NBC Comedies: A Hilarious 'Office,' Improved 'Parks'

NBC's Thursday lineup launches this week, with one of the funniest episodes of "The Office" that I've seen in awhile.

In it, Michael (Steve Carell) begins concocting fabulous lies about the staff to cover up one uncomfortable truth that he discovers, not knowing that one of the "secrets" he's spreading -- that Pam is pregnant -- happens to be true.

Not only are there multiple laugh-out-loud moments, but the show continues to display considerable bravery in playing around with its characters.

As for "The Office" producers' second venture, "Parks and Recreation," that series returns somewhat improved from last season's first few episodes, though without the same inspiration as its predecessor. Amy Poehler remains engagingly clueless as a small-town official -- the premiere sees her become an unlikely gay-rights champion -- but the supporting cast still hasn't fully found its groove. The second episode (airing Sept. 24) proves slightly better than the first, but it still feels like "The Office" is sandwiched between clearly inferior comedies (see my review of "Community"), on a night where the competition could be more formidable with Fox's "Fringe" (here's Stu Levine's take on its second-season premiere) and ABC's "FlashForward" taking up residence on the night.

It will also be interesting to see how "The Jay Leno Show" fares on Thursday, and whether the network's one sitcom block provides a more compatible flow into the program than, say, "The Biggest Loser" or the new series "Trauma." (Leno did get a nice boost Wednesday from the "America's Got Talent" finale, but again, that's before the big guns arrive on the other networks next week.)

NBC is holding "30 Rock" back until October, airing "Saturday Night Live" to fill that extra half-hour. Presumably, the network is hoping another showy Emmy performance will help give the series some additional momentum heading into the fall, but after all the hoopla surrounding Tina Fey in the run-up to the 2008 election, the heat surrounding the show last year will be difficult to replicate.