NBC debuts boatload of comedies for 2012-13

Fourth place network NBC seems to be hanging their future on comedies running in shorter seasons for the upcoming fall TV season. With rumors swirling that new series such as “Go On”, “Save Me”, “New Normal” and “Animal Practice” could ramp up their debut seasons as soon as mid-August, NBC just got serious about throwing everything at the proverbial wall to see what sticks.

But that glut of new comedies, along with “1600 Penn”, “Dane Cook-starring “Next Caller” and “Guys With Kids”, doesn’t leave out any of their current stable of Thursday night comedies. “Parks and Recreation”, “Community”, “Up All Night” “Whitney” (which also aired on Wednesdays this year) along with the final seasons of “30 Rock” and “The Office” (not formally announced yet) are also back for the 2012-13 season. Throw in the likely renewal of my least favorite comedy of the year, “Whitney”, and that’s a crowded stable of comedies for the folks at NBC to somehow schedule.

This probably means two full nights of comedies as Comcast-owned NBC tries to scratch their way ahead of ABC next year. I’m totally excited that the core Thursday night comedies will be back for another year and it’s about time the both “30 Rock” and “The Office” are shown the door. “30 Rock” at least still has their core cast but it’s obvious that the pre-taped episodes are starting to run out of ideas -- the live episode featuring the likes of Jon Hamm, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Fallon and Fred Armisen was totally brilliant. That episode alone more than made up for  the show-within-a-show “Queen of Jordan” episodes of the past two seasons. “The Office”, though, has obviously struggled after the departure of Steve Carrell but there have been glimpses of brilliance with Ed Helms as the Dunder Mifflin -- Scranton, PA manager. But even the creative folks behind “The Office” know that the show’s time has come.

That’s where “The Farm” comes in. Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute on “The Office”) is rumored to be starring in a sort of spinoff featuring the inept and borderline mad bed and breakfast owner at Schrute Farms. The show isn’t scheduled but is rumored to be somewhat of a replacement for “The Office”. It sounds interesting and if done properly it should be a perfectly fine comedy along the vein of the current quirky and smart laughtrack-free Thursday night NBC lineup.

Back to the new crop of comedies, though. “Go On” sounds like the cream of the crop starring Matthew Perry of “Friends” fame as a guy whose life seemingly revolves around a mandatory support group he attends. Also sounding like a winner is “Animal Kingdom” featuring a doctor who like Dr. House on the FOX drama hates most humans but fortunately the lead in “Animal Kingdom” works as a veterinarian who loves animals.