Wells' 'Police' close to series order

Final season of 'ER' to be extended

By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

NBC and Warner Bros. are close to sealing a series order for John Wells' "Police" -- with an episodic extension of "ER" to boot.

Such a deal comes following weeks of heated negotiations on "Police." The two sides had also been talking about prolonging "ER's" swan song as part of a "Police" pickup (Daily Variety, Jan. 7).

According to insiders, the Peacock is expected to add three more segs to "ER's" 15th and final season and will pick up six episodes of "Police."

The extra "ER" segs could impact the launch of NBC's new drama "Kings," set to bow on March 19, in "ER's" old slot. (The series finale for "ER" was originally set for a two-hour slot on March 12).

Meanwhile, it's still undetermined where "Police" may wind up.

NBC and Warner Bros. had been kicking around several "Police" scenarios for weeks. It's understood that at one point, NBC offered a 12-episode order but at a license fee Warner Bros. rejected.

Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117998243.html

Like this article? Variety.com has over 150,000 articles, 40,000 reviews and 10,000 pages of charts. Subscribe today!
http://www.variety.com/emailfriend
or call (866) MY-VARIETY.
Can't commit? Sign up for a free trial!
http://www.variety.com/emailfriend