How the mighty have fallen. On Tuesday, Greg Poehler — brother to Amy — announced on Instagram that NBC has cancelled his sitcom Welcome to Sweden partway through its second season.
That means, for the next two weeks, there is one and only one half-hour comedy on NBC: Undateable, which is slated to return in October.
Once upon a time, this would have been utterly unthinkable. For decades, NBC ate, slept, and breathed sitcoms, with its Thursday night Must-See TV block a pop culture fixture from 1982 (think Cheers) to 2006 (think The Office), later rebranded as Comedy Night Done Right. But now, the lights have gone out on its most recent generation of sitcoms — like 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and Community — and the network has failed to recapture that old momentum.
That’s not to say NBC has given up on comedy altogether — here’s a taste of what the Peacock has in store for fall and beyond.
Mr. Robinson (August 5)
Craig Robinson stars as a musician-turned-substitute music teacher.
The Carmichael Show (August 26)
A family-centered sitcom created by comedian Jerrod Carmichael (who also stars in the series) and screenwriter and director Nicholas Stoller.
Truth Be Told (October 16)
Truth Be Told follows two “diverse” couples who are best friends and neighbors — it was at one point titled People Are Talking, and at one point co-starred Vanessa Lachey. Yes, that is Mark-Paul Gosselaar, aka Zack from Saved By The Bell.
Crowded (Midseason)
A couple’s adult children (one played by School of Rock/iCarly‘s Miranda Cosgrove) and in-laws (one played by veteran actor Stacy Keach) unexpectedly move in with them.
Hot & Bothered (Midseason)
Eva Longoria plays a telenovela star who doesn’t speak Spanish.
Superstore (Midseason)
A to Z didn’t pan out, but NBC seems determined to make Ben Feldman happen — he’ll star alongside America Ferrara as big box store employees.
Molly Fitzpatrick is senior editor of Fusion’s Pop & Culture section. Her interests include movies about movies, TV shows about TV shows, and movies about TV shows, but not so much TV shows about movies.
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