Viewers, including 'Glee' actor Kevin McHale, are upset that the network cuts away from the closing party to air an episode of its new comedy series.
- August 13, 2012
AceShowbiz -
People have another reason to be unhappy about NBC's coverage of the 2012 London Olympics. Viewers were outraged after the network cut away from the closing ceremony on Sunday night, August 12 to preview its new show "Animal Practice".
Among the angered viewers was "Glee" star Kevin McHale. "DEAR NBC. Interrupting the Olympic closing ceremony for an hr to air a show about a fictional animal dr. before it ends is a disgrace. Shame on you," so the actor tweeted.
A Twitterer using the moniker Ski Vegas wrote, "#NBCFail #AnimalPractice is now the most hated show in America before the first episode. Amazing," while one other named Raj Sarkar complained, "I still don't understand, it's a tape delay, so can't you do the math in advance? Why do you need to cut off the closing ceremony? #nbcfail."
Ashley Cerezo added, "Why did you have to cut off the closing ceremony NBC? I didn't even get to see Muse and the Who perform, and the ending of the ceremony. No one cares about that stupid animal show," and John Kwon said he decided to stop tune in to the network after it "interrupted the closing ceremony."
NBC cut away from the star-studded closing ceremony at 11 P.M. to air the first episode of "Animal Practice" in a bid to boost the show's ratings. The Olympic wrap party returned an hour later but some of the performances, including that of Muse and The Who, were edited out.
The Peacock had been criticized since it aired the July 28 opening ceremony and key competitions on tape delay. At that time, NBC's executive producer of the games, Jim Bell, responded to the backlash by stating, "You do know that all sports events are being streamed live right?"
