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NBC orders full seasons: Which shows made the cut?

NBC ordered full seasons of three of its freshman shows. Will your favorite air a full season?

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Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Actress NeNe Leakes is one of the stars of the NBC show 'The New Normal.'
  • By Ethan Anderton Screen Rant

It’s that time of the year when networks see how their new fall shows are faring in the ratings and either give them longer life or bring down the axe. Today NBC has good news for three of their freshman series.

The network has just announced full season orders for Matthew Perry’s comedy series Go On, Ryan Murphy’s family comedy The New Normal and Bad Robot’s sci-fi drama, Revolution.

Starting with the more expensive, high concept series, NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke said:

“We’re impressed with the imagination and creative direction of the entire team on ‘Revolution,’ not to mention the immediately strong response we got from the audience. Ordering the full season of this show is a pleasure. Thanks to J.J. Abrams, Erik Kripke, Jon Favreau, and everyone at Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television for their dedication to making a truly unique series. And I personally love to escape into a world where there is no power, the phone doesn’t ring, and the pace of life slows down — if only for one hour a week!”

So far Revolution hasn’t blown audiences away, but the characters show some great potential for development, and there’s already an intriguing mystery to keep audiences glued to their TVs for at least one season. Since the end of Lost, only Bad Robot’s Person of Interest and Fringe have been given more than one season on network television. Revolution is at least on the right path.

Go On & The New Normal

Meanwhile, on the comedy side of things, Salke says:

“We’re also very proud of our new comedy block of ‘Go On’ and ‘The New Normal.’ In partnering with Matthew Perry for ‘Go On,’ creator Scott Silveri has created a comedy with a highly original voice that deftly combines humor and emotion. And Ryan Murphy and Ali Adler have created a truly unique family in ‘The New Normal’ that is reflective of the changing dynamics of the world we live in. These shows are both welcome additions to our new lineup!”

The renewal of Go On is good news for Matthew Perry, who has been looking for a solid series to lead for years. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was a great effort on his part (along with writer Aaron Sorkin), but the lack of real comedy writing within a series based on a late night sketch series really hurt; Mr. Sunshine just didn’t work out for audiences last year. This new show not only allows Perry to do what he does best, there’s a great ensemble of comedic actors like Brett Gelman, Seth Morris, Julie White and John Cho to keep things interesting.

As for The New Normal, the pilot felt like Ryan Murphy trying to bring the edgy humor of Glee character Sue Sylvester to a Modern Family setting. Thankfully, the following episodes have let the series come into its own. Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha make for a great couple, and Ellen Barkin has pulled back on her theatrical performance a bit. There’s a great progressive family series here, and hopefully the quality in comedy is more consistent than Glee.

Frankly,  it’s just good to see NBC show some confidence in their fall line-up. With The Office officially on its way out, the network can use some solid new comedy, and Revolution will hopefully mark another staple TV series for Bad Robot, rather than one of their forgettable cancellations.

Ethan Anderton blogs at Screen Rant.

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