英语文摘:NBC revises schedule to keep audience, cut loss

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhuanet) -- U.S. broadcast network NBC revised its 10 p.m. schedule by adding five new comedies and seven dramas in an effort to keep more prime-time audience, media reports said Sunday.

Producers of the new shows include the renowned J.J. Abrams, Jerry Bruckheimer and David E. Kelley, according to a statement of NBC released Sunday.

"Law & Order: Los Angeles", a spin-off of "Law & Order", was chosen to replace the latter. Bruckheimer's "Chase", a drama of marshal tracking down fugitives, and "Undercovers" by Abrams will be aired on Wednesday nights.

Other new dramas include"Harry's Law," police series "The Cape," legal show "Outlaw," and "The Event," a thriller.

New comedies include "Outsourced," about an American running a call center in India, and "Love Bites," a one-hour comedy following three loosely connected stories about love, marriage and dating.

Other comedies that will debut in next season are "Love Bites","Perfect Couples," and "The Paul Reiser Show."

NBC, one of General Electric Co.'s entertainment divisions, is facing a shrinking audience. Its prime-time audience among viewers between 18 and 49 years old was down 3.8 percent from a year earlier through May 9, according to wsj.com.