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FULL SEASON ALERT: Up All Night, Whitney

On the heels of the cancellation of The Playboy Club, NBC gave two freshman sitcoms a vote of confidence with full season orders - Wednesday's Up All Night and Thursday's Whitney.

Up All Night came in with the pedigree of executive producer Lorne Michaels and stars Christina Applegate, Will Arnett, and Maya Rudolph. It debuted following the season finale of America's Got Talent to a strong 11 million viewers and 3.7 demo. It was then given the tall order of starting off the night on Wednesday where through two airings, it has managed to stay above a 2 in the demo. In NBC's world, that's a hit especially when it has to be a self starter. Through three airings, Up All Night has averaged 7.5 million viewers and a 2.7 demo. I'm glad to see this news as the show seems like a keeper. I love the chemistry between Applegate and Arnett.

Fellow sitcom Whitney was also given a full season order. While most critics have trashed the show, it got off to a decent start behind The Office. It had a sizable Week 2 drop but NBC seems hellbent on making this show a hit. Many questioned why it aired after The Office when it seems to play to a very different audience but again, NBC seems very high on it. Through two airings, Whitney has averaged 6.1 million viewers and a 2.9 demo. I gave it a second chance last Thursday, but I'm not sure I'll give it a third chance. It is stale and tired and I don't see the ratings moving in a positive direction.

Conspicuously absent from the cancellation or full season list was Up All Night's comedy partner Free Agents. While its most recent airing was even lower than The Playboy Club's worst airing, NBC seems ready to give it at least one more chance this Wednesday. There were also rumors that CBS gave 2 Broke Girls a full season order. While that is inevitable, there hasn't been any official confirmation.

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