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NBC’s midseason schedule announcement yesterday contained some disheartening news for 30 Rock fans — for its upcoming sixth season, the Emmy-winning comedy has been assigned the tough Thursday 8 PM slot. A cult favorite and a major awards contender, the Tina Fey-Alec Baldwin starrer has never been a big ratings draw and can hardly be perceived as an 8 PM anchor material. Plus, this represents the umpteenth time slot change for the office comedy, which has previously aired at 8:30 PM, 9:30 PM and 10 PM on Thursday. But as daunting as seems, 30 Rock’s uphill ratings battle might be aided by a secret weapon — the series’ additional exposure through its cable (on Comedy Central) and broadcast syndication launch this fall. As a newly-minted 8 PM comedy, 30 Rock joins 2 other returning half-hour sitcoms that air in the 8 PM time slot: 
CBS’ How I Met Your Mother on Monday and The Big Bang Theory on Thursday. The three have more in common than an airtime. Besides being a direct competitor to 30 Rock on Thursday, Big Bang too rolled out in cable (TBS) and broadcast syndication this fall, getting a ton of promotion, including during the baseball playoffs on TBS. The extra exposure may have boosted Big Bang‘s original airings on CBS — season-to-date, the comedy has averaged 
a 6.0 (most recent) 18-49 rating and 14.9 million viewers, up 15% in the demo and 14% in viewers from last fall. Meanwhile, How I Met Your Mother launched in cable syndication on FX this fall after languishing on Lifetime, where it had been mishandled last season. The added eyeballs (HIMYM continues to air on Lifetime too) may have helped the veteran comedy, which is hitting series highs in its seventh season on CBS — HIMYM (5.1 rating in 18-49, 11.4 million) is up a whopping 24% in 18-49 from last year and 19% in total viewers. It is probably not a coincidence that Big Bang and HIMYM are among the biggest ratings growth stories this season just as they got launched/re-launched in syndication. Previous examples of broadcasting series getting a ratings boost from initial exposure in syndication include CBS’ NCIS, NBC’s Law & Order and NBC’s The Office. Will 30 Rock be added to the list? Because of the comedy’s constant bouncing around the NBC Thursday schedule, it will be hard to do year-to-year comparisons to measure a possible syndie effect, but if 30 Rock performs better than the show it is replacing, Community, against a resurgent Big Bang, that will be considered a success, especially on ratings-starved NBC.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Probably not. Most quality tv like 30 Rock simply does not get good ratings. People are busy with terrible shows like reality stuff and almost everything on CBS.
Wait, 30 Rock is quality TV?
(Sorry, still bitter about Community.)
Quality niche TV?
LOL @ “Quality TV.”
Maybe if lack of anything resembling humor is a “quality.”
Hm. I’m surprised at the disdain for 30 Rock.
It’s not a favorite of mine, but I DO like the show, and I like that it is a bastion of absurdist comedy and Hollywood in-jokes.
However, I’d say it’s BECAUSE of those things that syndication won’t help the show. It’s way too inside and too off-the-wall to appeal to the masses.
Then again, Whitney just got a full-season order, and that show’s just a re-make of the embarrassingly awful Caroline in the City from the ’90s — but with an even less-compelling cast, even less-original jokes, and a far less-appealing star.
Easy answer to this: no. This series will probably not see a measurable increase. It will probably perform at the 2.0-2.5 range it was getting last year.
Doubt it. Might start that way but will ultimately flounder around a 2.0 max.
If 30 Rock is considered quality TV, then the problem with the entertainment industry goes beyond the writers and producers. The people reviewing this crap are also clueless.
And don’t discount the high level of contempt many feel towards Alec Baldwin and others of his ilk. And when the writers continue to allow their politics to creep into storylines, they successfully alienate at least half their potential audience. Don’t think for a minute we won’t switch channels or shut off the damn television and use our time more wisely. There’s always a better option.
Wow… we have a Herman Cain supporter on deck
That makes no sense. And Aaron’s point is well taken. Baldwin comes across as a massive hypocrite whenever he opens his mouth about politics. And I like the guy as an actor. But he is a blowhard who is out of touch.
But it’s funny that you so quickly call someone a Cain supporter (or just any Republican in general I imagine) if they dare make a negative comment about one of the liberal’s holy subjects. So funny.
I don’t blame Baldwin for 30 Rock’s failure to bring in anything other than a niche audience, but rather Tina Fey. I’m going to rattle some cages here, but Fey was nobody until she used her shared similar appearance to a certain much hated Republican for everything it was worth. “I can see Russia from my house,” became so famous, that if you asked random strangers in the street, 9 out of 10 of them would tell you Palin said it, not Fey. So pleased with her parody were the Hollywood elite that Fey quickly rose the ranks, far beyond her talent deserved. I don’t think badly of her for this, because she would have been stupid to not take the opportunity handed to her on a silver platter, but I can’t pretend that she is some comedic genius that is able to carry such a heavy ensemble show either.
The problem with 30 Rock is, well, it’s just not funny. I like Alec, I like Tracy Morgan, I like the guy who plays the page, but for the many times my wife and I have tried to watch an entire episode, neither of us have laughed once. Intellectually, I can say to myself “oh that’s clever,” and can see where the humor is supposed to be, but none of it has ever made me outright laugh, or even made me smile for that matter. The sad thing about this show is that with this many talented individuals behind it, it should be one of the funniest shows on tv right now. I feel bad for everyone involved, I really do, but none of that negates the fact that if a comedy doesn’t make people laugh, it’s a failure.
Feel bad for who? The show has been going on for 6 years and has 3 Comedy Series Emmys. It’s cute you feel bad…but the show doesn’t need your pity…
…and also. Just because a comedy doesn’t make YOU laugh doesn’t mean it doesn’t make other people laugh. It’s still doing it’s job.
Just because you may (perhaps) not like Tina Fey or think she’s funny, your argument that Tina Fey was nobody until she played Sarah Palin is ludacris. 30 Rock pre-dated Sarah Palin’s rise on the political scene, as did Fey’s stint as head writer and cast member on SNL. Fey didn’t even play Palin until AFTER she left SNL as a regular cast member. Fey had won awards and appeared on magazine covers BEFORE Palin was a household name… a feat not exactly accomplished by a “nobody.”
As far as the “I can see Russia from my house” comment… Palin DID say it (ok, not EXACTLY those words, I believe Palin said “front porch,” but close enough). That’s why Fey (and SNL) were able to find comedy in it. Yes, Palin meant it figuratively, but the concept that she would better understand international affairs simply because she lived close to another country is (in my opinion, and the opinion of many others) a ridiculous comparison.
Did playing Palin heighten Fey’s profile even more? Absolutely. But Fey wasn’t exactly hurting for exposure in the first place.
Agree. I have tried to get interested in 30 Rock, but the humor of the thing is way too insular, and the characters are contemptible (with maybe the exception of Kenneth). The milk of human kindness runs pretty dry on this program; it’s so cynical and self-impressed, it’s like watching someone else’s party through a window where you can see they’re all having a ball, but you are not.
I really like your comment; however I do enjoy the show. The appeal to me is that these characters are contemptible but they get their comeuppance in a humorous way. You laugh at them, but you also root for them (with the exception of the Tracy Morgan character, whom I never liked – I blame the writers for that)
my 2-cents
I agree with this completely. With the added caveat that if you can enjoy inside-Hollywood humor and an absurdist take on life, you can enjoy it…which I do (but it’s not a show I can watch every week).
But you sum up exactly why I enjoyed — get ready for it — the show everyone loved to hate: Outsourced. (I’m not alone — when NBC changed their line-up from 2 hours of comedy to three, that was the only show to not only NOT decline in ratings, it got a boost!…Yet NBC still cancelled it.) Outsourced earned my respect b/c it was nice without being saccharine-y sweet, it did not try to be hip, cool, or self-referential, and it was just a silly, fun time. Flame away!
Maybe if they didn’t break up the seasons for their best comedies and spread them out so much, but keep them all on Thursday night in the Fall and Spring season, in a power block like they used to do, then they’d all benefit from great lead-ins.
Community
Parks and Rec
The Office
30 Rock
New episodes, back to back, every Thursday night in the Fall and Spring seasons. That’s how you get APPOINTMENT TELEVISION. No jumping around in the schedule, no breaks, no Summer seasons, and most importantly, no Whitney.
Okay, you can save Whitney and other frosh shows for the Summer season, but keep the heavy hitters in the big games.
And if you don’t like those shows, then this won’t make sense to you, but I watch all four and I prefer to have them all on one night so my dvr doesn’t overheat.
Gimme a bump if you agree.
Bump
I don’t know what the networks are thinking with so many shows going on hiatus as early as this week. The end of January/early February is a long ways off, and attention spans are shorter than ever these days.
“Plus, this represents the umpteenth time slot change for the office comedy, which has previously aired at 8:30 PM, 9:30 PM and 10 PM on Thursday.”
Nellie, don’t forget its original timeslot was Wednesdays at 8pm before getting moved after a few weeks.
Bump bump bump.
Boy, NBC is throwing 30 ROCK to the Wolves!
It’s unfortunate that sharp and intelligent humor has to take a backseat to so much mediocrity. The spoon-fed mass audience embraces the bland and predictable.
It really is hilarious that you don’t think Tina Fey had a career before Sarah Palin. Anyway you are truly delusional. 30 rock is not meant for common people. It doesn’t appeal to them for some reason. I guess it’s because there’s not a laugh track every 30 seconds to let people know when to laugh
Ah yes. 30 Rock is only for the better breed. Right? What breed is that? Smug, self-adoring cynics. Pardon me, i’ll get out of your way while you hug yourself.
I love 30 Rock, Parks & Rec, and The Office. These are great, quality comedy shows. Maybe not everyone gets their humor but those of us who do find them hilarious.
I had never seen an episode of 30 Rock until my local station put it on after the six o’clock news this fall. I’m now hooked and no matter how bad the news is I know afterwards there is something hilarious on to cheer me up. I’m not a bitter industry person like most of you on here seem to be, I’m the forgotton middle American you on the ‘coasts’ all seem to forget when you fly over us. I’m just glad I have several years of episodes to look forward too. Great show!
Maybe returning to good writing would help 30 Rock’s ratings.
Last season was beyond awful by 30 Rock’s standards.
I will just forget about NBC until Whitney and that god awful chelsea handler show are gone. Whitney is agressively not funny and they open every show by saying “Whitney is filmed I’m front of a live studio audience” Obviously they didn’t find it funny because the show relies heavily on a laughtrack that never stops.
Aack. Whitney. The smug woman whom no one had heard of, no one knows, and no one was asking for. 30 Rock is Shakespeare compared to Whitney.
Whitney is the worse new series of the year. don’t think 30 Rock will get a bump out of its run in syndication. 30 Rock, unlike HIMYM and BBT, is on downward cycle creatively while the other two still have room to grow for the next two or maybe three seasons. Credit CBS for scheduling them in a time period and leaving them there until they had earned, in the case of BBT, the right take their training wheels off. NBC is in dire shape. Much worse than Comcast thought as is always the case when a buyer pays big bucks for a broadcast network. Hope they give Bob the time to succeed and keep Harbert away from anything creative. I would bet the farm that he is already in Steve Burke’s ear saying what he would do with the network if he was running it.
Should have renewed OUTSOURCED – great show !
Miss it