Is there a current sitcom on the air funnier than THE GOLDEN GIRLS? And just know, I never worked on THE GOLDEN GIRLS. Or FRIENDS. Or THE OFFICE. Or ROSEANNE. But those shows really delivered.
And then there’s THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW from the early ‘60s. Talk about a show that hits just the right tone of humor and warmth and Americana — it’s the folks in Mayberry. Over the last year, its audience has grown by 29% to 58.3 billion viewing moments. Pretty good for a sixty year old show I'd say.
I have another theory as to why THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW has struck such a chord. People are nice to each other. There is a level of caring the characters share for one another. I think subconsciously that’s what we’re really nostalgic for in these polarized hate-filled times. Yes, it feels dated (the show is not even in color), but the sensibility is what we crave — now more than ever.
So let’s look at the formula — humanity, kindness, and really funny. Seems like a proven winning combination. Why do they have to be vintage sitcoms? Development season begins in a few months. Are there lessons to be learned?
59 comments :
I don't think I realized just how bad today's sitcoms are until I caught THE NANNY reruns. I don't ever recall watching it when it was originally on CBS but I caught the reruns on COZI TV and it's better than any sitcom currently in production that I've seen promoted.
On the other hand, when it is compared with other sitcoms from the '90s, it wasn't that good and that's probably why I didn't watch it then because NBC was giving us FRASIER and SEINFELD among other shows.
Ken, I think you nailed it. People are tired of mean comedy. We really want to like the characters we are inviting into our living room.
A little edge is ok but good comedy writing seems to have lost its way.
Ken, have you seen Ted Lasso on AppleTV+? What are your thoughts? I think it's an excellent example of a new show that fits the description you put forward here, and that's why it has resonated (albeit with low visibility given the platform).
Was gonna bring up Ted Lasso as well! :)
I caught Parks and Recreation in syndication after it had already ended, and loved it. In particular, I loved that the characters were kind and cared about each other and their community. It was refreshing, and that really made me realize how unique that quality is now in sitcoms.
Not sure about the reasons for the bump in viewership. Beyond the comfort/familiarity aspects, I think Andy being a superior public servant plays a role. What would we give for our governments today to be as wise and responsive?
I do know that for all the corny and syrupy (not a bad thing) themes, AG portrayed folks in all their imperfection. It also had some truly menacing/dangerous characters. This is the secret sauce, imo. AG understood that good storytelling requires tension. AG told timeless tales. Just like Disney.
Pride bit most all the denizens of Mayberry. It gets most all of us at times. But, we are also generous when we see friends hurting, too. In the end, within the AG universe, goodness wins. Sign me up.
+1 to Ted Lasso if you're looking for kindness, warmth but also really funny.
If you're looking for a kind-hearted contemporary comedy,try The Unicorn. It's not always funny but at times it has that Mayberry touch.
I remember one time Richard Curtis saying that part of the idea behind THE VICAR OF DIBLEY was, "why can't we have sitcom characters who are for the most part pleasant to each other?"
Glenn Campbell had a huge hit with a song called TRY A LITTLE KINDNESS In 1970 ... the lyrics are quite fitting today:
"If you see your brother standing by the road
With a heavy load from the seeds he sowed
And if you see your sister falling by the way
Just stop and say, "You're going the wrong way"
You've got to try a little kindness
Yes, show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets
Don't walk around the down and out
Lend a helping hand instead of doubt
And the kindness that you show every day
Will help someone along their way
You got to try a little kindness
Yes, show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets"
Saw a funny bit once by a comedian who said the reason everyone in Mayberry was so happy was that NOBODY was married! Not Andy, Barney, Gomer, Goober, Floyd, Howard, Aunt Bee, Clara, Helen or Thelma Lou. The only married one was Otis, who was always drunk. Hmmmmm....
It's largely forgotten today, but "Mayberry RFD," an "in color" continuation of the Griffith show after Griffith left the weekly grind, was a better than average effort with Ken Berry, in his low-key style,leading a cast of Griffith veterans. Its successful three-year run ended in 1971, a casualty of CBS's "rural purge." The show deserved a better fate and should not have lumped in with the likes of "Green Acres" and "Hee Haw." MeTV ran "RFD" a few years ago.
In the Star Trek episode "City on the Edge of Forever" (Kirk and Spock go back to 1930), they used the Mayberry street set for New York. Kirk and Edith Keeler walk right past Floyd's Barber Shop.
The Unicorn mentioned above is pretty god from that perspective, but I will say I rarely laugh. It's pleasant and I love Walt Goggins, but I feel like they need a few more jokes. I hope it comes back for S3!
The big one would be Ted Lasso, also mentioned a number of times. It's outstanding!
Can't argue with ya!
I just watched all five seasons of THE ODD COUPLE for maybe the tenth time, and all the iPads in the house have the highlight reel 'Felix in the Courtroom' on replay.
When the "assume" clip came on everybody in my dentist's office crowded around to watch, including the dentist. And they weren't all boomers and geezers, either.
Are people capable of creating funny stuff anymore though? Or do networks only put the non-funny dystopian stuff on TV? Seriously, I wonder.
You hit it right on the head !!! I'm a huge fan of the old Andy Griffith shows I watch them every night now !! (My wife makes fun of me) But they make me feel good and brings me back to a simpler time.... and boy could we all use more of that now !!!
I'll be the fourth to recommend Ted Lasso.
The last couple of seasons of the Andy Griffith Show (before it transitioned into Mayberry RFD) were in color. To me those episodes make it clearer (to its detriment) that the show existed in the 60s while the B&W episodes looked like it was taking place in the 30s while still being set in the present. If that makes any sense. (Side note apropos of nothing: Jack Nicholson appeared in two episodes as different characters, one in B&W, one in color....)
Still amazes me that The same Andy Griffith who was so despicable in “A Face In The Crowd” could do a complete 180 as Sheriff Andy Taylor.
If you want to see a terrific performance by Andy Griffith as a despicable murderer (who winds up in the electric chair) watch "Murder in Coweta County," a 1983 TV movie with Johnny Cash as the sheriff who tracks him down. Based on a true story of a murder in Georgia in 1948.
I hated the color Andy Griffith shows when I first saw them. Now some of the color episodes are among my favorites, such as three spaghetti dinners, Otis makes a mosaic or Opie finds a baby. I can remember where and when I first saw most of the color episodes, but can't say the same for the black and white, because those were always on. No broadcast stations would air the color, and it wasn't until I was older that I caught them on cable in the 90s. I like to have them (and other vintage shows) playing because it helps me forget I live in a world where I spend my lunch hours quietly sobbing, lamenting the choices I've made in life.
The Griffith show did a good job of showing the positive aspects of life in small town rural communities (back then). For some reason though they chose to portray the local department store owner as a greedy miser- he was one of the few unpleasant characters in Mayberry, and I actually thought his character was one of the more unrealistic portrayals. Remember this was before credit cards, when stores extended credit on their own. Any local merchant who was that stingy with his credit wouldn't have stayed in business long.
And of course there's Don Knotts as Deputy Fife. He is the reason for the rule that says if the Andy Griffith Show comes on and you see the opening credits are in color, its OK to change the dial.
“Murder in Coweta County” apparently can be streamed on Tubi; or rented or purchased on Amazon+.
I guess if there's one show that could appeal to both sides of the political spectrum, it's "The Andy Griffith Show" (though it's possible it's even more appealing to the side that doesn't believe in diversity or equality...)
I'm all for more humanity and kindness on TV, and in the real world, especially after the last four years.
While the best from the past can thrive in reruns, I'm betting we've forgotten most of the mediocre stuff from years gone by.
In the last year, I've certainly enjoyed and have had many hearty laughs at Schitt's Creek (okay, 53 weeks ago), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Ted Lasso, Mr. Mayor and Resident Alien (and I wasn't expecting Resident Alien to be a comedy).
I find The Big Bang Theory quite funny, I never watched it while it was on the air, but am enjoying it now on HBOMax. I watched Parks and Rec while it was on the air, but find it unwatchable now due to the treatment of Jerry and that Ron Swanson's right wing comments have not aged well and are tiresome.
These classic shows seemed to have "one-of-a-kind talents:" Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Don Adams, Ed Platt, Paul Lynde, Liz Montgomery, Dick York, Agnes Moorehead, David White, Marion Lorne, Larry Hagman, Bob Denver, Jim Backus, Alvy Moore, Pat Buttram, Don Knotts, Leonard Nimoy, Frank Sutton, Fred Gwynne, Larry Storch, and, yes, Andy Griffith. Back when TV was fun.
Would also add both Bob Crane, Bernard Fox and Werner Klemperer to my list of "one-of-a-kinds." Have been watching a lot of Hogan's Heroes lately and they are a joy to watch.
Maybe a dumb question (always a promising preamble...), but what is a "viewing moment?" It's a new term to me. Thanks!
Now we're talking! TAGS is one of the greatest television series ever made! Pure gold! Timelessly funny and no sitcom on the air today is even close to it.
Regarding more recent sitcoms, there are plans for a continuation of "Night Court". John Larouquette will return as Dan Fielding, and the judge will be the daughter of the late Harry Anderson's character. Melissa Rauch, Bernadette on "The Big Bang Theory", will be executive producer.
@tavm: If there is any modern backlash to "The Andy Griffith Show" from the left, it's over how a show set in the South didn't have any Black characters. Similar to how "Friends" isn't aging well for some, as a show set in diverse Manhattan had very few non-white actors.
Ken, it's so ironic that this is today's topic. I have been watching reruns of "The Waltons" (on the Inspiration channel), a show I watched religiously in first run and then (incredibly) had the opportunity to work on in its final seasons. In a recent episode, John, the father, commented, "people have lost their jobs, they don't have enough food to eat," etc., describing life during the Depression and so relevant to what people have experienced throughout the pandemic. I find my anxiety level drops reliving how a large family and its neighbors navigate a crisis with caring and kindness, genuinely having everyone's best interest at heart.
That's why I hate Seinfeld and Larry David. THe lack of kindness. You can poke fun at one another but constant rudeness just isn't funny or entertainment.
I'm a fan and something of an expert on "The Andy Griffith Show." They show a couple of hours of it every day on TV Land that I play in the background while working (our parrots learned to whistle the theme song and the love the "Opie The Bird Man" episode.) I watch YouTube videos on AGS trivia, have a few books on the show and even recently watched all the "Mayberry RFD" episodes on Dailymotion.com, which is just about the only place to find them.
That said, I started to notice that the idea of Mayberry being a bucolic paradise where everyone would want to live is a bit overstated. Sometimes, it seems more like the village in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." I overlook the sexism of the era (and the show was actually commenting on it.) But the people are very suspicious of outsiders (they were about ready to stone a stranger who knew too much about them until Andy read them the riot act and told them he'd just subscribed to the local paper and fell in love with the town.) Aunt Bee's "best friend" Clara Edwards is actually a frenemy who delights in insulting and undercutting her at every turn. If anyone is "too" successful, like when Aunt Bee won a lot of prizes on a TV quiz show, their "friends" become resentful and snub them. Aunt Bee finally gave up the mink coat she wore (it was promptly purchased and flaunted in front of her by...Clara Edwards!) Clara also led a whisper campaign to destroy Millie's reputation when Millie replaced her as the director of the school pageant on "Mayberry RFD." Floyd the barber delights in spreading gossip that causes breakups and fistfights. Barney is a budding fascist who thinks the sheriff's office needs machine guns and tear gas and who arrested the entire town when he was put in charge for just eight hours. The town's #1 merchant was a nasty old skinflint who expected Andy to arrest his competition and to evict a young couple with a child who were struggling to survive. Andy was able to trick him into acting like a human both times, but it took some work.
And finally, why did a town full of such allegedly nice people keep electing such a-holes as Mayor? There were two over the life of the series, both arrogant, elitist snobs with zero compassion. One ordered Andy to evict an elderly farmer from his lifelong home because he was too old to keep up with the taxes and maintenance. The other sided with snobbish ladies' club leaders who wouldn't let a farmer who was a great singer perform for a visiting VIP because he was a dirty working person who wore overalls. He even insulted the man in front of his wife and nearly made her cry.
I do love the show, and usually...well, sometimes...Andy can shame or trick the residents into acting like decent humans...but after a while, you just start to notice some things. Or maybe it's the fact that I grew up in a small Texas town, so I don't have any hazy illusions about them.
Thanks for saying this! Not just in comedy but in all tv. I'm so tired of everything being so dark and everyone being a terrible person. Maybe it's time to bring cheerful back to television.
One of the things I love about this blog is that I learn many new things from the comments. Arlen, thank you for sharing that Glenn Campbell song. I've never heard it before. I found a live performance on YouTube (https://youtu.be/JX7NNMKBPsw). What a wonderful find. We certainly do need more of that these days. Much appreciated.
I guess it's not just comedy. I've been watching Columbo over the past year for the same reasons. A genial cop who doesn't like guns, the good Lieutenant and Sheriff Andy would get along well, I think.
I haven't watched Andy Griffith lately, but an episode that sticks out to me is the one where Barney gives out tickets to truckers for going 5 MPH over the speed limit up a hill. Turns out that Andy Taylor let the truckers bend the law in order to make it up that hill.
One more thing, in case you missed it, last year the New Yorker's Joe Dator had a wonderful cartoon detailing why the character of Columbo is a breath of fresh air in this day and age. Check it out.
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/rediscovering-columbo-in-2020
I went through a period of really appreciating this show and Leave It To Beaver for the same reasons, though I haven't really felt compelled to revisit them in years -- but they really held up. That said, I'll be the umpteenth person to mention that the terrific Ted Lasso definitely falls in this category. I'd actually also add Resident Alien to this list, which I just recently binge watched -- mostly good, flawed people trying to do the right thing, with a few menacing/dangerous characters (and situations) thrown in!
I should probably revisit THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW and see how it holds up today. It was made long before my time, although ir did air in syndication when I was a child, an anomaly as a black and white show.
I'm not the "woke" type, looking to see racism and sexism everywhere, but I do think there is certain amount of insularity in the show. Sure, they are nice to each other, fundamentally decent folk. But the world ain't Mayberry, and even it it were, I don't think it would be my ideal.
My dog loved the Andy Griffith show. If it was on, she would lie down in front of the TV and nap. She didn't watch, I think it was just the sound of Andy's voice. She did this with no other show. Not a bad recommendation.
Didn’t see the classic “Citizen’s Arrest” (TAGS ep) until years after watching Jim Nabors on his own show and have to say it was refreshing for a change to see Gomer take someone to task, as he does with Barney in this segment.
Perhaps since it shares some DNA with Parks and Rec, but I like that Brooklyn 99 has a group of co-workers who all like each other to some degree. There's some occasional meanness, which you'd expect from people in a high-stress situation. There are no jerks or a-holes, just a few fools who still prove useful when necessary.
Did you ever notice that the streets of Mayberry are paved but the highway outside of town is a dirt road?
I see several other people have mentioned Ted Lasso. In my opinion, it fits your description perfectly. Would love to see what you think of it Ken.
Not a lot of black people in Mayberry, were there? Strange for rural Georgia.
@ Ere I Saw Elba
There is a fabulous meta episode of Dobie Gillis that makes the point that television isn't real life -it's not supposed to be real life.
If it were real life, we would have no need for it.
@thirteen
Also strange for rural North Carolina
Georgia, North Carolina - what's the difference?
I just feel a need to shout out "Young Sheldon". Never was a big fan of "Big Bang", but the cast of this show is so great. I think it is really funny and kind-hearted, too. And with the acting talents of the core cast, along with veterans Annie Potts, Craig T Nelson, Wallace Shawn, Ed Begley, Jr. and Reba McEntire, among others, I find it one of the most enjoyable shows on TV
A related note, or not: Chuck Jones, one of the gods of animation, really, really disliked Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Now, one of the reasons, I know, is that the animation was much looser than how he did things, with a lot of nuance. But he said his problem was that he didn't find the characters likable. And if you think about it, when he did them, you could even like Wile E. Coyote as he tried to kill the Road Runner.
My family is part of the cohort which has discovered the show during the pandemic. Even my sometimes surly teen son loves it. I am really intrigued by Griffith's performance. I've read that even he thought he was a little over the top the first season, but after that he reigned it in a bit. Think he is underrated as an actor. On the other hand, I suspect I am the only Mayberry fan who loathes Don Knotts. Never met a piece of scenery he couldn't chew.
Could be there is nothing else worth watching! They could air a shitty movie like "Earthquake' and get good ratings!
I always have thought that the Griffith show was a darned near perfect TV show (Sheldon Leonard had the golden touch). But I’m also a fan of Modern Family. Like the Griffith show Modern Family has likable but quirky characters who love one another. And, like Griffith, every show ends with a “lesson.” Neither show hits you over the head with it though. In Griffith, it’s usually Andy saying, “Well, Opie, it’s like this...”. In Family one of the characters would voice over the final scene with an observation about how family is better than fame...or whatever. Smart writing in both shows. It’s kinda nice to have comedies which leave us with something to think about.
"...humanity, kindness, and really funny..."
Two words: Corner Gas. Canada's biggest sitcom (I assume) of the early 2000s. It's streaming on Prime. Besides the terrific ensemble cast and sharp writing, I like that it's set in a small prairie town and was shot...in a small prairie town (exteriors). Also notice some shooting days in rained, so that episode was a rainy one.
Humanity, kindness, and funny -- I would definitely put Parks and Recreation in that category. Once they got past the first season and made the Parks and Rec people appreciate and support each other (except for Jerry), the show became absolute gold to me. Schitt's Creek, too, displays a lot of that.
I love Ted Lasso, too, and it has a very warm and human heart, but there is A LOT of vulgarity in that show. While it's realistic and appropriate for the setting (young males in a very competitive sport), it still gets a bit wearing.
Speaking of the original Star Trek show, remember when Frasier buys Joan Collins' wig from that episode to give to Noel Shempsky for teaching him Hebrew? (Only he really taught him Klingon.)
My brother shows his kids the old Andy Griffith shows to let them see how nice and polite and well groomed people were back in the day -- considerate of each other, even. Thanks for all the other shows you've suggested for me to look up. I love this blog *and* all its readers.
"Mayberry" was actually the Atlanta city streets set for "Gone With the Wind." It was on the old RKO Forty Acres, eventually Desilu Culver, and then Paramount-owned.
They filmed the original "King Kong" there (Atlanta burning in GWTW was the giant Kong wall on Skull Island). The exterior "Tara" was just around the corner - it was removed to build the "Hogan's Heroes" Stalag 13 set.
The Taylor house was next door to Miss Pittypat's Atlanta home from GWTW. Etc., etc.
Google it, to see what filmed there. Fascinating.
"Star Trek" used it as a town square set for three episodes, as it was a Desilu/Paramount production, and they still owned the property. (Paramount took over solely for the final year of usage as a filming backlot.)
Unfortunately, it's now an office park. Filming took place between 1927 and 1968.
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