Any doubt that “30 Rock” has its weekly ratings protected by its “The Office” lead-in came crashing down Thursday.
The three-time Emmy-winning NBC comedy dipped to its lowest demographic figure of the season, scoring just a 2.3 in the adults 18-49 demographic across the two episodes. Episode one drew a mere 5.12 million viewers, while episode two averaged just 4.98 million.
“30”‘s performance was weak enough to allow “Community” to emerge as the network’s top comedy. “Community,” the well-reviewed freshman series that has been dismissed as a ratings disappointment, averaged 5.42 million viewers with a 2.4 rating. “Parks and Recreation,” sandwiched between the two series, averaged just 4.63 million viewers with a 2.1. “The Jay Leno Show” averaged 4.41 million viewers with a 1.3.
Elsewhere, FOX’s “Bones” (10.75 million, 3.3) posted solid numbers, while “Fringe” (6.60 million, 2.6) continued to underwhelm in its tough timeslot.
Over on CBS, while “CSI” (15.33 million, 3.3) was the second-most-watched program of the night, its demographic figure was low for a show once considered a ratings powerhouse. “The Mentalist” aired after to a stronger 15.38 million viewers with a 3.4.
ABC’s “Haiti: Race to Save a Country” (5.36, 1.4) posted mild numbers as a lead-in to a soft “Grey’s Anatomy” (12.78 million, 4.8) but strong “Private Practice” (10.96 million, 4.2). Clearly, oknly the latter show seemed to benefit from the crossover.
“The Office” is the only thing on NBC worth watching, especially now that Leno is being chosen over Conan O’Brien. “30 Rock” has been overrated for years and “The Office” has been the pop culture phenomenon and fan favorite that should have been getting the critic love “30 Rock” has received.
I disagree. Now, I like The Office very much. But Community is an excellently written show and I think it deserves all the praise it can get. It will be a tragedy if NBC renews Outsourced, which… just eugh, over Community.