NBC will stop making comedies like "Community," "30 Rock" and "Parks and Rec"

[TMC]

http://entertainment.time.com/2012/0...key-business/?

No more sophisticated, grown-up, risk-taking comedies. Instead, NBC will seek out sitcoms with a broad appeal. "We're in a transition," says NBC boss Robert Greenblatt. "We're trying to broaden the audience."

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Sell-outs.

[EmoJoe]

Here's the problem, other than the fact that they have basically come out and admitted they are now in the business of making ****: by doing this, NBC is chasing away the few people that are still watching their network. They are clearly trying to go for the broad CBS audience, but that audience has been gone since Friends ended, and it's not going to come back because they're airing a show with Matthew Perry again. NBC's best bet would've been to come up with some way to make their current audience profitable, or at the very least, come up with another The Office or a Modern Family - a show that can appeal to the "sophisticated" (I hate that term, by the way, liking good comedy shouldn't make you "sophisticated") and also to the broad audiences. Instead, they're only scaring even more people away from their network. They went "broad" this year with Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea? and neither succeeded (no matter how hard NBC tries to pretend Whitney did). What makes them think this year will be any different? Because there's more of them? They are in deep, deep trouble.

[ajgenard]

LOL it's pretty obvious when upper management in any industry, not just television, is lost in the woods. When talking points are limited to vague half-hearted terms like 'transition' and 'rebuilding' and 'broaden our product' it's a dead give away that the lights are on but nobody's home.

I could see a comedy shift at NBC turning out either way. They could either have tactful shows that engage an audience in large numbers (which they did for 20 years with Must See TV) or simply churn out blatant crummy ripoffs that do absolutely nothing to improve ratings. Given NBC's seemingly endless supply of managerial blunders, I'd be willing to bet they choose the latter route.

[factsoflife]

NBC is just in need of some good leadership. Frankly they've been lost for years. They failed to use Friends, Seinfeld, Will & Grace, ER or Frasier to build new hits and once they went off the air NBC was left with nothing of worth to air and were lucky to strike creative gold with 30 Rock, The Office, Parks & Recreation and Community, and should be happy that these shows got them any buzz at all. They are desperate for a hit, but the problem they seem to not understand is that you can't just program crap and expect people to show up. The CBS comedy series work because they are tailored to their audience, NBC can't seem to figure out WHO their audience is, and frankly the people watching 30 Rock or Community aren't going to tune into just anything.

[ajgenard]

Originally Posted by EmoJoe

They went "broad" this year with Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea? and neither succeeded (no matter how hard NBC tries to pretend Whitney did). What makes them think this year will be any different? Because there's more of them? They are in deep, deep trouble.

NBC apparently doesn't measure success by ratings, profits, cultural relevancy, or critical acclaim like the rest of the world. I guess their definition of success means a larger audience than an Emergency Alert System broadcast. Coincidentally, I find the EAS announcers much funnier than Whitney Cummings.

[yankeesrj12]

NBC does need to go broader. I love Parks and Recreation, but it's just not working all that well. They tried the "smart" comedies, and with that, their Thursday Night "MUST SEE TV" lineup collapsed. Its time for a change. Kudos, NBC.

[icecream]

It's about time! NBC's niche, "sophisticated" comedies have sucked and are very unfunny. Animal Practice (a broad appealing show) looks promising.

[EmoJoe]

Originally Posted by yankeesrj12

NBC does need to go broader. I love Parks and Recreation, but it's just not working all that well. They tried the "smart" comedies, and with that, their Thursday Night "MUST SEE TV" lineup collapsed. Its time for a change. Kudos, NBC.

Can you please explain to me how Parks and Recreation is any smarter and more sophisticated than other comedies on TV? They had an extended sequence this past season of the entire cast slipping on ice to the tune of Gloria Estefan's Get On Your Feet. It was wonderful, but how the hell is that "sophisticated"?

It seems "sophisticated and niche" has become code for "well-written" while "broad and mass appeal" has become code for "crap". Which is really, really sad. It wasn't always that way. What happened to the days when shows like Cheers or The Mary Tyler Moore Show could become mass appeal hits?

Anyway, I think I made a pretty good point as to why NBC can't just get up and change audiences all of the sudden. Not to mention they already TRIED to do that this year and it didn't work. Why will it work this year? Because there's more of them? Because they have Matthew Perry? (Having him certainly helped Mr. Sunshine, right? Having Courtney Cox has really turned Cougar Town into a mass appeal hit for the ages!). All NBC is doing is looking at CBS and saying "we want that!". But what network doesn't? Unfortunately for them, not every network is CBS. They need to find their niche and capitalize on it, like ABC, FOX, and tons of cable networks have done. They used to have their niche, but they're shooing them away, and who's going to be left now?

Originally Posted by catsrule

It's about time! NBC's niche, "sophisticated" comedies have sucked and are very unfunny. Animal Practice (a broad appealing show) looks promising.

Again, how is this mass appeal? I watched the preview and it looks just as weird and out-there as most of NBC's current crop, with the notable exception that it looks far less well-crafted and way stupider. So again, I guess broad appeal really just means "lazy and stupid".

[Tubehead]

im glad inevver seen 30 rockor the community i don'tlike Parks & Recreation t or the ofice al they do is se andtalk to each otheri was never big fan of cheers

[70s show watcher]

Originally Posted by EmoJoe

Can you please explain to me how Parks and Recreation is any smarter and more sophisticated than other comedies on TV? They had an extended sequence this past season of the entire cast slipping on ice to the tune of Gloria Estefan's Get On Your Feet. It was wonderful, but how the hell is that "sophisticated"?

It seems "sophisticated and niche" has become code for "well-written" while "broad and mass appeal" has become code for "crap". Which is really, really sad. It wasn't always that way. What happened to the days when shows like Cheers or The Mary Tyler Moore Show could become mass appeal hits?

Anyway, I think I made a pretty good point as to why NBC can't just get up and change audiences all of the sudden. Not to mention they already TRIED to do that this year and it didn't work. Why will it work this year? Because there's more of them? Because they have Matthew Perry? (Having him certainly helped Mr. Sunshine, right? Having Courtney Cox has really turned Cougar Town into a mass appeal hit for the ages!). All NBC is doing is looking at CBS and saying "we want that!". But what network doesn't? Unfortunately for them, not every network is CBS. They need to find their niche and capitalize on it, like ABC, FOX, and tons of cable networks have done. They used to have their niche, but they're shooing them away, and who's going to be left now?


Again, how is this mass appeal? I watched the preview and it looks just as weird and out-there as most of NBC's current crop, with the notable exception that it looks far less well-crafted and way stupider. So again, I guess broad appeal really just means "lazy and stupid".

one thing that i think that nbc is forgetting is that cbs did not change the audiences overnight ether because before the big hats loke 2 and a helf men and big bang theory most of cbs;s hits had been older skewing shows like murder she wrote and touched by an angrl and what they did was smart they just let those run there course whil gradualy bringing in the newer younger show with no public downgrading of the olderaudience or ther then current line up and besides former nbc entertianmenr head warren littlefiled already tried the whole change route back in 1992 afet thry lost carson cosby and night court all at once he has admitted that it did not work because you have to do it a little at a time

[70s show watcher]

Originally Posted by EmoJoe

Can you please explain to me how Parks and Recreation is any smarter and more sophisticated than other comedies on TV? They had an extended sequence this past season of the entire cast slipping on ice to the tune of Gloria Estefan's Get On Your Feet. It was wonderful, but how the hell is that "sophisticated"?

It seems "sophisticated and niche" has become code for "well-written" while "broad and mass appeal" has become code for "crap". Which is really, really sad. It wasn't always that way. What happened to the days when shows like Cheers or The Mary Tyler Moore Show could become mass appeal hits?

Anyway, I think I made a pretty good point as to why NBC can't just get up and change audiences all of the sudden. Not to mention they already TRIED to do that this year and it didn't work. Why will it work this year? Because there's more of them? Because they have Matthew Perry? (Having him certainly helped Mr. Sunshine, right? Having Courtney Cox has really turned Cougar Town into a mass appeal hit for the ages!). All NBC is doing is looking at CBS and saying "we want that!". But what network doesn't? Unfortunately for them, not every network is CBS. They need to find their niche and capitalize on it, like ABC, FOX, and tons of cable networks have done. They used to have their niche, but they're shooing them away, and who's going to be left now?


Again, how is this mass appeal? I watched the preview and it looks just as weird and out-there as most of NBC's current crop, with the notable exception that it looks far less well-crafted and way stupider. So again, I guess broad appeal really just means "lazy and stupid".

by the way ai agree anamil pratice does look stupid good luck on that one nbc

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Originally Posted by EmoJoe

Can you please explain to me how Parks and Recreation is any smarter and more sophisticated than other comedies on TV? They had an extended sequence this past season of the entire cast slipping on ice to the tune of Gloria Estefan's Get On Your Feet. It was wonderful, but how the hell is that "sophisticated"?

It seems "sophisticated and niche" has become code for "well-written" while "broad and mass appeal" has become code for "crap". Which is really, really sad. It wasn't always that way. What happened to the days when shows like Cheers or The Mary Tyler Moore Show could become mass appeal hits?

Yes to all of this. People call these shows sophisticated, but for those of us who actually sit down and watch them on a regular basis, I can tell you that they're just as silly as the rest of them. The only difference is that they're calculated, well-crafted silly. Which used to work and for some reason doesn't anymore. Now all it is is re-hashed jokes, no innovation, poorly written trash.

I don't know what's happened to people, but for some reason trash really sells lately. Look at 50 Shades of Grey. And I'm not talking about the content of it, either. I'm talking about the quality of writing. You can find better written kink fic on the internet for free.

[Adamantium]

Originally Posted by EmoJoe

Can you please explain to me how Parks and Recreation is any smarter and more sophisticated than other comedies on TV? They had an extended sequence this past season of the entire cast slipping on ice to the tune of Gloria Estefan's Get On Your Feet. It was wonderful, but how the hell is that "sophisticated"?

It seems "sophisticated and niche" has become code for "well-written" while "broad and mass appeal" has become code for "crap". Which is really, really sad. It wasn't always that way. What happened to the days when shows like Cheers or The Mary Tyler Moore Show could become mass appeal hits?

I agree with this 100 percent!

For the record, Parks & Recreation, The Office and Community are my three favorite current sitcoms.

[Adamantium]

Originally Posted by *Pleasant Tomorrow*

Yes to all of this. People call these shows sophisticated, but for those of us who actually sit down and watch them on a regular basis, I can tell you that they're just as silly as the rest of them. The only difference is that they're calculated, well-crafted silly. Which used to work and for some reason doesn't anymore. Now all it is is re-hashed jokes, no innovation, poorly written trash.

Yup, I agree.

This is a world where Two and a Half Men is a huge hit, and I just don't understand why.