Even though its Thursday lineup, once known as “Must See TV,” has completely lost its ratings dominance, it remains a decent source of laughs for critics and a passionate, albeit small mass of fans.
All five of its regular Thursday series will be back next year. Following up on shortened-order renewals for “30 Rock” and “Community,” NBC confirmed that it is ordering new seasons of “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Up All Night.”
(Update: Word has since come that freshman “Whitney” will be back)
“The Office” was considered a no-brainer for renewal once John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer and Ed Helms agreed to return, while “Parks,” though not a ratings winner, performs respectably enough with young adults to let its critical acclaim justify another season.
“Up All Night” performed better than most of NBC’s other freshmen, so it, too, is far from a surprising pickup.