NBC also holds back 'Crossing Jordan'

NEW YORK -- With the NFL swallowing an entire night of primetime and the network high on several new dramas, a couple of current NBC shows were likely to get lost in the shuffle.

Or, if not lost, at least filed away for a while.

So the good news for fans of "Scrubs" and "Crossing Jordan" is that both shows will be back at some point during the 2006-07 season. The bad news is that NBC hasn't figured out what point that is yet.

That "Crossing Jordan" was held back isn't that surprising, given that NBC will be broadcasting prime-time NFL games on Sundays in the fall. However, the network has scheduled a new drama, "Raines," for the 10 p.m. Sunday timeslot after football season, meaning "Jordan" may likely find a new home somewhere.

The show has survived an extended absence in the past, going 10 months between its second and third seasons when star Jill Hennessy was pregnant.

As for "Scrubs," which received a full-season order, it's the second year in a row the Emmy-nominated comedy has been held off the fall schedule. NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly says the decision was driven by the network's need to "bulk up" its schedule with one-hour shows and the somewhat fragile state of comedy on network TV -- NBC has just four on its fall schedule.

"We're going to revisit comedy," Reilly says. "Obviously we have some good ones on the bench -- NBC has also picked up two comedies, "Andy Barker, PI" and "The Singles Table," for midseason. We're going to get out of the gate, hopefully have some real success, and then look. ... We've got to revisit it and figure out strategically where to get it in."