If NBC didn't invent Thursday night television, it certainly perfected it over more than two decades. And as the network seeks to resuscitate its primetime, it's returning to what once worked so well.
In late November, NBC will revive its classic four-comedy, one-drama format, moving its struggling sitcom “30 Rock” to Thursday at 9:30 from Wednesday and returning "Scrubs" to air as its lead-in at 9.
“My Name is Earl” and “The Office” will remain at 8 and 8:30 p.m., with "ER" airing in its traditional 10 p.m. slot.
"Scrubs" and "30 Rock" will take over the slot now occupied by "Deal or No Deal," the game show that had been airing three nights a week. NBC may find another slot for the show eventually.
“Scrubs,” which had been waiting for a midseason slot, will return on Nov. 30.
"30 Rock," which is sagging paired with “Twenty Good Years,” will make the move on Nov. 16. The latter comedy is leaving the schedule, likely for good, after the Nov. 8 episode.
In place of "30 Rock" and “Twenty Good Years,” NBC is slotting in specials in the Wednesday 8 p.m. slot for an undetermined period starting Nov. 22. On Nov. 15, "Biggest Loser" will air at 8, leading into the two-hour season premiere of "Medium."
Both Wednesday sitcoms have been pulling low ratings--"30 Rock has averaged a 2.6 in 18-49s in two outings while "Twenty" has been pulling a 2.3--but the sense since the season began was that "30 Rock" had the better chance, having received mixed to decent reviews while "Twenty" was widely trashed.
At first glance, the switch looks as though NBC is simply sending “Rock” to slaughter. The move pits it against TV’s top-rated show in adults 18-49, ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” and the still-strong “CSI” on CBS.
NBC’s current timeslot occupant, “Deal,” has managed only a 3.3, below what it pulls on other nights, and competing shows on Fox and the CW have fared even worse.
But in reality, “Rock” may have a better chance of finding an audience in the new slot than the old, where it struggled against ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."
NBC’s comedies are decidedly different than the dramas on ABC and CBS. Like “Earl,” “Office” and “Scrubs,” “Rock” appeals to a more sophisticated audience than the over-the-top “Years.”
It’s a single-camera comedy, like all of those shows, and did well in its premiere among men 18-34, where “Earl” and “Office” are both strong. There should be good flow between the four shows.
Plus, “Scrubs” has a history of holding up against tough competition. Last year the show averaged a 3.1 in back-to-back Tuesday airings opposite Fox’s powerful “House” and CBS’s solid “The Unit.”
And with “ER,” the No. 1 show at 10 p.m., as a lead-out, “Rock” may draw some viewers tuning in early. It’s possible the show could improve on its disappointing thus far this season.
Of course it’s also possible the show could keep sliding. Its premise, about the backstage goings-on at a “Saturday Night Live”-type variety show with a volatile star, has been criticized as too Hollywood insider for a broad audience, a problem also facing the similarly themed “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” on Mondays.
In "Rock's" first Thursday airing, on Nov. 16, NBC will air a 40-minute super-sized episode, following super-sized episodes of both “Earl” and “Office.”
As for “Years,” it’s unclear whether NBC will bring the show back. The network has not stopped production on the sitcom, which also stars Jeffrey Tambor, but its poor ratings almost guarantee it will be gone for good
Two weeks ago, "Years” had the lowest premiere for an NBC sitcom since at least 1991, averaging a 2.5 rating and losing 14 percent of “Rock’s” lead-in.
The four-comedies-and-a-drama format was developed by Fred Silverman in the early '80s, and it became the backbone of NBC primetime strategy--a strategy that kept it at No.1 for most of two decades.
