Me of Little Faith; The Good Place scores a season 2

Ted Danson and Kristen Bell in
NBC's The Good Place

I have a confession to make.  When I first heard, about a year ago, that NBC had picked up, straight to series, the high-concept, heaven-set comedy The Good Place, I thought the show would turn out to be too smart for broadcast TV.

I underestimated viewers -- after all, the majority of us who voted did not vote for Trump -- and thought the show's serialized storyline and its dabbling with philosophy and theology would be a turn-off to the NBC crowd.

And then later, in watching the show, I also thought I was picking up on inconsistencies in its writing.  For instance, if Eleanor (Kristen Bell) doesn't get credit for good deeds done for a selfish reason -- i.e., to stay in the Good Place -- then why is Tahani (Jameela Jamil) there?  After all, we've seen how she was driven to her good deeds on earth not by a sense of altruism but by a need to outshine her sister.

I was wrong. On all counts.  Mea maxima culpa.

I certainly should have had more faith in The Good Place creator Mike Schur, who entertained us for years as a writer for The Office -- and even on-screen, as Dwight's idiot brother Mose -- and as the creator of the brilliant Parks & Recreation and co-creator of the equally hilarious Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  I should have realized that here, the Creator had a master plan.

Now, not only has the show scored decent ratings (see below) among well-heeled viewers, but it's scored something even harder to get these days:  buzz.  And, thanks to that buzz, and positive critical reviews, the show has earned what really counts in network TV:  a second-season renewal.

In a press release beginning with "Free yogurt for everyone!" NBC announced its pickup this morning of a second, 13-episode of the series -- which, for those of us who saw the season 1 finale with its shocking and brilliant twist, we're dying to see.  For those who like numbers with their comedy, here are the ratings NBC cited in its renewal decision:

In its rookie season, “The Good Place” has averaged a 1.9 rating in adults 18-49 and 6.1 million viewers overall in “live plus seven day” figures from Nielsen Media Research, improving the timeslot by +36% over NBC’s Thursday 8:30 average last season. The show’s Jan. 19 season finale delivered 5.2 million viewers after three days of time-shifted and video-on-demand viewing, for the show’s biggest L+3 audience since Oct. 27.

“The Good Place” has also generated a strong upscale audience, indexing at a 135 among adults 18-49 living in homes with $100K+ incomes (with 100 representing an average concentration of those homes).

The announcement does not specify if The Good Place's season two will debut in the fall or if its relatively short run will begin sometime later in the 2017-18 season.  (And I hope it's not a case of Heaven Can Wait.  That, of course, would be bullshirt!)

Check Out Superstore

America Ferrera debuts tonight in Superstore,
10 PM Eastern/Pacific on NBC

Although it's not set to continue the rest of its 11-episode first-season run until the new year, America Ferrera's latest series, Superstore, premieres tonight at 10, as a special one-hour block following megahit lead-in The Voice.  (The series' eventual Monday night companion piece, Eva Longoria's Telenovela, will get the same preview push at the same time next week, on Monday, December 7.)

I've seen episodes of Superstore, and can attest it's worth checking out, not only for Ferrera's endearing new character Amy, but for the rest of its skilled comedic ensemble cast, including Mad Men's Ben Feldman as her new romantic interest, the elitist Jonah, Kids in the Hall's Mark McKinney as the hyperreligious store manager Glenn and Another Period's Lauren Ash as the super-weird and aggressive Dina.

Superstore comes from creator Justin Spitzer, who worked for years as a producer on NBC's great ensemble comedy The Office -- and the DNA shows here.  Superstore has the same mix of officious weirdos as funny supporting characters, and yet also shows a lot of heart.  After the overwhelming experience playing a title character on Ugly Betty, Ferrera said today at a lunch for critics on the Universal lot in Los Angeles that she's happy to step into a true ensemble.  Plus, the woman is busy; not only does she develop TV shows at her own development company, but as a producer of Superstore, she's part of the show's story decisions.  As such, she adds that she's happy that Spitzer and his writing staff are expert at pacing out story developments in Superstore's first season, trusting the audience to keep tuning in to learn more about its ever-deepening characters.

If the four episodes available to the press are any indication, it will be a season worth spending.  Check out the show's first two installments tonight at 10 PM, following The Voice on NBC.

Meet The New Normal

It’s going to be a tough season for the comedy department at NBC, with two of its most beloved (if not highly-rated) hits, bowing out.  After 30 Rock calls it quits after 13 episodes this fall, and The Office at the end of the year, the network once known as the home of “Must-See” comedy will need to find some laughs, fast.

The cast of The New Normal, left to right:
Justin Bartha, Andrew Rannells, Georgia King,
Bebe Wood, Ellen Barkin, Nene Leakes

NBC does seem to be pinning its hopes on one new comedy.  From Ryan Murphy, the out gay creator of Glee and American Horror Story, and out lesbian writer Ali Adler, The New Normal is a politically incorrect yet warm look at a gay male couple and the (literally) surrogate family they build in an attempt to have a baby.

Just this week, it seemed like another sign of NBC’s faith in The New Normal when the network announced a special preview of the show’s pilot this coming Monday, September 10 at 10 PM/9 PM Central; they’re hoping to get the show sampled by the viewers of its lead-in that night, the season premiere of The Voice.  The very next night, September 11, The New Normal will settle into its regular timeslot, of Tuesdays at 9:30/8:30 Central.

(Of course, you don’t have to wait until Monday to see the New Normal pilot:  you can watch it right here.)

Back in July, at the semi-annual convention for TV critics in Beverly Hills, I sat down with the show’s male leads, The Hangover’s Justin Bartha and Andrew Rannells, who made a huge splash with Broadway’s Book of Mormon and recently appeared on HBO’s Girls, to talk all about what it means to be Normal.

Must-Hear TV:  As we head into a presidential election where one of the divisive issues is gay rights, what attracted you to this show, with its unavoidable gay storyline and themes?

Justin Bartha:  The main thing was quality.  The quality of the script, and the quality of the people involved.  The show is relevant.  It seems timely and seems necessary, and it is hilarious.  Everything attracted me to this show.

Andrew Rannells:  I definitely echo that sentiment.  Also, I think that Ryan Murphy’s brand of comedy, the way that he handles topical material – in this case, this homosexual couple, that was very appealing to me.  As a homosexual, that I get to be a part of something like that is very exciting.  So there was a long list of reasons why this seemed to be a great thing to get involved in. And the show has definitely held up to all of those expectations as we’ve developed it.

with The New Normal's Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha
at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA
July 2012

MHTV:  You both have theater backgrounds – Andrew in Book of Mormon, and Justin, I saw you in 2010 in Lend Me a Tenor.  When you test for a TV pilot, you have to agree to sign away 7 years of your life if it gets picked up, which might not leave much time for Broadway.  This must have been some helluva script – enough to make you want to do TV?

JB:  It’s a similar answer to the first question – it’s all about quality.  For me, everything I was reading just wasn’t that interesting.  And it didn’t seem to matter.  This show seems to matter, and it’s something to be proud of.  And if I could be proud of something for seven years, I’m down with that.

AR:  Absolutely.  I think that television offers an interesting opportunity.  If you’re lucky enough to have some longevity, you get to cover a multitude of issues.  I think that Ryan and Ali Adler definitely are the people to do that.  To bring topical humor to a half-hour format is very exciting.

MHTV:  It’s amazing that we still have to talk about this in 2012, but is there ever any concern for either of you as an actor about playing a gay character?

JB:  Andrew and I both come at this question from very interesting perspectives.  Because I’m a straight man and he’s a gay man.  Both have a little bit of a stigma playing gay characters, or being “out” in a sense.  You, Andrew, obviously have more at stake, because it’s your personal life attached.

MHTV:  But you do, too, Justin, because people might be eager to nitpick the way a straight actor chooses to “play gay.”  Or maybe they think the actor himself must be secretly gay.

JB:  For me personally, I thrive off of those things.  I don’t give a shit what people think about me.  I think if everyone thinks I’m gay, I’m flattered.  And if people are so small-minded that they can’t see past sexuality in creativity, then I don’t want to work for them anyway.

So it’s as simple as that.  It is unfortunate that there hasn’t been portrayal of a homosexual couple in a realistic sense – and when I say that, I mean showing affection, and showing what real couples go through.  And I think Andrew and I, Ryan Murphy and Ali Adler, always wanted to show that.  Because there are some great shows that have been groundbreaking with gay characters, but I’ve never really seen a realistic portrayal of what goes on behind closed doors with interesting topics.

MHTV:  Like Will on Will & Grace had to be timid at first about kissing.  Will you guys?

JB:  I put my tongue in his mouth, and I will continue to put my tongue in his mouth, and I don’t care.

MHTV:  Andrew, any concern about playing a gay character?

AR:  No.  I'm excited to play a gay character who was this fully developed and fleshed out.  I think I would be a fool to not jump at the chance.  And then particularly as a homosexual… it speaks a lot to Will & Grace and I just mentioned Jim J. Bullock to someone before –

JB:  Oh, Jim J. Bullock.  I’m a big fan!

AR:  All of that happened on the rocky path to where we are right now.  And I’m very fortunate that I get to benefit from all of that hard work, personally and professionally.  That I get to be out and not penalized in any way, and to be offered this role, is amazing.

The New Normal
Tuesdays at 9:30/8:30 Central
Beginning September 11
NBC

NBC Gives Early Renewal for The Office, Parks & Rec and Community for 2011-12

Interesting announcement today from NBC: they've renewed The Office, Parks & Recreation and Community for next season. Just yesterday, industry pundits like Nikki Finke were reporting that a Parks & Rec renewal looked likely, because NBC had been making preliminary moves towards syndicating the show, meaning they'd likely want to keep producing more episodes. And Community, although ratings-challenged, has a rabid -- and as noted, demographically desirable -- core of fans (including me.)

Another Thursday night neighbor, 30 Rock, was already renewed last November (by former NBC Prez Angela Bromstad; today's moves come from the new guy, Bob Greenblatt, formerly of Showtime.) But this announcement raises a couple of questions/issues for me:

1) NBC sure is showing some blind faith in The Office, that the show will maintain its quality -- and its ratings -- next season in the absence of Steve Carell's Michael Scott.

And 2) What does this mean for the other NBC Thursday comedies, namely Outsourced and Perfect Couples? My guess is that these two are doomed -- but will NBC keep us waiting until May to find out officially?

Here's the announcement:

NBC PICKS UP THREE RETURNING COMEDIES FOR 2011-12 IN 'THE OFFICE,’ ‘PARKS AND RECREATION’ AND ‘COMMUNITY’

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – March17, 2011 – NBC has issued pickups for three returning comedy series in 2011-12 that include “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Community,” it was announced today by Bob Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment.

"I am so pleased to renew these three outstanding comedies which are all at the top of their game creatively,” said Greenblatt. “Along with '30 Rock,' they represent the best of what the NBC comedy brand stands for in terms of originality, wit, and sophistication. 'The Office' continues to fire on all cylinders on the most competitive night of television; 'Parks & Recreation' has come into its own this season as the rightful companion to 'The Office'; and 'Community' is one of the freshest comedies on any network and a solid foundation for Thursday night."

"The Office" (Thursdays, 9-9:30 p.m. ET) is delivering a 4.0 rating, 10 share in adults 18-49 and 7.7 million viewers overall through the season's first 25 weeks, ranking in primetime's top 15 in adults 18-49 and top five in adults 18-34 (excluding NFL pre- and post-game shows), making it NBC's #1 scripted show in both categories. "The Office" is the #2 most upscale primetime show on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox or CW in terms of its concentration of adults 18-49 living in homes with $100,000-plus incomes, behind only NBC's "30 Rock."

Season to date, "Parks and Recreation" (Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET) is delivering a 2.8/7 in 18-49 and 5.5 million viewers overall. With its move this season to Thursday's 9:30 p.m. ET half-hour, "Parks and Recreation" is up versus last season by 17 percent in adult 18-49 rating (2.8 vs. 2.4) and up 9 percent in total viewers (5.5 million vs. 5.1 million). In the valuable adult 18-34 demographic, "Parks and Recreation" is NBC's #2 scripted series and ranks in the top 20 overall with a 3.2 rating.

"Community" (Thursdays, 8-8:30 p.m. ET) is averaging a 2.1/6 in 18-49 and 4.7 million viewers overall, continuing to deliver solid numbers in a time period that includes competition from Fox' "American Idol," CBS's "Big Bang Theory" and ABC's "Wipeout." "Community" is also one of the most upscale primetime series on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox or CW, with a top-15 ranking in its concentration of adults 18-49 living in home with $100,000-plus incomes.

One of television's most critically acclaimed comedies, “The Office” has been nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series every season and won the award in 2006. Its ensemble has also been nominated every season since 2006 for the SAG Award (winning in 2007 and 2008) and was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for four consecutive seasons (2007-2010). The series received the George Foster Peabody Award in 2006.

In a recent cover story, Entertainment Weekly proclaimed that “Parks and Recreation” is “TV’s smartest comedy.” GQ magazine also enthused: “Look: This is the best comedy going right now.”

TV critics continued to rave about “Community” this season. Time magazine’s James Poniewozik wrote: “Episode by episode, ‘Community’ makes some of the best half-hours on TV.” “‘Community’ is a fantastical, dreamlike jewel-box of a show….it’s a pretty amazing ride…” Also, TV Guide’s Matt Roush called the series, “TV’s most adventurous and unpredictable sitcom.”

In addition, both “Parks and Recreation” and “Community” were honored last week by the prestigious William S. Paley Festival.

From Deedle-Dee Productions, Reveille and Universal Media Studios comes “The Office,” the hilarious documentary-style look into the humorous and sometimes poignant foolishness that plagues the world of 9-to-5 based on the award-winning BBC hit. A fly-on-the-wall "docu-reality" parody about modern American office life, "The Office" delves into the lives of the workers at Dunder Mifflin paper supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Regional manager Michael Scott (Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Steve Carell, "Despicable Me,” “Date Night") is the boastful tour guide.

Also starring are Jenna Fischer ("Walk Hard"), John Krasinski ("Away We Go"), Rainn Wilson ("The Rocker"), B.J. Novak ("Inglorious Basterds”), Ed Helms ("The Hangover"), Leslie David Baker ("Malcolm in the Middle"), Brian Baumgartner ("Arrested Development"), Kate Flannery ("The Heir Apparent"), Mindy Kaling (" No Strings Attached "), Angela Kinsey ("Tripping Forward"), Paul Lieberstein (writer, "King of the Hill"), Oscar Nuñez (" The Proposal "), Phyllis Smith ("Arrested Development"), Creed Bratton (former member of The Grass Roots), Craig Robinson ("Hot Tub Time Machine”), Ellie Kemper ("Important Things with Demetri Martin") and Zach Woods ("The Other Guys"). "The Office" is executive-produced by Ben Silverman, Greg Daniels, who developed the series for American audiences, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Howard Klein and Paul Lieberstein.

Named the #1 TV Show of 2010 by New York magazine, "Community," is a smart, exuberant comedy series about a band of misfits who attend Greendale Community College. At the center of the group is Jeff Winger (Joel McHale, "The Soup"), a fast-talking lawyer whose degree has been revoked. Winger forms a study group who eventually learn more about themselves than their course work. Also among the series stars who comprise the group are comedy legend Chevy Chase ("Fletch"), Gillian Jacobs ("The Book of Daniel"), Yvette Nicole Brown ("Rules of Engagement"), Danny Pudi ("Greek"), Alison Brie ("Mad Men"), Donald Glover ("30 Rock") and Ken Jeong ("The Hangover").

“Community" was created by Dan Harmon ("The Sarah Silverman Program") who serves as executive producer with Russ Krasnoff ("The Soloist"), Joe Russo ("Arrested Development"), Anthony Russo ("Arrested Development"), Garrett Donovan ("Scrubs"), Neil Goldman ("Scrubs") and Gary Foster ("The Soloist"). The series is a Krasnoff Foster Entertainment, Harmonious Claptrap, Russo Brothers, Universal Media Studios production in association with Sony Pictures Television.

“Parks and Recreation” -- from Emmy Award-winning executive producers Greg Daniels (NBC’s "The Office," "King of the Hill") and Michael Schur (NBC’s "The Office," "Saturday Night Live") -- is a hilarious ensemble comedy that landed on dozens of critics' "Top 10" lists in 2010. It follows Leslie Knope (Emmy Nominee Amy Poehler, NBC’s "Saturday Night Live," "Baby Mama") a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana, and her tireless efforts to make her quintessentially American town just a little bit more fun.

Leslie's office mate is Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari, "Human Giant," "Scrubs"), a fashion-obsessed wannabe player while Leslie's boss, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman “Children’s Hospital”), hates the very government he works for. Rounding out the characters are Leslie's best friend Ann (Rashida Jones, "I Love You, Man," "The Office"), her ex-boyfriend Andy (Chris Pratt, “Everwood”), and Ron's assistant April (Aubrey Plaza, “Funny People”). Also working in the parks department are Donna (Retta, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") and Jerry (Jim O'Heir, "Castle"). In addition, the show features state auditors Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott, “Party Down”) and Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe, “Brothers and Sisters,” “The West Wing”), who were introduced at the end of the second season.

"Parks and Recreation" is a production of Deedle-Dee Productions, Fremulon, 3 Arts Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. Along with Daniels and Schur, Howard Klein (“The Office”) and David Miner (“30 Rock”) also serve as executive producers for the series.

Kathy Bates Commutes from Cincinnati to Scranton

At today's panel for NBC's quirky upcoming midseason legal drama Harry's Law from David E. Kelley, I asked Kathy Bates if being on this new series full-time meant that her character from The Office, Jo Bennett, would be able to return, if only to name the successor to Steve Carell's boss character, Michael Scott.

Because Harry's Law actually wrapped production yesterday, Kathy responded, she is free to return to Dunder Mifflin -- and she will be, in fact, in "a couple" of episodes this spring. (Now that she's done being Harry from Cincinnati, she's free to be Jo from Tampa, traveling to Scranton -- all filmed in L.A. Got that?!)

When I pressed her further afterwards, Kathy swore she hadn't yet read any scripts, and so she has no idea as to who's going to take over the Scranton branch. She did like my geeky idea, though, that her great danes from The Office should pop up on Harry's Law. Attention, NBC: crossover!

Yes, Tina, there will be more 30 Rock (and The Office, and Community)

Last weekend at the annual awards ceremony for the Writers' Guild of America East, 30 Rock creator Tina Fey got all verklempt at the winners' podium, as she admitted that, in the shadow of ABC's cancellation of her Queens, NY neighbor Ugly Betty, her own show's "special moment may not last forever." (Check out the video below.)

Well fret no longer, Tina; after announcing a pickup for Parks & Recreation several weeks back, today NBC announced the renewals of its other three Thursday night sitcoms -- Community, The Office and 30 Rock -- for the 2010-11 season.

That's not to say that NBC's Thursday sitcom schedule isn't ratings-challenged; just last night, Community and Parks & Recreation scored typical third-place results in the 8 PM hour, and The Office managed a ratings high only because the one-hour special (replacing 30 Rock for the week) featured a landmark event, the birth of Pam and Jim's baby. Still, all four shows tend to score high in the advertiser-coveted age 18-34 demographic, meaning that NBC -- which certainly can't afford to be too choosy right now anyway -- luckily does have the patience to commit to these four high-quality comedies for at least another season. Here's the network's announcement, below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


NBC GIVES PICKUPS TO THURSDAY-NIGHT COMEDIES ’30 ROCK,’ ‘THE OFFICE’ AND ‘COMMUNITY’ FOR 2010-11


Renewals Follow Previously Announced Green-light for “Parks and Recreation” on Thursdays


UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - March 5, 2010 - NBC has renewed three more of its Thursday-night comedies - “30 Rock” (9:30-10 p.m. ET), “The Office” (9-9:30 p.m. ET) and the freshman series “Community” (8-8:30 p.m. ET) for the 2010-11 season. The returning programs join the previously announced “Parks and Recreation” (Thursdays, 8:30-9 p.m. ET) that also will return for next season.

The announcement was made by Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios.

“We are happy to give these early pickups to these critically acclaimed, incredibly funny comedies,” said Bromstad. “As a result, we look forward to continuing our rewarding partnership with the respective creative teams and talented show-runners for ’30 Rock,’ ‘The Office’ and ‘Community’ as they all consistently deliver quality shows.”

First-year comedy "Community" is averaging a 2.7 rating, 7 share in adults 18-49 and 5.9 million viewers overall so far this season, with "Community" originals winning the time period among adults 18-34 and men 18-34. Since moving to the Thursday 8-8:30 p.m. (ET) half-hour on October 8, "Community" has improved the time period by 24 percent versus NBC's adult 18-49 average earlier in the season.

Currently in its sixth season, "The Office" is network television's #1 primetime scripted series among adults 18-34 and is NBC's #1 scripted series in the key demographic of adults 18-49. "The Office" regularly finishes #2 in its highly competitive time period in adults 18-49 ahead of CBS's "CSI." The most recent "Office" telecast on March 4 outscored ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," marking the first time "The Office" has topped "Grey's" head-to-head in adults 18-49. For the season through 23 weeks, "The Office" is averaging a 4.9 rating, 12 share in adults 18-49 and 9.4 million viewers overall, representing gains versus last season of 4 percent in 18-49 and 3 percent in total viewers.

Currently in its fourth season, "30 Rock" is averaging a 3.4 rating, 8 share in adults 18-49 and 6.9 million viewers overall, with "30 Rock" originals winning the time period among men 18-34 and men 18-49 despite airing opposite the concluding half-hours of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and CBS's "CSI." "30 Rock" is the most upscale comedy on broadcast primetime television when ranked by its concentration of homes with $100,000-plus incomes in its adult 18-49 audience.

The Emmy Award-winning comedy series "30 Rock" is told through the comedic voice of Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner Tina Fey ("Saturday Night Live”) as variety show producer Liz Lemon and features Emmy and three-time Golden Globe winner Alec Baldwin ("The Departed") as top network executive Jack Donaghy. Also starring are Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Scott Adsit, Jack McBrayer, Judah Friedlander and Keith Powell.

"30 Rock" is from Broadway Video & Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studios. The executive producers are Lorne Michaels ("Saturday Night Live"), Fey, Marci Klein ("Saturday Night Live"), David Miner ("Human Giant") and Robert Carlock ("Friends").

“The Office” is the Emmy Award-winning comedy series from Deedle-Dee Productions, Reveille and Universal Media Studios. The show offers a hilarious documentary-style look into the humorous and sometimes poignant foolishness that plagues the world of 9-to-5 and is based on the award-winning BBC hit. Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Steve Carell ("Get Smart," "Little Miss Sunshine") stars as pompous regional manager Michael Scott..

Also starring are Jenna Fischer ("Walk Hard"), John Krasinski ("Leatherheads"), Rainn Wilson ("The Rocker") and B.J. Novak ("Punk'd"). Other series stars are Ed Helms ("The Hangover"), Leslie David Baker ("Malcolm in the Middle"), Brian Baumgartner ("Arrested Development"), Kate Flannery ("The Heir Apparent"), Mindy Kaling ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin"), Angela Kinsey ("Tripping Forward"), Paul Lieberstein (writer, "King of the Hill"), Oscar Nuñez ("Halfway Home"), Phyllis Smith ("Arrested Development"), Creed Bratton (former member of The Grass Roots) and Craig Robinson ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"). "The Office" is executive-produced by Ben Silverman, Greg Daniels, who developed the series for American audiences, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Howard Klein and Paul Lieberstein.

From Dan Harmon ("The Sarah Silverman Program") and Emmy Award-winners Joe and Anthony Russo ("Arrested Development") comes "Community," a smart comedy series about a band of misfits who attend Greendale Community College. At the center of the group is Jeff Winger (Joel McHale, "The Soup"), a fast-talking lawyer whose degree has been revoked and forms a study group. Also starring are comedy legend Chevy Chase ("Chuck"), Gillian Jacobs ("The Book of Daniel"), Yvette Nicole Brown ("Rules of Engagement"), Danny Pudi ("Greek"), Alison Brie ("Mad Men"), Donald Glover ("30 Rock") and Ken Jeong ("The Hangover").

"Community" is a production of Krasnoff Foster Entertainment, Harmonious Claptrap, Russo Brothers production and Universal Media Studios in association with Sony Pictures Television. Russ Krasnoff ("The Soloist"), Dan Harmon, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Garrett Donovan ("Scrubs"), Neil Goldman ("Scrubs") and Gary Foster ("The Soloist") serve as executive producers.

"Parks and Recreation," starring Amy Poehler (NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”), is a production of Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios. Along with Greg Daniels (NBC’s “The Office”) and Michael Schur (“The Office”), Howard Klein and David Miner also serve as executive producers for the series.

Ricky Gervais on The Office?

At the HBO presentation for Ricky Gervais' new self-titled animated show at the TV Critics' Association conference, Gervais revealed that there have preliminary talks about him making some kind of appearance this season on the American version of The Office.

Speaking of that show, which Gervais of course originated back in the UK, he says that it would be a "huge mistake" for him to go back and revisit that series in its original British form, but that maybe there's a slight glimmer of hope that he might someday return to making more of HBO's Extras, which he says he believes still has "a little bit of legs to it."

The Ricky Gervais Show -- an animated version of his hugely popular series of radio podcasts debuts on HBO on February 19 at 9PM. And of course, catch Gervais as the host of The Golden Globe Awards this Sunday night, January 17 at 7PM Eastern on NBC.

The Office Jumps the Shark?

Back in the old days, networks used to use the Super Bowl as a launching pad for brand new series.

Sometimes, it worked.  (Remember the premiere of The Wonder Years in 1988?)  And sometimes, it didn't.  (Remember Davis Rules in 1991?  Anyone?)

Then later began the super-sized, "special" episode phenomenon.  Following the big game in 1996, Julia Roberts turned up on Friends.  People at the time criticized the episode for being overblown, overwrought.  Me, I still kinda liked it.

But tonight's The Office?  The weakest episode of this normally amazing series I've ever seen.  I had read interviews with some of the show's producers, who claimed that they wanted tonight's one hour installment to be more of a "standalone" episode, so as to draw in fans who don't already know, for example, the saga of Jim and Pam.  But what they ended up getting was a meandering and overblown (not to mention not very credible) storyline, with its non-sequitur elements pressed together with so much adhesive tape.  

It must be hard to write a show like The Office, to find new ways for Jim to torture Dwight, for Dwight and Michael to show their social ineptitude, without going over the top.  The show has approached -- and maybe even crossed -- that line before.  Remember Michael's atrocious behavior at Phyllis' wedding?  At the time, I didn't believe that even someone as socially retarded as Michael would make such a scene.

Now tonight -- and this is my largest problem with the episode as a whole -- I think we have the clearest example of The Office going too far.  Dwight has officially crossed the line from inappropriate to murderous and sociopathic.  Luring Phyllis several miles away from the office and leaving her there, so as to force her to walk back (as Dwight did earlier this season) is one thing.  But setting the building on fire, and jeopardizing his coworkers' lives?

And here's the other thing you learn about corporate America:  it's very hard to get yourself fired for cause.  If you're hard-working and competent, you'll often get screwed, blamed for something, laid off.  But if you're crazy, or if you drink, you're pretty much safe.  UNLESS: you do something like set the office on fire.  If your actions leave the company vulnerable to a lawsuit -- and it's an amazing oversight that Stanley, as he mentions not being able to afford to retire, doesn't even THINK of suing -- you would definitely be fired.  David Wallace would never have given Dwight a second chance.  And DEFINITELY not a third, after he stabbed and disemboweled the CPR dummy with a concealed knife in the workplace.  Another big no-no.

And then suddenly, after all that, tonight's storyline morphed into being just about Michael and his sudden self-knowledge.  For one thing, did anyone not see it coming that Michael would be offended by the roast?  And that would be forgiveable, had the roast been at all funny.  The Office excels in a combination of awkward-funny.  The roast was just plain awkward.

All that said, there were moments I loved -- Dwight's tricking Phyllis into giving her signature, and anything involving Cloris Leachman, of course.  

But what did you all think?  (And by the way:  Hilary Swank:  hot, or not?!)