NBC is keeping its fall 2026 lineup largely stable after winning the 2025-26 television season in total viewers for the first time since 2002. The network will launch three new series — the drama Line of Fire, the comedy Newlyweds, and the civilian-led reality competition The Traitors: New Blood — while bringing back its core franchises including The Voice, One Chicago, and Law & Order. Premiere dates stretch from September 9 with NFL coverage through November 2, when the Monday comedy block returns. All new episodes stream next day on Peacock.
Key Facts
- Season start: NFL Kickoff Game on September 9; scripted premieres begin September 17 with The Traitors: New Blood.
- New shows this fall: Line of Fire (drama), Newlyweds (comedy), The Traitors: New Blood (reality).
- Biggest schedule change: Law & Order moves to 10 p.m. Thursdays to make room for The Traitors at 8 p.m.
- Streaming: Every NBC fall episode streams next day on Peacock.
- Midseason holds: The Rockford Files reboot and Sunset P.I. premiere in early 2027.
- Canceled: Brilliant Minds, Law & Order: Organized Crime, On Brand with Jimmy Fallon, Stumble, The Hunting Party, and others will not return.
Monday Night: The Voice Season 30 and Line of Fire
Monday nights in September and October belong to The Voice at 8 p.m. followed by the series premiere of Line of Fire at 10 p.m. Season 30 of The Voice debuts September 21 with a two-hour episode, then airs a second episode on September 22 at 8 p.m. and a third on September 23. The coaching panel features returning champions Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson alongside newcomers Queen Latifah and country star Riley Green. Levine returns after winning The Voice: Battle of Champions in April 2026.
Line of Fire stars Peter Krause and Hope Davis as Mike and Jane Hollingsworth, a Secret Service agent and a U.S. Marshal whose adult children also work across federal protective agencies. A routine case turns deadly and pulls the family into a conspiracy that forces them to cross professional boundaries. The series is executive produced by Jenna Bush Hager, whose own experience growing up with Secret Service protection inspired the premise. Season 1 runs for 10 episodes, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming next day on Peacock.
Starting November 2, Monday nights shift: St. Denis Medical Season 3 returns at 8 p.m., followed by The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins Season 2 at 8:30 p.m., a shortened The Voice at 9 p.m., and Line of Fire at 10 p.m..
Tuesday Night: NBA Basketball
Tuesdays on NBC are dedicated to NBA basketball from 8 to 11 p.m. ET throughout the fall. No scripted or unscripted entertainment programming is scheduled on Tuesdays in the fall 2026 lineup.
Wednesday Night: One Chicago Returns October 7
The entire One Chicago franchise returns on October 7 with new seasons for Chicago Med (Season 12 at 8 p.m.), Chicago Fire (Season 15 at 9 p.m.), and Chicago P.D. (Season 14 at 10 p.m.).
Chicago Fire Season 15 comes with significant cast changes. Joe Miñoso (Joe Cruz) exits after appearing in 294 of the show’s 296 episodes since Season 1. Dermot Mulroney also departs as Chief Dom Pascal after one episode of the new season. New additions include Matthew Daddario and Da’Vinchi as firefighter candidates, joining returning regulars Taylor Kinney, David Eigenberg, Miranda Rae Mayo, and Hanako Greensmith.
Thursday Night: The Traitors, Law & Order: SVU, and Law & Order
Thursday is NBC’s biggest night of change. The Traitors: New Blood premieres with a two-hour episode on September 17 at 8 p.m., followed by another two-hour episode on September 24. After a week off for sports, the show moves to one-hour episodes beginning October 8. Alan Cumming returns as host, welcoming 22 everyday Americans to Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands to compete for a $250,000 prize. The cast includes a nurse, an astrophysicist, a dog groomer, a barrel racer, a teacher, a physician, a funeral director, and a pilot, among others. James and Oliver Phelps serve as castle keepers.
Law & Order: SVU Season 28 premieres October 8 at 9 p.m., marking the show’s continued run as the longest-running scripted primetime series in television history. Law & Order Season 26 follows at 10 p.m. in its new time slot, shifted back an hour to accommodate The Traitors. The mothership series has a cast change: Reid Scott exits as Detective Vincent Riley after three seasons, with James Badge Dale joining as a new senior detective. Scott filmed several episodes to wrap his character’s arc.
Friday Night: Happy’s Place and Newlyweds
Friday nights return to comedy on October 23. Happy’s Place Season 3 premieres at 8 p.m. with Reba McEntire back behind the bar. At 8:30 p.m., Newlyweds makes its series debut, starring real-life married couple Téa Leoni and Tim Daly as a free-spirited woman and a buttoned-up professor who marry after a whirlwind romance. Jamie Lee Curtis executive produces and appears in a recurring guest role. The multi-camera comedy streams next day on Peacock.
Dateline NBC continues at 9 p.m. on Fridays.
Saturday and Sunday: Football Dominates
Saturday nights on NBC are dedicated to college football. Big Ten Pregame and Notre Dame Pregame air at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Big Ten Saturday Night or Notre Dame Football from 7:30 to 11 p.m. ET. All games also stream live on Peacock.
Sunday nights belong to the NFL. Football Night in America airs at 7 p.m. ET, leading into NBC Sunday Night Football at 8:20 p.m. ET. Both are also available live on Peacock. The season begins September 13 with the Dallas Cowboys at the New York Giants.
New Shows Joining the Fall 2026 Lineup
Line of Fire is the flagship new drama, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. The 10-episode season follows the Hollingsworth family across the FBI, U.S. Marshals, Secret Service, and Department of Justice as a murder investigation exposes a larger conspiracy. Peter Krause and Hope Davis lead a cast that includes Kat Cunning, Tommy O’Brien, Taylor Bloom, and Charlie Barnett. Jenna Bush Hager executive produces.
Newlyweds brings a real-life couple to scripted comedy. Téa Leoni and Tim Daly play Jeanie and James, opposites who wed impulsively after a brief courtship. The show is executive produced by Jamie Lee Curtis and produced by Universal Television. It airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. beginning October 23.
The Traitors: New Blood adapts the Emmy-winning Peacock format for a broadcast audience with civilians instead of celebrities. Alan Cumming hosts, and James and Oliver Phelps join as castle keepers. The two-hour premiere kicks off NBC’s fall scripted season on September 17.
You May Also Like:
Returning Shows and Midseason Holds
Returning scripted series include Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, St. Denis Medical, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, and Happy’s Place. The Voice returns for its milestone 30th season, and Saturday Night Live continues its run though it is not part of the weeknight fall grid.
Two new scripted series are held for midseason: a reboot of The Rockford Files starring David Boreanaz, and the comedy Sunset P.I. A Wordle-based game show is also slated for midseason.
Stay with VvipTimes for the full NBC fall 2026 season as the network builds on its first total-viewer victory in over two decades.
Leave a Reply