May Madness: 30 Rock vs. Suburgatory, The Vampire Diaries vs. Beauty and the Beast

As renewals and cancellations finish up for the broadcast season, in our poll we have some of each! 30 Rock (which finished its final season last year) faces the just-canceled Suburgatory, while CW mainstay The Vampire Diaries battles this season’s surprise renewal (though our Save One Show fans correctly predicted it!) Beauty and the Beast!

These polls will be open for about 72 hours, so be sure to spread the word quickly if you want your favorites to make it to the next round! As always, you can find the links to all the current matchups on our main post.

May Madness - Comedy, Round 1.9

  • Suburgatory (56%, 53 Votes)
  • 30 Rock (44%, 41 Votes)

Total Voters: 94

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May Madness - Drama, Round 1.9

  • Beauty and the Beast (94%, 467 Votes)
  • The Vampire Diaries (6%, 32 Votes)

Total Voters: 499

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Feel free to leave a comment about which show(s) you voted for and why! I may quote your comment in a Facebook post or tweet promoting this poll! Also, there may be a bit of a lag if a lot of people are voting, so make sure the first poll finishes loading your results before submitting your vote for the second poll!

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May Madness 2014

At last, it is time for the 64 TV shows YOU chose to battle it out for the best TV show of all time! Over the next few weeks, shows will face each other in 72-hour single elimination matchups! Everyone who responded to my question about whether to have comedies and dramas mixed throughout the tournament preferred to have the genres battle it out separately and the top comedy and top drama face each other in the final match, so that’s what we will do!

This post will be your go-to reference for current and upcoming matches, so be sure to bookmark it and check back daily! I will add the links as the posts go up. Or, subscribe to our RSS feed to get the latest posts!

 

TOURNAMENT FINAL

Castle vs. M*A*S*H

 

DRAMA FINAL

Castle vs. Beauty and the Beast – Winner: Castle!

COMEDY FINAL

M*A*S*H vs. Friends – Winner: M*A*S*H

Round four begins with only eight shows remaining! Each of these polls will be open 72 hours.

DRAMA – ROUND FOUR MATCHUPS

White Collar vs. Castle – Winner: Castle!

Beauty and the Beast vs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Winner: Beauty and the Beast!

COMEDY – ROUND FOUR MATCHUPS

I Love Lucy vs. M*A*S*H – Winner: M*A*S*H!

Friends vs. Will & Grace – Winner: Friends!

And now we’re starting round three, as the remaining 16 shows face off! The lists will be completed as the round one matchups finish, and links to each new poll will be added after they go live! Each of the round three posts will contain two matchups: one drama battle and one comedy battle. All polls will be open 72 hours.

DRAMA – ROUND THREE MATCHUPS

White Collar vs. House – Winner: White Collar!

Castle vs. The X-Files – Winner: Castle!

Beauty and the Beast vs. Once Upon a Time – Winner: Beauty and the Beast!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer vs. Supernatural – Winner: Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

 

COMEDY – ROUND THREE MATCHUPS

M*A*S*H vs. Golden Girls – Winner: M*A*S*H!

The Andy Griffith Show vs. I Love Lucy – Winner: I Love Lucy!

The Mindy Project vs. Friends – Winner: Friends!

Will & Grace vs. The Dick Van Dyke Show – Winner: Will & Grace!

 

Here are the round two matchups!

DRAMA – ROUND TWO MATCHUPS

White Collar vs. Leverage – Winner: White Collar!

Veronica Mars vs. House – Winner: House!

Castle vs. Doctor Who – Winner:  Castle!

ER vs. The X-Files – Winner: The X-Files!

Beauty and the Beast vs. NCIS – Winner: Beauty and the Beast!

Once Upon a Time vs. Agents of SHIELD – Winner: Once Upon a Time!

Criminal Minds vs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Winner: Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

Supernatural vs. Sherlock – Winner: Supernatural!

 

COMEDY – ROUND TWO MATCHUPS

Scrubs vs. M*A*S*H – Winner: M*A*S*H!

The Office vs. Golden Girls – Winner: Golden Girls!

The Andy Griffith Show vs. Get Smart – Winner: The Andy Griffith Show!

That 70s Show vs. I Love Lucy – Winner: I Love Lucy!

Suburgatory vs. The Mindy Project – Winner: The Mindy Project!

The Cosby Show vs. Friends – Winner: Friends!

Will & Grace vs. Hogan’s Heroes – Winner: Will & Grace!

The Dick Van Dyke Show vs. Gilligan’s Island – Winner: The Dick Van Dyke Show!

 

These will be the matchups for round one. This list was randomly generated, and each of the round one posts will contain two matchups: one comedy battle and one drama battle. I may post several times in a day during this first round so that this bracket won’t go too far into June, but all polls will be open 72 hours. If any of the choices below seem impossible, remember, your decisions will only get more difficult as the tournament progresses! Have fun!

 

COMEDY – ROUND ONE MATCHUPS

Scrubs vs. Raising Hope – Winner: Scrubs!

How I Met Your Mother vs. M*A*S*H – Winner: M*A*S*H!

The Office (US) vs. 2 Broke Girls – Winner: The Office!

Golden Girls vs. New Girl – Winner: Golden Girls!

Modern Family vs. The Andy Griffith Show – Winner: The Andy Griffith Show!

Get Smart vs. The Crazy Ones – Winner: Get Smart!

That 70s Show vs. The Big Bang Theory – Winner: That 70s Show!

I Love Lucy vs. Brooklyn Nine-Nine – Winner: I Love Lucy!

30 Rock vs. Suburgatory – Winner: Suburgatory!

The Goldbergs vs. The Mindy Project – Winner: The Mindy Project!

The Cosby Show vs. Parks and Recreation – Winner: The Cosby Show!

Friends vs. The Middle – Winner: Friends!

Will & Grace vs. Seinfeld – Winner: Will & Grace!

Community vs. Hogan’s Heroes – Winner: Hogan’s Heroes!

Enlisted vs. The Dick Van Dyke Show – Winner: The Dick Van Dyke Show!

Last Man Standing vs. Gilligan’s Island – Winner: Gilligan’s Island!

 

DRAMA – ROUND ONE MATCHUPS

Dexter vs. White Collar – Winner: White Collar!

Angel vs. Leverage – Winner: Leverage!

Glee vs. Veronica Mars – Winner: Veronica Mars!

Game of Thrones vs. House – Winner: House!

Gilmore Girls vs. Castle – Winner: Castle!

Magnum, PI vs. Doctor Who – Winner: Doctor Who!

Moonlight vs. ER – Winner: ER!

The X-Files vs. Suits – Winner: The X-Files!

The Vampire Diaries vs. Beauty and the Beast – Winner: Beauty and the Beast!

NCIS vs. Charmed – Winner: NCIS!

Arrow vs. Once Upon a Time – Winner: Once Upon a Time!

Agents of SHIELD vs. JAG – Winner: Agents of SHIELD!

Criminal Minds vs. Dollhouse – Winner: Criminal Minds!

Dark Angel vs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Winner: Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

Supernatural vs. Firefly – Winner: Supernatural!

Bones vs. Sherlock – Winner: Sherlock!

 

Which round one loss are you most disappointed by? Leave a comment and let me know!

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May Madness Nominations: Past TV Comedies

Update: Nominations are over, vote in the bracket tournament!

I love TV-related bracket tournaments. What I don’t love is said tournaments leaving out so many great shows (yes, Hulu, I’m looking at you), and not giving TV fans a chance to pick which shows are included.

So in preparation for TV Breakroom’s May Madness bracket tournament, you, this site’s readers, get to choose which 64 shows will battle it out for the best show of all time!

I’m dividing this competition into four sections (though the bracket itself will be randomized), between past and present shows, as well as comedies and dramas. Present shows will include renewed shows and any shows that have aired episodes fall 2013 or later (even if they have since been canceled). Comedies will include all 20-30 minute shows, while dramas will include 40 minute plus shows, even if they are very funny. So Psych, which you might consider a past TV comedy, will actually be among the present TV dramas. Each of these 4 sections will have their own nomination poll, in consecutive weeks.

This site’s typical guidelines (scripted, live-action, primetime shows) apply. So don’t look for (or nominate) The Simpsons, Whose Line is It Anyway?, or daytime soaps. Online shows like those created by Netflix and Amazon are eligible, web series with episodes shorter than 20 minutes (no matter how much we love The Guild) are not. Shows must have aired either a full season or at least 5 episodes to be eligible as well.

Especially for these past show nomination rounds, there are dozens of shows that aren’t included in the 60+ options below. Feel free to nominate any great ones I missed, and if they meet the guidelines I’ve outlined above, I will add them to the poll.

This poll will be open for one week, and you can vote for up to 10 of your favorite past TV comedies. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will make it into our bracket tournament next month!

Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s May Madness nominations! Voting ends around 12AM April 14th, and the top 16 will make it into our bracket.

Which past TV comedies deserve to be in our May Madness bracket? (Choose up to 10!)

  • M*A*S*H (6%, 18 Votes)
  • Hogan's Heroes (5%, 15 Votes)
  • Friends (5%, 14 Votes)
  • Gilligan's Island (4%, 12 Votes)
  • Scrubs (4%, 12 Votes)
  • The Dick Van Dyke Show (4%, 11 Votes)
  • The Cosby Show (3%, 10 Votes)
  • 30 Rock (3%, 10 Votes)
  • Will & Grace (3%, 9 Votes)
  • The Andy Griffith Show (3%, 9 Votes)
  • That 70s Show (3%, 9 Votes)
  • Golden Girls (3%, 9 Votes)
  • I Love Lucy (3%, 9 Votes)
  • Get Smart (3%, 9 Votes)
  • The Office (US) (3%, 9 Votes)
  • Seinfeld (3%, 8 Votes)
  • The Addams Family (2%, 7 Votes)
  • Full House (2%, 7 Votes)
  • Arrested Development (2%, 6 Votes)
  • Happy Endings (2%, 6 Votes)
  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (2%, 6 Votes)
  • Night Court (2%, 6 Votes)
  • 3rd Rock from the Sun (2%, 6 Votes)
  • Everybody Loves Raymond (2%, 6 Votes)
  • The Bob Newhart Show (2%, 5 Votes)
  • Laverne & Shirley (2%, 5 Votes)
  • Home Improvement (2%, 5 Votes)
  • Taxi (1%, 4 Votes)
  • The Office (UK) (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Fawlty Towers (1%, 4 Votes)
  • All in the Family (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Happy Days (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Saved By the Bell (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Fraiser (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Boy Meets World (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Cheers (1%, 3 Votes)
  • The Brady Bunch (1%, 3 Votes)
  • Roseanne (1%, 3 Votes)
  • The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1%, 3 Votes)
  • Married . . . with Children (1%, 3 Votes)
  • Newhart (1%, 2 Votes)
  • NewsRadio (1%, 2 Votes)
  • Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (1%, 2 Votes)
  • Better Off Ted (1%, 2 Votes)
  • The IT Crowd (1%, 2 Votes)
  • My Name is Earl (1%, 2 Votes)
  • WKRP in Cincinnati (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Gomer Pyle: USMC (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Everybody Hates Chris (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Outsourced (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Guys With Kids (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Mr. Bean (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Reno 911! (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Go On (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Party Down (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Up All Night (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Sanford and Son (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Malcolm in the Middle (0%, 0 Votes)
  • The Honeymooners (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Weeds (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Ben & Kate (0%, 0 Votes)
  • The Bernie Mac Show (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 54

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Community News: October 19th is February 7th, Show to Return to its Old 8PM Thursday Slot

NBC has finally revealed when Community will return – February 7! What I hate about this announcement is that the show will be going back to competing directly with ratings juggernaut The Big Bang Theory in the Thursdays at 8 time slot, as well as American Idol and the CW’s highest-rated drama, The Vampire Diaries.

The Thursday night comedy lineup for NBC will then be: Community, Parks and Rec, The Office, and new show 1600 Penn (30 Rock will have ended and Up All Night will be on hiatus). No word on when midseason comedy Save Me will make an appearance.

Other midseason NBC news:

New drama Deception (formerly Infamous) will take Revolution’s plum Mondays at 10 slot in January while the futuristic drama goes on hiatus. It will air after The Biggest Loser (Revolution and The Voice will return in late March).

Smash will start its second season on Tuesday, February 5th at 10 after Parenthood wraps up its season in January. This move actually makes me more likely to watch the show, as I usually don’t have any broadcast shows to watch in that time slot. I liked some things about the show during its first season, but hated others. The music, however, kept me watching.

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‘Revolution’ Gets Full-Season — ‘Go On’ and ‘New Normal’ Picked By NBC – TVLine

NBC has given three of its freshman shows a full season pick-up (which usually involves expanding their initial 13-episode order to a full 22): Revolution, Go On, and The New Normal. Revolution and Go On are the network’s highest-rated scripted shows so far this season (out of all their scripted shows, not just new ones), while The New Normal has ridden Go On’s coattails for ratings on par with The Office’s current (and final) season.

I’ve sampled all three shows, but Go On is the only one I’m still watching (Revolution’s pilot was interesting enough for me to give the show another chance by watching the second episode, but The New Normal’s pilot was so awful I barely finished it).

The news doesn’t bode well for NBC’s other new comedies, Animal Practice and Guys With Kids – I’m watching both still, but I wouldn’t really mind if either are canceled. NBC has 3 comedies officially on tap for midseason – Save Me, 1600 Penn, and Next Caller, plus the likely Dwight-from-The-Office spinoff The Farm. With 30 Rock, Up All Night, and Community all only having 13-episode renewals, only one out of the 5 (these three, plus Animal Practice and Guys with Kids) will likely get nine more episodes. I’m REALLY hoping that show is Community. I’m also hoping Community will switch places and get one of the Wednesday slots before it comes back. (If so, I think it should be paired with fellow single-camera comedy Animal Practice, while both multi-camera shows – Guys With Kids and Whitney – air on Friday.)

As far as dramas go, with not really liking Revolution, the only current NBC drama I watch is Grimm. For midseason, I’m still not sure if I’ll return to Smash, and the new dramas set to debut then don’t really interest me.

‘Revolution’ Gets Full-Season — ‘Go On’ and ‘New Normal’ Picked By NBC – TVLine.

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Last Resort – Pilot

If you’ve been reading this blog, you know I’ve been rooting for Last Resort since pilot season. The premise was intriguing – a US sub disobeys orders to fire nuclear missiles and sets up its own government on a small  tropical island – but the cast really got my attention. I especially looked forward to seeing Dichen Lachman (Dollhouse) and Autumn Reeser (No Ordinary Family) back on my TV screen.

An excellent promo only whet my appetite, so when ABC offered an online pilot preview, I dived right in. And was blown away.

Two reasons I enjoyed it much more than the other new high-concept ensemble drama I plan to watch (Revolution): it had many twists and turns the promo didn’t give away, and more potential/untold history with the characters.

Spoilers below!

The action starts immediately with the sub picking up a group of Navy SEALs (one of whom is badly injured) in hostile territory. There’s a bit of a breather then, where you get a glimpse at how the crew interacts – the mutual respect between Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) and his XO Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman), the difficulties Lieutenant Grace Shepard (Daisy Betts) faces as the daughter of an admiral, and some tension between the COB Joseph Prosser (Robert Patrick) and the other officers, as well as between the SEALs and the officers.

But just as the crew is celebrating crossing the equator, the ominous message comes in from a secondary command post (in Antarctica!): the Colorado is ordered to fire nuclear missiles at Pakistan. Chaplin and Kendal follow procedure until the last step, when they both acknowledge that something doesn’t feel right. The secondary post is only supposed to be used when Washington is under attack or similar circumstances, but according to D.C. television stations, everything’s fine. Chaplin calls in and asks to speak with someone whose authority he recognizes, or at least to receive the command via normal channels before he wipes out millions of people in a country the US isn’t even at war with.

He gets a call back and is relieved of his command. He passes the phone to Kendal, now acting captain, who also asks that the order come through normal channels. Shortly afterwards, an incoming missile is detected, and the sub dives, but is still hit and damaged before it crashes to the bottom of the ocean. There are several casualties, including one of the SEALs.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, Kylie Sinclair (Autumn Reeser) shares techy details about the Colorado as she romances a senator’s aide, trying to get her device (which cloaks the Colorado’s unique signature) onto other subs with his senator’s help (all the geek-speak reminded me of Autumn’s role on No Ordinary Family, but Kylie acts more confidant and sexy than Katie did). A cryptic text sends her rushing to confront Admiral Shepard with what she figured out – the missile that hit the Colorado wasn’t from Pakistan, like the media claims. It was from another US submarine. “You killed your own daughter,” she accuses, but his shocked reaction convinces her he has no idea what’s really going on. Also, uniformed officers show up at the door of Kendal’s wife, Christine (played by Jessy Schram – Once Upon a Time’s Cinderella).

Chaplin, with Kendal’s support and despite open defiance from the COB and others, comes up with a plan. With some of their command equipment damaged, they head to a small nearly island with a NATO station and take it over. There they find out that the attack was from a US sub, and that someone else followed orders and fired nukes into Pakistan. Chaplin calls Admiral Shepard and gives the phone to Grace so she can assure her father that she’s alive, and Kendal is able to call his wife.

One of the SEALs, James King (Daniel Lissing), connects with island barkeep Tani Tumrenjack (Dichen Lachman, who gets little screen time in this episode, but I hope that will change!) as he requests storage for his fallen comrade’s body and alcohol to drink his sorrow away. He’s soon challenged by the self-proclaimed “mayor” of the island, Julian Serrat (Michael Sahr Ngaujah) and his goons. After stating in detail how he will kill each one of them if they don’t quit keeping him from his drink, they leave (don’t mess with Navy SEALs!). However, they only retreat to take a more aggressive approach toward these unwelcome “tourists,” later kidnapping two members of the crew.

Since now the US knows the Colorado survived (thanks to the phone calls and a betrayal from the COB and several crew who aligned with him – Lt. Shepard was forced to shoot one of them before he executed Kendal), two bombers head toward the island. Knowing they’ll bomb the island even if the sub dives to avoid the attack, Chaplin issues an ultimatum – turn them back or he fires a nuke at Washington. They retreat at the last minute, and the nuke lands in the Atlantic. Chaplin declares a 200-mile no man’s land around the island, and threatens to nuke anyone who breaches it.

And the final twist? The injured SEAL ranting about how they had the wrong intel, that they killed the wrong people, and the one at the bar, sobbing at the attack footage and saying all this is his fault. The latter scene had added shock because of how unflappable King had been until that moment.

It’s hard to think of something I didn’t like about this pilot episode. The action kept things moving, the actors fit their roles, for all the drama there were moments with the right touch of humor, and the whole episode felt as polished as a summer blockbuster.

But unlike most summer blockbusters (no matter how many unwanted sequels get made), what hit me most was the potential for future storytelling in these characters. You don’t get to spend much time with most of them, but just about every character leaves you wanting to know more about their story.

Since the initial setting is a Navy sub, it did have a bit of an NCIS feel, especially those episodes that have taken place on a ship/sub. Caplin reminded me a little of Battlestar Galactica’s Adama – protective, but not afraid to be ruthless.

If Last Resort keeps up this quality, I will be watching every episode of the show. It has a rough time slot at 8PM on Thursday, especially against The Big Bang Theory, The X Factor, 30 Rock, and The Vampire Diaries. ABC hasn’t had a new show succeed in that time slot since Ugly Betty. But Last Resort has the mettle to stick around, so I hope viewers will give it a chance. You’ll be glad you did.

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TV Duos Bracket – Round One, Day 7

Today wraps up our first full week of competition! Already, some worthy opponents have bit the dust, from Leverage’s Hardison and Eliot, to Gibbs and Abby from NCIS! But there are more matchups to come! For day 7, Moonlighting’s David and Maddie battle another coworker duo, 30 Rock’s Liz and Jack! And geeks may have quite a dilemma as Fringe’s Peter and Olivia face Leonard and Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory!

Be sure to check out the results and all our current matchups here. The winning duos will advance to the next round (which will launch in just over a week).

Reminder: While there are romantic pairs in this bracket, that’s only one possible aspect of a duo’s relationship. Duos have fun together, work well together, and/or have hilarious interactions. Simply put, they spark.

You can find a full list of upcoming TV duos matchups here. Round one matchups are in teal. Each of the round one matchups will be open for 72 hours (3 days), so spread the word quickly so your favorite pairs will make it into the next round! Our toolbar at the bottom of the page has lots of quick links to help you to get the word out!

Which is your favorite TV duo? Round 1.13

  • David and Maddie - Moonlighting (61%, 82 Votes)
  • Liz and Jack - 30 Rock (40%, 53 Votes)

Total Voters: 134

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Which is your favorite TV duo? Round 1.14

  • Leonard and Sheldon - The Big Bang Theory (60%, 99 Votes)
  • Peter and Olivia - Fringe (40%, 66 Votes)

Total Voters: 165

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The Hard Truths Behind Dan Harmon’s Community Ousting and My Thoughts

A voice of reason amid all the cries of “Why even watch season 4?” “This is the darkest timeline,” and “Community won’t be Community without Dan Harmon,” this article looks at all the very plausible explanations for why he was fired.

While the show started out as an accessible, though quirky, sitcom, over the past few years it has evolved into a very niche show. I still love it, but occasionally there are episodes that try so hard to parody something that they forget to be funny (“Pillows & Blankets” was the latest offense – I think I laughed once during the entire episode).

The article linked below focuses on what good might come out of the change in showrunners. I for one am hoping the changes will be reminiscent of Mark Ruffalo playing the Hulk instead of Edward Norton in The Avengers. I know comparing actors to showrunners is a bit like comparing apples to apple trees, but both Norton and Harmon have a reputation for being difficult to work with. Bringing in Ruffalo was far from the only thing that made The Avengers a success, but I believe it helped. (Side note, since I’m already talking about The Avengers, wouldn’t it be awesome if Joss Whedon had become Community’s new showrunner? I know it’s completely different from his own shows – though not from ones he’s worked on – and unlikely to have worked out, but can you imagine the fan craziness that would have ensued?)

Found this right after I finished this post, and thought it was amazing! (And very fitting to add.)

But what I don’t understand with this move to make Community more mainstream, is why NBC still plans to air Community on Fridays, a timeslot usually reserved for niche shows. It seems like they’d do one or the other (fire Dan Harmon or move the show to Fridays), not both. How is the show expected to pick up new viewers that way? Far better to air the final season of 30 Rock there instead. I would have put Community on at 8 on Wednesdays, followed by Animal Practice (giving the new show the benefit of a veteran lead-in). Then Thursdays could have started with sophomore Up All Night at 8, followed by the similarly-themed Guys With Kids. I do hope some executive at NBC is smart enough to figure that out before fall, and if not, that a new show bombs quickly and NBC rearranges things.

The Hard Truths Behind Dan Harmon’s Community Ousting — Vulture.

Continue reading The Hard Truths Behind Dan Harmon’s Community Ousting and My Thoughts

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NBC Renews Community, ABC Renews Once Upon a Time, Castle, Suburgatory, and more!

Just in this evening, NBC has renewed Community for a shortened 13-episode season 4! Unlike the network’s 30 Rock renewal, this is not being billed as a final season, so I’m hopeful that the show will get a fifth season, or perhaps garner additional episode orders (the show would need 4 more episodes to reach the “magic” 88 episodes usually required for syndication).

Also, ABC has renewed freshmen shows Once Upon a Time, Revenge, and Suburgatory, as well as veteran shows Castle, Grey’s Anatomy, The Middle, and Modern Family. (If Joss Whedon ever does a broadcast TV show again, it should be on ABC. They seem to like his people – Nathan Fillion, Adam Tudyk, Jane Espenson.)

ABC’s Cougar Town is moving to TBS for a fourth and possibly fifth season (Community’s Abed should be pretty happy about that).

With Awake and Bent unlikely to be renewed by NBC, the only shows I’m waiting to hear about now are on the CW.

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NBC Moves Community Finale into May Sweeps – TVLine

Three new episodes of Community in one night? Yup, that’s what NBC is doing this May 17, which allows the double-episode finale to air during May sweeps. Usually back-to-back episodes signal burnoff, but in this case it’s a vote of confidence for Community, which NBC thinks will do better than the extra episode of Awake, previously scheduled to fill that slot. Instead of a double episode finale night, the finale of Awake has been pushed back to May 24 (after sweeps).

NBC will air one episode of Community in its normal 8PM slot, then the 30 Rock finale, then the final two-episode Community finale from 9-10PM.

NBC Moves Community Finale into May Sweeps – TVLine.

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TV Ratings Thursday: ‘Big Bang Theory’ Doesn’t Dent ‘Community;’ ‘Awake,’ ‘Missing’ Keep Sliding, As Most Shows Decline – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers

People who were worried about The Big Bang Theory affecting Community’s ratings can relax a little – Community’s rating is exactly what it was last week, when CBS was airing basketball. Even better, it was rated higher than 30 Rock, which follows Community in a less competitive timeslot.

Not so good are the ratings for NBC’s Awake, and ABC’s Missing. I’ve only caught one episode of Missing so far and thought it was decent, but I’ll be really sad to see Awake go. It puts such a cool twist on a crime drama (would have loved to see it following NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles on Tuesdays on CBS instead of Unforgettable).

TV Ratings Thursday: ‘Big Bang Theory’ Doesn’t Dent ‘Community;’ ‘Awake,’ ‘Missing’ Keep Sliding, As Most Shows Decline – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers.

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Ratings — Community Returns With Wins Over American Idol

True, the win over American Idol was just with Adults 18-34 ratings in the common half hour, but it’s still amazing! The 2.2 rating was a season high for the show. Last week, 30 Rock only managed a 1.4 in that slot. True, it was up against The Big Bang Theory, but this week Community was up against the start of March Madness basketball and ABC’s premiere of Missing.

Ratings — Community Returns With Wins Over American Idol.

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