Awards Buzz had the pleasure of attending NBCUniversal Backlot Pass, a full-day experience looking ahead to some of the fall and spring offerings on NBC and Peacock.
The day began with a Traitors-themed breakfast to celebrate the launch of The Traitors: New Blood, coming to NBC on September 17th and revitalizing the famed celebrity series with an all-civilian cast for this edition.
Next up was a look at Line of Fire, coming to NBC on September 21st. Showrunner Josh Safran was joined by executive producers Jenna Bush Hager and Ben Spector, and stars Peter Krause and Hope Davis discussed what it’s like to be part of this law enforcement-themed family drama. Asked whether playing someone who’s about to retire has prompted him to consider retirement, Krause emphatically conveyed his strong desire to keep working and how much he loves being part of this show.
For Newlyweds, coming to NBC on October 23rd, those in attendance were treated to a table read of the pilot, following by a panel with the show’s creator and its entire cast. Tim Daly joked that one advantage of working with his real-life wife Téa Leoni, reuniting after Madam Secretary, is that they don’t need an intimacy coordinator on set. Guest star and executive producer Jamie Lee Curtis couldn’t stop talking about how thrilled she was to be doing a multi-cam show. Bill O’Neill stole the show with his accent work, physical comedy, and his inability to control his laughter when his fellow cast members delivered memorable lines.
Though audiences will have to wait until February to see Sunset P.I., from showrunners Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici, best known for Brooklyn Nine-Nine, it will be worth it. Jake Johnson and Jane Levy, who unfortunately couldn’t be there for the panel, are well-paired with as private investigators, with a terrific supporting cast including Keith David, Langston Kerman, and Mary Shalaby, who had the audience in stitches laughing at her irreverent answers.
Another midseason entry to look forward to is The Rockford Files, coming in February and starring David Boreanaz as the classic character. Though he’s never actually seen the original, he paid enormous tribute to the late James Garner and explained that he reached out to his daughter Gigi to get her blessing to take on this role. Boreanaz was the most popular presence of the day, inviting many follow-up questions once the panel finished.
To close things out, a new show coming to Peacock October 15th, Crystal Lake, offered a more extended preview of its first episode and the stylized horror that audiences can expect from this Friday the 13th prequel. Linda Cardellini expressed her passion for this universe and this part, the latest in a series of ambitious projects for her that allow her to show plenty of range.
There’s much more to look forward to in the coming months, including Dig, from executive producer Michael Schur and starring Amy Poehler and Hugh Laurie, coming to Peacock November 23rd.
Stay tuned to Awards Buzz for more on all these great shows!
