No Time...

Tonight, NBC decided to make it even more difficult for viewers to follow its programming (apparently, they won't rest until they're at the absolute bottom of the heap in ratings) by turning its half-hour comedies into 41 or 42 minutes comedies instead. They accomplished this, of course, by adding approximately four minutes of show and seven minutes of commercials. Now this would be annoying but not off-putting if they had actually followed the schedule they listed--but no, that would be asking too much of them. Instead, some shows ran longer, which meant that a lot of people (I've already heard from two) didn't get the final few minutes of Scrubs.

I'd be more disappointed if Scrubs hadn't been execrable this season--but a lot of folks are still enjoying the show, and they've been slapped in the face by the network's inability to follow the schedule they gave viewers and cable companies. It's inconsiderate and self-destructive... but that's the apparent norm for NBC currently.

Since I also recorded Andy Barker, P.I., I should have the final few minutes of Scrubs on there... apparently I'm one of the few, however....

(Oh, and showing NBC's determination to chase viewers away--it's been reported that they're not renewing Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, one of the few shows they debuted this season that got critical raves and a reliable, desirable audience. Sure, it wasn't at the top of the ratings heap--but it clicked with the right folks in that 18-to-49 demo, and it should have stayed around. Let's hope that Warner Bros. can take it to another network; it would be a welcome addition to the CW's dismal line-up...)