The Office dropped 17% in the ratings last night when compared to last week’s Carell sendoff, which is bad, but probably not that bad. After all, this is in comparison to a major “event†episode that had high ratings for the series; it still had a 3.5 rating and 6.76 million viewers, the most of the night for NBC. The real test will be the season finale in which Carell’s successor is announced and, more importantly, the start of next season.
As for the rest of NBC’s lineup, Community held steady from last week while Parks and Rec and 30 Rock both went up 13% and 11% respectively. Outsourced, which is looking less and less likely to return next season, dropped 12% to a 1.5 rating with 3.15 million viewers. Could we be returning to a two-hour comedy block next season?