'Office' special to follow Super Bowl

BURBANK, Calif., Dec. 4 (UPI) -- An original, hour-long episode of the U.S. television comedy "The Office" is slated to air immediately after Super Bowl XLIII, NBC announced.

The game and the show are to air on the network Feb. 1.

NBC also said it has scheduled the series premiere of its new drama "Kings" March 19, and the season debuts of "Medium" Feb. 2 and "Celebrity Apprentice" March 1.

Fresh episodes of the comedy series "Chuck" are to start running Feb. 2 with a special 3-D installment and "Heroes" is to begin "Fugitives," a new episode arc, that same night. New episodes of "Life" are to start airing Feb. 4.

NBC also said the two-hour series finale of "ER" is slated to run March 12 and the original two-part movie "XIII," starring Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff, is to air Feb. 8.

Premieres for the additional mid-season shows "The Untitled Amy Poehler Project" and "The Philanthropist" are to be be announced at a later date.

All the series and movie events are to be given a "huge promotional boost" during the Super Bowl, the network said.

"February and March are going to be exciting months on NBC and the Super Bowl is just the beginning," Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, said in a statement. "The biggest event on television will provide the perfect promotional platform as we launch some of the most eagerly anticipated new and returning shows on any schedule."