'Southland,' 'Kings' premieres, 'E.R.' finale set by NBC

Benjamin McKenzie of 'Southland'

Credit: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC

NBC has juggled its spring schedule to announce new premiere dates for "Kings," the constantly retitled John Wells cop drama "Southland," the currently untitled Amy Poehler comedy and the cooking competition series "The Chopping Block."

In addition, NBC announced on Thursday (Jan. 15) that the final episode of the long-running "E.R." is now set for Thursday, April 2. The "E.R." finale, pushed back by a recent three-episode extension, will begin with an hour-long retrospective at 8 p.m. followed by the two-hour send-off for the popular docs.

Up first on the premiere slate will be "The Chopping Block," featuring chef and restauranteur Marco Pierre White. "The Chopping Block" will launch on Wednesday, March 11 at 8 p.m. ET. We'll see if "Knight Rider" fans notice the difference.

Then, on Sunday, March 15, NBC will premiere "Kings" with a two-hour episode starting at 8 p.m. ET. NBC had previously set the modern day twist on the King David tale for the post-"E.R." slot on Thursday night. It will continue on in the 8 p.m. hour on Sundays.

The post-"E.R." slot will, instead, go to the John Wells-produced "Southland," which was formerly known as "Police" and was formerly known, before that, as "LAPD." That ensemble cop series, which features Benjamin McKenzie, Michael Cudlitz and Kevin Alejandro, will premiere on Thursday, April 9. 

Also kicking off on Thursday, April 9 is "The Untitled Daniels/Schur/Poehler Series," which NBC assures us is a working title. The comedy, starring Poehler and created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, will air in the 8:30 p.m. slot, taking over for "Kath & Kim."

"We are excited to continue our productive creative relationship with John Wells and his team on this promising new project," says NBC's President of Primetime Entertainment Angela Bromstad. "We think 'Southland' is a gripping, well-executed drama with strong commercial appeal. And we're also making schedule changes that will strengthen the premieres of our new series 'Kings' and 'The Chopping Block.'"