This post lists information relating to news that NBC moved Parks and Recreation’s third season premiere to midseason 2011.
In its weekly Approval Matrix column, New York magazine called Parks and Recreation’s third season push to midseason 2011 “Despicable” and “Lowbrow.”
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May 20, 2010:
From Watch with Kristin:
Before you go feeling all sorry for the Parks and Recreation gang’s scheduling setback, heed our advice…don’t. … Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman and the rest of the cast is doing just fine.
“We really believe in NBC’s promise that they’re going to find a good home for us,” Amy tells us, as sweet as always. “We’re really excited about the season we’ve had and the show’s we’ve shot. I’ve very confident we’re going to find a good home.”
“As long as we are still coming to work and there are sandwiches, I’m OK,” says Nick, aka Ron Swanson incarnate. Adds Aziz: “It’s obviously not ideal. All we can control is making the show and making it great, and we’re coming through on that end.”
That doesn’t meant the P-Rex crew doesn’t appreciate the fan support. “Apparently, there’s a bit of a public outrage taking place. It makes us feel good,” Nick tells us. The ridiculously funny Chris Pratt (Andy) adds: “We’ve got a lot of great fans. You go to work and you do your best and hopefully enough people watch it.”
And in case you didn’t know it, the guy is ambitious. “I know this is a long shot,” says Chris, “but I’d like to do Parks and Recreation for a hundred seasons.” A totally reasonable goal.
Not to rain on any new NBC sitcom parades, but Nick thinks maybe fans of Pawnee won’t have to wait very long. “We’re shooting six episodes that were meant to be in the fall and might still be. You never know how TV plays out.” Either way, Aziz knows we’ll love what we see. “People are going to be psyched over the new episodes. It’s the best stuff we’ve done, and I’m excited to come back whenever we do.”
Thanks to Miguel for the tip!
May 19, 2010:
From Maclean’s:
[T]he key fact about Outsourced is that it’s taking the spot that would normally have gone to Parks & Recreation, forcing that show to be delayed until mid-season. NBC was considering opening up another night of comedy; when they chose to make Thursday their only comedy night (including Love Bites, a new hour-long show that’s a hybrid of comedy and anthology — basically, The Love Boat on land), that left them with the choice between keeping the 8 to 10 period more or less as it was, or bumping an already-renewed show to make room for a new one. They chose the latter, and the show they decided to bump was Parks. The show has already — presumably in anticipation of Amy Poehler’s pregnancy — shot some episodes for its third season, so it will go on a short production hiatus and then resume production for mid-season. How long the new season turns out to be depends on how soon Outsourced gets canceled.
Parks has probably been, overall, the best of NBC’s four comedies this season; Community has had great individual episodes, and I haven’t been as disappointed with The Office as some (but then, that’s the only show in that group that I have loved without reservation, so I can forgive it a lot), but Parks not only made the expected second-season improvement, it ruthlessly weeded out all the faults of its first season, learned to do things that no other current show was doing — the mix of small-town comedy with political and media satire recalls Newhart, but no recent U.S. show — and maximized the strengths of most of its performers and characters. Greg Daniels is good at making his shows a lot better really quickly; his shows have a wonderful combination of artistry and efficiency, like he’s figured out the secret of producing great, personal television art in a businesslike way.
May 19, 2010:
From Buzz Sugar:
Let me make myself clear: I am a TV addict and pop culture junkie and thus love trying out new TV shows. I was even looking forward to this coming Fall’s new crop of comedies and dramas . . . until I heard NBC’s plans for the Thursday night comedy block. To help new show Outsourced succeed, Parks and Recreation has been shoved to midseason! I had one reaction to this news about my current favorite show, the show that makes me look forward to Thursday nights: blind rage.
Why couldn’t they have moved The Office? Or struggling show Community? Since P&R finally got much better in its second season, I’m worried that it may lost momentum if it’s not coming back until next January. I understand that this is a move to help one comedy— but why potentially hurt another? Another that I think is the strongest of NBC’s Thursday night shows? Anyway, I’ll be appreciating each episode until the season finale a whole lot more now that I know I’ll have to do without it for so long. Are you guys as irritated as I am?
May 19, 2010:
Here’s the full trailer to Outsourced, the new NBC comedy that will premiere after The Office this fall. Because it will take over 30 Rock’s timeslot, 30 Rock has been bumped to 8:30 p.m., which consequently shifted Parks and Recreation to midseason.
Consider me biased, but this new show looks pretty unamusing. What do you think?
May 19, 2010:
From Variety:
One of NBC’s key objectives this year was to restore some trust with the creative community — particularly following “The Jay Leno Show” debacle, which angered some writers and producers by taking scripted fare out of the key 10 p.m. slot.
Peacock has come a long way this year, picking up a whopping 12 new scripted skeins — and launching six new dramas in fall alone. But it nonetheless is causing a stir this Sunday in comedy circles, having opted to keep critical fave “Parks and Recreation” off the fall schedule.
“Parks and Rec” isn’t a big ratings grabber, but it is indeed starting to make a lot of noise for NBC — and appears to be on the cusp of exploding into a new phenom akin to “The Office” (which also launched with a slow build).
The show just introduced Rob Lowe and Adam Scott into the mix, and supporting star Aziz Ansari — who’s about to host the MTV Movie Awards — appears ready to leap into the comedy big leagues, much as Steve Carrell did in the summer before “The Office’s” second season.
What’s more, the “Parks and Rec” team, under exec producers Mike Schur and Greg Daniels, have canceled their summer hiatus plans and are already at work cranking out season 3 scripts. That’s because star Amy Poehler is set to give birth in August, and the show — and NBC — wanted to make sure they had episodes in the can before then.
Now, unfortunately, the “Parks and Rec” episodes now being written might not be seen for many, many months. And the early momentum from the addition of Lowe and Scott might be lost, insiders close to the show fear.
“‘Parks and Recreation’ is one of the best reviewed shows on all of TV,” one source close to the show says. “It’s nuts.”
On the bright side, NBC just sealed a megadeal with Schur — and that deal was incumbent on the exec producer sticking with “Parks and Rec,” so it won’t be going anywhere. (Let’s just hope people remember it by the time it returns.) The lengthy hiatus gives Poehler time to take a breather after giving birth. And it will allow Ron Swanson more time to craft new canoes in his wood shop.
But still — the comedy one-two punch of “Community” and “Parks and Rec” repped one of the few hours of the TV sked that we truly anticipated all week long. Thursdays moved quicker because we couldn’t wait to get home and watch these two shows, back-to-back. It’s going to be a rough fall without Leslie, Ron, Tom, Ann, Andy, April and, yes, even Gerry, to come home to.
May 18, 2010:
I just updated my Facebook profile picture! Won’t you do the same?
Sincere thanks to @swanronson for creating the photo!
May 17, 2010:
From Vulture:
Maybe NBC’s decision to keep [Parks and Recreation] off the fall schedule is just a Jedi mind trick that’s ultimately aimed at helping the show. That’s the best working theory we’ve got right now, less than 24 hours after NBC announced that Outsourced would air Thursdays at 9:30 p.m., bumping Tina Fey’s 30 Rock to 8:30 — and Amy Poehler’s Parks off the schedule until January (or later).
How’s that? Well, if all goes according to (the admittedly convoluted, somewhat paranoid) plan Vulture heard at some upfront events Sunday, Parks will actually end up returning to NBC’s schedule early next year in a much better time slot: 9:30 p.m. Thursdays. Yes, we know NBC just said it was putting the call-center comedy Outsourced there, but stay with us.
Even before Sunday’s news, there was growing consensus in the industry that NBC needed to use The Office — its highest-rated comedy — to try to bolster a show other than 30 Rock. And yesterday, NBC entertainment boss Angela Bromstad confirmed that it was her thinking, too: “It was absolutely imperative that we launch a new comedy behind The Office,” she told Vulture. Fey’s series has occupied the comfy time slot for a couple seasons now, and since it’s highly unlikely that it’s suddenly going to start adding more viewers after four years on the air, NBC needed to make a change.
Parks seemed to be the perfect candidate for that post-Office slot: It’s from the same team (Greg Daniels and Mike Schur) that made the latter show a hit, and it’s got major momentum, with Rob Lowe having just started an eight-episode arc, Aziz Ansari blossoming into a big-time star (he’s hosting next month’s MTV Movie Awards), and fans increasingly vocal about their adoration. But politically, directly replacing 30 Rock with another show that’s already on the NBC schedule would have been very, very tough.
That’s where Outsourced comes in. Does NBC really believe that the show can become a hit at 9:30 Thursday? Well, sure … in the same way every parent thinks their kid can grow up to hit a ball like A-Rod. But the odds are, Outsourced — with its indie-movie roots and Indian setting — will end up frittering away a big chunk of its Office lead-in, sorely disappointing NBC and forcing the network to make a change a few months into the season. And when that happens, guess who’ll be tanned, rested, and ready to jump back into Thursday nights? Yup: Ron Effing Swanson and the rest of the Parks gang.
What’s more, perhaps NBC is actually making a calculated attempt to get Parks fans motivated by giving them a taste of life without their favorite show. In the same way NBC’s mistreatment turned Conan O’Brien into an Internet folk hero, and doubt about the future of Chuck has kept that show’s fan base engaged, maybe the Peacock is praying that a little bit of adversity will actually boost the buzz for Parks. Sometimes you just gotta play bad cop, and they’re getting good at it.
May 16, 2010:
From Zap2it:
The cast and crew of “Parks and Recreation” are filming the show’s third season now — but the results of their work won’t be seen until next year.
When NBC announced its schedule for the fall on Sunday (May 16), “Parks and Rec” wasn’t on it. The network is launching a new comedy called “Outsourced” with returning shows “Community,” “30 Rock” (which is moving to 8:30 p.m. from 9:30) and “The Office” and holding “Parks and Rec,” along with two more new shows, “Friends with Benefits” and “Perfect Couples” for midseason.
“It was one of the toughest decisions we had to make” in putting the schedule together, NBC chairman Jeff Gaspin says. He adds that holding it is no comment on the quality of the show and says it will be back in the Thursday rotation later in the season.
“Parks and Rec” began work on its third season right after wrapping the second to accommodate star Amy Poehler’s pregnancy. The decision to push the show back, however, isn’t related to that — NBC Entertainment president Angela Bromstad says the network asked the show to keep shooting to allow for “maximum flexibility” in putting together the schedule. “Parks and Rec” co-creator Mike Schur also tweeted Sunday that “this is NOT because of Amy’s pregnancy.”
The show is filming six episodes for Season 3 before going on a production hiatus. Poehler and her husband, Will Arnett, are expecting their second child in the summer, and she’ll return to work following her maternity leave.
May 16, 2010:
Parks and Recreation’s third season will not premiere in the fall, as it did for season two. Instead, NBC has shifted the show to midseason.
From Deadline.com:
“Parks and Recreation” will return to Thursdays later in the season to give the night more original programming.
