Taking a page from the Fox playbook, NBC announced schedules for fall 2008, winter 2009 and summer 2009. What does that mean for viewers? Not much, except that the schedules NBC announced now for winter and summer may never see the light of day as-is and there will likely be tweaks to the fall schedule, too.

"We need to be able to call an audible, but we are committed to scattered starts throughout the year and spreading our marketing dollars and schedule assets across the calendar," said Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.

NBC, which has been a ratings cellar dweller in recent years, will debut just four new series in the fall, including a new "Knight Rider" series based on the recent TV movie. A series of "Saturday Night Live" political-themed, half-hour prime-time specials will air in October as "Thursday Night Live" in the 9:30 p.m. time slot.

Low-rated series getting renewed include "Lipstick Jungle" and "Friday Night Lights." "FNL" will begin airing new episodes in October on DirecTV but those episodes won't air on NBC until after the Super Bowl in early 2009.

"ER" returns for its final, 15th season of 19 episodes, which will air without interruption, wrapping up in late February 2009 ("Celebrity Apprentice" will take its place).

Canceled shows include "Journeyman," "Bionic Woman," "Las Vegas" and "Scrubs," which is expected to move to ABC. Competition series "The Singing Bee" and "1 Vs. 100" are not on the schedules, but may return. In January, 90-minute episodes of "American Gladiators" and "Deal or No Deal" will take over Monday night, giving "Chuck" and "Heroes" a rest.

In addition to more hour-long "Office" episodes (boo, hiss, they don't work as well as half-hour episodes and hurt the show), NBC plans an "Office" spin-off that will premiere after "Suepr Bowl XLIII." Details of the setting and which characters might migrate from "The Office" to its spin-off are being kept under wraps.

"One conversation we have endlessly is that we will not put this on the air unless it's absolutely what we want it to be," Silverman said in a call with reporters this afternoon, "and we will in no way damage the mothership. We're only going to bring it to market if it's up to the quality of the original."

Among new series, there's a familiar theme: They're almost all remakes of known stories. From "Knight Rider" to "My Own Worst Enemy" ("Jekyll & Hyde") to "Crusoe" ("Robinson Crusoe") to "Kings (the Biblical story of David & Goliath) to "Merlin," NBC is all about escapist fare that will be comfortable for viewers, who Silverman hopes, can "have some fun and enjoy their lives watching our television programs."

NBC PRIME-TIME SCHEDULE FOR FALL 2008-09

MONDAY

8 - 9 p.m.: "Chuck"

9 - 10 p.m.: "Heroes"

10 - 11 p.m.: "MY OWN WORST ENEMY" - A Jekyll & Hyde tale starring Christian Slater as a man with two personalities, one mild-mannered, one a secret agent.

TUESDAY

8 - 9:30 p.m. "The Biggest Loser: Families"

9:30 - 10 p.m. "KATH & KIM" - Based on an Australian comedy, this series follows a blowsy divorcee (Molly Shannon) who pals around with her daughter (Selma Blair).

10 - 11 p.m.: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

WEDNESDAY

8 - 9 p.m.: "KNIGHT RIDER" - This sequel to the 1980s series began as a TV movie in February and will become a weekly series in the fall.

9 - 10 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal"

10 - 11 p.m.: "Lipstick Jungle"

THURSDAY

8 - 8:30 p.m. "My Name Is Earl"

8:30 - 9 p.m. "30 Rock"

9 - 9:30 p.m. "The Office"

9:30 - 10 p.m. "The Office"/ "SNL THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE" - "SNL" staples - political sketches and "Weekend Update" -- migrate to prime-time for four weeks in the fall.

10 - 11 p.m.: "ER"

FRIDAY

8 - 9 p.m.: "CRUSOE" - Based on the Daniel Defoe novel, NBC describes this updated "Robinson Crusoe" as a cross between "MacGyver," "Castaway" and "Pirates of the Caribbean."

9 - 10 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal"

10 - 11 p.m.: "Life"

SATURDAY

8 - 9 p.m.: "Dateline NBC"

9 - 10 p.m.: "KNIGHT RIDER" (Encores)

10 - 11 p.m.: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (Encores)

SUNDAY

7 - 8:20 p.m.: "Football Night in America"

8:20 - 11 p.m.: "NBC Sunday Night Football"

NBC PRIME-TIME SCHEDULE FOR WINTER 2009

MONDAY

8 - 9 p.m . "American Gladiators"/"Chuck"

9 - 10 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal"/"Heroes"

10 - 11 p.m.: "THE PHILANTHROPIST" - After the death of his only child, a man becomes a "vigilante philanthropist," traveling the world to help people in need. No cast announced, but Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson ("Homicide: Life on the Street") are the executive producers.

TUESDAY

8 - 9:30 p.m. "The Biggest Loser: Couples"

9:30 - 10 p.m. "KATH & KIM"

10 - 11 p.m.: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

WEDNESDAY

8 - 9 p.m.: "KNIGHT RIDER"

9 - 10 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal"

10 - 11 p.m.: "Law & Order"

THURSDAY

8 - 8:30 p.m. "My Name Is Earl"

8:30 - 9 p.m. "30 Rock"

9 - 9:30 p.m. "The Office"

9:30 - 10 p.m. "THE OFFICE SPINOFF" - It's executive produced by "Office" mastermind Greg Daniels, but that's about all we know. NBC's description was vague, at best, saying only it will feature "new faces and new locations."

10 - 11 p.m.: "ER"/"The Celebrity Apprentice"

FRIDAY

8 - 9 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal"

9 - 10 p.m.: "Friday Night Lights"

10 - 11 p.m.: "Life"

SATURDAY

8 - 9 p.m.: "Dateline NBC"

9 - 10 p.m.: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (Encores)

10 - 11 p.m.: "Law & Order" (Encores)

SUNDAY

7 - 8 p.m. Specials/"Dateline NBC"

8 - 9 p.m.: Specials/"MERLIN" - Another remake, this one an origins story of Merlin (Colin Morgan) and Arthur (Bradley James). Anthony Head ("Buffy the Vamprie Slayer") also stars.

9 - 10 p.m.: Specials/"Medium"

10 - 11 p.m.: Specials/"KINGS" - A modern-day retelling of David and Goliath about a young soldier (Christopher Egan, "Eragon") who rescues the king's (Ian McShane, "Deadwood") son from enemy territory.

NBC PRIME-TIME SCHEDULE FOR SUMMER 2009

MONDAY

8 - 9 p.m.: "American Gladiators"

9 - 10 p.m.: "AMERICA'S TOUGHEST JOBS" - Competition series featuring 12 people who venture out of their safe careers and try logging, drilling oil and climbing into a cab as an ice road trucker.

10 - 11 p.m.: "Dateline NBC"

TUESDAY

8 - 9 p.m.: "MOST OUTRAGEOUS MOMENTS" - Outtakes from TV shows, newscasts, etc.

9 - 10 p.m.: "America's Got Talent"

10 - 11 p.m.: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (Encores)

WEDNESDAY

8 - 9 p.m.: "SHARK TAGGERS" - Reality show that follows marine biologists as they track the ocean predators.

9 - 10 p.m.: "America's Got Talent" (Results Show)

10 - 11 p.m.: "Law & Order" (Encores)

THURSDAY

8 - 8:30 p.m. "The Office"

8:30 - 9 p.m. "THE OFFICE SPINOFF"

9 - 10 p.m.: "Last Comic Standing"

10 - 11 p.m.: "THE LISTENER" - A 24-year-old paramedic (Craig Olejnik) can read people's minds.

FRIDAY

8 - 9 p.m.: "CHOPPING BLOCK" - A restaurant makeover show set in New York City from the producers of "Hell's Kitchen."

9 - 11 p.m.: "Dateline NBC"

SATURDAY

8 - 9 p.m.: Drama Encores

9 - 10 p.m.: Drama Encores

10 - 11 p.m.: Drama Encores

SUNDAY

7 - 8 p.m.: "Dateline NBC"

8 - 9 p.m.: "Monk"

9 - 10 p.m.: "Nashville Star"

10 - 11 p.m.: "KINGS" (Encores)