final piece of debris missing. Bryan is allowed to retrieve it from the lab and he has the piece released to connect with the large piece in the lab. The piece then transports through the floor, into the pocket and is transformed into a small glowing orb. Finola and Bryan watch it for a moment then it shoots upward and phases through the roof of the building. Outside, everyone watches the orb in awe as it hovers above them, then suddenly it flies off into the night. Everyone is released from their trances, and out of the blue George has located the debris they're looking for -- it's in Virginia.

There was a development with Ash this week as he tricked a guard into taking him to a doctor at the facility because he wasn't feeling well. An X-ray showed Ash's body filled with ... something (probably the pills he'd been ingesting to transport from place to place), and was preparing to operate. Ash killed the guard and forced the doctor to fire up some AEDs. The doctor says using them will kill Ash, but he zaps himself ... and disappears, transporting to a parking lot where he steals a car and meets up with a henchman. Unfortunately for George, Ash knows that he's located the debris. Someone else seems to know as well as Maddox's Russian contact calls to ask if he's ready. For what, we don't know.

With only one episode left this season, it will be interesting to see how this wraps up. But will we get a satisfactory ending or a cliffhanger that may never be resolved if the show is not renewed for a second season?

Debris S01E11: Asalah

© NBC

The season has been building to this.
by Chuck Duncan

Guest Cast: Erin Karpluck, Zarina Sterling

The seeds for this week's episode of Debris, titled Asalah, were planted way back in Episode 2, 'You Are Not Alone'. Two key things introduced there came into play here: Bryan being cloned, and the photo of the woman in clone Bryan's pocket that he refused to talk about (showing that the season has actually been pretty well laid out).

The key to unlocking these mysteries comes in the form of a woman named Mariel, who was found at what appeared to br ground zero for a major piece of debris which was sending the Legari meters off the scale. Donning some special equipment, one of the recovery team approaches the woman who keeps repeating 'Bryan Beneventi'. This, of course, causes concern and Bryan and Finola are diverted to Cedarville, MD to see if Bryan can determine who the woman is and why she's asking for him. Bryan is a bit rattled when he realizes she's talking about Afghanistan, particularly a certain mission that he's tried to put out of his mind for years. Mariel is repeating conversations, from the last thing Bryan's mother said to him before he was deployed to specific coordinates and mission information that no one would know unless they were there. Bryan approaches Mariel and she grabs his are, plunging him into a catatonic state.

But Bryan suddenly finds himself back in Afghanistan, back to the time of the mission he was about to lead to flush out Taliban in the area. It's there we see the woman who we saw in the Episode 2 photo, Asalah. Apparently Bryan brought her to the base to get some medical attention for her injured hand. While she and Bryan have a conversation about her concern for her grandfather's safety, Mariel is repeating the conversation out loud. By this time Maddox has arrived, and he confirms she's repeating conversations from the mission that was very important to Bryan. We see Bryan bond with Asalah over Elton John (she wants to go to America and play the piano), and she offers to help Bryan find the Taliban. He tells her they don't need her help and it's too dangerous for her. Later, one of the troops brings Bryan his camera that Asalah had apparently taken, and he sees photos she took of the Taliban.

In the real world, Finola suggests that somehow the debris is all linked and it's all communicating, and there's a very real possibility that when Bryan was cloned the debris backed up his memories, and they are being transmitted across the debris network. Mariel came into contact with the debris and the memories were downloaded into her. Finola suggests that a way to break the connection would be to basically short-circuit Bryan's brainwaves with electro-convulsive therapy (aka shock treatment). Maddox trusts that Finola is right, and gives the order. Behind her back, he also tells the doctor to up Bryan's dosage of the injections he's been taking if he wakes up. Those injections are still a piece of the puzzle that is missing.

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When they shock Bryan, Mariel convulses as well. Back in the dream world, Bryan is being briefed on the mission and ... Maddox is there. Bryan seems to know him, in what appears to be a reaction to the shock therapy, but this looks like the moment the two met which was alluded to in the previous episodes, in one of the timelines where Maddox mentioned he'd talked to a Bryan Beneventi but he didn't work for the CIA, he was a war criminal. Now we see Maddox wish Bryan luck with his mission. Knowing what's about to come, Bryan warns Asalah to take her grandfather and get to safety.

As the shock therapy continues, Bryan is now in the middle of the raid, each of the shocks causing what appears to be lightning in his alternate universe. But something is weighing on his mind and he orders his men to cease fire because he knows what's going to happen next and he has to stop it. But he didn't. Bryan now appears to be alone in the village and on the ground is Asalah, killed in the crossfire. He then takes her body to her grandfather, and then he sees Mariel sitting on a chair on the side of the mountain. He asks her why she made him go through this again. She reaches out but before they can touch hands, one last shock spring Bryan back to reality, jumping off of the operating table. He needs to see Mariel, but it appears that the shock and breaking the link between them has killed her.

Finola tells Bryan she knows about Asalah. Bryan says her grandfather told him that she knew there was going to be an ambush and had come to the village to warn Bryan so he didn't think she'd betrayed him. Bryan then took his men to find the Taliban, and they did find a group hiding in a cave. Bryan took revenge for Asalah but it wasn't the same group that had killed her. And that is why Bryan was in prison as a war criminal, and he'd still be there if Maddox hadn't pulled him out and given him a job. Bryan now carries the picture not to remember Asalah, but to not forget what it's like to invest in something he can lose. Bryan believes he was chosen to relive all that for a reason, but without Mariel now it will be harder to determine why. Finola tells him she things the debris is all connected, and they wonder if the debris is experiencing them the same way they are experiencing it. Maddox has said that Bryan's the only person the debris has sought out, that they know of, and he can't let that happen again, but Bryan is fairly sure what happened to him has nothing to do with the injections he's getting losing their effectiveness.

Ferris sent Finola the Legari files, and George is making his way across the country to Virginia to the antenna fields to boost the signals. He assures her he'll be fine. Ummm, isn't George sort of a fugitive and won't Maddox have people looking for him?

The last moment of the episode moved to Sedona, Arizona. A Native American man is making his way to perhaps watch the sunset, and in voice over he talks about the Blackwater grandfather, and different colored metals in the north, south, east and west parts of the country, and how the grandfather brough the black wind down on the Earth. What does it all mean?

And what about the end credits 'mission control' voices (probably not heard in the NBC broadcast version of the episode)? A man's voice says that they've found Beneventi. A female voice that sounds like Finola says he has a wound on his chest. The male voices asks what happened to those men out there? I'm assuming that now that Bryan has been name-checked here that it must be of some importance. We have two more episodes before we find out what any of this means.

Debris S01E10: I Am Icarus

© NBC

Can Bryan and Finola restore the universe before it"s too late?

by Chuck Duncan

Guest Cast: Keenan Tracey, Jessica McLeod

That crazy-eyed beyotch shot Bryan! No offense to the actress, who I'm sure is a lovely person, but she's got crazy eyes and all I can think when I see her is Cecily Strong playing a crazy-eyed character on SNL. Sorry. Luckily, Shelby was able to get Bryan to the debris to make another jump ... except this time Kathleen is at the house when Bryan returns and Shelby is missing. Not only that, but rifts are opening up with views into the various multi-verses which are threatening the complete collapse of the universe as a whole. Seeing all this, Bryan's partner's eyes get even wider but she's not sure Bryan knows what he's talking about, especially after he tells her that George Jones is the only person who can fix all this. George is dead, killed two days earlier at the Influx raid. Sensing that this is a bad thing, Kathleen -- who said she hasn't jumped since Shelby disappeared -- takes off and resets things again. And this time i'ts Finola who knocks on her door with a new partner. When Kathleen tries to explain that Finola's father was the only person who could have fixed things, Finola says her father is very much alive.

George is working for Obital at Langley, but this version of him has no recollection of all the previous calls for assistance he's received, and as before he tells Finola that making another jump will most likely make things worse, not better, causing irreversible damage. He asserts that Kathleen has to accept that her brother is gone (not sure how that's going to repair the ripped fabric of the universe, George). Finola told her father about an agent in another universe named Bryan Beneventi, and George then brings that name up with Maddox. Nope, not an agent, but Maddox knows of him. Bryan is a war criminal in this universe. Is that so?

Back at the house, Kathleen and Finola see Shelby and Bryan through one of the rifts. Shelby writes a note saying they can see them as well. Bryan writes something but the rift closes before it can be read. Finola tells Kathleen that she knows she lied about what George had said about continuing to make jumps, and Kathleen takes the blame for causing all of this in the first place, forcing Shelby to keep making jumps until he disappeared. But screw it all, she runs off and resets things once again.

When she returns, she can see Shelby and Bryan again and she writes "I love you" and the two try to touch hands. Finola shows up again ... and now she's with Agent Crazy Eyes! There is a large rift on top of the house now, so she calls it in to get a team there right away. Inside, Kathleen tells Finola that Bryan and Shelby want to communicate with her. Bryan writes:

"Another version of you was on the verge of an answer. We got separated before she could tell me. Something about a bilateral deviation. No clue what that means. No more time."

This Finola has no clue what he's referring to, so Bryan writes, "Ask George." Finola writes back, "DEAD". Bryan responds:

"You believe debris came here for a reason. You believe in the world. Help save it."

And then they disappear.

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With the crew on site to remove the debris, Kathleen tells Finola they have to jump again to get more time, and Finola has to come with her so she'll remember the next time. They manage to make the jump, Finola returns with one of Bryan's other partners and he tells Finola to call her father because he'll know what to do. Finola shocks her partner when she tells him George is dead ... because he'd just talked to George the day before. Now Finola is shocked that George is alive. But now there is concern because Shelby and Bryan haven't reappeared, so Finola calls George to explain everything, particularly Bryan's message of the bilateral deviation. George insists that the debris must be removed, but something clicks in Finola and she thinks she may now understand that cryptic message -- to restore the universe, they must all jump at the same time. When Bryan and Shelby finally reappear, Finola writes that they need to synchronize their watches and all jump together at the same time in their respective universes. And they have to move quickly because the extraction team is there.

They all jump and ... Bryan and Finola are back in the SUV on their way to Washington, back at the same overlook. They see the house but they don't know Shelby, or Kathleen, but they know the agents. They've got a lot of explaining to do. But this timeline reset still didn't put everything back the way it was. Back at Langley, Maddox gets a phone call about a lunch appointment he didn't make. This time he doesn't go to the restaurant to confront his wife. Instead, when he gets home she and Dario are gone, a packet of divorce papers awaiting him.

And lest we forget about Anson Ash, he's still being held at the facility. A guard comes to collect his dinner tray, but as he stupidly reaches through the slot in the door Ash grabs his arms and won't let go. He finally does and the guard says he's on report. As the guard leaves, punching in the security code to open the door, Ash recites the same numbers being pushed while in his cell. So now Ash has the ability to read someone's thoughts?! This can't be good.

Debris S01E08: Spaceman

© NBC

Finola finally finds what she's been looking for.
by Chuck Duncan

Guest Cast: Sebastian Roché

Now that's what we're talking about! Debris finally delivers on the promise of its on-going story arc, while keeping the actual debris artifacts to a minimum this week. The debris story will certainly pay off down the road but it did give us something to consider as a young woman finds herself with the ability to phase through objects -- and gruesomely, people -- and remain invisible as well. When Bryan and Finola unexpectedly encounter the woman, who escaped from a testing facility in which most of the subjects have apparently died, they find something completely shocking that no one had considered before -- the woman's powers came about because the debris was implanted under her skin. We've seen Ash and his men transport themselves after swallowing a pill, but giving people powers through an implant is a game changer.

But that is something we'll have to deal with later because the major point of this episode was Finola's father, and the question of who exactly Bryan and Finola can trust. Bryan is really beginning to question his allegiance to Maddox after being given the order to not let George Jones leave the facility alive ... and not to let Finola know they're going to kill him. This really puts Bryan in a pickle because he can't afford to lose Finola's trust. He's on thin ice with her as it is, so Maddox has really complicated his life.

On the way to the facility, Finola confides in Bryan that MI6 has an 'ambush' set up to take George from their convoy once they break him out ... which forces Bryan to admit to Finola that George isn't leaving the facility. Luckily, only one other person on his team knows of the plan, so the new plan is to make sure he believes George isn't in the facility. Bryan assures Finola that he will not let her father die. But things get more complicated when they come under fire in the facility ... but there is a silver lining as the one guy who knew of the mission is killed. Now it's easy for Bryan to lie to Maddox that the intel they had was bad and George was not in the facility.

But Finola is having a crisis as well because she knows Ferris used her sister to try to get her back to the UK, but the question is why? Ferris could have easily recalled her agent so why go through so many machinations involving Finola's sister, who managed to tell Finola what happened, to lure her back? Nothing is adding up at this point and Finola tells Bryan that they aren't going to show up at the MI6 rendezvous point either. It looks like Bryan and Finola are going rogue. Interestingly, the man awaiting them to pick up George is the same man who delivered the files to Finola, and told her that Ferris knows more than she's telling Finola. Even more intriguing is that this man seems to not be who he seems to be as he has a body on hand that looks like him, and from which he removes the face to rejuvenate the one he's currently wearing. Yikes!

But the question Finola wants to know is how her father is alive. He tells her that as far as he knows, he's been reanimated, and they went in through his eye ... which answers that particular question. Knowing that that they are tied up in a web of lies, Finola and Bryan take George to a hotel. Unfortunately, they damaged a part of his brain while re-animating him but he says he can remember the important things like how Maddox took his research away from him and that perhaps he should want Maddox dead ... but he doesn't. Knowing that Maddox wants him dead gives him something to think about, but says that everyone on Earth is going to die so it's rather irrelevant.

George tells Bryan and Finola that Influx is seeking a very dangerous and game changing piece of debris and if they get it, well, they can refer back to his statement about their deaths. He was being forced to build a device that could track the debris that emits waves that are difficult to comprehend. George fears that the Americans, Russians, Chinese or anyone could have already found the debris ... but without his device they wouldn't understand its power. But, he's done enough work to allow the government to finish his device, of that he's pretty sure. But what does the debris do? George doesn't remember.

Finola gets some alone time with George to confront him about leaving his kids alone. His work took precedence, but whatever happened in the past doesn't matter at this moment because what's going on now is an attempt to restore balance to a a world on fire, and the only ones capable of restoring this balance are the beings who created the debris. None of that matters to Finola because she's still that little girl who missed out on so much time with her father. But George says this is his chance to set things right with her and with what he's done. She's still not ready to forgive him yet. But he needs some files to build his device because he can't remember the math.

George gives Bryan a list of items he'll need to build the device, but George wants to hit the road because he doesn't feel safe. Bryan assures him that he will be safe as he'll be right outside, and Bryan sits himself in the car with eyes on George's room. George, however, slips out and goes to the office to ask for aluminum foil which he then makes into a blanket to sleep under. Finola calls Ferris and admits to her that she has George and wants to know why Maddox wants him dead. Ferris denies knowing why, and Finola lets her know that she knows of all of Ferris' lies and manipulations and how she knows Ferris would have separated her from George the minute they landed in London. She tells Ferris about the piece of debris they need to find and that she'll elaborate when she knows more but now she needs Ferris to obtain the files George needs because if she does it herself, it will set off all the red flags. Ferris says she'll see what she can do.

So, can Finola trust Ferris to play ball with her, or did she make a huge mistake in this little game she's now playing with her boss? How closely is Ferris actually working with Maddox to have known the story that George wasn't in the facility, only to learn that Finola has him? Will she spill the beans or will she play along with Finola? Hard to say at this point, but it's all made for what's probably the best episode of the season so far.

Debris S01E07: You Can Call Her Caroline

© NBC

Mind control and shadowy government shenanigans mark this week's episode.
by Chuck Duncan

Guest Cast: Benjamin Hollingworth, Evelyn Burke

This week's episode of Debris left me with more questions than answers. The largest part of the episode was about some debris with another new power -- mind control. But there were very short moments with both Maddox and Ferris that leave us scratching our heads. And why on earth did Bryan tell Maddox that Finola knows her father is alive? He wants her to trust him, then he goes and blows up that trust after it took her a bit of time to finally trust him!

Maddox's torture of Ash was a bit gruesome and introduced some new technology that seemed more plot contrivance than anything remotely based in reality. I'm not even sure how it would work. They painted some goo on Ash's feet, connected him to jumper cables, and slid some metal contacts under his scalp -- ouch -- but presumably not into his brain. Right? So how could Ash's thoughts translate to video that revealed his secrets to Maddox? I know this is sci-fi but that was really out there.

And Ferris. What's her game now, trying to lure Finola back to England by using her sister's drug addiction? At least her sister was in the position to use a childhood code they shared -- how convenient -- to let her know that there was someone in the room and she couldn't really talk. Of course that just put Finola on red alert but she had more issues to deal with.

The 'Debris of the Week' in this episode gave the person closest to it the ability to control the minds of others. At first we saw a guy with a duffel bag, presumably with the debris inside. Everything around him freezes in time except for one woman who approaches him for the bag. He seems to be fighting himself but gives it to her and she walks away, leaving the man to blow his brains out. The woman is later found without the duffel and no memory of what happened.

Bryan and Finola pay a visit to the man's brother who tells them he was obsessed with conspiracy theories and had been offered $50,000 for the debris that was found in the marsh behind the house. He also asks Finola who to tell his niece that her father is dead. Bryan spots the blue duffel bag on a table in another room, but it's never explained how it got there. Was his brother actually trying to sell the debris or dispose of it? Did the woman walk it back to Luke? Who knows. Bryan and Finola leave but a short time later Finola realizes they didn't even bother to check the marsh. Why would they leave without checking the marsh? They do return but don't find anything.

The girl, Caroline, later goes out to the marsh and sits in the water, small pieces of the debris looking like large fish scales are somehow attracted to her. Finola and Bryan are also perplexed as to why the girl's mother, who has sole custody of her daughter after the divorce, left the girl with her uncle. Her odd response, echoed by her new husband, was that 'she belongs there'. None of this sits right with them.

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Returning to the house, Caroline is able to tell Finola that her uncle hurt her father and he's making her get the pieces of debris out of the marsh for him. Inside the house, Uncle Luke is having a chat with Bryan about their time in the service, but Luke is obviously affected negatively about his duty, telling Bryan how the military just wants them to be machines and now he's going to make them pay for what they did to him. It's never clearly explained what they did to him, or if he has some form of PTSD, but after the conversation Bryan and Finola leave again as if there is nothing odd going on. Then Luke gets angry with Caroline because even though she's told him there is nothing left in the marsh, he knows she's hiding it somewhere. He finally finds all of the debris hidden inside of an old diving suit in a shed.

Bryan and Finola end up back at the military base to head back home and Finola suddenly wonders how they got there. Bryan is confused for a moment too, and they both watch as a plane flies overhead then dives to the ground. Luke shows up with his bag of debris, and when Finola pulls her gun on him, he makes her point it downward. When Bryan attempts to take a shot, Luke forces Bryan to turn the gun on himself, just as he did his brother, while making Finola turn around so she's not facing either of them. Bryan is fighting Luke as best as he can and just before he pulls the trigger Luke falls to the ground, a piece of the debris buried right between his eyes. Caroline saved the day.

With Luke dead, everyone influenced by his mind control is back to normal and Caroline is reunited with her mother, who assures her she did not just leave her there. Finola also tells her that what she did was brave and saved their lives and for that she will always be indebted to the girl. Meanwhile, Maddox calls Bryan and tells him they've got a lead on George Jones, and now Bryan and Finola are off to Washington state to see what they can find. But does anyone have any trust anymore?

Debris S01E05: Earthshine

© NBC

Finola isn't sure who she can trust anymore.
by Chuck Duncan

Guest Cast: Sebastian Roché

After several episodes of Bryan and Finola jetting across the country to investigate new debris phenomena, we finally get a story that's a bit more focused on those bad guys who have been dealing in pieces of debris, revealing just a bit of what they are doing with their acquired pieces.

The episode opened with a spectacular bus crash as a transit bus from New Jersey made an unexpected detour to Boston through a debris-made wormhole. Except there is no debris in the area where the bus vanished. The passengers of the bus experienced a sound vacuum right before they crash landed, and people outside the bus heard a high pitched sound of unknown origin. What Bryan and Finola do have is video of a man watching the event from the steps of a post office so he is the prime suspect, but the question still lingers as to how the wormhole was created.

While they try to figure all that out, Bryan is trying to figure out Finola's attitude. He can definitely sense that she's being a bit stand-offish with him, but he thinks it's just because they disagreed on how to handle things in Nebraska (see the previous episode). She tells him that she's fine and moving past that, but the truth of the matter is she has lost all trust in him after her boss revealed that he knows her father is still alive. How can you work with a partner you know is keeping secrets from you? To be fair, she's keeping secrets from him to, that's the nature of the game when you work for spy agencies. She had to realize that he's under orders not to give her any information about her father because it could jeopardize their mission. But seems to be one to not let go of a grudge easily.

Things also look more suspicious when a video from a similar wormhole incident in China goes missing from the server. Neither Bryan nor Finola know why it was removed but it may be important to the case they are currently working. Bryan contacts Maddox -- and I'm not sure where his personal home drama is going within the context of the story -- who denies knowledge of why the video was removed but he promises to look in to it. Finola's boss also has no access or knowledge why it's missing but she does retrieve a copy and has a courier deliver it personally as it's said to be too sensitive to deliver over a network.

Finola meets a mysterious man in a van (guest Sebastian Roché who must certainly play a larger part in things moving forward because you don't hire him to drive a van and deliver one pivotal piece of dialogue) who hands over a flash drive and tells her that her own boss knows more than she's telling Finola, and that her father is not a clone. Great, so she can't trust Bryan or the CIA, and now she can't trust MI6? But she still has her sister, who calls out of the blue asking for the name of some Spanish song they used to dance to as children. Finola doesn't have time for that right now, girl.

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What everyone does figure out is that to create a wormhole that a bus can fit through takes a lot of power, and the video from China doesn't seem to have any sensitive information but it does seem to confirm that to charge the debris it requires two large metallic objects of virtually identical mass. In the video it's two bulldozers. In New Jersey, the entry point of the wormhole was between two large metallic poles. Looking at the layout of New York City, finding the two points seems virtually impossible since it could be almost any two skyscrapers across the street from each other. But there is a specific structure built into some skyscrapers, a type of damper to allow the building to withstand high winds. And there just happens to be three buildings in just the right position, so they need to figure out which two buildings are being used with Finola, Bryan and Maddox taking a building.

Bryan finds nothing, but Finola does find the piece of debris so the other must be in Maddox's building. But it isn't, so Bryan goes back to check and finds what he's looking for. They also find the man from the video in New Jersey and chase him down, surrounding him but after warning them all that nothing will stop whatever is in motion, he blows his own brains out. Bryan then has to get a team to his building to deactivate the debris because a sudden high pitched sound has started squealing in the city, with no point of origin and stretching for at least six blocks. The area is massive and they are terrified that six blocks of Manhattan are about to vanish. But Bryan's team is fired upon by Anson Ash's team (he's the bearded guy we've seen buying and selling debris), but Bryan can't go after them as he is now the only person who can deactivate the debris before it opens the wormhole. Luckily the one scientist is alive and able to walk him through it.

Finola does follow Ash through the city for blocks and blocks. It's dark at this point and she's almost given up hope, but as she turns around he's right behind her. Trying to ask what happened to her father -- Ash says she has his eyes -- they experience the sound vacuum that the bus passengers experienced, as does Bryan who kind of needs to hear the frequencies of the devices he's using to turn off the debris. Ash is thrilled he is about to succeed, but Bryan manages to use the video scope to figure out the right moment to flip the switch and he succeeds, restoring the sounds of the city. Ash is stunned that he can hear Finola breathing and is even more stunned when he's tackled by one of her team members. Now he's in the custody of the CIA with Maddox promising Finola he'll give her more information as soon as he's able.

Not knowing where to turn at this point, Finola gets a message from her sister with a video of them as children, dancing to the song 'Porqué Te Vas?' (a real song by Jeanette from 1974). As she smiles at the memory, Ash is sitting in the transport van ... singing the same song.

Debris S01E04: In Universe

© NBC

Finola is shook, and new debris powers are revealed
by Chuck Duncan

Guest Cast: Alexander Soto, Humberly González

This week's episode of Debris really put the focus on Finola as she grapples with the side effects of a newly revealed debris power and even more shocking news that shakes her faith in Bryan.

The main story centered on a farming community in Nebraska where all was well until the rain started. Oddly, the rain was falling on just one small location but it was having a serious effect on the people inside the shower -- once they stepped outside of the rain's perimeter, they died. This weather anomaly drew the attention of Bryan and Finola, and upon arrival they made a gruesome discovery: the rain was transforming the area inside the event to a chlorine-based atmosphere, and it was transforming any human inside the perimeter into chlorine-breathing beings. The result being they suffocated once they stepped outside into the normal oxygen atmosphere.

So how do they get the family and farm workers inside the rainfall outside safely? Things are complicated when the brother of the one dead man they found outside the rain shows up and wants to be with his family, including his brother's wife and kids who he vowed to take care of. But these debris events are still highly classified, so no matter how badly Finola wants to tell him the truth, she knows her hands are tied and is forced to have the man restrained while they figure out what to do with the people inside the rain area.

Donning environment suits, Bryan and Finola are able to enter and make contact with them, and locate the debris that is causing the event. The news only gets worse as the rain perimeter begins to expand, revealing that the debris seems to be terraforming the area, changing it into the atmospheric conditions of the alien ship's home planet. It is also causing strange plant growth in the area. But with the rain area growing, Bryan has no choice but to order the debris shut down even if doing so means the people inside the rain area will die. Finola is not okay with this, and remembers that there is another piece of debris found by a different team (so now we know the existence of multiple debris seekers) that puts people into a kind of suspended animation. If they use that piece to save the people inside the rain, they can keep them in that state until a way is found to reverse the damage done to them. But that could take years.

Bryan reluctantly agrees, and Finola goes off book and tells Efraim the truth about what's going on and what they are about to do. She releases him from the cuffs and he runs into the rain to be with his family, his lungs instantly transformed the minute he crosses the perimeter. The debris is rolled in and everyone lines up, but it's not clear if any of them aside from Efraim is aware of what is about to happen to them. The debris is activated and they are all encased in a glowing membrane, immobile but still alive. The whole event, the moral decision that Bryan was about to make, sacrificing everyone inside to save everyone outside, put a wedge between his and Finola's relationship.

And to make matters worse, Finola received a call from her boss at MI6 revealing that her father is still alive. And if that wasn't shocking enough, she throws Bryan under the bus and tells Finola that he has known this for sometime. So we can expect more tension not only between the two agents, but the two government agencies as well.

And what is up with Director Maddox? This week we got a short scene with him at home doing some kind of exercises with his son, who is in a wheelchair and doesn't speak, his upper body motor skills being tested as Maddox tosses a ball to his son. When his wife's cell phone rings, he sees it's an unknown caller and answers but there is no response on the other end. His wife walks in and lashes out at him for daring to pick up and answer her phone. Her emotional outburst puzzles her husband, but it also seems to have an effect on her son who witnesses the angry exchange. Now we're left with the question of Dario Maddox's condition -- was it caused by the debris? We'll have to wait to see what happens next.

Debris S01E03: Solar Winds

© NBC

The third episode of Debris adds another new twist
by Chuck Duncan

Guest Cast: Matthew MacCaull, Sarah Desjardins, Christopher Shyer

I have no idea why this week's episode of Debris is titled 'Solar Winds' because it doesn't have anything to do with the sun. A more apt title would have been 'The Phantom Zone' but I suppose the folks over at Warner Bros. would have taken issue with that.

But anyone who's seen anything related to Superman can't be blamed for thinking this week's debris-related anomaly isn't anything but the Phantom Zone when a mysterious two dimensional square pops up in the middle of a field ... and people appear to be inside trying to get out.

It's not long before Bryan and Finola are sidetracked to Ohio to investigate, and they soon find they are able to hear one of the people trapped inside, a young woman named Nicole Hegmann who vanished without a trace in 2018. And while they can hear Nicole and see other human shapes in the void with her, she can't hear them ... or see the others which puzzles the team.

Bryan eventually pulls apart a million dollar piece of equipment -- oops -- to help construct a transmitter so they can attempt to talk with Nicole. But the biggest mystery is the absence of any debris. They do manage to communicate a bit with Nicole but the square keeps disappearing, leading Finola to conclude that somehow when Nicole is more emotional, the square remains visible. And one way to perhaps keep her emotions heightened is to bring her father to the site.

He, of course, is reluctant to believe their fantastical story but when he witnesses the abnormality and hears his daughter's voice, he is on board. He related a story of how he's always felt connected to his daughter, always having a dream that he's in the parking lot where she disappeared (in a different state), and when she appears again they share a long hug. But no one knows how to get Nicole out of limbo without a piece of debris.

© NBC

Luckily there is some activity nearby and they find an abandoned pickup truck, right next to a large piece of debris. Apparently this object allowed the alien ship to travel through time and space and has somehow opened a portal in this field. Interestingly, Finola's father had a theory about portals dotting the Earth, and had mapped out several in the US ... including one where Nicole disappeared, and one where they are now. But the debris is low on power and lead scientists Muntz doesn't want to use up what power is left to save a few people. Bryan and Finola, however, insist.

Aiming the debris in the direction of the square, they find that moving it slightly is like changing channels on a TV, revealing each person who they could see in silhouette, apparently on a different plain. They finally are able to release Nicole, and when she breaches the barrier, it seems to destroy the entire thing, releasing everyone else as well ... and all of them had disappeared at different times, some as far back as the 1970s. Nicole tells her father that she always imagined being back in that parking lot waiting for him, and when he'd show up they had a nice long hug, so they truly were still connected psychically.

But now that they have the debris, they need to find out who owned the pickup that was sitting next to it. No surprise, but the truck was stolen. Security footage shows the bearded guy who's been dealing pieces of debris, but they still don't really know who he is. What no one else knows as well is that Maddox had a secret meeting with a Russian, Tarkolov, who wants a piece of the debris the CIA currently possesses. Maddox is ready to make a deal, but the heat is on him when his boss tells him that they have eyes on Tarkolov and wanted to give him a heads up. That sends Maddox into a bit of panic mode because he may now be compromised, but no one is letting on just yet.

And the question still lingers about Finola's dead father. The CIA has obtained security footage of her at the morgue just like she claimed. Before she left, she took his watch as a keepsake. But later footage shows the watch is still on his arm, so was Finola sitting with a clone? Was the other body a clone? Is the real George Jones still alive or is the man they've seen recently a clone? No one knows at this point.