Jake Johnson leads Nbc pilot race with Sunset P.I. frontrunner
Nbc is heading into the final stage of its 2026-27 schedule decisions with Sunset P.I. now seen as the undisputed frontrunner among eight pilots. The network ordered five dramas and three comedies this season, and the pickup calls are expected late next week.
Sunset P.I. leads the pack
Jake Johnson heads Sunset P.I., the Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici single-camera comedy that has emerged as the early pilot leader. The project is also being viewed as a possible companion for St. Denis Medical, which puts it in a cleaner scheduling lane than most of the field.
That edge matters because NBC is not shopping a broad slate this year. With only eight pilots in play, every decision carries more weight for the 2026-27 schedule than it would in a bigger pilot cycle, and the network has already moved into internal screenings.
Rockford and the procedural race
The Rockford Files reboot, led by David Boreanaz, is also still considered a sure bet. On the drama side, NBC has high marks for Emily Deschanel in Key Witness and Taylor Schilling in What The Dead Know, both of which fit the network’s interest in a new female-led procedural that could pair with Law & Order: SVU.
What The Dead Know was developed with that compatibility in mind, while Key Witness has strong support as well. That gives NBC a second track to weigh against its comedy frontrunner: a procedural block built around an established brand and a new show that can fit beside one of its longest-running drama anchors.
Puzzled, Newlyweds, Jill & Ginger
In the Line of Fire, starring Peter Krause and Hope Davis, is also in the running for an order. Puzzled, led by Damon Wayans Jr., is lighter and funnier than the other drama pilots and sits closer to ABC’s current light procedural bent than to NBC’s usual drama brand.
Newlyweds pairs Tèa Leoni with Tim Daly, while Jill & Ginger brings together Katey Sagal and Jane Lynch. Those names keep the rest of the field in the conversation, but the market has already sorted its favorites: Sunset P.I. and The Rockford Files are the projects most likely to shape the network’s next schedule. If NBC sticks to that reading, late next week should settle whether it wants its biggest swing to be a comedy built around Jake Johnson or a reboot anchored by David Boreanaz.
