AP Bio revived! Season 3 coming to NBCUniversal streaming service
Today, NBCUniversal revealed that they are bringing the Glenn Howerton – Patton Oswalt comedy back for a season 3, following the cancellation at NBC proper earlier this year. This is the most high-profile original series acquisition that the still-to-come service has made to date, and the hope is that it gives them a show that viewers will want to check out straight out of the gate. The service is already set to have The Office and a number of stable NBC classics, but this is a different situation in a show that still has more stories to tell.
When NBC first canceled AP Bio earlier this year, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. While the comedy had a devoted following, it never produced huge live+same-day ratings. Yet, it performed well in DVR/streaming viewership, which led show executive producer Mike O’Brien to bemoan how networks continue to extract data in the modern era. This was a popular show, but it wasn’t one watched by viewers in the moment.
Now, AP Bio gets a second chance elsewhere on a platform that may be more suitable to some of what it’s trying to do. In a statement, here is what O’Brien had to say about the show coming back:
“I’m so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the fans … The cast and I are thrilled that we get to make more and I’m excited to work with the NBCU streaming platform.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the original cast’s contracts had expired at the time the deal was struck, but they were eager to come back and continue to tell some more of these stories.
If we were NBC, we’d continue to lean into this strategy of emphasizing comedy on its upcoming streaming service. While it may not be the most-popular medium of storytelling on broadcast TV in 2019, the success of shows like The Office, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and Seinfeld show how tremendous its staying power is. They’re the perfect things to check out after a long day of work. Howerton knows a thing or two about long-lasting comedies thanks to his work on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the longest-running cable comedy of its kind ever.
Are you glad to see an AP Bio season 3 revival?
Be sure to share in the comments, and remember to come back soon for some other news. (Photo: NBC.)