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A Comedy Pulse Thursdays on NBC
Peter Boyle's death reminds me of something else that recently passed away... the sitcom.
"Hi honey, I'm home... " just doesn't cut it for today's audience. Everybody Loves Raymond is probably the last classic. 'Til Death certainly isn't.
But don't mistake the death of the traditional sitcom for the death of comedy on television. Great comedy is alive and kicking.... The only problem is getting an audience to tune in regularly if it's not three cameras and has a laugh track.
Arrested Development had brilliant acting, excellent writing, a good time slot and the Emmy for best comedy. It had everything except an audience. Why?
If Arrested Development had been on HBO, would it be a glorified hit (a la Curb Your Enthusiasm) because ratings didn't matter? You bet it would.
This season's Arrested Development is The Office. It has stellar acting and writing, the Emmy for best comedy, and it's an unconventional show. Unfortunately, the other thing it has in common with the former Fox comedy is its ratings (or lack thereof).
NBC airs four comedies worth watching on Thursdays My Name Is Earl, The Office, Scrubs and 30 Rock. None of them is The Cosby Show, Family Ties or Cheers, but who knows how those classics would fare with today's fickle audience?
Sitcoms may be gone, but comedy is alive and kicking Thursdays on NBC. It's nice to have the laughs back once again.
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Dec 16, 2006 10:39 PM
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I don't know if I would say that The Office is struggling like Arrested Development did during its three-season run. The Office's ratings have shown growth from its first season to its third, sometimes outranking its My Name is Earl lead-in in the ratings (whether it be demos or overall viewership). Yes, ratings for NBC's new Thursday-night comedy block are much depressed from its twenty-year history but that's also true of CBS's Monday-night traditional pack of sitcoms.
-C
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Dec 18, 2006 11:25 AM
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Hey Jon, here's an idea, and you're just the guy to pass it along.
Instead of Howard always trumpeting projects that go nowhere, (Doomsday, Kane, Porkys, Rock & Roll High School, Howard Stern High School Years, Etiquette for Outlaws, Bob Schimmel Show,) he should hire Sam Simon to produce a sitcom for broadcast tv. Sam can get anyone he wants (Artie is tied up already, but is Schimmel still available? Lisa Lampagnelli? Kathy Griffin? Jerry Seinfeld?) and focus on bringing back a good, laugh out loud sitcom. Howard has the money, Sam has the money and the contacts (I'm sure Seinfeld would listen to a pitch from Sam even if he hates Howard for whatever reason.)
Maybe you could toss this suggestion into Howard's ear the next time you see him, or the next time Sam is on the phone/in studio/getting his butt kissed by Ralph?
Make it so, number 1.
~ŠL
P.S. M Go Blue, Go Michigan!
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Dec 18, 2006 8:33 PM
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I love NBC's Thursday night block of comedies as they run now. I wish they hadn't taken so long to get to it. But, it's here now and I will watch and think the shows are the best thing since sliced cheese. 
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Dec 19, 2006 3:29 AM
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love NBC's Thursday night block of comedies as they run now. I wish they hadn't taken so long to get to it. But, it's here now and I will watch and think the shows are the best thing since sliced cheese.
I agree. I also think these shows are consistently better than The Cosby Show or Family Ties (Cheers is hard to beat). Don't get me wrong. I loved both shows during their run and can enjoy them sometimes in rerun. But unlike some shows that I can watch in rerun over and over again-M*A*S*H*, Barney Miller, and (usually) Seinfeld-I don't find they have as much meat on the bone as I once thought.
You're right Jon, about 'Til Death. I think it proves that like Jason Alexander and Michael Richards on Seinfeld, Brad Garrett is a rather ordinary talent who lucked into getting the right role on a brilliantly written show. Ditto for Eddie Kaye Thomas except that he's never actually been involved in anything that was well-written. And who the heck is dressing Joely Fisher on that show? She looks like a bag lady. Bad as 'Til Death is it still manages to be a hair's breadth better than According To Jim. I'd chew off my own foot rather than watch that show.
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Dec 19, 2006 4:40 AM
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I really like 30 Rock and keep reminding myself that I need to watch The Office.
What about "How I Met Your Mother" and "The Class"? Both are quickly becoming fun shows to watch to kick out your Monday's with. And I think both shows carry on the "new family" sitcom that Cheers and Friends started (i.e. the family we choose), albeit with less success. But they seem to have some potential. The sitcom is not dead!
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Dec 19, 2006 11:16 AM
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Rich Nerd, "Family Ties" is probably my favorite comedy of all time -- and Earl is by far a better comedy. Sitcoms haven't died, their formulas have. Call it the Seinfeld effect. Seinfeld was so different and so revolutionary, audiences realized they needed more than a weekly family spat started and solved within 22 minutes. the comedies that are being developed and the ones that have gained an audience are the ones that are doing something different, making us laugh and think at the same time. I welcome this new era of sitcoms, especially since Earl, Office and Arrested Development are more innovative than the formulaic (but funny) sitcoms of the 60s, 70s and 80s. And dare I say, funnier than those too.
And don't be a wuss, pop Ralph in the face one of these days.
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Dec 19, 2006 7:07 PM
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MScholarC04 - The ratings for The Office should be a heck of a lot better than they are. Earl got better numbers with its one hour episode (which was great), but Dunder Mifflin should trump Earl every week. Both are certainly worth watching.
Darclyte - Believe me, Howard has plenty of projects cooking. I'm not sure where a network sitcom sits on his list, but if I get the chance I'll pass on the suggestion. Go Blue!
DaMess - The current Thursday comedy block has the POTENTIAL to be better than the 80's sitcoms, but they are not there yet. Glad we agree on 'Til Death.
Buddha Belly - I liked the first season of How I Met Your Mother, but it's slipped this year. It wasn't Doogie coming out that did it...the story just isn't going anywhere interesting for me. I hated the pilot of The Class and didn't understand why CBS didn't have The King of Queens back in the Monday mix in September. The Class has good ingredients, but the mix is just awful.
Philzrule - Good point about the sitcom formula changing. I disagree that the current crop is funnier than Seinfeld, Cheers, etc., but the potential is definitely there. As for my buddy RalphieCakes, I hope he has a very happy holiday season and I look forward to more detailed discussions in 2007.
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Dec 20, 2006 1:58 PM
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Okay, let's stop this nonsense. 'Til Death is a great show! (for a traditional sitcom). First of all, Brad Garret is very, very funny. I had no idea how much comedic talent was being wasted on the overrated "Raymond". 'Til Death is very funny and has two really cute girls who are always wearing low cut shirts. Unfortunately, it's on the wrong network. Put that on after Two and a Half Men on CBS and it's a ratings blockbuster.
Also, King of Queens, another great traditional sitcom that gets the short shrift. I can't believe CBS is canceling it, and based on the fact that they just dropped it in a new time slot in the middle of November with little fanfare and it's getting great ratings I think CBS can't believe they are canceling it either.
But you're right, 2 examples are not enough to prove the traditional sitcom is surviving. However, the best non traditional sitcoms - The Office, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Scrubs, etc, are/were not rating powerhouses either, so what does that mean?
To me, it means thank god for DVD's....
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Dec 27, 2006 3:55 PM
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