NBC PREMIERES NEW DRAMA 'RAINES,' STARRING JEFF GOLDBLUM, ON MARCH 15 AND 22 BEFORE RESUMING IN REGULAR DAY AND TIME ON FRIDAY, MARCH 30

"Raines" - from Emmy Award-winning Producer Graham Yost ( "From the Earth to the Moon," "Boomtown") -- Debuts with Two Thursday Episodes on March 15 and 22 (10-11 p.m. ET) Before Settling in on Friday, March 30 (9-10 p.m. ET)

BURBANK - January 18, 2007 - NBC announced that the mid-season drama "Raines" will debut on Thursday, March 15 (10-11 p.m. ET) followed by a second episode on March 22 before the series settles in its regular day and time on Friday, March 30 (9-10 p.m. ET).

The announcement was made by Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment.

"We have been eagerly anticipating the premiere of this attractive and quirky new drama since we announced it last May at Upfront," said Reilly. "Combining the creative talents on and off camera with star Jeff Goldblum and Emmy-winning executive producer Graham Yost brings something uniquely different to NBC this Spring."

Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Graham Yost ("From Earth to the Moon," "Band of Brothers," "Boomtown") and star Jeff Goldblum ("The Lost World: Jurassic Park," "Independence Day," "The Fly") combine creative forces in the inventive police-drama that blends traditional noir storytelling with humor and intrigue.

Eccentric LAPD Detective Michael Raines (Goldblum) has a unique ability -- his imagination is so keen that when he's on a murder case, the murder victims actually take shape in front of him. At first he thinks he's losing his mind, but he finds that talking to these constantly evolving hallucinations (they're figments of his imagination, not ghosts) helps him discover their killers.

Also prominent in Raines' life are: his understanding boss, Captain Daniel Lewis (Matt Craven, "From the Earth to the Moon"); an antagonistic uniformed officer, Remi Boyer (Dov Davidoff, "Third Watch"); Boyer's long-suffering partner, Officer Michelle Lance (Linda Park, "Star Trek: Enterprise"); sharp-tongued civilian employee, Carolyn Crumley (Nicole Sullivan, "MadTV"); his former partner, Charlie Lincoln (Malik Yoba, "Thief"), and therapist Samantha Kohl, (Madeleine Stowe, "The Last of the Mohicans," "We Were Soldiers").

"Raines" is from NBC Universal Television Studio.