Comedy Is Not Pretty: End of 'Parks and Rec' Exposes NBC's Weak Sitcom Slate
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“Dying is easy; comedy is hard,” or so goes the show-biz adage, a sentiment that’s particularly relevant as NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” reaches its series finale tonight. After seven seasons of what perhaps can best be described as unabashed cerebral goofiness, the little single-cam that could tumbles into history, bringing with it an entire comic lineage.
The last vestige of NBC’s portfolio of quirky, critically acclaimed ensemble comedies, “Parks and Rec” once rubbed elbows with the network’s “30 Rock,” “The Office” and “Community.” While those shows each cultivated a fiercely devoted fan base, however, they never broke out in the same way that CBS and ABC sitcoms have.
The last time all four shows shared the Thursday night spotlight, during the 2012-13 broadcast season, they combined to deliver an average 3.47 million viewers and an anemic 1.6 rating among adults 18 to 49, where one ratings point is equivalent to 1% of TV households — or just under 2 million members of the advertiser-coveted demo. That same season, “The Big Bang Theory” on CBS averaged a 5.3 rating, or 6.73 million adults 18-49.
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