Grand Island native Laurie McCarthy has hit the second chance lottery. Her new show, "Windfall," which follows the marital, ethical, legal and criminal difficulties that a group of young people deal with after they share a $386 million lottery grand prize, will land on NBC in midseason. NBC grabbed it after Fox passed on the pilot.

McCarthy, a Mount St. Mary's High School graduate whose previous credits include "Beverly Hills 90210," "Felicity" and "CSI: Miami," would be wise to get her show ready quickly. With the exception of the off-beat comedy about a lottery winner, "My Name Is Earl," many critics believe NBC's new fall shows are the worst of any network. In other words, there might be a lot of quick openings.

"Windfall" stars Luke Perry, Jason Gedrick, Lana Parilla, Sarah Wynter and D.J. Cotrona.McCarthy is the co-creator, executive producer and head writer.

Kevin Reilly, the humbled president of NBC entertainment, conceded the network had been in denial about its ratings fall from first place to fourth. He also made so many announcements about future shows that you got the sense he might have thought that the chances of any of NBC's fall shows hitting it big were only slightly better than the chances of winning $386 million in a lottery.

Asked when midseason shows might appear, Reilly said: "We may make one change as early as November." That's not exactly a vote of confidence for the fall slate.