Tales From the 'Fronts: NBC

NBC staged its "infront" presentation today and announced it was picking up four dramas and two comedies, thought it wouldn't say for sure whether stalwart Law & Order would return for a record-tying 20th season. Creator Dick Wolf, who has long wanted to at least tie Gunsmoke for the honor of longest-running scripted, live-action series, will have to wait until May 19th, when the network announces its fall lineup.

Some shows that are coming back include Heroes, Medium, and two that debuted this spring--the Amy Poehler comedy Parks & Recreation and the John Wells drama Southland.

It seemed the drama on NBC was an endangered species when the network announced earlier this year that Jay Leno would have a talk show in the 10-11 p.m. hour, once-vaunted time slot for Emmy-winning series such as Hill St. Blues in the early 1980s to the just-retired ER. But with four new shows going on the air, perhaps that was a bit premature.

The four are: medical dramas Trauma and Mercy, the one-hour dramedy Parenthood, and, for midseason, the apocalyptic series Day One. Two comedies: 100 Questions for Charlotte Payne and the Chevy Chase vehicle, Community, which will also include the Sultan of Snark, Joel McHale, host of the weekly celebrity clip show, The Soup.