Michael J. Fox Debuts NBC Show Aided by Parkinson’s Drugs

Michael J. Fox left prime-time television more than a decade ago to focus on his battle with Parkinsons disease. Now hes back, with the help of drugs that keep his own shaking from the illness mostly under control.

Fox, 51, will star in The Michael J. Fox Show, a comedy on Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)s NBC about a news anchor who returns to work after being diagnosed with Parkinsons, a condition that causes nerve cells to misfire, leaving patients unable to control their movements. The program will air on Thursdays when the new TV season starts, NBC said yesterday in a statement.

NBC is betting the actors return to the spotlight can help it climb out of last place among the four major broadcast networks in total viewers. Fox, who disclosed his condition in 1998 and last anchored the series Spin City in 2000, has kept many of the specifics of his health struggles private.

Parkinsons is different in every patient, Michael Okun, national medical director of the National Parkinson Foundation, said in a phone interview. Personally I think hes being very responsible for not giving a lot of details.

NBC is presenting its 2013-14 schedule to advertisers as part of an annual ritual where broadcasters seek advance commitments from sponsors for their prime-time programs.

The network, which outbid competitors for the show and ordered a full 22-episode season without a script, is banking on Fox, who came to prominence in the 1980s with Family Ties, to appeal to a wide audience. Sony Corp. (6758) and Olive Bridge Entertainment are co-producers.

Foxs condition doesnt require special accommodations to produce the show, although his medications are timed for shooting sessions, said an NBC spokesman.

The network is using The Michael J. Fox Show to help rebuild its Thursday night lineup with the end of 30 Rock and The Office.

While Fox is remembered and well-liked by fans, the success of the show will hinge of the quality of the story and the acting, said Brad Adgate, head of research at New York advertising-services firm Horizon Media.

It really depends on how viewers react to the show based on character development and story lines, Adgate said. The ratings will not be what they were when he starred in previous sitcoms.

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Michael J. Fox Debuts NBC Show Aided by Parkinson’s Drugs