NBC is Determined to Make America Laugh

Clearly noting the wide dearth of comedy shows currently airing in in the United States, NBC bravely set out on January 23rd to rectify the situation for the good of us all. It went on what most of us would call a “shopping spree” if that “spree” consisted of television pilots instead of bulk quantities of EZ Mac. TVLine reports that 10 pilots were purchased, eight of which were comedies. Odds are one of those is bound to be funny, right?

As for the shows, they are as follows:

1. Chicago Fire, about a group of firefighters. It is not, as I initially imagined, a TV show about dragons attacking the Windy City. Not entirely sure why my mind went there in the first place, but moving on…

2. Untitled Jimmy Fallon, a comedy about impotent man-children. Sounds a lot like a Judd Apatow joint to me, but in light of my newfound appreciation for Jimmy Fallon, I shall remain optimistic.

3. Untitled Hilary Winston, about a young woman getting her groove back (metaphorically speaking, of course) with just a little help from her friends.

4. Downwardly Mobile, which finally gives mobile home parks the feel-good, quirky sitcom they so richly deserve.

5. Next Caller Please, a comedy that promises to throw a macho DJ and his plucky female co-host in the confined space of a radio station and let the zingers ensue. Someone just cast Katherine Heigl already and call it a day.

6. Go On, which TVLine says centers around a “charming yet irreverent sportscaster.” In my opinion, no sportscaster can be more charming or irreverent than Jason Bateman in Dodgeball, but this is America so I suppose they can try.

7. Animal Kingdom, which is about a veterinarian who apparently loves animals but hates people. It’s going to be interesting to see how many people flipping through their cable channels confuse this with the Oscar-nominated hyper-violent Australian gangster film.

8. County, a Jason Ritter-starring drama about a struggling L.A. hospital. No word yet on what exactly the hospital is doing wrong to be “struggling” in L.A.

9. Friday Night Dinner, a quirky comedy that centers around a quirky family as they meet at that most quirky of family times, Friday night dinner. That is also the title of the show.

10. Daddy’s Girls. The creepy title could easily make this some sort of stalker or serial killer drama, but no, it’s about a girl finding out her dad is dating the mean girl from her high school. I don’t know whether I should be disappointed or not. Maybe I am a little, because with the right director my creepy version of Daddy’s Girls could easily have turned into a thriller starring Morgan Freeman or something.

So, folks, that’s the lineup! What are your thoughts? Any shows you’re looking forward to or do you think that NBC should have given you the money for your pilot? Let me know below!