 During the production of the episode , the cast and crew were informed by NBC that the show would be picked up for a whole 22 episodes . Initially , the show 's second season had only been brought back for six episodes , to test the water . Despite the lackluster reception the first season had , ratings jumped during the second season to 7 @.@ 7 million in the fall alone . After the ratings success , Kevin Reilly , NBC Entertainment president , " surprised " the cast and crew of the staff and ordered a full season ; he later likened the series to Seinfeld and Cheers , noting that they too had " slow starts " . 
