One of the bigger draws of NBC’s new streaming service Peacock—exclusive content from the 2020 Summer Olympics—has been pushed back, but it still has plenty in its arsenal for the launch.
Peacock revealed its first look at the streaming service’s original programming slate Wednesday night, which is a mix of revivals and new seasons of shows that once aired on NBC; new shows, movies, and limited series based on existing IP; and adaptations.
And the first impression? In some ways, Peacock—which has a free ad-supported tier but will offer a premium tier with and without ads—feels like a series of fake shows from 30 Rock, but with the recognizable concepts and faces, it’s even more evident that it’s all real.
Saved By the Bell
A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez), Jesse Spano (Elizabeth Berkley), and Zack Morris (Paul Gosselaar) have returned to the world of Bayside High. A.C.’s a gym teacher at Bayside while Jesse and Zack (the latter who’s also the governor of California) have kids at the school. The first teaser is light on the plot, but there is already a ton of reminiscing about the good old days, whether it’s A.C. waxing poetics about high school to Jesse or talking about his old conquests to a couple of students—whose mothers A.C. had once hooked up with.
Brave New World
Starring Alden Ehrenreich (Solo), Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones), and Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey), Peacock’s adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s classic futuristic novel depicts a utopian society that isn’t quite as perfect once you start to look within.
Psych 2: Lassie Come Home
After an eight-season run on USA Network and one TV movie, James Roday and Dulé Hill are back as partners Shawn Spencer and Burton “Gus” Guster for the sequel, which will focus on head detective Carlton “Lassie” Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) after he recovers from a stroke.
Punky Power
Punky Brewster (Soleil Moon Frye) is now a single mother of three kids (and Freddie Prinze Jr. plays her ex-husband), but it becomes quickly evident that she’s still the trickster that people knew from way back when. (For what it’s worth, there’s also a Robot Chicken sketch with the same name, although it’s much less grounded in reality than this Punky sequel is.)
A.P. Bio Season 3
A.P. Bio ran on NBC for the first two seasons before being canceled, but Peacock plucked it back up for a reprieve, showcasing just one function that the streaming service can serve. The series stars It’s Always Sunny’s Glenn Howerton and Patton Oswalt.
The Capture
The Capture already ran in the U.K., but the spy thriller starring Holliday Grainger and Callum Turner is now making the jump stateside.
Madagascar: A Little Wild
The popular children’s franchise will show the origin story of the animals at the center of the Madagascar films.
Intelligence
David Schwimmer stars in this British comedy about an American agent who teams up with a British computer analyst to create a new crime unit with plenty of mishaps along the way.
Angelyne
The story behind the woman who put her face all over Los Angeles billboards and became one of the original influencers well before the age of social media with Emmy Rossum starring as the eponymous Angelyne.
Unlike Quibi or Apple TV+, Peacock will also have a number of preexisting shows available to stream along with Peacock-exclusive programming. All 44 seasons of Saturday Night Live will be available at launch, while other shows like Will and Grace, Fraiser, Friday Night Lights, and Downton Abbey will have full seasons or series available at launch or later on; The Office, for instance, is still on Netflix until January 2021.
Peacock is now available for Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and will debut nationally on July 15.