Last night My Name is Earl returned to the NBC lineup with a new episode for the first time since January. And, let's face it, there shouldn't have been that one episode in January because it was the Christmas episode which the network opted to delay by a month.
Sadly for everyone involved (including me, who watched the entire hour-long episode) it was not a triumphant return. The show lacked a crucial, essential, ridiculously important element — humor. The show was not funny. There were a few moments here and there that caused a chuckle, but over the course of the hour there were fewer funny moments than one can find in a good sitcom episode before the first commercial break. It felt like the episode was just slapped together and rushed into production (entirely possible depending on the state of the script prior to the strike), and the Jeff Zucker recap/introduction didn't help matters, as it definitely made it appear as though the show ran short, that there wasn't even enough unfunny plot last night to last for an hour.
Where does that leave us? What should we, the viewer, be expecting in this post-strike landscape from NBC?
I'm happy you asked that, because the network unveiled its schedule for the fall this week, and the answer to the question is: not much. Some shows are gone (Bionic Woman, Las Vegas, and Scrubs, among others), and at least one other will be entering its final season (ER). But critical favorite Friday Night Lights will be back as NBC was able to work out a co-production deal with DirecTV to offset their costs (the deal allows DirecTV to air the new episodes before the network does). There will even be a spinoff of The Office on the schedule.
Article comments
1 - Brent
I have nothing but despair for virtually all of the NBC lineup. "My Own Worst Enemy" might work - it sounds like a series version of "True Lies" and depending on how they do it, "Kath & Kim" might be okay, but "Crusoe"? "Merlin" - the story of a teenaged Merlin and Arthur? For this they canned "Las Vegas"??? Sorry but this lineup will make people look longingly at "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and the rest of the Kevin Reilly era. And I'm not too pleased with the time slot they've assigned to "Life" either.
2 - Erin Medley
Although not watched by many (just a few million), Friday Night Lights is a FANTASTIC show. And I applaud NBC for saving a show delivers high quality stories each and every week!
3 - Scott Deitche
They ARE brining Ian McShane to network TV. So they got that going for them...