Matthew Perry/courtesy of NBC
LOS ANGELES -- NBC is hoping its Olympics coverage will give them a winning edge for the 2012-13 season. In a bold move, the network will offer commercial-free sneak peeks of three new shows, immediately following three separate nights of airing the Games in London.
The first episode of "Go On," the new Matthew Perry sitcom, will air Aug. 8; "Animal Practice," starring former Minnesotan Justin Kirk, debuts Aug. 12, right after the closing ceremonines. NBC will also offer a six-minute sample on Aug. 4 of its doomsday serialized series, "Revolution."
Many of NBC series will then debut earlier than usual.
"Given where we are in the ratings, we want to bring a lot of attention to our shows," said NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt. "If we were to wait five or six weeks to debut them, that would be a mistake."
In other NBC news, "Saturday Night Live" will go live in prime-time on Sept. 20 and 27 with two political specials.
Greenblatt also announced that he hasn't given up on "Community," despite only ordering 13 episodes, moving it to Friday night and replacing its showrunner, Dan Harmon.
Greenblatt said the show required some "freshening up," a strange statement to say about a show many critics think is the freshest on the air.
