NBC to Delay 30 Rock in the Fall
Let's say that like a certain senior editor of, oh, I don't know, Movieline, your two favorite shows on network television are Lost and 30 Rock. Certainly, now that Lost has had two years to acquaint us with an eight-month hiatus in between seasons, we've grown to expect a certain patience with its scheduling. But what the hell has NBC decided to do with 30 Rock next year?
The Peacock Network just announced what its schedule will look like when the fall season begins, and you know what isn't there? Oh, yeah, 30 Rock. The Tina Fey sitcom will warm the bench as NBC begins with the following lineup:
Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday 8:00pm
Parks and Recreation 8:30pm
The Office 9:00pm
Community 9:30pm
The Jay Leno Show 10:00pm
Eventually, NBC promises, SNL Thursday will conclude its multi-episode run, and the network will move Community to 8pm and bring back 30 Rock in its place. But really? Are we still doing this? Sure, delaying 30 Rock made a little sense last season, when NBC used its Palin-loaded SNL Thursdays to make Fey into a phenomenon before 30 Rock came back onto the air. But with ratings much improved, is it still necessary to treat the Emmy-winning sitcom like a coddled, sickly baby (especially when the much more tenuous Parks & Recreation is part of the Thursday night lineup)?
Comments
Ben Silverman must clearly be hitting the sake-tinis a bit hard with this one.
I think Seth Meyers comes off as kind of a prig without Amy Poehler by his side. Also, yeah, without the promise of a water-cooler-ready guest laden political sketch, what do we have to look forward to for Weekend update Thursdays? Twice the gay jokes/blind governor jokes?
I can't ever remember 30 Rock premiering much before Halloween anyway -- it seems like it's always starting later than most shows for some reason. Anyone know exactly how many SNL episodes NBC has ordered? If it's just like 4 or 5, it's probably no big deal.
Really? NBC is so scared of going with scripted programming that they are rationing what little they're offering? Really?! Why do they think SNL Thursday will work there, when it barely worked during the campaign season? SNL can hardly scrape up enough funny to last an hour on Saturdays. So, really, NBC? Really? MAN UP, hire some decent writers, and breathe some life back into television, would you please?
Those are indeed my two favorite shows! But please stretch it out NBC, because with only ONE MORE SEASON of Lost I don't think I can stand to see 30 Rock jump the shark to soon.
It's not like I need a Kidney Now! It's worth the wait. Maybe I'm the only one, but I'm sad not to see Kath & Kim in there.
NBC has the boldness of a much more successful network.
Oh wow, oh shit yeah - Patsy, you are seriously the ONLY one in the entire country who feels that way. Although, as I'm posting from Australia, maybe I should the ENTIRE WORLD?