Published:May 11, 2012
The peacock network has given a thumbs up to Whitney, their freshman sitcom. It’ll be back for a second season for 2012-13.
There’s no word on how many episodes have been ordered but NBC is said to be handing out only 13 episode renewals to their existing comedies so that they can use the extra cash to pick up new shows. If they perform well enough then execs could certainly order more.
Starring Whitney Cummings and Chris D’Elia, Whitney started out the season as a hit, registering a 3.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 6.84 million viewers. The sitcom lost some steam in its early weeks but, because of the state of the rest of the network’s schedule, Whitney was their top-rated show for several weeks. NBC gave it a full season order in early October.
In early 2012, NBC moved Whitney to Wednesday nights, presumably hoping to establish another night of sitcoms. Whitney didn’t exactly flourish but, considering the competition on the other networks, it didn’t do too badly.
On our NBC Ratings Report Card, which measures shows’ relative demo ratings, Whitney’s first season has an “A-†grade. It’s the fifth highest-rated scripted show on the network this season, just below Law & Order SVU.
NBC will officially announce their 2012-13 schedule on Monday so we’ll know if Whitney will be returning in the fall or if the sitcom will be held until mid-season. If the latter, it’s less likely that NBC would order a full season.