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As NBC cancels multiple comedies and moves forward with a drama-heavy slate, viewers are getting insight into how the network thinks it can achieve success in the coming years.

As we previously reported, NBC canceled two comedies, 鈥淎 to Z鈥� and 鈥淏ad Judge,鈥� earlier this year and now the comedies 鈥淎bout a Boy,鈥� 鈥淢arry Me,鈥� and 鈥淥ne Big Happy鈥� have also been canceled by the network. 鈥淏oy鈥� recently aired its second season, while 鈥淶,鈥� 鈥淛udge,鈥� 鈥淢arry,鈥� and 鈥淗appy鈥� were all new this year.聽

And now there will be only two NBC comedies airing next fall. One will be the show 鈥淯ndateable,鈥� which will be airing its third season, and the other will be a new show titled 鈥淧eople Are Talking.鈥澛�

NBC is, of course, the home of such classic sitcoms as 鈥淪einfeld鈥� and 鈥淔riends,鈥� and NBC was the home of the famous Must-See TV comedy block on Thursdays, with early iterations featuring such shows as 鈥淐heers鈥� and 鈥淭he Cosby Show.鈥� Later versions of the block saw shows like聽 鈥淔riends鈥� and 鈥淪einfeld鈥� being added.

But later on, its Thursday night comedy block consisted of shows that were critically beloved but didn鈥檛 score in the ratings. The network had success with the sitcom 鈥淭he Office,鈥� but ratings slid as the show continued, according to . Later, comedies like 鈥�30 Rock,鈥� 鈥淧arks and Recreation,鈥� and 鈥淐ommunity鈥� came to Thursdays, and while all were well-received by critics, none were ratings hits.聽

So now NBC is moving forward with dramas, at least for the fall season. Their recent show 鈥淭he Blacklist,鈥� which stars James Spader, was a hit in its 2013 debut season (though its ratings have been down this year, according to , with the show hitting a new low last month). So now there鈥檚 only that single hour of comedies for now, with them airing on Friday, no less, a night now considered to be less prestigious than Sunday through Thursday. New shows for NBC for this fall include a new iteration of their drama 鈥淗eroes鈥� and dramas titled 鈥淏lindspot,鈥� 鈥淗eartbreaker,鈥� and 鈥淭he Player.鈥� (If you consider a variety show comedy, there will be Neil Patrick Harris鈥檚 new program titled 鈥淏est Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris,鈥� which is debuting this fall, and comedies like Rob Lowe's new show "You, Me, and the End of the World will be debuting midseason, according to the .) NBC appears to be thinking that this fall, viewers want serious, not silly.

But streaming services are showing how quality shows can continue without being subject to ratings. 鈥淯nbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,鈥� which was co-created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock of 鈥�30 Rock,鈥� debuted on Netflix this past spring. Was it a ratings hit? We don鈥檛 know, because Netflix is famously secretive about its viewership numbers. But 鈥淯nbreakable鈥� already has a second season planned, according to an interview Carlock did with , whereas 鈥�30 Rock鈥� often seemed to be hovering on the edge of cancellation. Broadcast networks are obviously subject to different pressures than streaming services, but as writer Robert Lloyd noted of Netflix being the home of 鈥淜immy,鈥� 鈥淭his is good news all around: 鈥楰immy,鈥� wonderful odd duck that it is, might well have foundered and floundered in the roiling waters of broadcast TV鈥� but it has already been guaranteed two seasons in its new, commercial-free home.鈥�

It鈥檚 probably too much to hope for that ratings will cease to be a factor in a show鈥檚 renewal or cancellation. But services like Netflix are showing how not having to worry about them can allow a show to flourish.