NBC Ring in New Year with Slew of Games

2021 is shaping up to be a big game show year. Last week, NBC announced its mid-seasons schedule and they have a whole weekday dedicated to game shows.

While ABC will use Thursdays along with the current Sundays for their game show, NBC will start the new year with Mondays as their game show block and it all begins on Monday January 4th with the two hour return of Ellen's Game of Games. Season four of The Wall will debut after Ellen's Game of Games.

Then the following week, starting 1/11, the regular Monday lineup of Game of Games, The Wall, and Weakest Link will carry Mondays. These shows will bridge the gap until the new season of The Voice starts, which is typically in late February.

NBC has always used Ellen's Game of Games as a bridge to The VOice, but usually on Tuesdays. This winter, NBC does have America's Got Talent: The Champions (which I am assuming NBC still wants more of, but just not every winter) so they had two hours to fill.

Game of Games and The Wall each have 20 episodes so they will likely get a summer run or filler other gaps throughout the year. Weakest Link will only have three episodes left when it returns on 1/11 but NBC still has dramas waiting in the wings (some of which have yet to tape). It remains to be seen if NBC will commission additional episodes of Weakest Link. The show can get back into production pretty easily and based of ratings, it should easily get a second season.

NBC did not announce their Sunday plans yet. Small Fortune and That's My Jam are still ready and waiting, and NBC just announced a series order for a revival of College Bowl with Peyton Manning serving as host. 

So game shows a plenty in the new year...and yet there is still more to come.