NBC gives full season orders to 3 shows, wins first week of the season; 'Bates' adds to cast

For the first time since 2003, NBC beat all the other networks to claim the first week in the new TV season in the all important 18-49 demographic -though CBS still won the week with overall viewers. Still, this is a significant win for the peacock network, which until the end of last season, was in fourth place -they moved into third. 

One of the bright lights in NBC's feathers is Revolution, their hybrid sci-fi/conspiracy/post-apocalypse series, which debuted on September 17^th and was the top drama premiere on the network in five years, opening with almost 12 million viewers. While it lost only 11% of its viewers in the second week and lost 9% more on the third week, NBC appears to believe that show should be leveling off into an area they are comfortable with. Plus, it is one the most DVR shows this season. It also helps that their music/game show The Voice is Revolution’s lead-in. Still, they gave the show a full pick-up today, along with full season orders to Go On and The New Normal.

Whether this is a complete turn-around for the network is yet to be known. It still has some weaknesses and cannot rely on The Voice to save their tarred and feathered image each week.

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Mike Vogel and Nestor Carbonell have joined the cast of A&E’s upcoming series Bates Motel in recurring roles. The series, which serves as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock horror classic Psycho, will Vogel playing Deputy Zach Shelby, described as “a completely engaging, attractive, intelligent sociopath, while Carbonell will play Sheriff Royce Romero, who has something almost sinister about him.