More Scheduling Musical Chairs at NBC

NBC has once again altered its Thursday night comedy lineup, shifting freshman series Kath & Kim to an earlier hour.

Kath & Kim will now air on Thursdays at 8:30 pm ET/PT, shifting 30 Rock from its berth following My Name is Earl. This is the second move for the Molly Shannon/Selma Blair comedy, which was originally scheduled to air on Tuesdays between a 90-minute format of The Biggest Loser and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

The Peacock's decision to swap Kath & Kim with 30 Rock (which will now air on Thursdays, following The Office) is allegedly due to the better compatibility between Kath & Kim and My Name is Earl (um, I could have told them that) than with the more subtle comedic charms of The Office.

I think that the move is a smart one, especially as The Office and 30 Rock are a much stronger one-hour block when combined across the 9 pm hour, though I am concerned about what will happen to 30 Rock once NBC launches its non-spinoff of The Office in February. Will it move back to 8:30 pm? Or will the new series from Greg Daniels and Mike Schur take over the timeslot vacated by Kath & Kim? Hmmm...

Kath & Kim is slated to launch on NBC on October 9th.