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RENEWAL ALERT: Parenthood, 30 Rock, Community, Fashion Star

NBC renewed some niche favorites among its many pilot pickups in the last few days. Parenthood, 30 Rock, Community, and Fashion Star joined previously announced renewals Grimm, Law & Order: SVU, and Smash.

Family drama Parenthood will return for a fourth season with a 15 episode pickup. The series is not a huge hit but skews young and considering the state of NBC at 10pm and in general, it did quite well. It would have been interesting to see how it would have done after The Voice but NBC wrapped its season in February before The Voice started Tuesday shows.

NBC also renewed the long running comedy 30 Rock for a seventh and final season. The comedy's declining ratings probably don't warrant it but it has been running long enough that NBC will let it go out with grace and a planned series finale. The question is will they air it in the fall or the spring? Honestly, it's about time this show finished. I know it is award winning and beloved by a niche audience but it has been getting by with modest ratings for a VERY long time.

Speaking of niche comedies, NBC has renewed Community for a 15 episode fourth season. The show has seen miniscule ratings throughout its three year run and even got placed on hiatus this year but it has a rabid and loyal, if small, fan base. As expected, NBC gave it a shorter season as they seem to be moving towards a cable model of more shows but with fewer episodes.

The surprise renewal (which hasn't yet been confirmed by NBC) came from reality series Fashion Star. The show has done very little on Tuesdays at 10pm airing after NBC's top show, The Voice, in recent weeks. But the designs featured on the show did quite well at retailers and it apparently has an upscale audience. Maybe NBC views this as filler between editions of The Voice? We'll see soon!

Shows remaining on the bubble include (in order of likelihood) The Office, Parks and Recreation, Up All Night, Harry's Law, and Whitney. The single cam comedies are very likely or sure renewals while the other two are less sure things.

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