New prime-time NBC lineup includes several female-led series

Just three months after its new programming chief officially took over, mired-in-fourth-place NBC unveiled a new prime-time slate on Sunday that’s been festooned with female-led series.

Among the network’s six new comedies and six new dramas are shows that feature Whitney Cummings as half of a committed couple; Debra Messing as the writer of a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe; Christina Applegate as an acerbic new mom; Maria Bello as the new Helen Mirren in a “Prime Suspect” remake; and a comedy based on late-night star Chelsea Handler’s book, “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea.”

On the other hand, NBC is relying on the behind-the-scenes production chops of Steven Spielberg, Lorne Michaels, Brian Grazer, Tom Werner, John Grisham and Peter Berg.

“We all know that it’s a little easier to get women to come to television than men,” NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt told The TV Column of his new lineup, adding, “That’s not a bad thing.”

Except, of course, advertisers pay a premium to reach young guys, because they’re the hardest to reach. But aiming for a female audience is not a bad direction to go when you’re the mired-in-fourth-place network.

NBC will start just six of the new shows in the fall because it’s hard to be heard in the din of the fall broadcast TV new-season launch, particularly when you’re the fourth-placed network.

So big-ticket newcomer “Smash” — the so-called “ ‘Glee’ for adults” Broadway-musical drama from Steven Spielberg and starring Debra Messing — won’t be launched until midseason. That way it can be packaged with NBC’s singing competition series “The Voice” — this season’s No. 1 rated new series among young adults — when it returns in the first quarter of 2012.

Likewise, NBC’s TV adaptation of John Grisham’s book “The Firm” won’t be trotted out until it can follow the return of reality series “Celebrity Apprentice” on Sunday nights, post-football (with or without Donald Trump, depending on his presidential plans).

“We’ll be placing a great deal of emphasis on how we launch each one of our programs and on maximizing the network’s strengths throughout the fall and well into midseason,” Greenblatt said.

“Considering it’s only been three months since new management took over, I’m very pleased with what has resulted from a very strong pilot season,” he added.

In truth, some of his new series, such as a drama called “The Playboy Club,” and the “Prime Suspect” redo, were in development last year; Greenblatt just took a new whack at them, with different writers, etc. And Greenblatt had that Marilyn Monroe Broadway-musical drama in his pocket when he was still running programming at Showtime, his most recent gig before being named to the NBC job three months ago.

Meanwhile, we won’t keep the 12 of you still watching NBC in suspense any longer: The network’s returning series include “Parenthood,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Harry’s Law,” “Chuck” (for its fifth and final season of 13 episodes), “Community,” “Parks and Recreation,” “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Dateline NBC.”