RENEWAL ALERT: 30 Rock

Amidst a flurry of schedule changes, NBC has given an early renewal for 2011-2012 to the critically acclaimed 30 Rock, which will move to 10pm on Thursdays in January. It will be the sixth season for three-time Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Comedy Series. Through seven episodes this fall in a new timeslot of 8:30pm on Thursdays, it has averaged 5.5 million viewers and a 2.5 in the demo, aided by a successful live episode that aired in October. It regularly builds on its Community lead-in, but is headed into a slot where comedies have not aired regularly in almost 20 years.

This news comes as many midseason changes at NBC were announced including the launches of The Cape, Harry's Law, Perfect Couples, and America's Next Great Restaurant in addition to the return of Parks & Recreation, Celebrity Apprentice, Minute to Win It, Who Do You Think You Are? and The Marriage Ref. Moving timeslots at some point in the spring will be Chase, Parenthood, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Los Angeles, and Outsourced. These are big midseason changes for a network that has struggled this fall.

30 Rock joins FOX's Glee, The Simpsons, and The Cleveland Show as well as CBS's Two and a Half Men for early renewals for next year. Many more are inevitable.