tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post4160401845158168137..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Being in the bubbleBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45973107086248602332016-08-17T23:11:30.031-07:002016-08-17T23:11:30.031-07:00Friends is owned by Warner Bros. NBC has no stake...Friends is owned by Warner Bros. NBC has no stake in it, although they were closely involved in the development if you believe Warren Littlefield. That was near the end of the era where you could get away with not giving your network a piece of the pie.Andy Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74620682450882633882016-08-17T20:08:57.701-07:002016-08-17T20:08:57.701-07:00Yes, and in fact, I believe because FRIENDS became...Yes, and in fact, I believe because FRIENDS became such a big hit for an in-house network sitcom that was pretty much made on corporate influence that that played a big factor in why most, in not all, network programs today are owned and created <i>by</i> the networks themselves. I know it was a growing problem even before then - Andy Griffith made the comparison that networks were merely hosts back when he did THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, but became meddlers that "put children in offices" when he did MATLOCK - but again, it seems like FRIENDS was the definitive proof to networks that they could do their own shows themselves. Sad, really.Joseph Scarbroughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06851086150240380366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41577132674001318062016-08-17T18:22:15.091-07:002016-08-17T18:22:15.091-07:00"Friends" had so much corporate heft beh..."Friends" had so much corporate heft behind it (particularly the TimeWarner magazine cabal) that it was easy for critics to mock. And while I can't put it in the class of "Frasier"/"Seinfeld"/"Cheers," it was well-made for what it did, and in retrospect we wonder why it was so popular. In other words, it's sort of like "The Beverly Hillbillies" or "The Big Bang Theory."VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85371532463294836232016-08-17T11:50:38.645-07:002016-08-17T11:50:38.645-07:00FRIENDS seems to be one of those shows that you ei...FRIENDS seems to be one of those shows that you either love or hate, and it seems like those who hated it took fiendish glee in making fun of it - there's plenty of jokes on the original U.S. version of WHOSE LINE? that imply what a bad show it was, such as the time Ryan Stiles found himself in hell, where apparently you're doomed to watch nonstop FRIENDS marathons (and listening to nonstop Michael Bolton music) for all eternity.Joseph Scarbroughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06851086150240380366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42176013530908980542016-08-17T04:27:00.922-07:002016-08-17T04:27:00.922-07:00In the discussion on Reddit, CHEERS and FRASIER ar...In the discussion on Reddit, CHEERS and FRASIER are mentioned repeatedly as most well-written sitcoms of all time---smart people. Seinfeld is also mentioned a lot. Surprisingly, Friends is not---it's not one of my favorites, but it was so popular for so long, I was just surprised. Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49903678546608775082016-08-16T17:09:05.067-07:002016-08-16T17:09:05.067-07:00Hi Ken,
Thought you might find this discussion on ...Hi Ken,<br />Thought you might find this discussion on reddit interesting.<br /><br />https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/4xzz0n/what_is_the_most_well_written_sitcom_of_all_time/<br /><br />cheers<br />Dave.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88874983443238253672016-08-16T15:57:02.969-07:002016-08-16T15:57:02.969-07:00I'm going to be in LA for Rosh Hashannah ( fro...I'm going to be in LA for Rosh Hashannah ( from NY) and I'm taking some of my familt to see your new play Hopfully I'll finally get to meet you (well be at the final preview on Sept 30Unkystanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14561636366494227519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17333371221902835862016-08-16T15:20:14.374-07:002016-08-16T15:20:14.374-07:00Friday question on Tuesday. OK, Ken, what do you t...Friday question on Tuesday. OK, Ken, what do you think:<br /><br />http://www.newsweek.com/how-write-darkest-seinfeld-script-ever-490754<br /><br />Earl Boeberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07300222007927549893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78747764495767442302016-08-16T09:50:25.925-07:002016-08-16T09:50:25.925-07:00Joseph, I understand exactly what you mean, about ...Joseph, I understand exactly what you mean, about both drinks and TV shows.<br /><br />For me it's... salsa. Seems like every great salsa I've ever tried eventually gets ruined. La Victoria in particular used to have a fantastic one, Salsa Victoria; like spicy Anaheim chile heaven on a corn chip. Then the company 'changed the formula' and turned it into ketchup. The only place I can find quality, truly tasty salsas anymore is at actual Mexican restaurants.qdpstevehttps://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=19336675&postID=4160401845158168137&bpli=1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52005901673876788812016-08-16T08:15:04.326-07:002016-08-16T08:15:04.326-07:00People who know me know that back in the day, Appl...People who know me know that back in the day, Apple Snapple was like my Kryptonite, and I practically had to hoard the stuff because it was so hard to find: only in Walmart and certain convenience stores. Radar had his grape nehi, Kel had his orange soda, I had my Apple Snapple. Then come 2009, Snapple decided to start using different ingredients for their products, and suddenly, it was never the same again: Apple Snapple went from tasting like biting into a fresh apple without biting into a fresh apple to tasting like apple-flavored Jolly Rancher (that horrid hard candy with the real fake fruit flavor you get at the doctor's office). The biggest slap in the face is that within the last few years, now Apple Snapple is easier to find, it's practically in every single store now - sometimes in <i>cases</i>; I used to <i>dream</i> about finding cases of the stuff!Joseph Scarbroughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06851086150240380366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67543422889217358092016-08-16T06:30:53.203-07:002016-08-16T06:30:53.203-07:00For us viewers it's own difficult to decide on...For us viewers it's own difficult to decide on trying out a new show (especially comedies):<br />* What if it stars a favorite actor/actress and it's awful.<br />* What if it stars a least favorite actor/actress and we actually like the character!<br />* What if we like/love it but it is getting lousy ratings. We know Networks have no taste or patience, and we'll be heartbroken.<br />* What if the pilot is good but the rest stinks...and we keep wasting our time for weeks, hoping to get a glimpse of that good feeling again before we finally give up.<br />* What if the show is terrible from the beginning but the Network keeps forcing it down our throats, in that it sits in between two of our favorite shows.<br />* What if it is so terrible it makes us hate (GASP!) Television itself. (it's been known to happen). <br /><br />Often times, I will let my spouse watch it first, get her opinion and then tag along with the second show. <br />But if there is one out-of-place gutter joke about vaginas, I'm out.The Bumble Bee Pendanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11782074071758250824noreply@blogger.com