NBC Unveils New Thursday Comedy Block; PARKS & REC COMES BACK!

ALRIGHT NBC, ABOUT DAMN TIME. Parks & Recreation will finally return on January 20, 2011 at 9:30pm as part of their new Thursday night comedy block. I made a big stink last May during upfronts when NBC decided to push Parks & Rec out of the fall schedule to make room for newcomer Outsourced (which has since received a full season pickup). While NBC assured us all that Parks & Rec would be back during midseason, it was looking a little scary there when Outsourced received its full season pickup. In a move that I doubted NBC had the guts to make, they have subsequently moved 30 Rock from it's 8:30 timeslot to 10pm in order to make room for midseason newcomer Perfect Couples. Outsourced will follow at 10:30pm, and Parks & Rec will enjoy The Office audience spillover at 9:30pm.

I can't say I have forgiven you for all the grievances in the past, NBC, but at least my beloved Parks & Rec has a place somewhere in the Thursday night comedy lineup. If they had put it anywhere else or canceled it altogether, it would be the end of our more-than-rocky relationship, and I may have needed to have gone old-school protest style on them, pitchforks and all.

Here's the full midseason NBC schedule:

MONDAYS
8-9 p.m. - “Chuck”
9-10 p.m. - “The Cape” series premiere with a two-hour episode on Sunday, January 9 (9-11 p.m.). New episodes start in its regular time period on January 17 (9-10 p.m.)
10-11 p.m. - “Harry's Law’ (new series beginning January 17)
9-10 p.m. - “The Event” (returns on February 28, 9-11 p.m.; resumes in its regular time slot March 7)
10-11 p.m. -- “Parenthood” (debuts in this slot March 7 with all originals)

TUESDAYS
8-10 p.m. -- “The Biggest Loser: Couples” (beginning January 4)
10-11 p.m. - “Parenthood” (beginning January 4 for four episodes)
10-11 p.m. -- “Law & Order: Los Angeles” (beginning February 8)

WEDNESDAYS
8-9 p.m. -- “Minute to Win It” (beginning January 5)
9-10 p.m. -“Chase” (beginning January 12)
9-10 p.m. - “America's Greatest Restaurant” (new series beginning March 16)
10-11 p.m. - “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (originals beginning January 5 with two-hour episode, 9-11 p.m. ET)

THURSDAYS (beginning January 20)
8-8:30 p.m. - “Community”
8:30-9 p.m. - “Perfect Couples" (new)
9-9:30 p.m. - “The Office”
9:30-10 p.m. - “Parks and Recreation”
10-10:30 p.m. - “30 Rock”
10:30-11 p.m. - “Outsourced”

FRIDAYS
8-9 p.m. -- “Who Do You Think You Are?” (beginning January 21)
9-11 p.m. - “Dateline NBC” (beginning January 7)

SUNDAYS
7-8 p.m. - “Dateline NBC”
8-9 p.m. - “The Marriage Ref” (beginning March 6)
9-11 p.m. - “The Celebrity Apprentice” (beginning March 6)