NBC BREEZES INTO MARCH WITH LINEUP THAT SHOWCASES PREMIERES OF 'KINGS' AND 'THE CHOPPING BLOCK' AS WELL AS CONTINUING 'FUGITIVES' VOLUME OF 'HEROES' AND CHALLENGING NEW EPISODES OF 'THE BIGGEST LOSER: COUPLES' AND 'THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE'

Guest Stars Abound as Eriq La Salle and Noah Wyle Re-team on "ER," Stephanie March returns to "Law & Order: SVU" and Gabrielle Union joins the cast of "Life" for a multi-episode arc; Others Featured Include Susan Sarandon, Julianna Margulies, Carol Burnett, Betty White, Ernest Borgnine, Tom Arnold, Maya Rudolph, Swoosie Kurtz, Patti LuPone, John Lithgow, Jon Hamm, Meredith Vieira, John Glover, Keith Carradine, NASCAR Driver Clint Bowyer, Kurtwood Smith, Tricia Helfer, Mark Steines and Idris Elba

UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIF. - March 3, 2009 -- NBC springs into March with a primetime program lineup that includes the premieres of "Kings" (March 15) and "The Chopping Block" (March 11) while "Heroes" continues in its latest exciting volume "Fugitives;" "The Celebrity Apprentice" heats up the boardroom drama and "The Biggest Loser: Couples" shapes up with episodes that include new challenges and returning season winners. In addition, NBC will showcase a wide spectrum of guest stars, including the re-teaming of Eriq La Salle and Noah Wyle along with Julianna Margulies and Susan Sarandon on "ER" (March 12) as the Emmy Award-winning series nears its final episode April 2. In addition Stephanie March returns to "Law & Order: SVU" (March 10) and Gabrielle Union appears in a guest arc on "Life" (March 18).

Among other guest stars to be featured are Emmy winner Carol Burnett and Matthew Lillard ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"), Emmy winner Betty White "(My Name Is Earl"), Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine and Tom Arnold ("ER"), Golden Globe winner Jon Hamm, Patti LuPone, Emmy and Golden Globe winner John Lithgow and Meredith Vieira ("30 Rock"), Maya Rudolph ("Kath & Kim"), Emmy winner Swoosie Kurtz and John Glover ("Heroes"), Oscar winner Keith Carradine ("Law & Order"), Tricia Helfer ("Chuck"), Kurtwood Smith and Mark Steines ("Medium"), NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer ("The Biggest Loser") and Idris Elba ("The Office"), among others.

"Kings" premieres on Sunday, March 15 (8-10 p.m. ET) with a two-hour debut. The series is a riveting drama about a modern-day monarchy -- a contemporary retelling of the timeless tale of David and Goliath -- from executive producer Michael Green ("Heroes"). The series stars Golden Globe winner Ian McShane ("Deadwood"), Chris Egan ("Eragon"), Sebastian Stan ("The Covenant"), Susanna Thompson ("Once & Again"), Allison Miller ("Lucy's Piano"), Wes Studi ("Comanche Moon"), Eamonn Walker ("Oz") and Dylan Baker ("Spiderman 2").

"The Chopping Block" bows on Wednesday, March 11 (8-9 p.m. ET) as celebrated chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White (UK's "Hell's Kitchen") stars in the new and original cooking competition series.

On "The Biggest Loser: Couples," four new episodes involve: 24 hours of luxury (March 10); a week at home for contestants who then receive a challenge to run a half-marathon (March 17); a two-part challenge that includes a visit from NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer (March 24), and a deja vu return from recent winners Ali Vincent and Michelle Aguilar who fill in as guest hosts while regular host Alison Sweeney is on maternity leave (March 31).

Tensions in the boardroom rise on "The Celebrity Apprentice" with a comic book challenge (March 8) and a wedding dress sales mission (March 15). Both teams are charged with producing a live event for hundreds of sales reps and one celebrity walks off the task after a heated argument on March 22. And on March 29, a celebrity struggles with alcohol addiction and causes difficulty for their team. It all comes to a head in the boardroom as the teammates form an intervention in hopes of helping the celebrity face their addiction.

March Guest Star Dates:

� Maya Rudolph - Kath & Kim (3/5)

� Patti LuPone - 30 Rock (3/5)

� John Lithgow - 30 Rock (3/5)

� John Glover - Heroes (3/9)

� Stephanie March - Law & Order: SVU (3/10 - multi-episode story arc)

� Ernest Borgnine, Eriq La Salle, Noah Wyle, Julianna Margulies, Susan Sarandon - ER (3/12)

� Carol Burnett - Law & Order: SVU (3/17)

� Matthew Lillard - Law & Order: SVU (3/17)

� Gabrielle Union - Life (3/18 - multi-episode story arc)

� Keith Carradine - Law & Order (3/18)

� Idris Elba - The Office (3/19 - multi-episode story arc)

� Jon Hamm - 30 Rock (3/19)

� Meredith Vieira - 30 Rock (3/19)

� Betty White - My Name Is Earl (3/19)

� Swoosie Kurtz - Heroes (3/23)

� Kurtwood Smith - Medium (3/23)

� Nascar driver Clint Bowyer - The Biggest Loser: Couples (3/24)

� Tom Arnold - ER (3/26)

� Dean Winters - 30 Rock (3/26)

� ET's Mark Steines - Medium (3/30)

� Tricia Helfer - Chuck (3/30)