DVD Talk Forum - NBC might shorten its returning comedies to 13 episodes

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Re: NBC might shorten its returning comedies to 13 episodes

Haven't watched The Office in a few seasons and I don't miss it one bit. I still enjoy 30 Rock most of the time, but they could probably stand to hang it up. Community and P&R need to return though, whether in shortened forms or not.

I really like the idea of two 13-episode seasons during what is currently the main TV year - one running from September to early-/mid-December, and one from mid-February to mid-May. No repeats, and likely more consistent, quality writing (though Community and P&R are already really consistent).

Re: NBC might shorten its returning comedies to 13 episodes

No repeats might sound good for some, but I have trouble keeping up with the all the shows that I follow as is. Repeats give me some breathing room in my schedule to catch up on some of my more neglected shows. It doesn't help when cable networks are picking up shows I watch that would regularly be cancelled (TBS->Cougar Town).

Re: NBC might shorten its returning comedies to 13 episodes

It wouldn't help me since I would have nothing to watch if Parks & Rec and 30 Rock were gone for long stretches of the year.

Re: NBC might shorten its returning comedies to 13 episodes

Ugh.

Quote:

Start preparing yourself for life without Liz Lemon, Jack Donaghy, Leslie Knope, Ron Swanson and whoever's in "Community."

The struggling Peacock network is taking a new direction with its primetime lineup, and that means cleaning house. Until this week, the once-dominant network had been suspiciously mum on its plans for next season. That all changed with a giant info dump from NBC execs which included the fates of veteran sitcoms “30 Rock,” “Community” and “Parks and Recreation.”

All three critical darlings will be given abbreviated “send off” seasons followed by immediate termination. Despite receiving generally favorable reviews, NBC’s long-running Thursday comedy lineup has never garnered stellar ratings. The limited order of 13 episodes for each show must have seen like a good compromise solution for the network that has seen itself slide from first to fourth place over the last decade.

The Peacock plans to add several new sitcoms to its roster to replace the old guard. A network spokesperson confirmed that Matthew Perry’s “Go On,” Anne Heche’s “Save Me,” Ryan Murphy’s “The New Normal,” Bill Pullman’s “1600 Penn” and Justin Kirk’s “Animal practice have all been picked up by NBC. Only time will tell which pilots actually earn a spot on the mid-season schedule.

Re: NBC might shorten its returning comedies to 13 episodes

Yeah, this will totally backfire if new shows don't take off. Assume P&R runs through Christmas and a new show starts in Jan and is pulled after 3 episodes. What do they put on in it's place? They can't rely on the back half of a season to fill voids in this model.

Re: NBC might shorten its returning comedies to 13 episodes

Looks like Grimm may be the only thing I'll watch on NBC once Community and P&R are gone.

Re: NBC might shorten its returning comedies to 13 episodes

Parenthood was renewed for season 4 (15 episodes). http://tvline.com/2012/05/10/parenthood-renewed/

I have to catch up on season 3.

Re: NBC might shorten its returning comedies to 13 episodes

Parenthood :up: :up:

Re: NBC might shorten its returning comedies to 13 episodes

If that's true about P and R (hmm my ampersand won't work), I'm gonna be pissed!

Re: NBC might shorten its returning comedies to 13 episodes

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Corvin (Post 11227043)

+1

That is exactly what I was trying to point out in my post. Considering how the production schedule of network TV works, this is a recipe for disaster. Plus, the shows need the slow periods for the actors to take filming breaks and to catch up filming episodes. That's why they need to go into repeats in Nov/Dec and in the Spring.

Also, I already started a new thread for renewal annoucements since a few are using this thread to mention it.

Re: NBC might shorten its returning comedies to 13 episodes

Didn't Dan Harmon want Community to be a 4 season show? I wonder how likely it might be that since NBC is paying for 13, Comedy Central or whoever is going to be running the show in syndication might pony up for a few more episodes to use as good promotion for the start of their run with the show. I'm not hating it for Community. It seems like a good solution to the Chevy Chase cancer, an opportunity for a lot of the stronger actors on the show to find other good work before they're entirely chewed up by this show, and a way of letting the creator end it well while letting it go out creatively on top.

For Parks and Rec, this seems like a really sad development. I haven't heard anything that suggests it is near the end of the creator's envisioned shelf life, and it is on fire. I am not sure I can remember a bad episode the past two seasons. That's Seinfeld in its prime-level praise. Maybe since they have such a monumental amount of time to plan for this, some network like TBS with Cougar Town will ride in and save the show.