Has NBC finally turned a corner? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

mets82 · 09-21-2011, 09:48 PM

I was just thinking I was watching Up All Night with Christina Applegate and Will Arnett and I thought it was kind of funny. My question is do you think NBC has turned a corner as far as tv shows go? I dont watch a lot of NBC shows but there seems to be some that are actually worth watching. Now mind you, this is MY opinion, so you may disagree with me.

Shows like 30 Rock, Park and Rec., Community, The Office, Up All Night, Parenthood, Whitney etc. seem to be worth watching. Is it just me or do you think NBC is finally seeing the light of day?

Brian Damage · 09-21-2011, 09:55 PM

Good question, but I have to say it is still too early to tell.

factsoflife · 09-21-2011, 10:05 PM

Maybe, we'll see, ratings will tell us everything in a few weeks.

Mr. Television · 09-21-2011, 11:22 PM

Judging by the ratings of the first 2 nights of the tv season, it doesn't look like it. The only 2 shows I watch regularly on NBC are Chuck and SVU. I wasn't going to watch SVU tonight because Chris Meloni left but I gave it a shot. It's just not the same. The only new show that looks interesting is Prime Suspect but I doubt that'll be a hit. As for Sitcoms , Community and 30 Rock have their moments. I watch those 2 once in a while but I don't watch them every week. Not a fan of the Office at all. NBC's new sitcoms don't interest me much either.

benjamoon · 09-21-2011, 11:23 PM

They haven't turned the corner in terms of ratings (that could change some when The Voice returns in February) but IMO they've had a couple quality shows for awhile... Parks & Rec is the most consistently funny show IMO on any network and The Office has been great for years, though it is in decline.

factsoflife · 09-22-2011, 02:46 AM

Well I'm thinking no, only because they haven't really launched a massive hit in years. In terms of reality TV, "The Voice" is the first true hit they've had since "The Apprentice" nearly a decade ago, and "The Apprentice" only stayed popular for about two seasons before ratings plummeted. In terms of comedy, "The Office" was the last true hit they launched, and that show has been fading fast. "Parks & Recs" is a modest hit ratings wise, but still gets only a fraction of the number of viewers that comedies on ABC and CBS get. "30 Rock" is a creative success for sure, but has never been a ratings winner, in fact it's ratings are pretty small. Drama wise, NBC has "SVU" which is a proven hit, but not much else. They've failed to generate many successful drama's since loosing all of their 90's stalwarts like "ER", "Law & Order" and so on... "Prime Suspect" could be a contender, but NBC has such a spotty track record launching new drama's I'm skeptical.

The only positive thing they have going for them is that it only takes a single show to turn around the network. ABC was in third (sometimes fourth) place for years between the late 90's and mid-2000's when it finally launched a slew of successful series like "Lost", "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy" that saved the network. It took even longer for them to find a successful comedy; "Dharma & Greg" and "Spin City" were the last long-term, viable comedies the network launched that had any impact until "Modern Family" came along and changed everything. (8 simple rules almost did this, but the death of John Ritter and creative issues prevented this from happening).

NBC turned itself around after a slump in the 80's, it was in dead last, but then "The Cosby Show" and "Family Ties" hit big and saved it, and "Friends" hit in 94 and made the network the most successful it had ever been. It only takes one or two hits to save a network. But I'm skeptical this will happen for NBC, it's gotten a lot of bad press and will take awhile to rebuild from the Jeff Zucker/Kevin Reily era.

mets82 · 09-22-2011, 09:35 PM

I know, know I will get hammered for saying this but what about The Jay Leno Show. I didnt see what the problem was honestly. I mean I'll take that instead of the 36th season of Law and Order and the 25th season of Law and Order. I mean Law and Order has been on forever. Cant NBC get anything different on there? It was mentioned above about Law and Order and ER. Those shows went on seemingly forever and maybe a little bit too long.

factsoflife · 09-22-2011, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mets82

I know, know I will get hammered for saying this but what about The Jay Leno Show. I didnt see what the problem was honestly. I mean I'll take that instead of the 36th season of Law and Order and the 25th season of Law and Order. I mean Law and Order has been on forever. Cant NBC get anything different on there? It was mentioned above about Law and Order and ER. Those shows went on seemingly forever and maybe a little bit too long.

The issue was this: NBC decided that airing Jay's show five times a week created a shortage of slots for primetime drama's and it hurt the creative community; it put actors, writers, producers, directors and tech crews out of work because there would be less scripted series produced. Also, it was seen as a cheap move because frankly NBC handled the whole situation wrong, by forcing Jay to retire only to give him a show that would air directly as a lead-in to Conan's version of The Tonight Show. In the end NBC came across like greedy, disloyal jerks.

No matter what the quality of L&O or ER most would have preferred them as they are scripted shows over the middling crap that Jay Leno produces.

Also, ratings for Jay's show were terrible, epically bad.

mets82 · 09-22-2011, 10:19 PM

Good point, but I will say, I dont understand why Jay Leno had to announce 5 yrs. in advance that he was leaving The Tonight Show? That just seemed odd as well.

factsoflife · 09-22-2011, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mets82

Good point, but I will say, I dont understand why Jay Leno had to announce 5 yrs. in advance that he was leaving The Tonight Show? That just seemed odd as well.

My guess is that NBC set a deadline in which he would be forced to retired, or maybe Jay was tired and decided to set an end date.

RockyF · 09-22-2011, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mets82

Good point, but I will say, I dont understand why Jay Leno had to announce 5 yrs. in advance that he was leaving The Tonight Show? That just seemed odd as well.

NBC's reasoning behind announcing Leno's retirement and Conan's promotion to the Tonight Show 5 years in advance was to avoid the type of infighting that happened between Leno and Letterman 17 years earlier when Carson retired and Letterman defected to CBS. Of course, the irony is, they actually caused an even larger problem, and ended up losing Conan anyway. And The Jay Leno Show was actually pulling ratings that were acceptable to the network, but the local affiliates revolted and called for the shows cancellation due to the ratings effects on their local newscasts.

Mr. Television · 09-22-2011, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockyF

NBC's reasoning behind announcing Leno's retirement and Conan's promotion to the Tonight Show 5 years in advance was to avoid the type of infighting that happened between Leno and Letterman 17 years earlier when Carson retired and Letterman defected to CBS. Of course, the irony is, they actually caused an even larger problem, and ended up losing Conan anyway. And The Jay Leno Show was actually pulling ratings that were acceptable to the network, but the local affiliates revolted and called for the shows cancellation due to the ratings effects on their local newscasts.

Ratings were awful. It's just that the show was cheap to make so the network made money. It's going to take a miracle for NBC to get out of the mess that Zucker made. The only top 20 show they have is Sunday Night Football and The Voice. NBC better hope it can retain it's ratings. NBC can't get a hit script show to save it's life.

Brent88 · 09-23-2011, 01:19 AM

Leno did worse than NBC is doing now...

Harry's Law got a 1.2 demo last night. That's just embarassing. Season premieres are almost always the highest-rated episode most of the season.

Nothing has shown any potential this week at all.

bencasey · 09-23-2011, 01:44 AM

So far every new NBC show I've watched this week has been horrid with The Playboy Club being the worst. I doubt any of them will make it to Christmas.

James · 09-23-2011, 02:33 AM

No! NBC is airing a show that puts Hugh Hefner in a positive light in "The Playboy Club"! NBC should cancel it now or risk being bought out by the Parents Television Council--for a buck!

09-21-2011, 09:48 PM	#1
mets82 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Mar 14, 2011 Location: Connecticut Posts: 5,058	Has NBC finally turned a corner? I was just thinking I was watching Up All Night with Christina Applegate and Will Arnett and I thought it was kind of funny. My question is do you think NBC has turned a corner as far as tv shows go? I dont watch a lot of NBC shows but there seems to be some that are actually worth watching. Now mind you, this is MY opinion, so you may disagree with me. Shows like 30 Rock, Park and Rec., Community, The Office, Up All Night, Parenthood, Whitney etc. seem to be worth watching. Is it just me or do you think NBC is finally seeing the light of day?

09-21-2011, 09:55 PM	#2
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	Good question, but I have to say it is still too early to tell.
	__________________ The Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: John 3:3 *Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But I'd Rather Cry in My Private Jet*

09-21-2011, 10:05 PM	#3
factsoflife Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Sep 11, 2000 Posts: 8,741	Maybe, we'll see, ratings will tell us everything in a few weeks.
	__________________ "and to the fans. I was only supposed to be on every other Tuesday. But, thanks to you, I'm here, and I promise! I will try my best never to let you down. I am going back into that studio on Monday, and I'm going to play Erica Kane for all she's worth!"-- Susan Lucci, May 1999 Daytime Emmy Speech.

09-21-2011, 11:22 PM	#4
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,125	Judging by the ratings of the first 2 nights of the tv season, it doesn't look like it. The only 2 shows I watch regularly on NBC are Chuck and SVU. I wasn't going to watch SVU tonight because Chris Meloni left but I gave it a shot. It's just not the same. The only new show that looks interesting is Prime Suspect but I doubt that'll be a hit. As for Sitcoms , Community and 30 Rock have their moments. I watch those 2 once in a while but I don't watch them every week. Not a fan of the Office at all. NBC's new sitcoms don't interest me much either.
	__________________ Sonny

09-21-2011, 11:23 PM	#5
benjamoon Bewitched Senior Member Join Date: Jun 15, 2000 Location: New York Posts: 1,450	They haven't turned the corner in terms of ratings (that could change some when The Voice returns in February) but IMO they've had a couple quality shows for awhile... Parks & Rec is the most consistently funny show IMO on any network and The Office has been great for years, though it is in decline.
	__________________ My Blog: http://benjamonsterstv.blogspot.com/ My Site: peaktvdatabase.weebly.com My favorite TV shows: Bewitched, I Love Lucy, American Dreams, Mary Tyler Moore, The Office, Happy Days, The West Wing, Modern Family, Friday Night Lights, Friends, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation, and Parenthood

09-22-2011, 02:46 AM	#6
factsoflife Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Sep 11, 2000 Posts: 8,741	Well I'm thinking no, only because they haven't really launched a massive hit in years. In terms of reality TV, "The Voice" is the first true hit they've had since "The Apprentice" nearly a decade ago, and "The Apprentice" only stayed popular for about two seasons before ratings plummeted. In terms of comedy, "The Office" was the last true hit they launched, and that show has been fading fast. "Parks & Recs" is a modest hit ratings wise, but still gets only a fraction of the number of viewers that comedies on ABC and CBS get. "30 Rock" is a creative success for sure, but has never been a ratings winner, in fact it's ratings are pretty small. Drama wise, NBC has "SVU" which is a proven hit, but not much else. They've failed to generate many successful drama's since loosing all of their 90's stalwarts like "ER", "Law & Order" and so on... "Prime Suspect" could be a contender, but NBC has such a spotty track record launching new drama's I'm skeptical. The only positive thing they have going for them is that it only takes a single show to turn around the network. ABC was in third (sometimes fourth) place for years between the late 90's and mid-2000's when it finally launched a slew of successful series like "Lost", "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy" that saved the network. It took even longer for them to find a successful comedy; "Dharma & Greg" and "Spin City" were the last long-term, viable comedies the network launched that had any impact until "Modern Family" came along and changed everything. (8 simple rules almost did this, but the death of John Ritter and creative issues prevented this from happening). NBC turned itself around after a slump in the 80's, it was in dead last, but then "The Cosby Show" and "Family Ties" hit big and saved it, and "Friends" hit in 94 and made the network the most successful it had ever been. It only takes one or two hits to save a network. But I'm skeptical this will happen for NBC, it's gotten a lot of bad press and will take awhile to rebuild from the Jeff Zucker/Kevin Reily era.

09-22-2011, 09:35 PM	#7
mets82 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Mar 14, 2011 Location: Connecticut Posts: 5,058	I know, know I will get hammered for saying this but what about The Jay Leno Show. I didnt see what the problem was honestly. I mean I'll take that instead of the 36th season of Law and Order and the 25th season of Law and Order. I mean Law and Order has been on forever. Cant NBC get anything different on there? It was mentioned above about Law and Order and ER. Those shows went on seemingly forever and maybe a little bit too long.

09-22-2011, 10:19 PM	#9
mets82 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Mar 14, 2011 Location: Connecticut Posts: 5,058	Good point, but I will say, I dont understand why Jay Leno had to announce 5 yrs. in advance that he was leaving The Tonight Show? That just seemed odd as well.

09-23-2011, 01:19 AM	#13
Brent88 Member Forum Star Join Date: Aug 01, 2003 Location: Alabama Posts: 16,180	Leno did worse than NBC is doing now... Harry's Law got a 1.2 demo last night. That's just embarassing. Season premieres are almost always the highest-rated episode most of the season. Nothing has shown any potential this week at all.
	__________________ Brent

09-23-2011, 01:44 AM	#14
bencasey Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: Long Beach Posts: 1,692	So far every new NBC show I've watched this week has been horrid with The Playboy Club being the worst. I doubt any of them will make it to Christmas.

09-23-2011, 02:33 AM	#15
James Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 07, 2001 Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,370	No! NBC is airing a show that puts Hugh Hefner in a positive light in "The Playboy Club"! NBC should cancel it now or risk being bought out by the Parents Television Council--for a buck!