What is NBC thinking?

NBC has killed "Twenty Good Years."

And now it's killing "Scrubs."

The network is selling this as a return to the two-hour Thursday comedy block that once dominated the ratings. If anybody at NBC really believes that, they're living in a dream world.

Beginning Thursday, Nov. 30, NBC will follow "My Name Is Earl" (7 p.m.) and "The Office" (7:30 p.m.) with "Scrubs" (8 p.m.) and "30 Rock" (8:30 p.m.) — a move that isn't brave, it's foolhardy.

"We are excited about the prospect of two-hours of top-notch comedy on Thursday nights," NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly said in a prepared statement. "We will stay on-brand with the best comedy block on television, which will position us for the future on the night."

That's fine if you're looking for a future of third-place, wasting good shows against overwhelming competition.

Let's be realistic for just a moment. On Thursday nights from 8-9 p.m., ABC airs the No. 1 show on television, "Grey's Anatomy." At the same time, CBS airs the No. 2 show on television, "CSI."

Between the two, they've sucked up an average of more than 46 million viewers per week this season. And that doesn't leave a whole lot of viewers to watch anything on competing networks.

I'm a big fan of "Scrubs" — I've written that it's the funniest show on TV — but it's never been a big hit. Putting it in this time slot is cruel-and-unusual punishment for the show and its fans.

And it's not like "Scrubs" and "30 Rock" are going to get a lot of help from their lead-ins. "Earl" and "The Office" have been finishing a weak third in their time slots this season — fourth last week when Fox had a baseball playoff game. With hit shows "Survivor" and "Ugly Betty" sucking up an average of 31 million viewers between them, those shows aren't likely to have a sudden surge in popularity.

NBC is also going back to the lame "super-sized" episodes ploy on Thursday, Nov. 16, with 40-minute episodes of "Earl," "The Office" and "30 Rock." But that only works if you have really popular shows to begin with.

On the brighter side, that atrocious "Twenty Good Years" is toast. Beginning Nov. 22, NBC will fill Wednesdays from 7-8 p.m. (currently occupied by "Twenty" and "30 Rock") with specials. Until Reilly can figure out something else.

SPEAKING OF "CSI," Tony-winner Liev Schreiber will join the cast in the recurring role of "a seasoned CSI who has established a strong reputation in various police departments across the country before joining the veteran team at the Las Vegas Crime Lab." His first episode will air in January.

'I'm a huge Liev Schreiber fan," said executive producer Carol Mendelsohn in a statement. "On stage or in film, I think he's one of the finest actors of his generation."

Me, too.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com