'Go On', Matthew Perry, Can You Save Nbc's Ratings?

Proving that there's more to life than Chandler Bing, NBC have called upon Matthew Perry to rescue their ailing viewer figures. Perry will star in one of several prominent comedies in the new schedule, entitled 'Go On.' His popularity amongst younger audience members, who have familiarised themselves with Perry's character in Friends, thanks to frequent re-runs on US TV, was a deal-clincher for Nbc. In the show, he plays the role of "a fast-talking, sarcastic sportscaster who loses his wife in a car accident," Reuters report today.

Talking about the new comedy-heavy schedule, Nbc's entertainment president, Robert Greenblatt said "It is heavy on comedy. It was a conscious decision we made ... at the beginning of the development season. The audience is really open to comedy right now." Nbc will be airing twice as many comedies as dramas, in the new fall schedule and 'Go On' gets a prime time slot on a Tuesday night, just after the second showing of The Voice. Nbc has been in a ratings slump for some time, currently struggling at fourth place in the rankings. The Super-Bowl helped to boost their ratings earlier in the year but without that boost, it's viewership effectively dropped by 3 per cent, according to the Nielsen company.

In order to take on new shows like 'Go On,' of course, Nbc had to cull some shows that weren't cutting the mustard. 'Are You There, Chelsea?', 'Harry's Law' and 'Bent' all got the chop from the network. Nbc will be hoping that America's Got Talent will boost their summer figures, along with their coverage of the Olympics.