In an interesting twist of fate for the broadcast networks this past week, NBC finished in first place in the 18-49 demo for “Premiere Week” for the first time since 2003 (back when Friends, Will & Grace, and ER were still things and people cared about The Apprentice). NBC’s ratings rose 12 percent compared to last year’s Premiere Week, whereas the other three big networks (ABC, CBS, Fox) all suffered sharp plunges of at least 20 percent. NBC’s surprising victory is mainly thanks to singing competition The Voice, which is a smash hit on both Mondays and Tuesday nights, and not thanks to the network’s comedies, which haven’t been doing great this year. NBC’s only comedies that are doing well so far are the brand-new pairing of Go On and The New Normal, both of which get a big boost from airing directly after The Voice. The network’s other new sitcoms, Animal Practice and Guys With Kids, and its Thursday night block are struggling to hit good Nielsen numbers, but maybe the solution is to put The Voice on seven nights a week and to force all of the network’s sitcoms to end each episode in a short sing-off between the main characters.
