Rock solid
04/04/07 11:47 AM
By ED BARK
NBC has renewed the season's best new comedy, 30 Rock, for a second season despite ratings that usually put it near the rock-bottom of the weekly Nielsen reports.
It's a testament to the Peacock's newly re-found belief that quality sells over the long term.
"From the beginning, 30 Rock has proven to be the kind of quality comedy that doesn't come around very often," NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly said in a statement. "We expect it to continue to build its increasingly loyal audience and become another of NBC's classic comedy series."
Rock currently ranks 88th with advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds. More importantly to NBC, it does better among "upscale" 18-to-49-year-olds with $100,000-plus household incomes.
Starring Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan (pictured above) and co-created by Saturday Night Live maestro Lorne Michaels, Rock returns on Thursday (April 5) with a new episode titled "Fireworks." Synchronize your watches, because the start time is approximately 7:40 p.m. (central) as part of NBC's stupid "supersizing" gambit.
NBC's equally worthy Friday Night Lights, which won a Peabody award Wednesday, is still awaiting word on its fate.