NBC Expands ‘Line of Fire’ to 18 Episodes Through 2027

By Tom Whitfield

NBC has ordered a full 18-episode first season of Line of Fire, adding five scripts to the 13-episode slate initially planned and carrying the series into 2027, according to Variety’s report on NBC’s decision.

NBC called the freshman action thriller one of the fall season’s breakout hits and said it produced the network’s best delayed-viewing lift in more than three years. It placed the back order for five scripts after sustained viewership, with the aim of extending the season.

The announcement gave no raw rating, audience total or episode-by-episode delayed-viewing figure, so the size of that lift cannot be tested from the information released.

What does the order change for viewers?

For viewers, the concrete change is five additional episodes and a first season that now runs into 2027. Variety reports that Line of Fire is scheduled to air Mondays at 10 p.m. on NBC, with the next episode available on Peacock the following day. The announcement does not specify when the added scripts will enter that release cycle.

What is the series about?

NBC’s logline describes a family of agents drawn from branches of federal law enforcement who bridge personal differences and cross professional boundaries. The agents work “as they tackle cases for the FBI, US Marshals, Secret Service and Department of Justice.”

After a seemingly cut-and-dry case turns into a deadly conspiracy, the agents use experience gained over a lifetime of protecting civilians and politicians to protect one another and bring the killer to justice. NBC says they may have to betray their sworn code to do it.

That premise joins family loyalty to institutional duty. The report offers no evidence yet on how that tension develops across 18 episodes, and the five added scripts could deepen the conspiracy or dilute it. NBC’s order settles the season’s length, not the quality of its writing.

Who makes the series and who stars in it?

Variety’s report lists the following credits:

• Peter Krause stars alongside Hope Davis, Kat Cunning, Tommy O’Brien, Taylor Bloom and Charlie Barnett.
• Joshua Safran created and wrote the series. He executive produces it with Jenna Bush Hager and Ben Spector.
• Universal Television produces the series and operates as a division of Universal Studio Group.

What does the critical response establish?

Variety TV critic Aramide Tinubu praised the show in her review, saying it “has all the makings of becoming a classic in the canon of beloved police procedurals.” That praise addresses creative promise, not audience scale, and it does not test NBC’s performance claim.

The order also remains silent on broadcast dates for the additional material and on whether the five new episodes will follow the stated Monday broadcast and next-day Peacock pattern. Even so, it gives the series a longer runway through 2027. Whether those episodes sustain the viewing momentum behind the back order is the claim that now needs evidence.