Jeff Zucker finally leaving NBC!

[Y&RWorldTurner]

It seems like Burke wants NBC to be competitive again, so off with those niche shows!

NBC is not the CW where a decent share in the 18-49 demo is enough to guarantee a pickup and faith from the network brass. NBC is a major network, it's time it started acting like one again. They can't afford financially or image-wise to go down the same road they've gone down over the past couple of years.

It would be truly fantastic if Burke f.ucks over NBC's lame-ass Thursday night single-camera comedy block. That block needs to be filled with shows that can appeal to a wide demographic of people, niche shows don't cut it there.

But, as mentioned, we won't know the full effect of all this until next season...

[Toups]

NBC's Thursday night comedy block is really awesome: Community, 30 Rock, The Office, Parks and Recreation. They have some of the best writing in comedy.

The Office is still pulling great 18-49's and is one of NBC's few successes, so they're not going to cancel it. It's pretty much said that 30 Rock will end next season.

I watch multi-cam comedies too but the quality is so inferior to single cams. I hate it when something's not funny, yet there's still "laughter". There's a reason why multi-cams rarely get and writing nominations - the jokes are too generic and easy. I like it when there's a lot "in jokes" and time jumping, and recalls to past episodes. And you just have more freedom too: you can go on location, you can do more physical comedy, you can have action comedy.

You can still do single cams and have broad appeal like Modern Family.

Just watch CBS if you don't like single cams (which is what most of America is doing).

[bellcurve]

NBC's Thursday Nights are simply abominable. There isn't one show in that lineup that's worth watching. Not one. And I am partial to 30 Rock because of all the obscure, funny TV references, but even that is not enough to be a true LOL comedy. It's just crap that people watch because it's cool and indie and "outside of the box." That crap will never get into the top ten, no matter how much NBC and their showrunners want it to.

I also find it interesting how people that love The Office and 30 Rock complain about how the laugh track "forces" the audience to laugh like some Pavlov device. What the hell do you call all of that ridiculous pausing, staring, lame-ass soap opera tag-esque bullsh*t that they do on The Office? Below average writing with homoerotic staring and people parading around in their underwear and doing stupid human tricks like they're at a fraternity house.

That's not to say that all single camera coms are like this. I am a huge fan of Everybody Hates Chris, I liked Malcolm In the Middle(kinda), and even Modern Family, which follows the mockumentary template that The Office has, is funny because of how different the characters are from one another. How are the characters from The Office different from one another? They're all the same to me.

It pisses me off when Office fans I've met offline(and some online) openly diss multi-cam comedies without even giving them a fair shake. Say what you will about Chuck Lorre's shows, but people find stuff like Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory funny because they don't pretend to be something they're not. They know that they're half-hour comedies, they tell jokes and they either fly or they don't. There's no need for staring, stupid tags, tight wobbly shots, and eye-roll inducing inside jokes.

Wiping NBC of these atrocities shouldn't wait until next season. He needs to get at least two mid-show mutli-cam laffers in on Thursday. CBS has placed Big Bang Theory and S%3t My Dad Says on Thursdays because they want to eventually have another new night of comedy. NBC has to combat this immediately and immediately start rebuilding their Thursday Nights.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Yes, NBC's comedy block on Thursday is a ratings disaster for the most part. Thursday is the most competitive and lucrative nigh in primetime, and NBC has nothing with wide appeal to offer there. They really should be ashamed.

As mentioned before, NBC basically gave up on being competitive and handed everything on a sliver platter to the other networks. Primetime is always at its best when all of the major networks step up their game for viewers and don't give in to defeatist attitudes, like Zucker did.

Unfortunately, none of the NBC comedies have the broad appeal that something like Modern Family offers.

Traditional sitcoms can be cleaver, brilliantly written, appeal to wide audiences, and be award darlings. Remember shows like Seinfeld and Frasier, NBC?

[bellcurve]

Yeah, which is why such few people are watching it.

Is The Office even winning its timeslot? Great 18-49 demo means sh!t if other network shows are beating it in that demo in its timeslot and if that's THE BEST NBC has to offer in terms of ratings and quality, then God help us all.

Steve Carrell is leaving The Office at the end of this season. Let's wrap this show up with him leaving and rebuild NBC's Thursday Nights.

I've already addressed this prior to me seeing this reply, so you can just read that if you're interested.

And FYI, Seinfeld had alot of in-jokes and time jumping as well, but it was still funny. There was no pretention with Seinfeld. It just told the joke.

Yeah, I agree. Which is why NBC needs to cut their losses with this pathetic night of comedy and start clean.

At least "most of America" isn't sitting back desperately trying to make lameass single camera comedies happen so they can have something to giggle about. Even though deep down, they know it's not really funny. They think it's funny because they've been told by the staring and lameass tag shots that they're funny.

Typical arrogance from Office fanbois.

[DRW50]

http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/09/jeff-zucker-blunder-timeline.html

[Y&RWorldTurner]

It took 4 seasons for Seinfeld to catch on, and when it did, it became the #1 show in America.

Now NBC keeps these lameass comedies on for years, but they never attack a substantial audience. So, I can totally see the reasoning behind starting from fresh and dumping a lot of what they currently have.

NBC does not have that big hit show or a couple of hit shows to support the shows that are failing now. They have to take a risk and start all over again.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

LMFAO! How true...

[JackPeyton]

Yeah, thats why people are saying NBC us trying to compete again. NBC pretty much became an older verson of the CW and gave up the fight. Now they are going to fight again. Its sad to see what has become of this network.

[bellcurve]

Exactly. There's a huge difference between giving a show time to develop an audience and prolonging the inevitable.

Not to mention it's not even worth it to keep shows like The Office and 30 Rock alive, because even if they put them into Off-Net Syndication after their five seasons or 100 episodes, they are such a tough sell anyway. Who wants to watch 30 Rock five days a week?

[DRW50]

I had never heard of that My Name is Earl thing he did. Even if the Earl producers pitched that I still can't believe he did that, it's so damn smug.

http://defamer.gawker.com/372858/opening-act-jeff-zucker-fails-to-rally-crowd-for-return-of-my-name-is-earl

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Whoever OK-ed a piece of sh!t like Outsourced needs to be castrated with a knife and then shot...

[bellcurve]

Oh yeah, writers were PIIIIIIIISSED about that. And can you blame them? Zucker basically thumbed his nose up at them and what they were trying to fight for with his stupid inside jokes.

No one wants to see Jabba The Hut go on-and-on about what they missed during the Writer's Strike.

[bellcurve]

Even before seeing the previews for it, Outsourced sounded like some race-baiting, bullsh!t UPN premise.

I cannot tell you how disgusted I was(and still am) with the premise of that show.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I can't believe it debuted to OK (by NBC standards) ratings for them.