Why period comedies generally struggle

A reader wondered why period comedies by and large, do not work. Since I never wrote one (well, okay MASH, but audiences so identified it with Viet Nam that it didn’t seem period.) I didn’t feel qualified to answer. So I asked two writers who did – Earl Pomerantz, who created BEST OF THE WEST and Phoef Sutton, who along with Mark Legan created THANKS (set in Pilgrim times. Maybe it would have worked if they called the show 30 PLYMOUTH ROCK). Today I’ll share Earl’s answer. (He has a longer one here on his own blog.) Next week Phoef’s response.

I created "Best of the West" because I love westerns and because I was tired of stories about dating. I wanted my characters to have real problems, like outlaws and Indians (many of whom, often with good reason, were not nice).

The short answer for why "period" comedies are such a tough "sell" is that you’re overlaying “artificial” on top of “fake” on top of “unreal” on top of “really hard to buy.”

The sitcom format itself, especially the kind shot in front of a live audience, with its shadowless lighting, it’s indoor airlessness, not to mention the intrusive laughter of off-screen strangers provides one artificial element.

Then you’ve got, in Best of the West, not my interpretation of the West, but my interpretation of other people’s interpretation of the West, as portrayed in movies, books and TV shows. That puts the show two portrayals away from the actual West, whatever that was. A version of a version tends offers an even greater challenge to the “willing suspension of disbelief.” There's only so much suspending you can do.

On top of, they’re wearing these strange, not particularly authentic, and not at all worn-in outfits, some of which look like they’ve just retrieved from the hangers at Western Costume. You can almost see the safety-pinned tags saying, "If lost, please return to Errol Flynn."

Best of the West aired in 1981, roughly fifteen after TV westerns were really popular. So there was also a timing problem. I couldn’t help that. When TV westerns were in their hey-day, I was still in High School.

The only thing Best of the West had going for it was it was really funny. With the above-described elements and a network's lack of enthusiasm, being funny wasn’t quite enough.

It’s hard making any situation comedy believable. Setting it in another time, or planet, or something, well, good luck if you love it, but don’t expect it to be easy.

Thanks, Earl. Not only will I share Phoef's take next week, I'll even tell you how he pronounces his name.