If it wasn't already apparent that Tuesdays are the new Thursdays, it is now. The final season of NBC's Parks and Recreaction will air Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. — but why? We have a lot of unanswered questions about the fate of Leslie Knope, but first I need to know why my Thursday nights are suddenly comedy-free. It's like Parks got sad that their friends 30 Rock, Community, and The Office weren't around anymore, so they gave up on Thursdays altogether. I'm joking! I know that's not how television works.
However, this news does come with a bit of nostalgic angst. Parks and Recreation has always been on Thursdays. It just won't be the same! NBC moved Community around to a different day, and look what happened there. Since this is the final season anyway, we can't accuse the network of trying to kill the show by putting it in an unfamiliar time slot. Is NBC actually trying to do the opposite? Thursdays are now dominated by Shonda Rhimes' "OMG" melodrama. Tuesday is where the comedy is at these days. Plus, this doesn't interfere with Agent Carter on ABC. So you could, theoretically, make a whole night of sassy ladies taking charge in government agencies. If you're into that.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC chairman Robert Greenblatt said the move is a way to "eventize" Parks and Recreation in its last season. I watched the Golden Globes and Peter Pan Live!, so I know how much NBC loves events. Perhaps they really are trying to show this sitcom, which struggled for many years, some respect and give it the send off that it so rightfully deserves.
Of course, there could be some business to be gained here as well. Is NBC using Parks and Rec to try and get in on the Tuesday night comedy scene? NBC has bailed on two of their current Thursday night comedies, A to Z and Bad Judge. They have both been canceled but will finish their season runs alongside the final season of Parenthood on Thursdays. When that is over, NBC could be abandoning that once great comedy block altogether. Which, in my opinion, is a smart move — we're not going to have another 30 Rock or The Office for quite some time. Heck, we're not gonna have another Parks and Recreation for quite some time!
On Tuesdays, Parks and Recreation will now be the lead-in to two of NBC's more successful new comedies, About a Boy and Marry Me. Currently, in that same time slot, Fox has New Girl and The Mindy Project airing at 9:00 and 9:30, respectfully. That's doing really well for them. So, it would appear that Parks could also draw more attention to NBC's Tuesday night sitcom offerings, and thus pull some of the competition away from Fox.
So set your alerts if you haven't already, and make sure you don't forget you're watching Parks and Recreation on Tuesdays now, not Thursdays!
Images: Ben Cohen/NBC; Giphy (3)
