NBC is often the focal point of mockery for its broadcast and scheduling decisions, but the first round of its three-hour comedy experiment on Thursday night was a success.
A case can be made that all shows either met or exceeded expectations, a positive sign given the worry that shows like “Community” would be swallowed by “American Idol” while “30 Rock” would go unnoticed at 10PM.
The biggest success story, and one that undoubtedly fueled the latter two hours of the block, was “The Office,” which rose to a strong 4.5 adults 18-49 rating with 8.28 million viewers. Though “Parks and Recreation” actually underperformed from a retention standpoint at 9:30PM, because its lead-in was so solid, it still managed a good number at a 3.2 with 6.19 million.
Yes, there was no original “Grey’s Anatomy” in the timeslot, but the performance, particularly that of “The Office,” is still impressive.
After showing signs of struggle for its most recent 8:30PM airings, “30 Rock” bounced back with an impressive 2.7 rating and 5.28 million viewers at 10PM. “Outsourced” underperformed at a 1.8 and 3.95 million, although things could have been much worse had “30 Rock” delivered the 2.0-2.3 rating that many analysts were expecting.
Again, as with no “Grey’s” at 9PM, ABC also did not run an original “Private Practice” at 10PM.
Earlier in the night, “Community” actually had one of its better airings of the season, scoring a 2.2 and 4.74 million viewers despite going head-to-head with “Idol” and “The Big Bang Theory.” “Perfect Couples” is not a hit, but its 2.1 and 4.16 million at 8:30PM was better than its preview airing from several weeks ago.
What’s even more impressive about the 30 Rock ratings is the fact that “The Apprentice” used to get something like a 1.6 rating in the 18-49 demo. 10pm is a tough time slot. Shows like the Good Wife and Parenthood usually average around 2.3! While 30 Rock doesn’t get huge ratings it seems to have a very loyal fan base and may have even attracted some new viewers.
I’m also happy that P&R did so well. Considering how the show struggled last year (and the year before), I’m surprised it got such big ratings. 3.2 may not be as good as The Office’s 4.5 but it easily makes it one of NBC’s top rated shows in the target demo.