There Will Be Less Than 1 Hour of Situation Comedy on NBC This Fall
Has NBC has given up on comedy? Some sources think so, at least as far as the 2015 Fall schedule is concerned. Entertainment Weekly figured out that this fall, NBC will be airing less than one hour of sitcom programming. And they’ve squished it all into Friday nights, which are not generally considered to be a hot time slot. EW is saying that NBC hasn’t been this low on comedy programming since 1978.
On the schedule for Friday nights will be the return of Undateable for Season Three which will air live each week at 8pm. People are Talking, premiering this Fall will round out the almost hour of comedy for NBC at 8:30, also on Fridays. The network describes the new series as an “unabashed new comedy about two diverse couples, who are both neighbors and best friends. As they go through life side by side, they can’t help but analyze and obsess about everything. From topics like sex and race, to the fact that the trusted new babysitter might just be a porn star, nothing is out of bounds for this wildly outspoken foursome.” The series stars Mark Paul Gossalaar (Zach from Saved By the Bell), comedian Tone Bell and Bresha Webb (Grey’s Anatomy).
Outside of the situation comedy, there will be some opportunities for laughs. For example, Neil Patrick Harris’ new variety show, Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris will run on Tuesday nights at 10pm through November.
And there are several other new comedies on the slate, they just aren’t on the opening fall lineup. The midseason premiere of a Coach reboot with Craig T. Nelson is planned, picking up 18 years after the series left off. Patrick Warburton will head up new series Crowded about empty nest parents whose grown kids return home. Hot & Bothered will star Eva Longoria with a behind the scenes story about a Latina Soap Opera star. America Ferrara and Ben Feldman will star in Superstore, a workplace comedy about the people who work at a supersize megastore with KITH member Mark McKinney. And finally You, Me and the End of the World is a one hour apocalypse themed comedy-drama starring Rob Lowe, Jenna Fischer, Megan Mullally,
And NBC is giving August short series releases to Craig Robinson’s Mr. Robinson, and Jerrod Carmichael’s The Jerrod Carmichael Show. Both series premiere on August 5, and will run on Wednesday nights but will have short runs that end in mid September.
