NBC Shifts "30 Rock" Closer to Scranton

It was just the other day (Friday, if we're being precise) that I said how much I wished NBC would come to their senses and move freshman comedy 30 Rock (a Televisionary fave), using The Office as a lead-in, rather than the much loved if somewhat underperforming Scrubs.

Looks like someone at the Peacock was listening.

NBC announced that it would do just that, shifting 30 Rock a half an hour earlier, to 9 pm, beginning April 5th.

Wait, what's that you say? You thought the cruelly imposed hiatus of 30 Rock (intended to deny us our fix of such random oddities as Ray Ray's Mystery Garage) was supposed to last much longer than that?

Fortunately, NBC has surprised us again and will be returning 30 Rock to the schedule a little earlier than can be expected. (My prayers to Jack Donaghy were apparently answered.) April 5th will feature a 35-minute "super-sized" episode of 30 Rock (along with The Office and Scrubs).

NBC's lineup for April 5th will be the following:

8 pm: The Office (40 mins): "The Negotiation"
8:40 pm: 30 Rock (35 mins)
9:15 pm: Scrubs (35 mins)
9:50 pm: Andy Barker, P.I. (30 mins)
10:20 pm: My Name is Earl (repeat; 40 mins)

(Meanwhile, Scrubs will vacate its 9 pm timeslot to move to 9:30 pm, where it will air for a few weeks, followed by two back-to-back episodes from 9-10 pm on May 3rd.)

Could this be a positive sign that NBC is willing to commit to second season of the hysterical and addictive 30 Rock? Only time will tell, but I'm looking upon this move as a sign that NBC has more than a little confidence in 30 Rock.