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NBC currently has four sitcoms that have so much potential separately, but could better find their widest audiences if grouped more together in terms of scheduling and marketing. St. Denis Medical is the new Scrubs and was picked up for a third season, but it’s not yet a breakout sensation.
Reba McEntire’s Happy’s Place isn’t earning any Michelin stars, but it is a solid performer. Stumble is the best show you haven’t heard of, a brand new mockumentary about cheerleading that is going for gold. The upcoming series The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins could be the next 30 Rock, but only if comedy fans learn about it.
NBC’s best sitcoms used to rule the airwaves with brilliant comedy blocks back in the 2010s and especially the 1990s. NBC is squandering its great comedy shows by not optimizing their current schedule.
NBC Dominated Thursday Nights With Must-See ’90s Sitcoms
In the mid-to-late ’90s, NBC’s Thursday night was an unassailable crowd-pleasing lineup. From 1994 to 1998, the schedule featured Friends at 8 p.m., Seinfeld at 8:30, and Frasier at 9, with the blockbuster drama ER anchoring the night at 10. NBC made Thursday nights a cultural event.
The network routinely held four of the top 10 shows on television, and the comedy block alone could draw close to 30 million viewers a week. Audiences didn’t just tune in for one series; they committed to the entire night, letting one hit flow directly into the next.
That kind of concentrated success created a powerful halo effect. A viewer who showed up for Friends often stayed for Seinfeld and Frasier, giving each show a built-in audience and turning Thursday into appointment television.
By comparison, even a modern network success like Abbott Elementary averages only 2 to 3 million viewers in same-day linear ratings, rising to around 9 million when streaming is included. Of course, there are far more ways to watch TV today, but networks are struggling with numbers and scheduling.
In the early 2010s, NBC made a conscious effort to recapture the spirit of its legendary “Must See TV” era with a new Thursday night comedy block. From roughly 2011 to 2013, the network lined up Community at 8 p.m., Parks and Recreation at 8:30, The Office at 9, and 30 Rock at 9:30.
On paper, it looked like a dream lineup: four smart, distinctive comedies with strong creative voices and passionate fan bases. The television landscape, however, had already changed dramatically. Cable had exploded, streaming was beginning to reshape viewing habits, and the monoculture that fueled the 1990s ratings giants was no longer possible.
Even so, these shows still posted numbers that would be considered enormous by today’s standards. At their peaks, The Office and 30 Rock regularly drew several million viewers per episode, far beyond what most current network comedies achieve.
What truly defined this era, though, was critical acclaim rather than mass viewership. The shows, especially critically adored sitcom 30 Rock, were perennial award contenders and critic favorites, celebrated for their writing, performances, and originality. Yet in hindsight, they’re remembered less as cultural juggernauts and more as beloved cult classics that thrived creatively, even as overall TV audiences fragmented.
Why NBC Stopped Scheduling Its Sitcoms Together
Streaming fundamentally changed the rules of television scheduling, and traditional broadcast strategies were one of the biggest casualties. For decades, networks relied on rigid time slots built around commercial breaks, which is why episodes typically ran either 22 or 44 minutes. As premium cable and streaming took over, those limits started to disappear.
HBO’s Game of Thrones regularly delivered episodes that stretched close to feature length, and streamers like Netflix followed suit — most of Stranger Things‘ final season runtimes were over an hour. Platforms like Apple TV and Prime Video don’t rely on revenue from their programming, so they can release shows whenever they want, with major hits like Severance taking three years between seasons.
Broadcast networks, meanwhile, faced another major disruption when the NFL expanded into Thursday nights. That move permanently reshaped the schedule that once belonged to Must See TV. Without a reliable comedy night, networks began scattering sitcoms across the week, often pairing them with unrelated dramas or reality shows to chase whatever audience happened to be available.
Instead of building cohesive blocks designed to attract a specific crowd, networks now tend to squeeze comedies into any open slot, hoping they can survive on borrowed momentum rather than intentional scheduling.
NBC Has Excellent Sitcoms That Not Enough People Have Heard Of
NBC’s current comedy slate is stronger than its reputation suggests, but some of its best shows still haven’t found the audiences they deserve. St. Denis Medical and Stumble are both critically popular mockumentaries that prove the network still knows how to develop sharp, character-driven comedies.
St. Denis Medical is a funny yet heartfelt workplace series set in a chaotic hospital, blending absurd humor with genuine emotional stakes. Season 2 has built enough momentum that NBC greenlit a third season midway through the run, a sign of real confidence. The sitcom has the kind of warm, accessible tone that traditionally anchors successful comedy blocks.
Stumble, meanwhile, is a brand-new mockumentary set in the high-pressure world of competitive cheerleading, affectionately satirizing the same culture explored in popular documentaries like Cheer and America’s Sweethearts. Despite a strong early reception, Stumble currently sits in the dreaded Friday night slot, historically where networks place shows they’re less invested in growing.
The network does seem to recognize how well the two series complement each other, though. NBC has begun airing Stumble reruns on Monday nights after St. Denis Medical, hoping the more established show can help boost the new one. As mockumentaries, that kind of pairing could thrive in a more intentional comedy block.
NBC Should Bring Back Its Thursday Night Comedy Lineup On Another Night
NBC doesn’t need to revive Thursday nights specifically, but it does need to bring back the idea of a dedicated comedy block. Its current and upcoming shows already form a natural lineup.
The Fall & Rise of Reggie Dinkins would slot in neatly beside them. Reggie Dinkins stars Daniel Radcliffe alongside Tracy Morgan as a disgraced former football player, adding another sports-themed mockumentary to the mix. Grouped together, the shows would feel like part of a cohesive programming identity rather than isolated experiments.
A concentrated comedy night would also give a boost to Happy’s Place. Reba McEntire’s warm, nostalgic sitcom has been a steady performer, but it’s spent three seasons on the bubble. A new slot alongside compatible comedies could help it find a more reliable audience.
Right now, even fans of these shows can struggle to keep track of when they air. Peacock’s relatively small subscriber base means NBC still needs to rely heavily on linear viewership, but its scattered schedule makes that harder. A clear, consistent comedy block would simplify things for audiences and help each show grow in the process.
