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The Daily Beast: "Community on Hiatus: Why NBC Is Making a Mistake"

Community fans, this is your St. Crispin’s Day moment. Dumping Community in favor of shifting around the Thursday-night comedies feels a bit like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Community, after all, is not the iceberg that’s sinking NBC.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest story, "Community on Hiatus: Why NBC Is Making a Mistake," in which I look at the case for and against keeping the brilliant and subversive comedy around.

For right now, Community airs Thursday evening at 8 p.m. on NBC.

Comments

J Si said…
I read the article at the Daily Beast and it seems to be a pretty good assessment of the situation with Community.

I have to say that I do encourage NBC to keep Community on the air. I am a major fan of the show and it still has a lot of potential as a creative, ambitious comedy. Lately TV shows have become so monotonous, we need a show like Community now more than ever. It challenges conventional writing and maybe that's why it's ratings are down, maybe some of the episodes just so unconventional the show just throws people off.

If NBC is having trouble with ratings getting rid of Community is not the way to go, I think that would be a cop out. I'll admit some of the episodes this season weren't as good as last year but even the worst episodes are no worst than a lot of shows these days and these other shows aren't having ratings problems. The best solution for NBC would be to restructure their thursday lineup and figure out how to improve things while Community is on hiatus. Maybe they can work on ways to improve the show and attract more viewers. I'll guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed.
DC said…
Agreed. I really love the show and always watch online if I can't see it live. This "move" is just another example of how NBC doesn't get it.

I loved Arrested Development, Better Off Ted, and many of the other oddball comedies that required using your brain to get it. Too bad none of these is around (or on the same channel) to be linked with Community in a comedy block. Community is comedy gold, specifically the bottle episodes!

Would love to say this is a surprise, but sadly it doesn't shock me at all. NBC had better wise up somewhere along the line and quick or they are going to continue being passed up not only by their ABC, CBS, and Fox peers but also by cable and their own cable netlets (like USA).
Lucas said…
WHAT! "Community" on hiatus? Hadn't heard about this yet (as a European reader of this blog), but that's awful news. Love the show and had not seen this comming at all (it basically seemed NBC was happy to have anything performing moderately well, and with "Parenthood" this is by far the best show on its schedule). Terrible, terrible decision (and indeed a shame that the show never was recognized by the Emmys). Really hope this isn't the show's end and that we'll at least get to see the remaining episodes sometime soon.

---

Do I understand it correctly that the stunningly promising "Awake" might not show up on this year's midseason schedule also?

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