UPDATED: NBC Orders Full Seasons of "Community," "Parks and Recreation," and "Mercy"
It's about time: NBC has handed out a full season order to freshman single-camera comedies Community and Parks and Recreation as well as drama series Mercy.News about the full season pickup of the Sony Pictures Television-produced Community--which stars Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, Ken Jeong, and Chevy Chase--was broken on Twitter by creator Dan Harmon, who wrote, "NBC ordered 9 more episodes of Community. I only went to community college for 1 semester, but MASH was longer than the Korean War, right?"
A source close to the production confirmed to Televisionary on Friday afternoon that Community has been picked up for a full season, bringing the episodic total this season to 22 installments.
UPDATE: Just minutes after posting the above, NBC has confirmed the full-season pickup for Community and announced additional full season orders for Parks and Recreation and Mercy, all three of of which have been extended to 22 episodes.
I couldn't be happier about the full season commitments for Community and Parks and Recreation and I tip my hat to NBC for not only taking chances with these winning comedy series but also allowing them time to grow and broaden their audiences. Best of luck and congratulations to the cast and writers on both series!
The full press release from NBC, announcing the pickups, can be found below.
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. ˆ October 23, 2009 ˆ NBC has picked up the comedies "Community" (Thursdays, 8-8:30 p.m. ET) and "Parks and Recreation" (Thursdays, 8:30-9 p.m. ET) -- as well as the new drama "Mercy" (Wednesdays, 8-9 p.m. ET) -- for the rest of the season by adding nine additional episodes to each, it was announced today by Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios.
"We are very pleased with the critical and audience reaction to our wonderful new comedy 'Community,'" said Bromstad. "The cast and producers are delivering a first-rate, quality show that is very promising as the newest of NBC's first-rate Thursday-night comedies."
About "Mercy," Bromstad added: "This drama has found a dedicated audience and continues to build in the ratings. We've seen future episodes and we're confident 'Mercy' can be a strong player for us." She continued, 'Parks and Recreation' has proven to be a steady performer for us on Thursday nights and gets better with every show. We look forward to continuing our creative collaboration with Amy Poehler, Greg Daniels, Michael Schur, and the rest of the great cast and production team."
So far this season, "Mercy" has averaged a 2.1 rating, 5 share in adults 18-49 and 7.8 million viewers overall. "Mercy" has finished #1 in its time period in total viewers with each of its last three telecasts. "Mercy" is up 31 percent versus NBC's 1.6 average in this slot for the traditional 2008-09 season in adults 18-49. In total viewers, "Mercy" is up 37 percent versus NBC's 5.7 million in the hour during the traditional 2008-09 season.
"Community" has averaged a 2.6 rating, 5 share in adults 18-49 and 5.7 million viewers overall so far this season. Since shifting to the Thursday 8-8:30 p.m. (ET) slot on October 8, "Community" has improved the time period by 12 percent in adults 18-49 versus NBC's average in the time period earlier this season. "Community" is also one of the most upscale series on primetime broadcast television, ranking #3 in concentration of homes with $100,000-plus incomes in its adult 18-49 audience.
"Parks and Recreation" has averaged a 2.1 rating, 5 share in adults 18-49 and 4.8 million viewers overall this season. It's retained the time period's full adult 18-49 lead-in with six of six telecasts so far this season. With its most recent telecast on October 22, "Parks and Recreation" matched its highest adult 18-49 rating of the season (2.1) and hit a new season high in total viewers (4.9 million).
"Community" comes from Dan Harmon ("The Sarah Silverman Program") and Emmy Award winners Joe and Anthony Russo ("Arrested Development"). The smart comedy series concerns a band of misfits who attend Greendale Community College. At the center of the group is Jeff Winger (Joel McHale, "The Soup"), a fast-talkin' lawyer whose degree has been revoked. With some help from his fellow classmates, Winger forms a study group who eventually learn more about themselves than their course work.
Also among the series stars who comprise the group are: Chevy Chase ("Chuck") as Pierce, a man whose life experience has brought him infinite wisdom; Gillian Jacobs ("The Book of Daniel") as Britta, the 28-year-old dropout with something to prove; Yvette Nicole Brown ("Rules of Engagement") as Shirley, a sassy middle-aged divorcée; Danny Pudi ("Greek") as Abed, a pop-culture junkie; Alison Brie ("Mad Men") as Annie, a high-strung perfectionist; Donald Glover ("30 Rock") as Troy, a former high school football star trying to find his way and Ken Jeong ("The Hangover") as Spanish professor, Señor Chang.
"Community" is a Krasnoff Foster Entertainment, Harmonious Claptrap, Russo Brothers production, Universal Media Studios production in association with Sony Pictures Television. Russ Krasnoff ("The Soloist"), Dan Harmon ("The Sarah Silverman Program"), Joe Russo ("Arrested Development"), Anthony Russo ("Arrested Development"), Garrett Donovan ("Scrubs"), Neil Goldman ("Scrubs") and Gary Foster ("The Soloist") serve as executive producers.
"Mercy" is from creator/executive producer Liz Heldens (NBC's "Friday Night Lights"), executive producers Gretchen Berg & Aaron Harberts ("Pushing Daisies") and Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun. The new medical drama concerns the lives of the people who work at Mercy Hospital seen through the eyes of those who know it best ˆ its nurses.
Nurse Veronica Callahan (Taylor Schilling, "Dark Matter") is an Iraqi war veteran who has just returned to Mercy Hospital and joins with fellow nurses Sonia Jimenez (Jaime Lee Kirchner, "Rent" on Broadway) and Chloe Payne (Michelle Trachtenberg, "Gossip Girl"). The cast also includes James Tupper ("Men in Trees") as Dr. Chris Sands, a new doctor at the hospital who complicates Veronica's life, Diego Klattenhoff ("Supernatural") as Mike Callahan, Veronica's estranged husband, Guillermo Diaz ("Weeds") as Nurse Angel Lopez and James Le Gros ("Ally McBeal") as Dr. Harris.
"Mercy" is a production from BermanBraun and Universal Media Studios.
"Parks and Recreation," from Emmy Award-winning executive producers Greg Daniels (NBC's "The Office," "King of the Hill") and Michael Schur (NBC's "The Office," "Saturday Night Live"), is a mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government. The documentary cameras follow Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler, NBC's "Saturday Night Live," "Baby Mama") an ambitious, upbeat and mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana.
Also starring are: (Rashida Jones, NBC's "The Office") as a local nurse; Aziz Ansari ("Human Giant," "Scrubs") as Lesley's colleague; Nick Offerman ("Children's Hospital") plays Lesley's boss; Paul Schneider ("The Family Stone") is the city planner; Aubrey Plaza ("Mayne Street") is Lesley's uninterested college intern; Chris Pratt ("The O.C.," "Everwood") portrays a loser ex-boyfriend.
"Parks and Recreation" is a production of Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios. Along with Daniels and Schur, Howard Klein and David Miner also serve as executive producers for the series.