NBC's New Thursdays Fall Schedule
My Name Is Earl - 8:00
30 Rock - 8:30
The Office - 9:00
Scrubs - 9:30

I'm guessing one of the reason for NBC's time change is to get viewers of it's lead in "My Name Is Earl" to start watching "30 Rock" - which is a good show but has been suffering with very low ratings at the 9 pm slot.

However, by NBC doing this, The Office will be going head-to-head with ABC's No. 1 prime-time 9 pm hit, "Grey's Anatomy" which has always (99% sure) been the No. 1 most watched show from 9-10 pm. Plus, there are a lot of Office fans who seem to be Grey's fans as well, and I don't know how that will work out for them (unless they have a DVR).

The Office in itself is having a rough time keeping up with Ugly Betty as it is. Going head to head with a bigger show like Grey's could actually be much worse.

Oh and that's not even mentioning CBS's "CSI" which usually comes in strong at No. 2 behind Grey's.

There will NO DOUBT be a drop in the ratings for The Office. Hopefully The Office will be able to sustain that. But... will the time change actually hurt The Office in the long run, meaning shorter episode orders for the next Season (5), or worse... a slow road to eventual cancellation in a couple years?

Thoughts?

I understand that NBC wants better ratings for "30 Rock" and this move will probably make that happen. I also think that it's a compliment to "The Office" for the time switch, but I agree that ratings will drop. I don't want them to, heaven only knows how much I love this show, but it has some BIG competition and I hope it can withstand that. As for me...I will ALWAYS be tuned into "The Office."

I'm actually not sure this move will last long as 30 Rock looks like it is running into issues with Alec Baldwin & Tracy Morgan. I don't know if they are going to be able to fulfill the commitment. That's just my opinion, but when one star wants out and the other is constantly in legal trouble, it doesn't look good for your show. That is a shame, because I like 30 Rock. What we have been doing is DVR'ing ( is that a word?) Betty (for me) and Grey's (for him--I know, disgusting, right?) and then watching them on the weekend and watching all of the comedies live. I agree, this is a gutsy move by NBC and I'm not quite thrilled by it.

The later The Office is on, the better for me! I can finish the dinner dishes, homework with kids, etc. and just relax and watch my favorite show (well, actually the ONLY TV show I watch) without having to rush!

I'm a little worried for the change (I think that that's part of why the ratings for the supersized episodes haven't been so good; the mentality of why start it if I'm just going to switch to something else). I for one would watch the Office over Grey's for two main reasons: 1) abc.com posts the Grey's episodes at 2 am so I can watch online the next day, 2) in my opinion Grey's has been trying way too hard this season and may have jumped the shark with the ferry boat disaster/Meredith coming back (?) to life/ the many deaths which are starting to get on my nerves/ the spin-off that doesn't feel right (to me). Mostly it's reason #1 though.

I'm not sure they're as worried about the other competition at 9pm. The Office is already the most heavily post viewed show on TV. It will probably just make it more so. Also, Nielson, the TV execs, advertisers, really need to devise some new way to accurately measure ratings too. Come on guys, it's time to figure this out.

Screw Greys Anatomy! I stopped caring about McDreamy long ago. Long-live The Office!

It makes no difference to me actually. I don't plan on watching Grey's next season, because this season sucked so terribly.

Any time is a good time to watch the office!

PS. Clark Kent where did you get that sig? It's JAM-a-licious!

I completely agree with Cate the Great. I jumped the Grey's shark (or Grey's jumped the shark for me, rather) after the first season. All it is is a bunch of slutty doctors who can't keep their scrubs on. There's no substance there, IMHO...

Plus Mixed Berries is right. I hope TPTB at NBC take into account all of us who have to purchase the epis on itunes because we worked late on Thursdays. Come to think of it, now that they change the time, next season I'll get to watch the show on my actual TV...woo hoo!

^I'll trade you sig info!

Where's that scene with Pam from?

My sig is from an E! Interview they both did with Kristin last August.

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Anyway, I hope "The Office" next season WON'T be this season's "Scrubs," meaning it's ratings are going to get so low, that it will be in danger of not being renewed by NBC for another season.

Many people believed that this season was going to be the last season of Scrubs until it was just announced recently this week (where as The Office had been announced and picked up since January).

Both Scrubs and 30 Rock have suffered really low ratings due to the fact that they were competing head-to-head against Grey's and CSI - both shows pull in a combine 30 million viewers, and that's on a bad night!

The Office on a good night pulls in just 7 million (8 million on a really really good night). And out of that 7 million viewers The Office gets, about 4 million of them are likely Grey's and/or CSI fans to boot that flip channel as soon as The Office is over. And just to play fair, let's just say that at least half of them are bigger Grey's/CSI fans than they are Office fans - that's at the very least 2 million viewers The Office just lost on the nielsen.

Can you say Scrubs? God, I hope not. I really really hope not.

There is NO DOUBT The Office will take a dip on the ratings. Don't know how much, but it's a given. Just hope The Office can sustain it. And although The Office's lower ratings next season, will primarily be NBC's fault since they seem to be more in love with saving Alec Baldwin and 30 Rock next season, it's The Office that will be taking the fall for its network.

I agree.... yet I still watch it . Since they post the episodes online, I'll just watch it there... if I keep watching. I agree that this season has been way over the top and I'm getting sick of the George/Izzy thing they're playing with now.

Anyway... I don't think it'll be a horrible move for The Office... and I'm sure TPTB have talked and thought about it for a while, because a new time slot is probably a big decision for them. I'll watch TO no matter what and I'm sure all the other loyal fans will stick with it as well - whether it be at 9:00 on Thursdays or on itunes/DVR.

I actually think it's a good move to go up against Grey's in lieu of UB. I don't know about the rest of the U.S. but in the East, Grey's is repeated on Friday nights and is available online. The Office is still a strong show for NBC, one of its strongest, and so if it looks like it's not working ratings-wise, I think they'll jostle things around.

On a personal note, the switch to 9:00 is great for me. I can get my kids to bed and watch The Office uninterrupted (well, that's the theory anyway!) Even if the ratings slip a bit due to Grey's, I don't think we'll have to worry. NBC knows a good thing!

I'm OK with 9:00. It'll keep some of the Nervous Nellies from going ballistic everytime something even vaguely suggestive of being off-colour appears.

Besides, I don't watch Grace's Anatomy anyway (which one is Grace?)

LOL!!! I hate that show--my husband, however, watches it and I have to leave the room because I hate it so much. He also watches The Office (he actually got me started on it) so he has already been told that next season he is DVR'ing that hospital crap!

I feel the same way, especially about the kids part. I watch it live and I DVR it, but my son has caused me to miss the first couple of minutes sometimes.

Is that 9 est?

That's a good point.

I'm all for giving the writer's a little more freedom.

Yes, 9 Eastern, I believe.

I think it is a good move. Grey's gets more attention for being ridiculous and high-drama than it does for being a quality program. Aren't people sick of that?

Personally, this does not affect me. The only problem that this causes, is that I have to wait another hour to watch the show.

I might be home in time from work to watch the full episode instead of having it taped, YES!!!

Im kinda mad..i watch Greys too. looks like ill be Tivoing Greys alot.

Complete ditto for me! We must be living parallel lives.

How could anyone at NBC be more in love with Alec Baldwin than the whole cast of THE OFFICE?



Ditto that brother!

This sucks out loud for me, because I'm a HUGE Supernatural fan, which airs at 9:00 on the CW. I don't have a DVR, and doubt that I'll have the fundage to purchase one before the start of the new season. So I'm going to be really, really mean and selfish and hope that they change their minds and move it back to 8:30. In the alternative, I'll wish that the CW move Supernatural to a different night and/or time!

Apparently not.

Not a problem for me, I'm happy with the new time slot because that now I'll be able to get home and catch the episodes after work instead of waiting for iTunes to put it up.
I used to be a Grey's Anatomy fan, but this season has really lost it for me...and if I really want to watch it, I can play it on my computer the next day.
The Office will probably loose some ratings, but I think Grey's Anatomy will start loosing fans as well if they keep it going the way it's going right now.

I love the move, now I can watch Smallville or Survivor at 8:00 p.m. Who cares about Grey's Anatomy - the show blows!

I think The Office will be able to stay afloat even with a drop in the ratings because it's making tons of money for NBC with iTunes no matter what.

This will actually be pretty great for me, even if I do have to wait a half hour more for The Office, because I won't have to worry so much about having a life! I had a life at the begining of the year, and I missed more than two episodes, and I nearly died. My sister might not like it, because she watches Grey's Anatomy, but I guess she'll have to stop. That show can't compete with The Office.

Happy birthday to me!

HA HA HA! That made me laugh. I hate Grey's Anatomy. I tried watching it twice and I couldn't stand it. All it is is a slutfest. And don't get me started on lispy Meredith...

It doesn't affect me too much, other than having to wait until later to watch it. Although it doesn't sit well with me that its ratings will de dropping. I have faith though, that NBC would REALLY work with different time schedules because the show is so popular and they wouldn't throw in the towel so easily. Also, I don't think the ratings would drop that significantly anyway.

Does anyone actually know where The Office ranks on average each week? I am well aware of the number of viewers, but that doesn't tell me much. I have seen the top 20 shows published each week on several different websites, but I can not find a complete listing of how every show ranks.

I have been concerned about the Office going against 2 top twenty shows in Survivor and Ugly Betty. Is there any reason why The Office has to air on Thursdays on NBC?

I can not count the number of times I have heard celebrities as well as friends and family members mention the Office as their favorite program. There are many shows that pull in more viewers than The Office, but I would guess that for those who view the Office on a regular basis, their intensity of affection for the show is among the highest of all shows.

I would not give you 2 cents for most of what is available on the major networks, but the Office is a big exception. I absolutely love the show and do whatever I can do to build my schedule around it. I was really, really hoping for full hour long shows this next season, but it looks like we will only get a few of them. Thirty minutes just is not enough.

I'm not really sure what number The Office is. I'm not sure if they rank them past 20- at least not that I've seen before.

When I first started watching The Office last year, it aired on Tuesday nights. Then about mid-season, they changed it to Thursdays. In all honesty, I'm glad it comes on Thursdays. It's the only show I watch that night.

How can they even have a top 20 list anymore when they can't accurately measure when and how many are watching??

Of course Greys has better ratings. No one copies it so they can watch it over and over and over and study every last detail and laugh over and over again at some of the best writing out there. They watch it at its normal time and then promptly forget about it until the next week while Office fans literally pick every episode apart to make the long, slow, horrible week between episode go by faster so that we can copy & watch the next episode into the ground.

BTW, that chick that plays Meredith on Greys was the WORST part of Old School. I would rather watch Frank the Tanks naked behind running in slo mo than watch her "acting".

LOL!!! We're streaking! Do you think KFC is open?

One of the funniest movies ever, IMO!