Looks like there is some fierce decision-making going on at NBC this week, so let's just dive right in, shall we?
Firstly, after a rather tumultuous year which saw the beloved "Community" go on hiatus, get renewed for a shortened fourth season, and receive an undesirable Friday slot only to get the October start date yanked, finally a bit of good news for fans. NBC has announced that the show will return on February 7th, back in its familiar 8 PM slot on Thursdays. It will be replacing "30 Rock," currently in that slot, which will have aired its series finale by then (single tear). To celebrate, here's a video of the show's stars Alison Brie and Gillian Jacobs dancing around in lingerie, because…
Meanwhile, studio execs finally realized that a Rainn Wilson-starring Dwight Schrute spinoff show from "The Office" was a horrible idea, and have axed plans for "The Farm." But in case you were curious, the back-door pilot episode will still air as part of the the final season of "The Office" sometime before the show wraps up next spring.
So with "30 Rock" and "The Office" saying goodbye, NBC is looking for something to take over, and their hopes lie with "Up All Night," the pretty good show starring Christina Applegate, Maya Rudolph and Will Arnett that no one is watching. Currently adapting the same single camera aesthetic as "The Office" and "Parks & Recreation," the network has decided to switch to the live studio audience/canned laughter plus multi-camera approach of every other sitcom out there. The argument is that all the leads play even better in front of a live crowd, though we'd say making it stagier will cut down on spontaneity. We'll see the results this spring following a brief hiatus after the 11th episode, so the studio can be retooled for the new format, and your Uncle Mel can sit in the crowd and watch it filming. [Deadline/THR/EW]
Frankly, after all the shenanigans that have gone on with Community, Iâm surprised it would come back at all. Iâve never been a huge fan of the show, but my coworker at DISH has been a big fan and told me to check out the new season. When it does air my Hopper will come in handy. It has PrimeTime Anytime which will record all the shows in prime time from the four major networks automatically. I wonât have to set a timer for Community to record which is convenient. From everything Iâve read, I think maybe Harmon isnât the one who should have been fired.
NBC is the dumbest network and does not deserve great shows such as Parks & Rec, Community, 30 Rock, and even The Office which hasn't been good for awhile.
I admit that I usually skip Up All Night when it's on, it's just… in between those other shows, I don't feel like watching a family sitcom in the midst of the lineup and the show just doesn't grab me. I've tried watching it and I just lose interest.
Community, Parks & Rec, The Office, and 30 Rock was the best Thursday Night Lineup NBC had since the mid-90s. It's a shame nobody cared to watch, but NBC's handling of the shows is even worse. And its handling of Up All Night sounds like a potential disaster.
Also, I didn't think The Farm was such a bad idea really. I do think at least one of the characters from The Office deserves a good spin-off show. I think it's doable, just maybe not Dwight.