NBC Bets Big on Familiar Faces as Eight Pilots Move to Series

NBC’s strongest pilot season since the pandemic ends with eight pilots ordered to series for 2026–27, anchored by dramas The Rockford Files (David Boreanaz) and Line of Fire (Peter Krause) and comedies Sunset P.I. (Jake Johnson) and Newlyweds (Téa Leoni, Tim Daly). The network emphasized star-driven projects, while Emily Deschanel’s Key Witness and What the Dead Know were not picked up; Sunset P.I. emerged as a frontrunner for a companion to St. Denis Medical, and overall the slate generated about 4,000 jobs across LA, New York, and Atlanta.