WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, SportsNBC releases its Fall, 2011 lineup

"FREE AGENTS"

Based on the witty, cult U.K. series of the same name, "Free Agents" is a crooked, romantic comedy from creator John Enbom ("Party Down") and Emmy Award-winning director Todd Holland ("Malcolm in the Middle") that explores the trials and tribulations of finding love and companionship - the second time around.

Hank Azaria ("The Simpsons," "Huff") stars as newly divorced Alex, who is missing his kids and trying to keep himself together. Alex's co-worker Helen (Kathryn Hahn, "Hung") thinks she has it together, but she drinks too much in order to cope with her fiance's untimely death. It's no surprise then when these two overworked public relations executives share an ill-fated night of passion and are forced to cope with the awkward aftermath.

Thus begins the journey of two lost and emotionally damaged souls in search of happiness. Joining the cause is an array of co-workers who are both helpful and meddling at the same time. Stephen (Anthony Head, "Merlin," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") is the office boss who is concerned about Alex's emotional stability, yet needs him to focus on his work; Dan (Mo Mandel, "Love Bites," "Modern Family") is a bachelor in search of a wingman; and Gregg (Al Madrigal, "Wizards of Waverly Place," "The Daily Show") is the nerdy, lone husband of the group. Despite their valiant and well-intentioned efforts, they are failing in their attempts to help Alex get back into the dating scene. In addition, Emma (Natasha Leggero, "Ugly Americans") is Alex's spitfire assistant, who is always ready with a quick comeback, and Joe Lo Truglio ("Backwash," "Mad Love") is the building security guard who is always ready to share a little advice. Together, this motley, and often dysfunctional, group takes on a new level of damage control.

"GRIMM"

Remember the fairy tales your parents used to tell you before bedtime? Well, those weren't stories, they were warnings.

Detective Nick Burkhardt thought he was ready for the grim reality of working homicide in Portland, Oregon. That is, until he started to see things... things he couldn't quite explain. Like a gorgeous woman suddenly transforming into a hideous hag, or an average Joe turning into a vicious troll. Then, after a panicked visit from his only living relative, Nick discovers the truth about his visions: he's not like everyone else, he's a descendant of an elite group of hunters known as "Grimms" who are charged with stopping the proliferation of supernatural creatures in the world. And so begins his new life journey - albeit a reluctant one at first - as he solves crimes with his partner who knows something about Nick has radically changed but can't quite put his finger on it. Along the way, Nick finds himself unexpectedly getting help on some of the more difficult cases from Monroe, a guy who seems normal at first but is soon revealed to be what you might call a "big bad wolf." Literally!

While the Brothers Grimm wrote fairy tales that children have adored for generations, imagine if the villains were real, and Nick was the only one who could stop them.

"THE PLAYBOY C LUB"

It's the early '60s, and the legendary Playboy Club in Chicago is the door to all your fantasies... and the key is the most sought-after status symbol of its time.

Step inside the seductive world of the Bunny, the epitome of beauty and service, and rub shoulders with the decade's biggest mobsters, politicos and entertainers (like Tina Turner and Sammy Davis, Jr.) With all these larger than life ambitions, there are even greater secrets. Like when innocent new Bunny Maureen - who wants to take the world by storm - accidentally kills one of the Windy City's most powerful mafia bosses... and the only person capable of covering it up and protecting her is Nick Dalton, a man who once worked for the mob but is about to run for district attorney. Bunny Alice is married but hiding an explosive personal life while Bunny Janie is running from a past that threatens to catch up with her. It seems everyone has a secret - none more so than Maureen, who may not even be the innocent orphan she appears to be. Thank goodness Hef's Playboy Mansion is open after hours for a little R&R... and burying your past.

"PRIME SUSPECT"

If being a homicide detective in New York isn't tough enough, having to contend with a male-dominated police department to get respect makes it that much tougher. And that's exactly what Jane Timoney has to do. She's an outsider who was just transferred to a new precinct where a fraternity of cops isn't willing to give her the benefit of the doubt - especially given the way they think she got the job after an illicit affair with her boss.

Jane is by no means perfect, and with her own vices and questionable past she can be forceful, willful, rude, and downright reckless. She's also a brilliant cop with an uncanny ability to see what others miss, and get inside a criminal's head like no one else. While she wouldn't admit it, she wants the respect of the men in her life - including her commanding officer, her fellow detectives, and her complicated boyfriend and his young son - but above all, she keeps her eye on one thing: the prime suspect.

"UP ALL NIGHT"

"Up All Night," created by Emily Spivey (NBC's "Parks and Recreation" and "Saturday Night Live") and executive produced by Lorne Michaels (NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock"), is an irreverent look at modern parenthood.

Christina Applegate ("Samantha Who?") stars as Reagan Brinkley: loving wife, successful career woman, life of the party and, most recently, mom. Determined not to compromise her career or cool reputation to the cliches of motherhood, Reagan adjusts to life with a baby and returns to work with the support of her stay-at-home husband, Chris (Will Arnett, "Arrested Development"). As Reagan and Chris figure out their new life, self-doubt, sleep deprivation and the pressure of today's parenting protocols rattle their confidence. What's more, the endless needs of Reagan's boss, ambitious but vulnerable talk-show host Ava (Maya Rudolph, "Saturday Night Live," "Bridesmaids"), threaten to throw Reagan off balance

"WHITNEY"

NBC's new multi-camera comedy "Whitney" is a hilarious look at modern day love, which centers around Whitney (Whitney Cummings, "Chelsea Lately") and Alex (Chris D'Elia, "Glory Daze"), a happily unmarried couple. Together for three years, the duo is in no rush to get hitched, which seems to get a mixed response from their friends.

Whitney's close circle of girlfriends includes, on one side, Lily (Zoe Lister-Jones, "The Other Guys"), a romantic idealist who loves being in love, and on the other, Roxanne (Rhea Seehorn, "The Starter Wife"), a recent divorcee who is practical, cynical and dreading being single again. Lily and Roxanne's opposing points of view only exacerbate Whitney's own complicated outlook on relationships.

Completing their close-knit group is Neal (Maulik Pancholy, NBC's "30 Rock"), a real modern day Renaissance man - sensitive and cool, who knows a little bit about everything and happens to be dating Lily. On the other end of the spectrum is Whitney and Alex's next-door neighbor Mark (Dan O'Brien, "How I Met Your Mother"), a police officer and total bachelor, who claims to be the ultimate player, but likes to talk a good game.

At the end of the day, Whitney and Alex try to have a relationship on their own terms - in a world that expects a more traditional approach.

"ARE YOU THERE VODKA"

Do you remember where you were when you had a life-changing realization? (In other words, a DUI? ) For Chelsea Newman, it was in the drunk tank at her local jail. And maybe "life-changing" is a slight exaggeration - her version of a wake-up call is realizing that the way to avoid driving drunk is to get an apartment within walking distance from work! But hey, baby steps, right?

Chelsea is young, strong-willed, and a force of nature determined to live life to the fullest and make no apologies. Her friends are along for the ride, but they all know it's Chelsea's way or the highway. Her fiery Cuban BFF accuses her of "collecting weirdoes," but to Chelsea, different types of people - including Todd, (a little person) who always has her back - just make life more interesting. Into her posse comes a new roommate who is Chelsea's polar opposite (sheltered, shy, a virgin) so you can probably guess which way the influence will go. Chelsea works at her local bar (how appropriate!) where her co-workers are just as crazy as she is.

"AWAKE"

Lots of people find themselves leading some kind of double life... but none quite like this.

After Detective Michael Britten wakes up from a car accident with his wife and teenage son, he learns the devastating news that his wife died in the crash. Trying to put the pieces of his life back together, he wakes up a few days later to realize that his wife is very much alive and his son died in the accident! Did he lose his wife or his son? Or neither of them??

What if your life split in two in the face of a situation like this, and you could actually have everything you wanted, just not all at the same time? Michael goes back to work solving crimes while trying to put things back on a "normal" track, but alternating between realities provides some challenges - one moment he and his wife are grappling with having another child to replace their loss, and the next moment he's finding himself attracted to his son's tennis coach to fill the void from the loss of his wife. At the same time, he is solving crimes in each world which sometimes overlap in fascinating and inexplicable ways. Is he dreaming or going mad? Michael begins seeing two different therapists to help him sort things out, but then again why would he want either "reality" to go away when the totality of both means having his family complete?

From groundbreaking writer Kyle Killen (Lone Star) and starring Jason Isaacs (Brotherhood, Harry Potter) comes a drama about the power of the mind, where the inception of life is a mystery and reality might just be overrated.

"BENT"

It's amazing what you can find when you're a little bit lost - and how ironic at a time like this that you suddenly find yourself attracted to exactly what used to repel you!

That's the situation for Alex and Pete. On the surface, they could not be more different. Alex is strong, resilient, tough-as-nails and recently divorced, now raising her eight-year-old daughter as a single mom. She's also a lawyer, which is funny because her ex-husband is in jail for fraud. Determined not to let anything do her in, she stays the course by not taking grief from anyone... oh, and she's just decided to redo her kitchen.

Enter Pete, the contractor she hires for the job. Pete is a recovering gambling addict, avid surfer and unapologetic womanizer. His vices have ruined his relationships with his old construction team, and Alex's kitchen job is his last chance to prove that he won't just blow it all again.

But he's not quite prepared for what's about to hit him when he encounters the force that is Alex; nor does she realize that her rigid facade is about to crumble at about the same time her kitchen gets demolished. And if Pete didn't have enough to deal with, his father - played by the inimitable Jeffrey Tambor - is competing with him for womanizer of the year and it's clear to see the apple didn't fall too far from the tree.

"BEST FRIENDS FOREVER"

Jessica and Lennon, best friends forever, live on opposite sides of the country with the different men in their lives. But when Jessica is served divorce papers, she reluctantly moves back to New York and back into Lennon's apartment. It doesn't take long for the girls to fall back into old habits: beloved traditions, Steel Magnolias marathons, epic girl-talk sessions... none of which is good news to Lennon's live-in boyfriend, Joe. He's trying to be understanding, but begins to feel like a stranger in his own home. It doesn't help that his new houseguest accidentally keeps seeing him naked.

Meanwhile, Jessica is just trying to get used to the single life again. She's doing everything from buying new underwear to reconnecting with old friends, like Rav, who may or may not have feelings for her. She hasn't spoken to him since he punched her ex-husband in the face at their wedding... but somehow, that doesn't seem like such a big deal anymore. Girls will be girls and men will forever be on the outside looking in!