The total number of Earl episodes I’ve seen in my life can be counted on the right hand of a magical seven-fingered fairy (or dwarf). I’ve always found the show to seem funnier than it actually ever was. That being said, I also like the idea of comedy on television that isn’t shot in front of a studio audience, so I’m in – at least for a while. More after the jump…
When Jeff Zucker isn’t firing 700 employees, he seems to love squeezing thirty-minute programs into 40 minute blocks. He calls it– get this– “Supersizing!” C’mon, Mr. Zucker. Haven’t you heard that America is horribly overweight? What makes you think a nation that can’t handle a pail of fries could possibly stand FORTY-MINUTES of The Office? And yet here we are yet again, staring at a lineup of three shows where we all know four were suppose to reside.
Honestly, I kind of like the idea. Not so much the name. That is completely asinine, but the concept works for me. If you think about it, in the day of time-shifted programming, why do we have to adhere to the 30-minute-comedy/60-minute-drama rule? If you need extra time to tell the story, take the extra time. If you can make an episode of Grey’s Anatomy in 38 minutes, do it. Now, I understand this will never happen, and that broadcast television is built around a model of maximizing advertising revenue and never would never allow such tinkering, but I’m just saying. In any case, tonight NBC showed 40-minute episodes of My Name Is Earl, The Office, and 30 Rock. I had a good time watching. Read all about it by clicking below…
As most people have heard by now, NBC has decided to rebuild its Thursday night block of comedies by grouping Scrubs and 30 Rock with the existing My Name Is Earl and The Office combo. Personally, I think this is a good idea, as it doesn’t make sense for a network to spread their only four comedies across three different nights of the week. That being said, I’m not entirely sure how this fits in with Jeff Zucker’s curious decision to eliminate all scripted programming from the eight o’clock hour. Either way, this new block of comedy raises two interesting items for discussion.
First, I assume the idea behind this move was the hope that grouping the comedies would allow each show to help the other attract viewers and would/could theoretically save some of these shows [30 Rock] from cancelation, as well as putting the network back on the map for something (anything). At the networks most recent peak, Must See TV was just that. Though in the current climate one has to question as to whether making these moves opposite CSI and Grey’s Anatomy (and Ugly Betty) won’t just kill off the whole damn block. I suppose one could argue that comedy is a solid way to counter-program against melodrama (Grey’s) and police procedural (CSI), but it actually seems to lead directly to the next point being:
Second! No one wants to watch comedy these days in the first place. I don’t entirely understand why this has happened (American’s, as a whole, still enjoys laughing, right?*). Maybe we can blame 9-11. Eventually, the tides will start to go the other way and people will grow impatient with all these dramas that have suckered them in with their endless plotlines and sad, indie-rock soundtracks, and will start wanting something a bit lighter, and perhaps NBC is preparing for this moment now. The network, however, is in such dire straights it seems odd to rely almost exclusively on a genre people can’t seem to rally behind on what is easily the most important night of the week to draw in large masses of viewers. I’ll be interested to see how things pan out.
Expect the move during the second week of November sweeps.
*Sadly, I fear that the answer is actually “no.â€
