NBC Is on Its Way to Becoming the King of Comedy Once Again

NBC used to rule the comedy landscape in the late ’90s and the early ’00s with its must-watch lineup of Friends, Seinfeld, Will & Grace, and later Just Shoot Me and Scrubs. It did it again in the mid ’00s with its combination of The Office, 30 Rock, Community, and Parks & Recreation. And it’s potentially becoming a comedic powerhouse once more. NBC’s current comedy lineup could regain the network the comedy crown it donned for so very many years.

Most of the good grace NBC has garnered in recent years has come from the recently ended The Good Place as well as the soon-to-be-ending Superstore and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Though Mike Schur’s forking great comedy about the afterlife ended in early 2020, its multiple awards nominations and critical appreciation helped to launched the series — as well as NBC’s current form — into the highest tiers of pop culture dominance. To this day it’s not uncommon to see a Good Place joke pop up on Twitter, Reddit, or even on the signs of local coffee shops. Superstore and Brooklyn Nine-Nine have only continued that wave of brand resurgence.

This week will mark the ending of Superstore. It will then be followed next year by the final season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But what these truly great and remarkable comedies are leaving in their wake is a foundation to make NBC the king of network comedy, yet again.

The network has the shows to back it up, too. Mr. Mayor, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s series about an aging politician (Ted Danson), is signature Fey. The series lovingly blends complicated discussions with people from all walks of life with robust star power (Bobby Moynihan, Holly Hunter, and Chrissy Teigen) and Fey’s patented brand of silliness mixed with biting self-depreciation. Much like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, it’s the Tina Fey brand in new clothes and its endlessly fun to watch.

Then there’s Kenan, Kenan Thompson’s first major scripted TV role since he became a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Created by Jackie Clarke and Dan vid Caspe, the series follows Thompson’s news anchor protagonist, a man struggling with the death of his wife and the responsibilities of being a single father. As undeniably funny as Thompson is, Kenan itself is a sweet and somber show, thirty minutes of television that expertly weaves grief into its jokes.

And you can’t talk about NBC’s new comedy slate without mentioning the wildest show of this new year: Dwayne Johnson’s Young Rock. Nahnatchka Khan and Jeff Chiang’s new series takes an undeniably interesting premise and runs with it hard and fast: What if someone made a show about The Rock’s long list of bonkers life stories? The resulting series spans three different and comedically heightened eras of The Rock’s life as he runs for President of the United States. It’s a truly insane take on a deeply beloved celebrity, but if anyone can make it work it’s The Rock — and NBC.

A police show that chooses kindness above all. A series that puts essential workers front and center and refuses to look away from the way society abuses them. A complex conversation between generations and changing ethics told through a tumultuous mayoral office. A story of loss told on one of the most public stages imaginable. A real-life celebrity juggernaut bringing his memoir to TV. Each one of these shows is innovative in its own way, pushing the boundaries of what comedy can be. That more than anything else is what NBC has done for decades. These shows reflect the heart of NBC, and they’re turning the network into a can’t-miss event week after week.

At the moment NBC isn’t the king it used to be during the era of Friends or The Office. There’s a chance it may be a while before it comes close to reaching those heights, considering how diversified television has become. But with its current comedy lineup, NBC is on the right path. Every single one of its currently running comedies is genuinely funny, each show capable of producing at least one belly laugh an episode. During a time flooded by so much mediocre content that in and of itself is applause worthy.