Happy with the ratings the show's currently airing fourth edition has drawn thus far, NBC has announced that it has renewed its recently resurrected Last Comic Standing reality series for another season.
ADVERTISEMENT
However unlike the disastrous Fall 2004 third edition that NBC hastily assembled in the wake of Last Comic Standing 2's solid Summer 2004 ratings performance, Last Comic Standing's fifth edition won't air this coming fall. Instead -- returning the successful approach that was used for Last Comic Standing's first two follow-up editions -- Last Comic Standing will remain summer programming and air its fifth edition as part of NBC's Summer 2007 primetime programming.
Last Comic Standing 4 has performed well for the network so far this summer, averaging 8.2 million overall viewers and a 3.7/10 rating/share in important Adults 18-49 ratings demographic. While the show's viewership figures would be considered mediocre if the show was airing during the much more heavily watched September-May television season, each of its original episodes has ranked within their summer week's Top 10 programs.
As part of its Last Comic Standing renewal, NBC also announced that it will follow through with its previously announced plans to premiere a second edition of this summer's America's Got Talent series in January. America's Got Talent's first edition has been the summer's most watched new series, averaging 11.3 million overall viewers and a 3.8/12 rating/share in Adults 18-49.
Back in May, NBC had announced that -- assuming a successful initial summer edition -- America's Got Talent would return in January and air as the Sunday night lead-in to the sixth edition of its fading The Apprentice series (sensing that the Donald Trump show's declining ratings are at least partially due to overexposure, NBC will not air an Apprentice edition this fall.)