NBC’s ‘Siberia’ premiere: Why is this scripted ‘Survivor’ against ‘Under the Dome’?

On Monday night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time, NBC is getting set to unveil what we think could be a pretty novel concept for a series: “Siberia,” a scripted show that is actually designed to look like a reality show. It’s an interesting concept, especially from the standpoint of seeing just how many similarities there are between the two genres nowadays, and how producers often cast in the same way that they would for a scripted programming: By bringing as many different personalities into the room as possible.

Overall, we have to praise the network for almost everything when it comes to how they’ve put this show together … except for when they have decided to air it. Why in the world would you air anything of value against “Under the Dome”? CBS’ entry into the world of Stephen King has turned into a mega-smash hit, and with there being such a limited supply of viewers this summer, you immediately run the risk of not having anything left for yourself.

To be fair, we know that when NBC first put “Siberia” as a show together, they did not know that they were going to be up against such a behemoth competitor in the ratings, and they do have a lead-in courtesy of “American Ninja Warrior” that did fairly well last year. We just think that the show would be better suited for a time-slot where there is less similar, difficult competition on the air, such as Wednesdays at 10:00 or some point on Thursday. We could be wrong and the show does well, but we almost predict at this point that the ratings are going to be as cold as the name in the title.

In case you are watching “Under the Dome” tonight and you still want to check this show out, don’t worry: We have the full pilot for you below.

Photo: NBC