It was hard not to laugh Monday when NBC announced its midseason schedule included a Thursday night of comedy that would continue at 10 p.m. with Tina Fey’s Emmy-winning “30 Rock” and the freshman series “Outsourced.”

 After all, one of the jokes in the PBS special honoring Fey with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor concerned how low the ratings for “30 Rock” have been.

 And the joke was made by Lorne Michaels, the “Saturday Night Live” producer who also is one of the producers of “30 Rock.”

 NBC has tried the 10 p.m. comedy strategy before on some nights and it has never worked. And the chances that it will work with the low-rated “30 Rock” are as slim as the chances that Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien will have Thanksgiving dinner together.

 If nothing else, NBC’s moves will give Fey some material for her show, which oftens skewers network executives.

I suspect that one of the reasons that “30 Rock” was given a renewal through the 2011-12 season was because NBC executives realize that Fey’s show deserves an extra year for being sacrificed at 10 p.m. Thursday, where Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” has been tanking this season.

 The move does have some benefits for “30 Rock” in that it eliminates one competitor. Fox doesn’t program at 10 p.m. As of now, it only will face ABC’s “Private Practice,” which isn’t exactly a ratings hit, and CBS’ “The Mentalist.” In our market,  “30 Rock” is likely to finish fourth behind Channel 4’s 10 O’Clock News on WNLO-TV.

 NBC’s midseason scheduling changes are one big concession that its fall schedule of new shows was close to a disaster despite the pedigree of some of the shows’ producers.

 J. J. Abrams’ “Undercovers” already has been canceled. Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Chase” hasn’t officially been canceled but NBC has announced two shows in its 10 p.m. Monday time slot so you don’t have to be a mentalist to see what that means.

 “The Event,” which had such strong numbers at the start that NBC immediately proclaimed it a hit, has been sinking since and will go on hiatus for two months. It will need as much or more promotion for its return as it did at the start to get audiences back now that they know it is a series about aliens.

 “Law & Order: Los Angeles” had a strong ratings start but has faded, which is why it is being moved to 10 p.m. Tuesday in February. It isn’t getting much of a favor there, since it will compete with CBS’ “The Good Wife.”

 “Outsourced” isn’t a ratings hit, but NBC hasn’t demanded big audiences from its comedies – witness the continuation of “Community” and “Parks and Recreation.”

 The one recent NBC series that seems to be getting some traction is “Parenthood,” which began last spring. Its reward? It will move to 10 p.m. Monday in March. That’s the time slot where ABC’s “Castle” and “Hawaii 5-0” on CBS have been battling for audiences.

 The biggest admission that NBC is facing the reality that practically everything this fall failed is the announcement of all the reality shows that it plans to return after the New Year.

 That includes Jerry Seinfeld’s “The Marriage Ref,” which recently taped some segments involving Buffalo couples. It will air at 8 p.m. Sunday after the NFL season is over, followed by Trump’s reality series.

pergament@msn.com

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