# 30 Rock ends next season, Parks & Rec renewed, Community gets at least 13 more episodes \[ed. title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552 "2012-05-10T21:43:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/21 "2012-05-11T05:50:24Z")
> [@BabaBooey](#): > > Really? I’m not one to defend every episode episode of Community, and this season has been fairly mediocre aside from two superb episodes (Law and Order + the Civil War documentary knockoff), but tonight’s cracked me up. I didn’t appeal to me at all. It seemed like reuse of the gimmick to manufacture clips from past shows as they did last season. It was another weak episode in a weak season, IMHO. But I’m glad you enjoyed it. I actually hope it will be back next season, but better. And I sincerely hope that Chang will be gone. I can’t believe Starfish is gone, and Chang is still there, and driving the plot. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/22 "2012-05-11T06:06:02Z")
I loved the fake memories they had of being in an asylum. Other than that, I thought the episode was OK. I’d give it 7 out of 10. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/23 "2012-05-11T11:41:24Z")
I’m glad that it got 13 more episodes, and am at peace with that being the end of it. I’d rather see Community cancelled than watch three more seasons of something vaguely Community-ish and it’s clearly gone down the Arrested Development rabbit hole of self-reference, which is great fun (for a little while) for those of us that enjoy that, and completely unsustainable from both a ratings and a pure entertainment standpoint. ---
**Author:** ![D47C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4bbf92/32.png) [@D47C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D47C)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/24 "2012-05-11T13:29:16Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > I’m glad that it got 13 more episodes, and am at peace with that being the end of it. I’d rather see Community cancelled than watch three more seasons of something vaguely Community-ish and it’s clearly gone down the Arrested Development rabbit hole of self-reference, which is great fun (for a little while) for those of us that enjoy that, and completely unsustainable from both a ratings and a pure entertainment standpoint. I love Arrested Development and Community but you are dead right. You cannot enjoy these shows without watching every episode at least twice and it’s hard to keep up with (besides writing for). Easier a lot of the time to be moderately entertained by Chuck Lorre. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/25 "2012-05-11T15:11:10Z")
Evidently, Subway has a lot of influence on NBC. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/26 "2012-05-11T15:12:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Has there been a management shake-up at NBC? It seems unusual for so many popular shows to be thrown out at the same time. Networks normally prefer to ease in new shows by running them next to established shows. Usually the reason for a clean sweep like this is a new management team that doesn’t want their new shows being compared side-to-side with what the old regime did. None of these shows are popular. They’re **good** , and they have critical cachet, and, to the extent they have any audience at all, it’s a demographically desierable one. But the ratings are meagre. Anyway, as I assume **Exapno** ’s link presents, Community has now also been renewed for 13 eps, but not necessarily a final 13. Those might be it, but the show could be picked up for the “back 9” later in the year, or something else might happen. It depends on how those 13 episodes perform, and how that compares to the new comedies NBC has also picked up for next season. No word on Parks yet, AFAIK. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/27 "2012-05-11T15:48:04Z")
Community is great, epic great. 30 Rock I want to like but it’s just too wacky and quirky for me. It tries too hard. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/28 "2012-05-11T15:51:35Z")
13 episodes leaves Community just shy of enough to earn the coveted syndication money for the network, so you’d really think they’d try harder to get it over the hump. Love that it’s coming back; hope it gets a fuller order. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/29 "2012-05-11T16:24:19Z")
If NBC renewed Community, they’ll very very likely also renew Parks & Rec. Community has lower ratings than P&R and is owned by someone else. Parks & Rec does stronger ratings and is fully owned by NBC Universal. I’ll be shocked if P&R doesn’t get at least a 13-episode order. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/30 "2012-05-11T16:47:32Z")
Parks & Rec cannot go away. I need to see Andy Dwyer go through the Pawnee Police Academy. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/31 "2012-05-11T16:51:33Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > None of these shows are popular. They’re **good** , and they have critical cachet, and, to the extent they have any audience at all, it’s a demographically desierable one. But the ratings are meagre. Meagre is an understatement. The ratings for these three shows are so shockingly invisible that it’s amazing that NBC has ever carried them. Any reality show would be better. How low? The numbers of viewers for Parks & Rec, Community and 30 Rock COMBINED are significantly lower than a moderate hit sitcom like Modern Family or Mike and Molly. If you add in The Office, which does better, the four of them COMBINED barely attract more viewers than The Big Bang Theory, their direct competition. I doubt anything like this has been seen on network television since the days of the DuMont network. It’s astounding and wonderful that NBC will give them half season send-offs, and a tribute to us, their fanatic and vocal fanbase. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/32 "2012-05-11T17:03:57Z")
I do feel that the Ron Swanson character is past his glory days, and that’s the only reason I’m not wailing and gnashing teeth at this news. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/33 "2012-05-11T17:04:52Z")
I love Annie. She’s insane. When Abed said “cigarettes” in his madmen voice Annie started to do that hair thing she does when she has a crush on someone. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/34 "2012-05-11T17:43:06Z")
Despite the different tones **woodstockbirdybird** and **Quimby** took in their OPs, these “Say goodbye to Community…” and “Community gets a Season 4!” threads are about the same topic, so I’m merging the threads. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/35 "2012-05-11T17:43:10Z")
> [@Gadarene](#): > > 13 episodes leaves Community just shy of enough to earn the coveted syndication money for the network, so you’d really think they’d try harder to get it over the hump. > > Love that it’s coming back; hope it gets a fuller order. The syndication requirement is not a hard-and-fast number, and I heard that Community’s syndication has already been bought and paid for. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/36 "2012-05-11T18:26:36Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > The syndication requirement is not a hard-and-fast number, and I heard that Community’s syndication has already been bought and paid for. Do you have a cite for that? It’s not what I’ve read from Alan Sepinwall and Todd VanderWerff, who’ve written on the subject somewhat extensively. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/37 "2012-05-11T18:36:09Z")
I love 30 Rock (which I admit is getting long in the tooth) and especially P&R. I don’t understand why their ratings are so low, especially compared to The Office which is way past its glory days. At least they’re not getting a sudden axe and there will be opportunity for closure if next (half) season is the end. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/38 "2012-05-11T18:40:59Z")
> [@Gadarene](#): > > Do you have a cite for that? It’s not what I’ve read from Alan Sepinwall and Todd VanderWerff, who’ve written on the subject somewhat extensively. It was either from VanDerWuff or an AV Club news article. I’ll have to find it later. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/39 "2012-05-11T18:41:21Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Parks & Rec cannot go away. I need to see Andy Dwyer go through the Pawnee Police Academy. Seconded. Has there been any updated word on Parks & Rec? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552/40 "2012-05-11T18:43:57Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I love 30 Rock (which I admit is getting long in the tooth) and especially P&R. I don’t understand why their ratings are so low, especially compared to The Office which is way past its glory days. At least they’re not getting a sudden axe and there will be opportunity for closure if next (half) season is the end. I think in Parks & Rec’s case, the very early episodes were so bad that it soured a lot of people on the series permanently. Even now I hear people say “That show was terrible.” and I have to try and convince them to give it another shot. It failed at grabbing a strong audience early on and has suffered ever since. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-ends-next-season-parks-rec-renewed-community-gets-at-least-13-more-episodes-ed-title/621552.md?page=3)