NBC Shelves, But Not Cancels, “Community”
NBC has revealed its mid-season lineup with "Community" nowhere to be seen. This seems to be a surprise move to many viewers, but when looking at the ratings, "Community" has been in trouble for a while. Now in its 3rd season, "Community" started its initial run off well because of "The Office" leading in. With no popular lead in for just over two seasons, and going up against shows like "The Big Bang Theory" and "American Idol", ratings for the show has not been very stellar.
NBC has also changed their line-up by switching time slots for Wednesday's "Up All Night" and Friday's "Whitney". Ratings for "Whitney" have been decent with "The Office" lead in, but the show has been steadily losing viewers and is being panned by critics. "Community" has also been losing viewers, but has consistently been praised by critics. Some expect the change in schedule to be the beginning of the end for "Whitney".
NBC has said they will air the already produced episodes of "Community" at a later date while they decide if the show will be fully canceled or not. For the time being, new episodes of "30 Rock" will air in the "Community" time slot.
Over the past few years, NBC seems to favor the almighty dollar instead of their viewers. Much like the canceling of Conan O'Brien's "Tonight Show", NBC seems to be panicking at a drop in ratings for a well-liked show and quickly jumping to cancel, instead of listening to the viewers and allowing the show to thrive.
via WarmingGlow