Another of NBC’s midseason dramas has finally found a home, with NBC scheduling a premiere for “Do No Harm.”
Featuring Steven Pasquale as a neurosurgeon with a twisted alter-ego, “Do No Harm” will premiere on Thursday, January 31 at 10 p.m. That’s the same night that “30 Rock” will air its hour-long series finale.
“January 31 will be a special night as one classic series will mark its finale with a great hour-long sendoff episode while a promising new drama will make its debut on Thursdays,” blurbs NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt. “’30 Rock’ is acclaimed as a legendary comedy and we will see a truly memorable and fitting last episode. In ‘Do No Harm,’ viewers will have a unique new dramatic storyline with an exciting new star in Steven Pasquale that takes them into dark and uncharted territory.”
This is the first official announcement of the “30 Rock” premiere date, though with “Community” returning the following week, it wasn’t hard to do that math.
“Do No Harm” was originally ordered for 13 episodes, but had its first season trimmed by one a week ago.
And yes, NBC aired a drama about a respected professional living two lives in this time period last year, drawing critical raves and miniscule viewership for “Awake.”
[This writer may be the only person amused to see NBC’s contemporary take-off on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde going head-to-head with CBS’ contemporary take-off on Sherlock Holmes, “Elementary.” Arthur Conan Doyle’s character first appeared in 1887’s “A Study in Scarlet” one year after Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.”]
The scheduling of “Do No Harm” also marks the end of the Thursday road for the comically low-rated newsmagazine “Rock Center with Brian Williams,” which will move to Fridays at 10 p.m. starting on February 8, with “Dateline” shifting to 9 p.m. “Grimm” will be taking a hiatus and returning on Friday, March 8.
NBC has yet to set a premiere date for Bryan Fuller’s “Hannibal,” among other lingering midseason options.