Nbc Adding 3 New Sitcoms

NBC will premiere three new sitcoms in March while shifting the promising Laura San Giacomo comedy “Just Shoot Me” to its “Must-See TV” Thursday night lineup and moving the well-traveled “NewsRadio” back to Wednesdays.

The network’s midseason scheduling moves take on an added dimension this season, as NBC faces the impending loss of “Seinfeld” and thus finds itself searching for ammunition to strengthen its comedy arsenal.

NBC was clearly heartened by the performance Thursday of “Just Shoot Me,” which retained a best-ever 98 percent of the “Friends” audience while airing between that show and “Seinfeld.” The network already canceled previous occupant “Union Square” for fumbling away too much of the “Friends” crowd.

“Just Shoot Me” will take up residence on Thursdays starting Feb. 26. Then, beginning March 17, NBC will introduce two new Tuesday programs: the romantic comedy “For Your Love” and “Lateline,” a behind-the-scenes spoof of news programs starring “Saturday Night Live” writer-performer Al Franken.

Those shows will play at 8:30 and 9:30 p.m., respectively.

The network will also premiere “House Rules,” a sort-of reverse “Three’s Company,” on March 9 in the 8:30 p.m. Monday slot that has housed “Fired Up” and “Jenny.”

“NewsRadio” returns to Wednesday nights (where the show languished last season) next month, airing at 8 p.m. NBC currently repeats episodes of “3rd Rock From the Sun” in that time period.