Zap2it - TV news - 'Earl,' 'Office' Get Early Calls for Fall

Zap2it - TV news - 'Earl,' 'Office' Get Early Calls for Fall: "Seeking a new comedy tentpole now that the last vestige of its 1990s 'Must See' lineup is headed into the sunset, NBC has picked up two of its newest shows for next season.

Both 'My Name Is Earl' and 'The Office' will return for 22 episodes in the 2006-07 season, ensuring that the network will have a couple of half-hour building blocks as it tries to regain the ratings it's lost over the past couple years. The pickups come on the heels of the two series' move from Tuesday to Thursday without suffering any appreciable drop in ratings.

'The strength of the ratings and performance and the quality of these two shows make this a very easy decision,' NBC head Kevin Reilly says. 'We are confident that these comedies will only continue to increase in popularity.'"