NBC Seeks New "Friends"

One more season and the Friends are history. But NBC has already lined up another six-pack of inter-dating, coffee-swilling, wisecrackin' thirtysomethings to take their place.

In the network's annual schedule-revealing upfront presentation at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York today, NBC Entertainment president Jeff Zucker announced that the network will add three comedies and three dramas to its fall 2003-04 schedule, including star vehicles with James Caan, Alicia Silverstone, Whoopi Goldberg and Rob Lowe, plus a do-over of a saucy BBC sitcom that's already got the Industry buzzing over its naughty content.

Coupling, a remake of the British sitcom of the same name, is one of the network's hopes for the future. The plot? A group of six Chicago pals who have dated/are dating each other--and who are called "the hottest sextet to hit American television in a decade" by Zucker--dish the oh-so-personal, and sometimes graphic, details of their lives.

Almost as surprising as some of the Coupling dialogue: the network's decision to renew on-the-bubble series Ed, Boomtown and Good Morning, Miami. Romantic dramedy Ed, which wrapped its third season with the titular lawyer hooking up with his longtime crush Carol, will return to its original Wednesday night slot, while Sunday cop drama Boomtown adds singer-actress Vanessa Williams to the mix and moves to Fridays.

Good Morning, Miami, the sitcom which failed to spark much enthusiasm despite its spot in the Thursday "Must-See-TV" lineup, gets another shot with a new Tuesday time slot and the possible addition of TV's favorite show saver, Heather Locklear. The Melrose Place and Spin City star, whose own pilot for NBC didn't make the cut, is in negotiations to join the cast and is expected to announce her decision this week.

Meanwhile, other 2002-03 series weren't as fortunate as Miami, with In-Laws, A.U.S.A., Hidden Hills and Mister Sterling all plucked from the Peacock schedule, along with the David Spade comedy Just Shoot Me. Also MIA: Seinfeld alum Julia Louis-Dreyfus' dismal comeback comedy Watching Ellie, which debuted during the 2001-02 season and returned earlier this year in a retooled version, but is seemingly doomed to the TV graveyard after failing to fare better the second time around.

In addition to the end of Friends after 10 seasons, NBC's 2003-04 schedule will also include the final bow for Kelsey Grammer's Frasier, which will wrap after 11 seasons. And, in a move that Industry experts predict will be a trend throughout the rest of the networks' schedule announcements this week, NBC's lineup includes a dearth of reality programming, with only two entries: Fear Factor and the Donald Trump starrer The Apprentice.

A brief rundown of the new series:

Las Vegas: James Caan, Beverly Hills, 90210's Vanessa Marcil, model Molly Sims and All My Children Daytime Emmy winner Josh Duhamel are a flashy, high-tech security and surveillance team who work in one of Vegas' largest casinos in a hyper-paced drama created by The Fast and the Furious writer Gary Scott Thompson. Whoopi: Ousted Bernie Mac Show producer Larry Wilmore is the showrunner for Whoopi Goldberg's sitcom in which the Oscar winner stars as Mavis Rae, a singing diva who, retired, now operates a small hotel in New York City. Happy Family: Five-time Emmy winner John Larroquette and Cybill Emmy winner Christine Baranski are a married couple who think they're finally going to be able to enjoy their empty nest, until their twentysomething children reveal that their angst-addled lives are leading them back home. Coupling: General Hospital's Rena Sofer and Beverly Hills, 90210's Lindsay Price are the most recognizable names in the network's Americanized Friends-ly new sitcom. Miss Match: Alicia Silverstone and Ryan O'Neal star and Sex and the City creator Darren Star is executive producer of the dramedy about a successful divorce attorney--Silverstone--who finds she's just as good at getting couples together and becomes a professional matchmaker. The Lyon's Den: Rob Lowe stars--and gets an executive producer credit--as an idealistic Washington, D.C., attorney who is a member of a political dynasty family.

NBC also plans to bring back Monday night drama Crossing Jordan at midseason (after pregnant star Jill Hennessy gives birth), while a new sitcom starring departing Saturday Night Live star Tracy Morgan and The Apprentice, a reality show in which mogul Donald Trump serves as a potential mentor to a group of tycoon wannabes looking for a shot to conquer the corporate world, are also set to hit the Peacock schedule at midseason.

The network also extended its deal with TV's number one-rated drama, ER, as the Cook County medical staff will stick around for another two seasons, which will put the series into its 12th year during the 2005-06 season.

The following is a night-by-night look at the network's fall schedule:

MONDAY: Fear Factor; Las Vegas; Third Watch
TUESDAY: Whoopi; Happy Family; Frasier; Good Morning, Miami; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
WEDNESDAY: Ed; The West Wing; Law & Order
THURSDAY: Friends; Scrubs; Will & Grace; Coupling; ER
FRIDAY: Miss Match; Dateline NBC; Boomtown
SATURDAY: NBC Saturday Night Movie
SUNDAY: Dateline NBC; American Dreams; Law & Order: Criminal Intent; The Lyon?s Den