Good/bad news, everyone! Maybe? After fans rallied around Community during it’s hiatus, NBC is announcing that the season finale will comprise of a three-episode marathon on May 17th, airing alongside 30 Rock‘s finale, right in time for sweeps. Depending on who you ask, this can either mean NBC is finally putting some faith in the web favorite, or it’s dumping the show in one fell swoop. E! Online reports:
The 90-minute bonanza—airing 8-9 p.m. and concluding at 9:30—will bookend 30 Rock‘s season finale.
So is this good news or bad news for the quirky comedy? Pessimists could argue that the supersize serving of Joel McHale & Co. could indicate that the network is actually burning off its last episodes in advance of a cancellation announcement, rumors of which have plagued the show since it was originally bumped from the midseason lineup.
But by moving up the Community to air during May sweeps, hopeful fans can interpret this as a sign that the network is renewing the fan favorite for a fourth season.
Call me a hopeless optimist, but since Community has been pulling in some of the highest ratings for NBC’s Thursday comedy block, I’m going to go ahead and call it safe. Not only that, but considering that The Office, 30 Rock, and even Whitney have all been pulling in rather low ratings, the show’s looking good for a renewal. Let’s all keep our collective fingers crossed.