NBC gives ‘Guys with Kids’ more scripts; what’s it mean for ‘Community’?

For those of you hoping that “Community” was going to take the place of “Guys with Kids” during the Wednesday-night comedy lineup, it may be best to temper expectations for a while. Why? According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC has decided to order five more scripts of the Jimmy Fallon-produced sitcom, which has been posting below-average (but not horrendous compared to the network standard) ratings at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time.

So what does this order mean? We are not necessarily looking at a case where all of these scripts will become episodes, as there have been many situations in the past where this does not happen. Rather, NBC just wants to get an idea as to where this season is going, and to be ready to produce these scripts of the ratings meet whatever benchmark they are looking at. It’s not the same sort of vote of confidence as a straight-up order, but it shows that they are still interested.

“Guys with Kids” may be boosted in November when “Whitney” premieres in the place of the now-canceled “Animal Practice,” as the two shows are similar in style as multi-camera comedies. With the cancellation of “Last Caller” before it even premiered, “1600 Penn” and “Community” are the only two comedy series at the moment confirmed to be airing without a premiere date attached to them at the moment. We’ve said it for over a week now, but we think that NBC is probably going to do the same with the Greendale gang that they have done for years; since they know that “The Big Bang Theory” is going to kill them anyway, they just throw “Community” out as a sacrificial lamb Thursday nights at 8. We will probably see this happen after the end of “30 Rock’s” final season, so we are looking at a 2013 launch.

What’s your take on this news?